15kg goal, how to set up your kitchen, shopping and cooking for the long run
A 15kg goal, about 2 stone 5lb, is mostly won in your own kitchen, so the most useful step is to arrange your shopping, cupboards and cooking so that healthy meals are the easy option. Over the months it takes, you will eat around 500 meals at home. Small improvements to each of them add up.
A club coach goes through your situation with you and gives you practical advice.
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Plan before you shop
Pick 5 evening meals for the week on Saturday or Sunday. Write the list from those meals, then add breakfast and lunch basics. A plan stops the 6pm question of what is for tea, which is when most takeaways get ordered. Our ideas for light evening meals are a handy starting point.
The NHS 8 tips for healthy eating make a good checklist when you plan.
Shop for colour and fibre
Fill the trolley with vegetables, fruit, pulses, oats and wholegrains first. Frozen and tinned vegetables count, and the NHS guide to what counts as 5 a day shows that they are just as useful. A weekly trip to Preston covered market for seasonal fruit and veg keeps things varied and is often cheaper. More ideas are in our guide to high-fibre foods.
Arrange the kitchen
- Put fruit and ready washed vegetables at eye level in the fridge.
- Move biscuits and crisps to a high cupboard, or stop buying them for a while.
- Keep a jug of water on the side.
- Have a set of lidded boxes ready for leftovers and packed lunches.
Batch cook on a quiet day
An hour on Sunday can cover several meals. A big pot of lighter hotpot with lean lamb, plenty of carrots and onions and a thinner potato topping freezes well. So do vegetable soups, chilli with beans and lentil curries. When you come home tired, a portion from the freezer is quicker than a delivery.
Label each box with the dish and the date, and keep a list on the freezer door so you know what is inside. Lunches get easier too. A box of leftover chilli with a jacket potato at work beats a meal deal from the garage, and it costs less.
Keep it enjoyable
Cooking the same 3 meals for 6 months is how people lose interest. Try 1 new recipe a week. Swap ideas with friends or family, or cook together on a Sunday afternoon so the job feels shared rather than a chore. If you hit a slow patch, our article on the 10kg goal shows how splitting a target into stages helps.
The club in Walton Summit
Bamber Bridge Nutrition is at 267 Brindle Road in the Walton Summit Centre, about 5km from Preston city centre, and members can have breakfast there before work. Your first assessment is free and gives you a starting point for your weekly plan.
This article does not replace advice from your GP or another health professional.
Your weight loss curve
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Going at the median rate, losing 8 kg would need roughly 11 weeks. Going at the slowest rate, roughly 4 months.
For weight that stays off, the figure usually quoted is 500 g to 1 kg each week. On the chart, this is the ideal band. Losing more than 1 kg a week, week after week, means the body burns muscle as well as fat. On the chart, this is the shaded band.
This projection is only a guide. Everyone’s path is different and outcomes differ between people. Everything is worked out on your own device, and nothing gets stored or transmitted. If you are over 65, check with your GP before anything else.
How this curve is calculated
The upper line of the band stands for 500 g each week, the slowest rate. The lower line stands for 1 kg each week, where risk begins.
Early weeks move quicker, largely through water loss, and then things settle down. From 40 onwards the median curve eases off bit by bit as metabolism winds down. Putting in equal effort, men tend to lose a touch faster than women.
As in real life, the curve includes short stalls lasting a few days and the odd small gain. It cannot forecast how your own path will go.
These tips are general guidance. A doctor’s opinion still comes first.
Further reading
Day-to-day support is explained in our programme for eating more healthily.