The best diet meals to lose weight (10 meal suggestions)

Hey guys, today I’m giving you 10 diet meals anyone can use while looking to lose weight. If you missed it in my last article I talked about how to lose weight effectively, here is the link to the article: https://www.theavgguysnutritionandexerciseguide.org/nutrition/best-weight-loss-tips/. Now is probably a great time to read an article like this with Christmas and New Years just finished and maybe you consumed just a little too much food over the last month. The diet meals in this article will help you make amends! They range from salads which pack a lot of food volume and contain minimal calories. Starchy carbs which help to make us feel satiated quicker, lean proteins to preserve muscle mass and keep us satiated for longer. We even have something for people who have a sweet tooth, such as myself. What makes these diet meals effective is that they are all low in calories and voluminous. Meaning it will make it easier for us to hit our calorie target to place ourselves in a calorie deficit and not go hungry. If you remember from our last article, tracking your daily calories daily using a tool such as https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ will help you hit your calorie target. So without anymore beating around the bush, let’s jump into my 10 favorite diet meals !

My top 10 weight loss diet meals

• Low carb tuna salad:The mother of all diet meals.
• Heart healthy chicken salad.
• Porridge with protein powder: The Granddaddy of diet meals.
• Diet snacks: I can lose weight with popcorn?
• Eat Paleo chicken soup for weight loss.
• Egg white french toast: Is this a weight loss meal?
• Protein pancake: A diet meal for lovers of everything sweet.
• Weight loss breakfast: Low carb egg white omelette.
• Diet meal 101: Starchy and wholegrain carbohydrates with a lean protein source and vegetables.
• Weight loss made tastier: Couscous with a lean protein and roasted vegetables.

Low carb tuna salad: The mother of all diet meals.

Alright this one is for sure one of my go to dieting meals. Not only because it contains few calories and a lean source of protein, which is needed to maintain muscle mass (unless you want to turn skinny, no thank you!). It also tastes great too and is relatively cheap compared to other dishes.

What kinds of ingredients can we add to a tuna salad?

Typical ingredients I like to include in my tuna salads just are firstly the tuna (make sure it’s in water and not oil). Usually I will look to include enough tuna to hit 30-40g of protein for optimal protein synthesis. Did you know, protein is also very satiating which will help to keep us fuller for longer. Tuna is also one of the cheaper fish options out there and as it comes in cans, you don’t even have to cook it, just open the can and add it to your meal. Now with any good piece of tuna the perfect compliment is mayonnaise. But as this is a diet meal, we don’t want the full fat version but the low fat version which packs fewer calories. When we have a calorie target to hit, you don’t want a lot of your calories coming from foods like mayonnaise. Number 1 it’s not very voluminous so we are not going to stay full for long and number 2, it just doesn’t have a lot of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Which are needed for general health. Since our calories are already low, we want as much vitamins and minerals as we can get. The rest of the ingredients for this salad are mainly up to you and your preferences. You can include sweetcorn from a can which doesn’t take any prep time, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach and lettuce. The last 3 ingredients are what will add a lot of volume to this meal, meaning we can eat a lot of it but we won’t consume a lot of calories. 100 grams of lettuce amounts to 14 calories! A perfect food to bulk up this meal.

Preparation

Cooking time: 5 minutes

1. This is probably the easiest meal to prepare on this list. Yes I lied! You don’t even have to cook it, just prepare! Firstly gather all of your ingredients.
2. Dice your vegetables such as the tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and onion.
3. Add your tuna to a bowl with the diced vegetables and if you like you can add in a can of sweetcorn which goes really well with tuna. Finish with a dressing such as low fat mayonnaise and you are ready to eat one very large bowl of goodness which is bound to keep you full and satisfied for a few hours!

Heart healthy chicken salad

This one is another salad, but we have substituted the protein source going with chicken instead of tuna. Chicken and tuna contain pretty much the exact same calorie density and protein with 100 grams of chicken packing 24 grams of protein and 106kcal while tuna contains 23.6 grams of protein and 100kcal. Some people really don’t like tuna or seafood so this one is for you! Again we want to add a lot of vegetables and fruits to accompany the chicken to bulk out our meal. We have many options including lettuce and spinach as the main bulk food for this meal. Cucumber is another great one with 100g amounting to only 16 kcals! Other vegetables like tomatoes, beetroot, peppers and onion will add some flavor to this plate (or bowl!). Butternut squash, any type of potato and and beans can be added too. Though a bit more calorie tense compared to the previously mentioned vegetables, they contain resistant starch which can help make you feel fuller for longer and helps to lower cholesterol and prevent constipation. Starch heavy vegetables also contain a lot of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants which are going to help us recover from exercise. Now we are missing just one more thing..the dressing! Chicken is really versatile with dressings, making it a great option here. I personally love honey mustard dressing with balsamic vinegar, which is low in calories but contain a lot of flavor. Eating salads has never been easier!

Preparation

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1. Get your chicken and dice into equal parts. Season with some thyme, salt and pepper, a little bit of lemon juice or even some herbs de Provence. If you are short on time you can also use ready cooked chicken slices which can be found in any supermarket.
2. Dice your vegetables, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onion, cucumber and beetroot. You have a choice here. You can fry them on a pan after frying the chicken or just eat them raw. It’s completely up to you!
3. Heat up a pan to a medium heat, spray the pan with a small bit of oil and add in your chicken and vegetables. Fry until browned then transfer to a bowl.
4. Add your favorite low calorie dressing, I like honey mustard dressing which is very easy to make. Just add a little honey, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, oregano, salt, pepper and some balsamic vinegar. Mix together and pour over the chicken salad. You will find this is a meal you will keep coming back to and will look forward to eating!

Porridge with protein powder: The Granddaddy of diet meals.

This has to be one of my favorite weight loss meals of all time. Maybe it’s because I’m Irish and in Ireland it’s generally cold and porridge is warm. Maybe it’s because with porridge you can add a lot of different tasty toppings! Or maybe it’s because every time I eat porridge I feel full for hours. One of the main reasons I included porridge on the list is because it’s a great source of fiber which helps to keep us full as it slows down digestion. Porridge also comes with a lot of water, especially if you make it in a pot over a stove compared to heating it in the microwave. This is going to fill our stomachs up so we receive those signals of fullness quicker and stop eating.

Porridge works great with toppings

With porridge I love to include a 0kcal sweetener to add sweetness for those with a sweet tooth like me. Spices like cinnamon and vanilla are great to add extra flavor. If my calorie budget allows it I like to substitute the 0kcal sweetener for honey which goes really well with porridge. Another great low calorie ingredient to add are fruits like strawberries, blueberries, apples and pears. Even better if you stew them this porridge bowl tastes like dessert! To complete this meal we need to add a protein source and a great one is protein powder. I like https://www.myprotein.ie/. Their protein powders are high in protein, low in calories and Myprotein have some really great flavors which taste like dessert! We have 2 options with the protein powder. We can mix the protein powder in the porridge and make a protein porridge mixture (works well with flavors like chocolate). Or we can add the protein powder to a shaker cup with water and consume separately. Whichever works for you, which is the key to long term progress!

Preparation

Cooking time: 5 minutes

1. Fetch yourself a pot, add in some oats and cover with a little bit of water. The more water you add the more liquid your oats will contain. The opposite is also true. Decide which you prefer.
2. Place the pan on the stove on a low heat. Let the oats and water mix together. At this point I would add in the protein powder, sweetener, cinnamon or cacao and gently mix into the oats until fully mixed together.
3. Once all the ingredients have mixed, place in a bowl and now hot, wholesome, energy rich porridge is ready for you to enjoy!

Diet snacks: I can lose weight with popcorn?

Alright, you read this and now your brain is thinking. Jack this is not a diet meal? Snacks when losing weight? Is this legit? I don’t believe it, I’m not reading your articles anymore! Well you would be wrong to think we can eat pretty much any typical snack you see in the supermarket like crisps or chocolate but we can substitute these snacks for more weight loss friendly versions. Snacks which will keep us full, are lower in calories but still taste great. After a while you will get tired of salads. Food variety is king here for diet adherence!

What kind of snacks are suitable for weight loss?

I like to include the following snacks if my calorie budget allows it. Foods like popcorn (the regular version, not the butter flavor.), sweet fruits like strawberries, blueberries, pineapples and dates. Zero calorie soft drinks, such as https://www.coca-cola.com/gb/en/brands/coca-cola-zero-sugar. They also contain caffeine which helps to suppress hunger and gives us a kick of energy which can be a great aid while exercising and consuming less calories than normal.) Fruits and sweet 0kcal drinks are great for those of us who want that sugary/sweet hit without a lot of calories. Some of you have probably also seen lower calorie versions of ice cream and treats like these in your local supermarket. These can be used strategically throughout a diet when we are craving something sweet and tasty and wish to take a momentary break from dieting before restarting. Just make sure to check the nutritional label as they can be LOWER in calories compared to the regular version but still contain CALORIES and for sure more than in fruit and vegetables. These foods can be usually quite expensive too so oftentimes I don’t buy them. With fruit and vegetables you also get a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which you can’t get with these diet friendly treat foods. Remember we only have a certain amount of calories we can consume each day. Do you want to eat fruits and vegetables and get the health benefits or eat low calorie ice cream and miss out on these? Losing weight is the goal but doing it in a healthy way is the right way.

Eat Paleo chicken soup for weight loss.

Soup! I love soup! It’s usually warm, tastes amazing, has lots of vegetables and is low in calories! If you come from a cold country or are dieting in the winter months soup is a great weapon to have in your arsenal. You may ask why “Paleo soup”? Well anything paleo relates to what our ancestors ate during the Paleolithic Era such as lean proteins, vegetables and fish. Basically weight loss friendly foods.

Chicken soup is versatile

In our Paleo chicken soup, we have chicken which is our source of protein to preserve muscle mass and makes us satiated for longer. The other ingredients are really up to you. You can include potatoes which go really well in soups and are a more diet friendly carbohydrate source compared to other foods like pasta or rice as it’s more “filling”. Vegetables like onions, carrots, broccoli, beets, turnip, celery, mushrooms, eggplant will add both taste and volume. Legumes like garbanzos and black beans are an extra source of protein and highly satiating. When choosing your ingredients we want to ask ourselves ” Is it low in calories?”, “Do I like to eat it?” , “Will it help me to stay within my calorie budget for today?”. Ask these questions and you won’t go too wrong. When I am consuming lower calories or near the end of a diet phase I’d mainly stick with chicken as the protein source and include lots of vegetables. The amazing thing about soup is you can also add lots of spices like cilantro, parsley and thyme or vegetables like garlic and ginger which add a lot of taste and added health benefits.

Preparation

Cooking time: 30 minutes

1. Gather all of your ingredients, a chopping block to dice the chicken and a large pot.
2. Dice the chicken, carrots, broccoli, turnip and garlic or whichever vegetables you decide to include.
3. Add water to a large pot, bring to the boil and add in your chicken, diced vegetables, half a chicken stock cube, some salt, pepper and extra spices like cilantro, parsley and thyme if you like. If you are going to include garbanzo beans I would add them in now after soaking them in water the night before. For a thicker soup, you could add in maize flour for example, just be mindful it will add calories to the soup.
4. Let the ingredients simmer gently for about 30 minutes and taste to see if they are ready by sticking a fork into them. You will know they are ready when the fork pierces the skin easily.
5. Fetch yourself a bowl and pour the soup into the bowl. Season with some salt and pepper if you like and it’s ready to eat. A dish low in calories and satisfies your taste-buds!

Egg white french toast: Is this a weight loss meal?

I remember looking up on YouTube for diet friendly meals and something like this one showed up. If your from Ireland you’re probably not accustomed to eating french toast but after making it and trying it myself I can say with full confidence it’s quite tasty! And if it is tasty and not calorie dense, it makes it a wonderful option to have while dieting. Our main ingredient is going to be the bread. Check the nutritional labels and look for a low calorie option ,which you can find in most supermarkets. Remember we are trying to make the most out of our calorie budget. Some breads are going to be higher in calories than others meaning we eat less. I don’t know about you but I want to eat as much food as I can! The next important ingredient are the egg whites. These are going to provide the protein for this meal. You can also add some Greek yogurt for some extra protein and for taste. Other important ingredients are vanilla extract and a zero calorie sweetener. Fruit like peaches (I like the canned version), apples and blueberries are a great addition here too. This is not the most voluminous meal compared to salads but if you like sweet foods that taste like dessert while dieting this one is for you.

Preparation

Cooking time: 15 minutes

1. Gather all of the ingredients. Crack the eggs, separate the egg whites and add them to a bowl. Add in the vanilla extract and the low calorie sweetener. Whisk together and once finished add in your bread and let the bread soak up the batter for 1-3 minutes. Make sure to turn over the bread so both sides soak up the batter.
2. Next heat up your pan to a medium heat and spray with oil. Place your bread soaked in batter on the pan and let them cook until solid, slightly browned and no longer running. Flip over to the other side and cook.
3. Once ready, place on a plate and add some Greek yogurt or a low calorie syrup for taste. Now it’s time to eat!

Protein pancakes: A diet meal for lovers of everything sweet.

This is probably one of my favorite weight loss meals. It’s easy to prepare and I’m not going to argue having pancakes while dieting! We get our protein from a protein powder of our choice. The Greek yogurt, almond milk and eggs which we add to make the batter will also add a little bit of protein too. Just like french toast we can add different toppings like blueberries, strawberries and apples and a low calorie syrup to turn this plate into a diet friendly dessert! One thing I should mention which you should keep in mind, is as this meal is tasty this means there is always the risk we will over-consume. Taking us out of a deficit. Experiment and see if a meal like this works for you and you can remain disciplined and stick to your calorie target. If not, don’t include it and find another meal that works.

Preparation

Cooking time: 15 minutes

1. Firstly gather all of your ingredients. You will need 1-2 scoops of your preferred protein powder. (Try use one that doesn’t have a lot of sugar so the pancakes cook better). 1-2 whole eggs, about 120g of full fat Greek yogurt and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. (this ingredient is optional) You could also include some low fat milk to make the pancake mix not as thick. Experiment and find your preferred version. A zero calorie sweetener can also be used for extra sweetness and at times I like to use chocolate chips or dried fruits. Be mindful of the calorie content of these.
2. Find yourself a large bowl, add the eggs, protein powder, Greek yogurt and baking powder. Whisk all of the ingredients together until a batter has formed. Meanwhile heat a pan to a medium heat and spray with oil.
3. Pour some of the batter onto the pan and let one side cook. Once it has started to brown slightly on the outside you can turn it over and cook the other side. Take the pancake out of the pan and place on a plate. Repeat for the rest of the pancakes.
4. Once the pancakes are on a plate you could add some low calorie syrup, honey or Greek yogurt as a nice compliment. Now you are fed for another few hours and cravings are held at bay!

Weight loss breakfast: Low carb egg white omelette

If you love eggs and omelettes but want to simultaneously lose weight then this is the dish for you. As our main ingredient are egg whites these contain no carbohydrates and no fat which is going to really lower the calorie density of this meal. We have lots of protein here too, making it the perfect weight loss meal. For my other ingredients I like to add vegetables like onion, peppers and mushrooms for taste. Spinach for extra volume, antioxidants and fiber. Potatoes could also be added. To top it off add your favorite low calories sauce, like low fat/sugar ketchup or mayonnaise. One important point to consider is how you cook the omelette. Make sure to use spray oil instead of pouring it in by hand as we don’t need those extra calories from the oil. And there you have it, a diet friendly omelette ready to eat!

Preparation

Cooking time: 10 minutes

1. Firstly get your eggs and separate the yoke from the egg whites. Place the egg whites in a cup or bowl and the yokes in another cup/bowl. I never like to throw away egg yokes so please feel free to offer them to another family member (could also be Toby the dog) to enjoy. If your going to include peppers, onions and mushrooms now is the time to dice them into equal slices.
2. Next heat up the pan to a medium heat and spray with spray oil. Add the vegetables let them fry for a little until softer and slightly browned. Next add the egg whites. Let them cook and when they are starting to solidify together you can turn them over and cook the other side.
3. Once cooked, place on a plate and add some salt and pepper if you like. You could also include a low calorie sauce like ketchup.

Weight loss meal 101: Starchy and wholegrain carbohydrates with a lean protein source and vegetables.

Alright so this is not 1 meal as such but more of a template you can use to design lots of low calorie, tasty meals! When I look at my plate I want to fill it with a vegetable for volume and it’s health benefits. A lean protein source like chicken or salmon compared to pork or beef for it’s protein and lower calorie density. A starchy or wholegrain vegetable like potatoes or brown rice as they contain resistant starch helping us to feel full. Brown rice is a great choice as it contains lots of fiber which keeps us fuller for longer. A great low calorie sauce is great too like soy sauce, piri piri, chili, barbecue, ketchup or mayonnaise.

Carbohydrate options

• White potatoes.
• Sweet potatoes.
• Brown rice.
• Quinoa.
• Wholewheat pasta.

Lean protein options

• Chicken.
• 4% beef mince.
• Salmon.
• Cod.
• Prawns.
• Tuna.

Vegetable options

• Broccoli.
• Carrots
• Onions.
• Spinach.
• Cucumber.
• Peppers.
• Cabbage.
• Turnips.

Preparation

Cooking time: 30 minutes

1. This dish is very easy to prepare and is similar to our couscous meal. Firstly choose your protein, carbohydrate and vegetable sources. For this one I’m going to go with white potatoes, carrots and 4% beef mince.
2. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to the boil and let them boil for about 30 minutes.
3. Right after placing the potatoes in a pot, place your carrots in another pot of boiling water, bring to the boil and let them boil. You will know they are ready once you can pierce them with a fork easily.
4. When your potatoes and carrots are just about ready you can start to cook the beef mince. Get a pan, add some spray oil and place the mince in the pan cooking them on a medium high heat. I like to add some spices like piri piri or jerk to give it some flavor. Cook until browned.
5. Now once we have all of the food cooked and ready, plate them on a plate and dinner is served. It is not illegal to add butter to the potatoes which we do a lot in Ireland. Just be mindful butter can be quite calorie dense. I also like to sprinkle some salt and pepper for extra flavor.

Weight loss made tastier: Couscous with a lean protein and roasted vegetables

I like couscous for my main carbohydrate source for this meal as it contains fewer calories (100g= 112kcal) compared to brown rice (100g= 244kcal) and other typical carbohydrate sources. Meaning we can eat more food for the same amount of calories which is really going to help us while losing weight. Couscous also contains more vitamins and fiber. While eating in a deficit we want to make sure most if not all of our food is high quality and nutrient rich to prevent sickness etc. Not to mention this meal is very easy to prepare only needing a few minutes to cook! For our lean protein source this could be anything you have a personal preference for: Lean chicken, tuna or salmon. With the vegetables you can include anything you like that roasts well. For this particular dish I like to include peppers, eggplant and tomatoes as well as some added spices for flavor. I think this is a meal you will start to love while losing weight as it genuinely tastes great with lots of flavor.

Preparation

Cooking time: 30 Minutes

1. Firstly find your protein source, let’s go with chicken here. Dice the chicken into equal pieces and place them onto a tray. Add some salt and pepper or your preferred spices. Spray with spray oil which can be bought in any good supermarket. Preheat the oven to 220 C and place the tray in the oven.
2. Next dice your tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, spray with spray oil and add salt and pepper. Add them to the tray with the chicken in the oven.
3. Now it’s time to prepare the couscous, which really only requires adding couscous to a pot, fill with water and let it gently boil for a few minutes. You will know it’s ready when it has absorbed the water and takes on a fluffy appearance.
4. When all of the foods look just about done, prepare them on a plate. If you like you could add some balsamic vinegar and basil for extra flavor. And there you go done in 30 minutes! If you have leftovers (I always cook enough to last a day or more, place them into a tupperware and enjoy low calorie, nutrient dense, tasty food over the next few days!)

So there you have it everyone! My 10 diet meal suggestions anyone can use to lose weight in a healthy way, which taste great and require minimal preparation time. I have been using these for a while and well I keep using them because they work for me! The same can be said for you. Find a meal/meals that you like and stick with them. If you found this article helpful please feel free to leave a comment, share with your friends and family and sign up to my email newsletter to hear about my latest posts on nutrition and fitness!