30-Day High-Protein, High-Fiber Meal Plan for Weight Loss, Created by a Dietitian

Looking to lose weight? This 30-day high-protein, high-fiber meal plan can help.

In this 30-day high-protein, high-fiber meal plan, we prioritize two nutrients that can help facilitate weight loss. Both protein and fiber provide staying power to foods, which helps you stay energized and satiated between meals and snacks. In addition to its other health benefits, a high-fiber diet can help promote weight loss—even without other significant diet changes. Aside from delicious recipes, you’ll also find meal-prep tips at the beginning of each week. Check it out!

Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You

If your goal is weight loss, eating more protein and fiber can help because these two nutrients can help you feel full for longer. Improved satiety helps reduce impulse snacking and can help regulate the hormones that control our appetite. In this 30-day plan, each day provides an average of 98 grams of protein and 33 grams of fiber. Eating more protein can also help preserve muscle mass while promoting weight loss. We include a variety of proteins, from meat and poultry to fish, beans, lentils, soy and dairy, to provide a wide array of nutrients and flavors. We also include plenty of fiber, an important nutrient with an array of health benefits that most people are falling short on, with only 7% of adults in the United States reaching their daily fiber goals.1 Fibre is found in foods like whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and fruits and vegetables. It’s digested more slowly than other types of carbs, which helps keep us full between meals. 

To promote weight loss, we set this plan at a lower calorie level of 1,500 calories per day. Because calorie needs vary based on individual needs, we also included 1,800 and 2,000 calories per day modifications. While we previously included meal plans and modifications for 1,200 calories, we no longer do. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting your calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.

How Do Fiber and Protein Help with Weight Loss?

Protein and fiber can help promote weight loss—but how? Both of these nutrients help us feel full and provide more staying power, which means we’re less likely to feel hungry (and cranky) between meals. Fiber is broken down slowly, so it stays in our digestive system for longer and helps us feel full for longer as well. Soluble fiber also forms short-chain fatty acids when it’s digested, which signals the release of appetite-regulating peptides.

 Protein, on the other hand, helps manage hunger hormones. When protein is digested, hormones that keep us full are released while the hunger-inducing hormone, ghrelin, is inhibited.5 If you’re trying to lose weight, focusing on these two nutrients can help.