To help you stabilize your blood sugar levels (and lose weight), Mollie Katzen, coauthor of Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less and a founding member of the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Round Table, created this 7-day, 1,600-calorie meal plan exclusively for Women's Health. Try her healthy tips and stay steady by eating within 2 hours of waking up and then every 3 hours or so after that. Do 30 minutes of moderate exercise on 5 of the days and you can lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.
DAY 1
Breakfast (7 a.m.)
2-egg omelet with 1/2 oz grated Swiss cheese and scallions (cooked in 1 tsp butter or olive oil)
1/2 pink grapefruit
Coffee or tea with optional low-fat milk and 1 tsp sugar or honey, or noncaloric sweetener
Snack (10 a.m.)
1 apple
Lunch (1 p.m.)
1 4-inch whole wheat pita filled with 1/3 c hummus, unlimited vegetables (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.)
5 olives (optional)
1 orange or 2 tangerines
Snack (4 p.m.)
6 pecan halves with 10 chocolate chips
8-oz glass low-fat or fat-free milk (optional)
Dinner (7 p.m.)
1 c broth-based soup (miso, vegetable, or chicken)
1 "protein-of-choice" (any palm-size serving of beef, chicken, salmon, shrimp, tempeh, or tofu, cooked as you like)
1 heaping c broccoli cooked with 1 tsp olive oil
1 fist-size sweet potato, dressed with lime juice
2 kiwis, sliced and sprinkled with 1 Tbsp toasted, unsweetened coconut
8-oz glass low-fat or fat-free milk (optional)
DAY 2
Breakfast
1 c cooked whole grain cereal, such as oatmeal or Kashi breakfast pilaf, topped with 1/2 medium chopped apple (save the other half for your snack) and 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1/2 c low-fat milk
Coffee or tea with optional low-fat milk and 1 tsp sugar or honey, or noncaloric sweetener to taste
Snack
1 oz cheddar or string cheese
1/2 medium apple (leftover from Breakfast)
Lunch
1 c broth-based soup
Salad with unlimited spinach and vegetables and up to 3 Tbsp olive oil and vinegar dressing, topped with 1 palm-size protein-of-choice
1 orange or 2 tangerines
Snack
8 small whole grain crackers (totaling 130 calories or fewer)
1 Tbsp nut butter
1 tsp low-sugar jam (optional)
Dinner
1 1/2 c vegetarian chili
3/4 c bulgur or couscous, drizzled with 1 tsp olive oil and lemon
1 heaping c cooked green beans with 1 tsp olive oil
1 sliced peach (fresh or canned in water) with 1/2 c plain low-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
8-oz glass low-fat or fat-free milk (optional)
DAY 3
Breakfast
French toast (whisk together 1 egg and 1 Tbsp butter, coat 2 slices whole-wheat bread, and cook in 1 tsp butter or canola oil)
1 Tbsp real maple syrup
1/2 c blackberries (fresh or unsweetened frozen, defrosted)
Coffee or tea with optional low-fat milk and 1 tsp sugar or honey, or noncaloric sweetener to taste
Snack
10 almonds with 10 chocolate chips
Lunch
1/2 medium cantaloupe
1 c low-fat cottage cheese
1 Tbsp raisins
2 Tbsp granola
Snack
1/4 c fat-free bean dip (any kind)
Unlimited baby carrots, celery sticks, and other raw vegetables
Dinner
2 c cooked whole grain pasta
Unlimited tomato sauce (any kind) mixed with up to 1 c cooked lean ground beef, turkey, or crumbled veggie burgers
Large green salad with 3 Tbsp olive oil and vinegar dressing
1/2 c low-sugar frozen yogurt with 1 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles
8-oz glass low-fat or fat-free milk (optional)
DAY 4
Breakfast
1 oz (about 1 slice) meat or soy-based Canadian bacon
Unlimited sliced or canned tomatoes
1/2 whole wheat English muffin with 1 tsp butter or olive oil
Coffee or tea with optional low-fat milk and 1 tsp sugar or honey, or noncaloric sweetener to taste
Snack
1 apple
Lunch
1 c broth-based soup
Sandwich made with 2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 tsp mayonnaise, 3 slices avocado, unlimited lettuce, onion, and tomato with 1 oz sliced cheese or 2 oz lean turkey
1 orange or 2 tangerines
Snack
6 walnut halves with 1 Tbsp dried cranberries
8-oz glass low-fat or fat-free milk (optional)
Dinner
1 c broth-based soup
1 palm-size serving protein-of-choice
1 heaping c cooked asparagus with 1 tsp olive oil
1 heaping c cooked spring vegetable (like butternut squash)
1/2 c sliced fresh or canned pineapple sprinkled with 1 Tbsp toasted, unsweetened coconut
8-oz glass low-fat or fat-free milk (optional)
DAY 5
Breakfast
1 c fresh or unsweetened frozen strawberries
1 c cooked whole grain cereal, such as oatmeal or Kashi breakfast pilaf
1/2 c low-fat milk
Coffee or tea with optional low-fat milk and 1 tsp sugar or honey, or noncaloric sweetener to taste
Snack
10 almonds with 10 chocolate chips
Lunch
1 c broth-based soup
