7-Day Pescatarian Meal Plan for Weight Loss
Our 7-day pescatarian meal plan has been one of the most popular pages on this blog for years, so this is its weight loss version. It follows the same idea of a full week of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks from recipes on the site, but every day is built to come in at around 1,500 calories, and every figure is worked out from the recipe it links to.
It is built around proper meals rather than shakes and sad little salads. Matt has a big appetite and has never been happy with a plate that looks like a starter, so if a dinner could not get past him it did not make it in. There is fish or seafood most days, a couple of vegetarian dinners to keep the cost down, and plenty of protein throughout, which makes a lower calorie week a lot easier to stick to.
Matt also refuses to eat bread in the mornings, which is why none of the breakfasts involve toast and most of them lean on eggs. The avocado breakfasts are entirely his doing. If you are with me on avocados rather than him, the egg muffins from day two are a like for like swap.
How the calories work
The NHS puts average daily needs at about 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men, and suggests cutting around 600 calories a day as a safe and sustainable way to lose weight. For most women 1,500 sits in that range. The 1,800 version further down suits most men or anyone who is more active, and 1,200 is as low as this plan goes. If you want to go lower than that, talk to your GP first.
Every calorie and protein figure comes from the recipe card it links to, and those are worked out ingredient by ingredient from the USDA’s FoodData Central database. The few extras that are not recipes, like rice, bread and fruit, are counted the same way. Protein lands somewhere between 70 and 95g a day, comfortably above the UK reference of 0.75g per kilo of body weight.
The week includes about three portions of oily fish, which is within NHS guidance for most adults. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or might become pregnant, the NHS advises no more than two portions a week, so swap the trout on day two for the sea bass from day five.
The week at a glance
Everything below is per person. The shopping list at the end covers two people for the whole week.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Avocado Baked Eggs | Greek Chickpea Salad | Roast Pollock with White Beans and Tomatoes | Spiced Roasted Chickpeas | 1,402 | 79g |
| Day 2 | 3x Spanish Style Egg Muffins | Mackerel and Green Bean Salad | Baked Rainbow Trout with Lemon and Dill | Tuna and White Bean Pâté + Carrot sticks (80g) | 1,426 | 93g |
| Day 3 | Huevos Rancheros | Roast Pollock with White Beans and Tomatoes | Vegan Red Lentil Curry + Basmati rice (150g cooked) | Carrot Hummus Cucumber Cups + an apple | 1,417 | 73g |
| Day 4 | Tuna Salad Avocado Bowl | Vegan Red Lentil Curry + Basmati rice (150g cooked) | 2x Tilapia Fish Tacos + 2 small corn tortillas | – | 1,524 | 84g |
| Day 5 | 3x Spanish Style Egg Muffins | Smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad | Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Crushed New Potatoes and Samphire | 2x Vegan Protein Balls | 1,383 | 80g |
| Day 6 | Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg and Spinach | Spiced Parsnip and Apple Soup | Teriyaki Stir Fry | Smoked Mackerel Pâté | 1,449 | 84g |
| Day 7 | 3x Smoked Salmon Egg Muffins | Halloumi and Watermelon Salad | Mussels in Tomato and Chilli Sauce + Crusty bread (60g) | Roast Garlic and Butter Bean Dip + Carrot sticks (80g) | 1,405 | 70g |
How to make it 1,200 or 1,800 calories
The week is written at 1,500 calories, but it is easy to move up or down without changing any of the main meals. For 1,200, skip the snacks, or on day four the rice at lunch. For 1,800, add a banana and either a slice of crusty bread or two slices of wholemeal bread to the day. The bread and bananas for the 1,800 version are not in the shopping list, so add them if you need them.
| Day | 1,200 calories | 1,500 calories (as written) | 1,800 calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 1,155: skip the snack | 1,402 | 1,669: add a slice of crusty bread, add a banana |
| Day 2 | 1,234: skip the snack | 1,426 | 1,714: add 2 slices of wholemeal bread, add a banana |
| Day 3 | 1,153: skip the snack | 1,417 | 1,705: add 2 slices of wholemeal bread, add a banana |
| Day 4 | 1,329: skip the rice at lunch | 1,524 | 1,709: add a banana, add an apple |
| Day 5 | 1,201: skip the snack | 1,383 | 1,671: add 2 slices of wholemeal bread, add a banana |
| Day 6 | 1,202: skip the snack | 1,449 | 1,737: add 2 slices of wholemeal bread, add a banana |
| Day 7 | 1,224: skip the snack | 1,405 | 1,693: add 2 slices of wholemeal bread, add a banana |
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 1
Breakfast: Avocado Baked Eggs (397 calories, 17g protein)
Eggs baked in halved avocados, which is about as filling as a breakfast gets for under 400 calories. Matt would happily eat these every day of the week.
Lunch: Greek Chickpea Salad (312 calories, 13g protein)
Chickpeas, feta, tomatoes and a generous amount of garlic, ready in ten minutes. It holds up well in a lunchbox, so it is a good one to pack the night before.
Dinner: Roast Pollock with White Beans and Tomatoes (446 calories, 40g protein)
Pollock, cannellini beans and cherry tomatoes roasted together in one tin. It makes four portions, so the other two go into a tub for lunch on day three.
Snack: Spiced Roasted Chickpeas (247 calories, 9g protein)
Crunchy, savoury and a lot more satisfying than anything from a packet. They are at their best about ten minutes out of the oven, so make them when you are ready to eat them.
Day 1 total: 1,402 calories, 79g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 2
Breakfast: 3x Spanish Style Egg Muffins (354 calories, 24g protein)
Peppers, tomatoes and a little paprika baked into eggs in a muffin tin. A batch keeps in the fridge for three to four days and reheats in under a minute.
Lunch: Mackerel and Green Bean Salad (434 calories, 23g protein)
Green beans, sugar snap peas and mackerel, with soft boiled eggs doing the job of a dressing. This is Matt’s favourite salad on the whole blog.
Dinner: Baked Rainbow Trout with Lemon and Dill (446 calories, 36g protein)
A whole rainbow trout baked with lemon, dill and butter. It looks like a project but the oven does almost all of the work.
Snack: Tuna and White Bean Pâté (159 calories, 10g protein)
Tuna and white beans blitzed with lemon and olive oil, which tastes a good deal richer than it is. The rest of the batch keeps in the fridge for three days.
Snack: Carrot sticks (80g) (33 calories, 1g protein)
Day 2 total: 1,426 calories, 93g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 3
Breakfast: Huevos Rancheros (203 calories, 11g protein)
Eggs cooked in a smoky tomato, pepper and bean sauce. It is lighter than it looks, and the rest of the batch keeps in the fridge for a few days and reheats well.
Lunch: Roast Pollock with White Beans and Tomatoes, leftovers from Day 1 (446 calories, 40g protein)
Day one’s dinner, warmed through. The FSA advises eating leftovers within two days, and lunch on day three is inside that.
Dinner: Vegan Red Lentil Curry (309 calories, 14g protein)
Red lentils, carrots and celery simmered with curry spices until thick. It makes four portions, so tomorrow’s lunch is already taken care of.
Dinner (side): Basmati rice (150g cooked) (195 calories, 4g protein)
Snack: Carrot Hummus Cucumber Cups (186 calories, 3g protein)
Roasted carrot hummus piped into little cucumber cups. They are fresh and crunchy and a lot lighter than hummus with bread.
Snack: An apple (78 calories, 0g protein)
Day 3 total: 1,417 calories, 73g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 4
Breakfast: Tuna Salad Avocado Bowl (403 calories, 14g protein)
Tuna salad spooned into half an avocado, ready in ten minutes and with no bread involved at all.
Lunch: Vegan Red Lentil Curry, leftovers from Day 3 (309 calories, 14g protein)
Yesterday’s curry. Cook fresh rice for it, or if you are using last night’s, chill it within an hour of cooking and eat it within 24 hours, as the FSA advises for rice.
Lunch (side): Basmati rice (150g cooked) (195 calories, 4g protein)
Dinner: 2x Tilapia Fish Tacos (504 calories, 48g protein)
Spiced tilapia with salsa and avocado. The recipe card does not list the tortillas, so two small corn tortillas each are counted separately below.
Dinner (side): 2 small corn tortillas (113 calories, 3g protein)
Day 4 total: 1,524 calories, 84g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 5
Breakfast: 3x Spanish Style Egg Muffins (354 calories, 24g protein)
A fresh batch of the egg muffins from day two.
Lunch: Smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad (414 calories, 14g protein)
Smoked salmon, avocado, spinach and toasted sunflower seeds in a lemon dressing. I make it the evening before so it is ready to take to work.
Dinner: Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Crushed New Potatoes and Samphire (433 calories, 27g protein)
Crisp-skinned sea bass on crushed new potatoes with samphire. If samphire is out of season, green beans do the same job with a little more salt.
Snack: 2x Vegan Protein Balls (182 calories, 15g protein)
Oats, raisins and protein powder rolled into balls. A batch of ten lasts most of the week.
Day 5 total: 1,383 calories, 80g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 6
Breakfast: Smoked Haddock with Poached Egg and Spinach (457 calories, 53g protein)
Smoked haddock poached in milk with a poached egg and wilted spinach. At over 50g of protein it is the most filling breakfast in the plan.
Lunch: Spiced Parsnip and Apple Soup (359 calories, 6g protein)
Roasted parsnips and apple with cumin and coriander. The recipe makes four portions and freezes for up to three months, so put the other two away for another week.
Dinner: Teriyaki Stir Fry (386 calories, 14g protein)
Crunchy vegetables and cashews in teriyaki sauce, on the table in under twenty minutes. This is the dinner for the day when you cannot face cooking.
Snack: Smoked Mackerel Pâté (247 calories, 11g protein)
Smoked mackerel, cream cheese and lemon mashed together with a fork. No food processor needed.
Day 6 total: 1,449 calories, 84g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan: Day 7
Breakfast: 3x Smoked Salmon Egg Muffins (351 calories, 26g protein)
Smoked salmon, spinach and mushroom baked into eggs. I first made these to get Matt through his weekday mornings, and they work just as well at the weekend.
Lunch: Halloumi and Watermelon Salad (376 calories, 16g protein)
Hot, salty halloumi against cold watermelon, with mint and a pinch of chilli. Fifteen minutes and one pan.
Dinner: Mussels in Tomato and Chilli Sauce (337 calories, 18g protein)
A kilo of mussels steamed open in a rich tomato and chilli sauce. A slice of crusty bread for the sauce is counted below.
Dinner (side): Crusty bread (60g) (160 calories, 5g protein)
Snack: Roast Garlic and Butter Bean Dip (148 calories, 4g protein)
Butter beans blended with a whole head of roasted garlic until silky. It freezes well, so the rest of the batch can wait for another week.
Snack: Carrot sticks (80g) (33 calories, 1g protein)
Day 7 total: 1,405 calories, 70g protein
Weight Loss Meal Plan Shopping List
This covers the full week for two people at 1,500 calories. It assumes you already have the storecupboard basics: oils, salt and pepper, dried spices, stock cubes, honey, mustard, mayonnaise, soy sauce and tomato purée. A few of the batch recipes make more than the week needs, and the soup, dip and egg muffins all freeze, so nothing has to go to waste.
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Pollock fillets, skin on | 4 (about 600g) |
| Whole rainbow trout, gutted | 2 (about 300g each) |
| Sea bass fillets, skin on | 2 |
| Tilapia fillets | 450g |
| Undyed smoked haddock fillets | 2 (about 300g) |
| Live mussels | 1kg |
| Smoked salmon | 140g |
| Smoked mackerel fillets | 250g |
| Tuna in spring water | 3 x 145g tins |
| Eggs | 32 |
| Whole milk | 300ml |
| Butter | 250g block |
| Single cream | 150ml pot |
| Feta | 1 small block |
| Halloumi | 250g block (you need half) |
| Cream cheese | 1 small tub |
| Crème fraîche | 1 small pot |
| Vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese | 1 small wedge |
| Almond milk | 1 small carton |
| Corn tortillas | 1 pack (you need 4) |
| Crusty white bread | 1 small loaf |
| Basmati rice | 200g uncooked |
| Red lentils | 250g |
| Porridge oats | 1 bag |
| Vegan soy protein powder | 1 tub |
| Raisins | 1 small bag |
| Cannellini beans | 3 x 400g tins |
| Chickpeas | 2 x 400g tins |
| Butter beans | 1 x 400g tin |
| Mixed beans (or kidney and pinto) | 1 x 400g tin |
| Chopped tomatoes | 1 x 400g tin |
| Tomato salsa | 1 jar |
| Teriyaki sauce | 1 bottle |
| Tahini | 1 jar |
| Cashews | 1 small bag |
| Sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds | 1 small bag of each |
| Dry white wine | a splash (or use stock) |
| Avocados | 7 |
| Lemons | 8 |
| Limes | 2 |
| Eating apples | 4 |
| Watermelon | 1 small (you need 400g) |
| Cherry tomatoes | 650g |
| Tomatoes | 4 |
| Onions | 3 |
| Shallots | 3 |
| Spring onions | 2 bunches |
| Garlic | 3 bulbs |
| Fresh ginger | 1 small piece |
| Fresh chillies | 2 green, 2 red |
| Peppers | 3 (red, green and orange) |
| Carrots | 1kg bag |
| Celery | 1 head |
| Broccoli | 1 head |
| Green beans | 150g |
| Sugar snap peas | 1 pack |
| Frozen peas | 1 small bag |
| Mushrooms | 250g |
| Spinach | 300g |
| Mixed salad leaves | 1 bag |
| Rocket | 1 small bag |
| Cress | 1 punnet |
| Cucumber | 1 large |
| New potatoes | 400g |
| Parsnips | 700g |
| Samphire | 100g |
| Fresh coriander | 2 bunches |
| Fresh flat-leaf parsley | 2 bunches |
| Fresh dill | 2 packs |
| Fresh mint | 1 pack |
Frequently asked questions
How much weight will I lose on a 1,500 calorie meal plan?
That depends on how many calories your body uses in a day, which varies with your size, age and how active you are. The NHS suggests that eating about 600 calories a day less than you use is a safe and sustainable way to lose weight, and for most women 1,500 calories is around that mark. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or have a lot of weight to lose, speak to your GP before you start.
Is a pescatarian diet good for weight loss?
It can be, mainly because fish and seafood give you a lot of protein for relatively few calories, and a pescatarian diet tends to include plenty of beans, lentils and vegetables. It is the total number of calories that matters most though, and it is perfectly possible to overeat on pasta and cheese as a pescatarian. We have written more about it in our FAQ on the pescatarian diet and losing weight.
Can I swap meals between days?
Yes. Breakfasts swap freely with other breakfasts, and the same goes for lunches and dinners, as long as you keep an eye on the day’s total in the table above. The only thing to watch is leftovers, since the pollock and the lentil curry are both cooked once and eaten twice.
Which meals can I freeze?
The spiced parsnip and apple soup freezes for up to three months, and the egg muffins and the roast garlic butter bean dip both freeze well too. The fish dishes are best cooked fresh. The FSA advises eating leftovers within two days, or cooked rice within 24 hours, and freezing anything you will not get to in time.
If you want more ideas once the week is done, our high protein meal plan uses a lot of the same recipes at a higher calorie level.
