Pre Made Meal Plans

Weight Loss

One of the most common things people ask for when working on weight or health goals is a meal plan. That makes sense. Structure can feel reassuring, especially when eating has started to feel overwhelming, inconsistent, or emotionally exhausting.

At the same time, many people have also experienced the downside of highly rigid meal plans, feeling “good” when following them perfectly and discouraged the moment real life shows up. Hunger changes. Stress happens. Social events happen. Sometimes you just want pizza!

So rather than thinking about meal planning as following strict rules, it can be more helpful to think about it as creating a flexible structure that supports:

The goal is not perfection. The goal is building something sustainable enough to repeat.

If you are looking for a structure to get started this resource provides you with guidance on how to design a meal plan in a calorie deficit and links to example meal plans.

Distributing food across your day

One of the biggest challenges people run into when eating in a calorie deficit is unintentionally becoming too restrictive too early. Skipping meals, eating little through the day, or trying to “save calories” may sound helpful in theory, but for most it leads to increased hunger, cravings, grazing, or feeling out of control later in the evening.This is where meal structure can help.

Many people find they may feel better with consistent eating throughout the day rather than long stretches of under-fuelling. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to eat at the same time - there is no universally “correct” schedule - but it can be helpful to avoid patterns where you become overwhelmingly hungry before eating. The best pattern is the one that helps you feel satisfied, energized, and consistent.

Food for thought: if you are eating <50% of your daily intake before your evening meal, it's highly likely that evening hunger might be more challenging to manage.

Eating at inconsistent times can make it more difficult to recognize and trust your hunger and fullness cues. Consider experimenting with a regular eating schedule to see whether it helps create more predictable patterns of hunger, satisfaction and appetite throughout the day.

Building meals and snacks to feel satisfied in a calorie deficit

It’s expected that eating in a calorie deficit will trigger a degree of hunger. This is normal as your body is providing you with information that you are eating less than you need to maintain your current weight. However, high levels of hunger are not a recipe for success. Here are some strategies to leave you feeling satisfied sooner and for longer.

Protein

Protein plays an important role in appetite regulation. It triggers a hormonal response that impacts satiety and slows digestion meaning it takes longer to feel hungry again. As a general starting point, many people benefit from aiming for:

Calories

Calories are our fuel source and eating too little can drive up hunger and leave us feeling fatigued. It’s unlikely a 50 calorie snack is going to leave any adult satisfied for long! Here are guides for minimum amounts at meals and snacks:

These are not here because you need to hit perfect targets, but because minimums can sometimes be more helpful than strict maximums. In other words, instead of constantly asking “how little can I eat?”, we often want to ask “what helps me stay satisfied enough that this feels manageable?”

Fiber:

Meals also tend to feel more satisfying when they include fibre and high volume foods like: vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, or whole grains. These foods take longer to digest, provide a more steady source of energy and help us feel fuller, faster with fewer calories.

Fats:

Fats are energy dense but that doesn’t mean we should avoid them completely. Including a source of fat every time we eat helps to increase satiety and is essential for the digestion of fat soluble vitamins.

Don't forget to eat enjoyable foods and flavours. This might go without saying but if you don’t like what you eat you are more likely to seek something you do enjoy! There is no need to eliminate any food. If you want to eat chips/chocolate/ take out in the future, it’s important we find ways to include them while still supporting your goals.

Foods that increase your hunger:

Another area that can influence hunger and calorie intake is liquids. Liquid calories are not “bad,” but they are less filling than solid food. Juice, alcohol, smoothies, specialty drinks (frappe’s, bubble tea etc), and regular pop can add a meaningful amount of energy (calories) without contributing to fullness.

Processed foods (often high in refined carbohydrates and fats) trigger something known as the “bliss point” in our brain - rather than satiating us, they actually trigger the brain to crave more!

Alcohol reduces our inhibitions and lowers blood sugars. It makes sense why the pizza, chips, or fries feel so appealing!

For some people, small changes here can create a calorie deficit with surprisingly little impact on satisfaction.

Those changes might be:

The goal is not removing enjoyment. The goal is finding changes that feel sustainable enough to maintain.

Should you feast at breakfast or skip it entirely?!

Calories impact our weight in the same way if we eat them at 9 am or 9pm! Consistency in the spacing of your meals is more important than the time on the clock!

Some people prefer a larger breakfast because it reduces evening hunger. Others find lighter mornings and larger dinners work best for them. What matters most is paying attention to patterns:

You can see why no one can provide you with the perfect meal plan, our body, appetite, routines and preferences are all different.

However, if you would find it helpful, meal plans or sample menus can absolutely still be used as inspiration. They can help generate ideas, reduce decision fatigue, or give examples of what balanced meals might look like. The important thing is remembering they are tools, not tests of success or failure.

If you would like an example meal plan that aligns with your goals, ask your dietitian and they can send one over to you directly.

Don’t forget the recipe section in the Constant health app can help you build your own meal plan. Use the filter option at the top right hand side of the screen to enter your own criteria or nutrient ranges.

If you would like help building a meal plan of your own, let your Constant Health Dietitian know and they can support you through the process in one of your sessions.

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