A weight loss diet plan built around how you eat

A diet plan should give you a clear approach to eating. The approach that works is similar for most people, and the food should look like what you already eat, whether that is machboos and salad, a shawarma plate, or eggs and toast.

What every weight loss diet plan has in common

Our coaches focus on a calorie deficit, which is what produces the weight loss, and on enough protein to help preserve your muscle while you are in a deficit. They also focus on an approach you can sustain for months.

The rest is preference. Low-carbohydrate diets, high-protein diets, the Mediterranean diet, intermittent fasting and portion control can all work when they produce a deficit you can sustain, and all stop working when they do not. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that people who lose weight at a gradual, steady pace of around 0.5 kg to 1 kg a week are more likely to keep it off.

This is worth knowing before you choose a plan. The most useful question is which approach you will still be following in three months.

How many calories should you eat to lose weight?

The NHS describes reducing daily calorie intake by around 600 calories as a safe and sustainable approach to weight loss. This means eating around 600 calories less than your usual daily intake, not limiting your total intake to 600 calories a day.

There is no single daily calorie figure that applies to every person, because it depends on your weight, your height, your age, your muscle mass and how much you move. Two patients of the same weight can have requirements several hundred calories apart. Our lifestyle coaches calculate yours from your body composition analysis and adjust it according to how your weight changes over the first few weeks.

In practice, a 600-calorie reduction is smaller than it may sound. It is a large karak and a pastry, or a restaurant portion of biryani replaced with a home portion and a salad.

How much protein do you need?

General guidance such as the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests roughly 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day for people losing weight. For a patient of 80 kg that is somewhere between 96 and 128 g a day.

A review in the journal Nutrients concluded that protein intakes above the standard 0.8 g per kilogram guideline protect fat-free and skeletal muscle mass during weight loss. The review found this whether protein was used on its own or together with exercise. A retrospective study of 304 adults published in Frontiers in Endocrinology found that resistance training was the only form of exercise associated with an increase in fat-free mass during calorie restriction. Our article on protecting muscle while losing weight on a GLP-1 covers protein and training in more detail.

The practical difficulty is often distribution. Many people eat little protein at breakfast and most of the day’s total at dinner. Spreading it across three meals is generally easier than increasing the total.

Building a plate that works anywhere

The plate is the approach our coaches teach, because it applies anywhere. It works at home, at a restaurant and at a family meal, and it does not require you to weigh anything.

Half the plate is vegetables or salad. A quarter is protein. A quarter is carbohydrates. Add a small amount of fat for flavour and satiety, such as olive oil, a spoon of hummus or a few nuts.

Breakfast

Breakfast is often the meal with the least protein. Eggs in any form, labneh with olive oil and za’atar, Greek yoghurt with fruit and a few nuts, or foul with a small piece of bread all provide protein in the morning. A pastry and a coffee provide almost none, and hunger often returns well before lunch.

Lunch and dinner

Grilled chicken, fish, lamb, lentils or chickpeas as the protein. Rice, bread, potato or freekeh as the carbohydrates, sized to a quarter of the plate. Salad, grilled vegetables or a bowl of soup filling the rest. A plate of machboos built this way fits a weight loss plan, and the same dish with rice covering two thirds of the plate does not.

Snacks

Snacks are optional, and we suggest them when the gap between meals is long. Greek yoghurt, a handful of nuts, fruit with labneh, or boiled eggs all work. Liquid calories can easily add to your daily intake. Karak, juice and flavoured coffees are common examples that can contain more calories than people realise.

Eating out and still losing weight

In Dubai, a plan that only works in your own kitchen is unlikely to last. Our coaches build restaurant eating into the plan.

The approach is the same plate, applied to a menu. Choose grilled over fried where both are offered. Ask for the sauce or dressing on the side. Ask for the bread basket to be taken away. Order a starter-sized portion of rice, or share one. Drink water alongside anything else you order.

One restaurant meal a week changes very little. Four a week is a large part of your diet, which is why our coaches ask about it at the first session.

What about carbs, and what about rice?

You do not have to give up either. Carbohydrates on their own do not determine whether a diet works, and rice is a staple in a large share of UAE households. Removing it tends to produce a plan that is difficult to sustain.

What changes is the portion size and what you eat with it. A quarter of the plate, with protein and vegetables alongside, can slow digestion and reduce the rise in blood sugar. Brown rice, freekeh, bulgur and barley add fibre, and they are worth using where the household will eat them.

Patients with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes need more specific guidance on carbohydrates, and your endocrinologist will set it alongside your blood results.

Why fixed seven-day meal plans often do not work long term

A seven-day meal plan can provide useful structure, but weight loss takes place over months, not just one week. A sustainable plan needs enough flexibility to accommodate work lunches, social occasions and travel without losing sight of your overall calorie and nutrition targets.

There is also a physiological reason. Your energy requirement decreases as you lose weight. A study in the International Journal of Obesity measured a decrease of around 101 calories a day in adults who lost around 8 kg over a year. It attributed roughly 60% of that decrease to the loss of energy-expending tissue and roughly 40% to metabolic adaptation. A meal plan written for your starting weight may no longer match your requirements three months later.

How Endocare builds your plan

Your plan starts from your body composition analysis. At Endocare, body composition analysis is included free of charge at every consultation. It measures body fat percentage, visceral fat, skeletal muscle mass and body water, helping your endocrinologist track whether weight loss is coming from fat or lean tissue, something the scale alone cannot show.

Your skeletal muscle mass informs your protein target, and your body fat percentage and activity inform the deficit. Our lifestyle coaches then build the approach around the food you already eat, and give you swaps, portion guidance and recipes that fit it. Your endocrinologist will review the plan at your monthly follow-up appointment and adjust it according to your results.

Some patients also need medication alongside the eating plan, and that is a clinical decision made at a consultation. If you are already taking a GLP-1 medication, our article on eating while on weight loss medication covers what changes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best diet for losing weight?

The one you can sustain for months. Low-carbohydrate diets, high-protein diets, the Mediterranean diet and portion control can all work when they produce a calorie deficit you can maintain. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that people who lose weight gradually, at around 0.5 kg to 1 kg a week, are more likely to keep it off.

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

The NHS describes reducing daily calorie intake by around 600 calories from what you currently eat as a safe and sustainable approach. There is no single figure that applies to every person, because requirements differ by weight, height, age, muscle mass and activity.

How much protein do I need?

General guidance such as the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests roughly 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day during weight loss. Our lifestyle coaches personalise that from your body composition analysis.

Do I have to stop eating rice?

No. Portion size and what you eat alongside it matter as much as what you remove. A quarter of the plate, with protein and vegetables beside it, works for most patients. Brown rice, freekeh and bulgur add fibre if your household will eat them.

How do I eat out and still lose weight?

Apply the same plate to the menu. Choose grilled over fried, ask for sauces on the side, keep the rice portion to a quarter of the plate, and drink water alongside. Our coaches build restaurant eating into the plan.

Why do fixed seven-day meal plans often not work long term?

A seven-day meal plan can provide useful structure, but weight loss takes place over months. A sustainable plan needs enough flexibility for work lunches, social occasions and travel. Your energy requirement also decreases as you lose weight, so a plan written for your starting weight may no longer fit three months later.