NetDoctor weight loss plan: Week 4

Written by Carina Norris, registered nutritionist

Week 4 basics

Breakfast

Choose one from the mix and match list every day.

Morning snacks

Choose one each day. Try to have as much variety as possible.

• Pot of veggie sticks and two tablespoons of low-fat dip, cottage cheese or salsa.
• One apple and an oatcake.
• Two small pieces of fruit.
• Two oatcakes spread with low-fat cream cheese, plus a handful of grapes.
• One kiwi fruit or small citrus fruit with a digestive biscuit or slice of malt loaf.

Afternoon snacks

Choose one each day. Try to have as much variety as possible.

• Small currant bun spread with low-sugar jam or fruit spread.
• Small scone spread with low-fat spread.
• Two warmed scotch pancakes with a drizzle of honey.
• One slice of wholemeal bread spread with low-fat cream cheese and salsa.
• Two crispbreads lightly spread with low-fat houmous or olive spread and marmite.

Recipes

You'll find recipes for the some of the dishes at the end of the week's plan.

Exercise

• Keep up your steps, and walk for a total of 40 minutes each day.
• At the weekend do the exercise DVD one day, and take a 30 minute cycle ride or go for a swim on the other.

Monday

Lunch

• Chicken salad wrap.
• Slice of malt loaf.
• Small low-fat fruit yoghurt or fromage frais.

Dinner

• Stir fried prawns and vegetables (using 125g prawns and a bag of stir-fry vegetables) with noodles.
• Mango mousse: blend a small sliced mango with three tablespoons low-fat natural yoghurt.

Tuesday

Lunch

• Tuna bean salad: mix one small tin of tuna with half a chopped onion and half a tin of drained cannellini beans. Serve with lettuce and tomato.
• Four crispbreads or a crusty wholemeal roll.
• Handful of grapes

Dinner

• Baked chicken breast with warmed mango, onion, and pepper salsa.
• Serve with a medium baked jacket potato topped with 15g low-fat olive spread and a large green salad.
• Pot of low-fat fromage frais topped with a sliced peach or a small tin of fruit in juice.

Wednesday

Lunch

• 150g cottage cheese with pineapple on four crispbreads.
• Mixed salad.
• Low-fat fruit yoghurt and a piece of fruit.

Dinner

• Grilled lamb chop with 150g mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans and a grilled tomato.
• To add flavour to the chop, serve with lemon and parsley: whisk the juice of half a lemon with one teaspoon of olive oil then add a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley.
• Three poached plums with two tablespoons of low-fat fromage frais or low-fat natural yoghurt.

Thursday

Lunch

• Salmon and salad pitta or sandwich, with six cherry tomatoes.
• Low-fat fruit yoghurt.

Dinner

• Beef or vegetarian chilli with four tablespoons of rice (preferably brown) and a large mixed salad.
• Piece of fruit.

Friday

Lunch

• Bowl of salad topped with 150g cottage cheese plus a crusty wholemeal roll or four crispbreads.
• Piece of fruit.

Dinner

• Fillet of white fish (choose one that's sustainably caught) topped with a small tin of tomatoes, four sliced olives, a teaspoon of parsley, and baked until cooked through.
• Serve with four new potatoes and two green veg of your choice, eg green beans and asparagus.
• Kiwi and melon salad.

Saturday

Lunch

• Wholemeal pitta pocket filled with 20g half-fat cheddar or feta cheese, one tablespoon of low-fat coleslaw, four halved cherry tomatoes and salad leaves.
• Piece of fruit.

Dinner

• Easy egg and tomato bake with a large mixed salad and a small crusty roll.
• One mango, sliced, topped with two tablespoons of low-fat fromage frais and one tablespoon of chopped nuts and seeds.

Sunday

Lunch

• One small jacket potato filled with 100g prawns and a teaspoon of low-fat mayo, plus a large salad.

Dinner

• Three slices of roast chicken or one baked chicken breast with roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, sweet potato) and cherry tomatoes served with four boiled new potatoes in their skins.
• Kiwi and melon salad.

Week 4 recipes

Monday chicken salad wrap

Recipe

Combine the chicken and salad vegetables with the mayonnaise.

Spread the filling onto a flour tortilla and roll up. Cut into two.

• 75g cold cooked chicken (from the supermarket or cooked at home)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 8 cucumber slices
• half a grated carrot
• handful of baby lettuce leaves
• 2 teaspoons (tsp) low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 flour tortilla

Monday prawn and vegetable noodles

Recipe

Cook the noodles and set aside.

Place the oil in a pan or wok and fry the spring onions and garlic for 1 min.

Add the vegetables and fry for 3 mins.

Add the prawns, soy sauce, water and sweet chilli sauce. Cook for 1 min.

Stir in the noodles and cook until the prawns are heated through.

• 40g dry instant noodles
• 1 tsp oil
• 4 spring onions
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 10cm cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• half red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
• 6 broccoli florets, sliced
• 150g cooked prawns (defrosted if frozen)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (tbsp) sweet chilli sauce.
• 3 tbsp water

Tuesday mango salsa

Recipe

Mix the vegetables in a bowl. Sprinkle with vinegar.

Warm the salsa in a pan or microwave for 50 seconds.

• half a mango, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• half a red pepper, diced
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar

Thursday chilli

Recipe

Dry fry the mince, onion and garlic for 5 mins. (Add 1 tsp oil for veggie mince.) Drain any fat from the meat.

Add the tomatoes, puree, chilli powder and stock. Stir, then add the red pepper.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the kidney beans and some water if the sauce is too thick. Cook for 10 mins. Add herbs to serve.

• 100g lean mince (beef or veggie mince)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• half tsp chilli powder
• small tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp tomato puree
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• small tin of red kidney beans
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley or coriander (optional)

Saturday egg and tomato bake

Recipe

Put vegetables and garlic in a small ovenproof dish. Add the oil and spice, then stir to coat. Bake in oven (180ºC/gas 4) for 15 mins.

Remove from the oven. Make a space in the centre and break an egg into it.

Cover the dish with foil, return to the oven and bake until the egg is set.

• 1 egg
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 8 mushrooms
• 3 cold cooked new potatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• half tsp Cajun spice mix

Make it veggie

Speedy cheesy pasta

Recipe

Cook the pasta, drain and return to the pan.

Boil the green veg, drain and add to the pasta.

Add the tomatoes, milk, garlic and cheese to the pasta.

Heat over a low heat until the cheese has melted and everything is warmed through.

• 40g (dry weight) pasta shapes
• 100g green beans, cut into short lengths
• 50g frozen peas
• 6 tomatoes, halved
• 3 tbsp skimmed milk
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 25g low-fat cream cheese, eg garlic and herb

Serve with a large green salad.

Mixed bean and vegetable casserole

Recipe

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion for 2 mins. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min.

Stir in the chilli powder and cumin. Cook for 1 min.

Add the tomatoes, stock, sugar and vegetables.

Bring to the boil, and simmer gently for 10 mins. Stir in a little extra water if needed.

Add the mixed beans. Simmer gently for 10 mins.

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• half tsp chilli powder
• large pinch ground cumin
• small can chopped tomatoes
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 carrot, sliced
• handful of green beans, halved
• 6 mushrooms, halved
• small can of drained mixed beans

Serve with 150g mashed potato made with a splash of skimmed milk.

Tip: you can substitute 150g frozen mixed veg for the fresh vegetables in this recipe.