What’s Included in a Custom Meal Plan?
A well-designed meal plan isn’t a prison… it’s a roadmap. Instead of forcing you into endless chicken-and-broccoli monotony, we tailor every menu around your favourite flavours, health targets, and the time you actually have to cook. By collecting details on your lifestyle, dietary restrictions, cravings, and kitchen gear, we build a flexible template you can mix and match, swapping salmon for chicken or quinoa for rice without blowing your macros. Think of it as a recipe book meets strategy guide: structure when you need it, freedom when you want it, and zero guesswork at the grocery store.
Our clients often ask:
- “Is this going to be super strict?”
- “Will I be stuck eating chicken and broccoli every day?”
- “Does it take into account my dietary restrictions and preferences?”
The answer?
No, it’s not rigid. Yes, it’s personalized.
And yes, it takes into account any dietary restrictions and preferences you have – whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or are simply a picky eater!
How We Customize Your Meal Plan
Your meal plan isn’t a generic PDF with generic recipes.
Honestly, you can just find that online.
Instead, before we create the meal plan, we always first have a call with the client.
Then, we create it just for you, based on your:
- Age, height, weight, activity level
- Calorie and macronutrient needs
- Goals (weight loss, muscle gain, or both!)
- Health conditions or goals (e.g. high blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol)
- Dietary restrictions or allergies (e.g. vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc)
- What your current dietary habits look like
- Which protein, veggie, fruit, carb, and fat sources you prefer
- Which breakfast (Free Range Eggs Anyone?), lunch, dinner, and snack ideas you prefer
- Which types of cuisines you prefer (e.g. North American, Asian, Italian, Indian, Greek, etc)
- What meal frequency you prefer (e.g. 3 meals OR 3 meals + 2 snacks)
- Any foods you crave – Shipyards Night Market food trucks in Lonsdale
- Any food you want to be included
- Any food you do not want to be included
- What equipment you have at home (e.g. airfryer, blender, stovetop, oven, etc)
- Cooking skills
- Amount of time you have available to spend cooking and meal prepping
Before we create your meal plan, we’ll get you to fill out a form to get these details.
The more detailed you can be, the more customized we can create it for you!
Down to the type of milk you like, and whether you want your daily coffee included.
We want to make sure you actually like what you eat (or you won’t stick with it for long) and that it’s practical for your lifestyle and time constraints.
As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into it!
What’s Inside the Meal Plan?
Here’s what you’ll get:
✅ Flexible Structure
We outline 3 fulls menus of eating.
But here’s the killer: We make the calorie and nutrition content similar across each meal, so you can mix and match it!
This means you can have Breakfast from Menu 1, Lunch from Menu 2, Dinner from Menu 3, and feel confident that you’ll hit your calorie and macro targets.
See below for a sample meal plan overview:
It can be super helpful to have some structure.
Even if we have certain calorie and macro targets to hit, it can be hard to do this without some practical meal ideas.
Some clients like to follow the meal plan word for word. This can be helpful at first to take the thinking out of it and just execute.
But we also tell our clients that the meal plan is not necessarily mean to be prescriptive for the long term.
Rather than feeling like you have to eat this for breakfast, this for lunch and this for dinner –
Think of it as more like a template or even a recipe book.
Take what works for you – and maybe incorporate one meal at a time – and leave what doesn’t.
Then add in your own meals, too!
If you have go-to’s that work well for you, why not use them in addition to your meal plan. As long as you accounted for, it can absolutely be a part of your plan.
In this sense, you can use the meal plan as similar to a recipe book for flexibility and variety.
✅ Easy-to-Follow Format
We pride ourselves on recipes that are simple, quick, easy, and don’t come with an ingredient list of 10 items, many of which we won’t ever use again!
A common complaint we get from clients is how complex some recipes are.
We aim to avoid that and keep things simple so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Each meal suggestion comes with:
- A clear and simple ingredients list
- How many servings it makes
- Nutritional value per serving
- Clear directions
- Notes on leftovers and storage
- Notes on optional toppings or ingredient substitutions you can make
✅ Ingredients Swap Guide
Don’t you hate it when you’re missing an ingredient?
Or maybe you simple want to add some variety aside from plain chicken breast.
And that’s why every Custom Meal Plan comes with an Ingredient Swap Guide.
This guide gives you a list of other vegetables / fruit / carb / protein / fat sources that are similar in nutritional value, and therefore, you can swap for one another in a 1:1 ratio.
See below for an example of the Protein Section:
For example, rather than: Chicken + Broccoli + Rice
You might want to have: Salmon + Green Beans + Konjac Noodles
That would be an appropriate swap that our Ingredient Swap Guide would guide you through.
✅ Meal Plan Grocery List
A common barrier we get from clients is going grocery shopping.
Going in without a list, not knowing what to buy, or realizing you’re missing items once you come home from the store!
We’ve heard it all.
That’s why we include a Grocery List with every meal plan:
So you know exactly what to get.
Is It Restrictive?
Nope!
We understand that we all get cravings or need an occasional pick-me-up.
And that’s why if you request for it, we regularly include treat items like chocolate, cookies, popcorn, healthier ice cream recipes, cheese, and more.
Sometimes satisfying your cravings can actually help you on your weight loss journey, rather than feeling too restricted!
Here’s an example of a common treat we include in our meal plans for you ice cream and chocolate lovers!
How to Use It
It can be overwhelming and even unrealistic to expect you to go from your current diet, to eating 100% from the meal plan overnight.
So how do you make the transition?
My recommendation:
Start with implementing 1-2 meals from the recipe one week at a time.
For example:
For the first week, pick one breakfast and one snack idea, and have it for that week.
For the next week, add on a healthy lunch idea.
For the week after, add on a dinner idea.
And so on!
This way, the transition is gradual and sustainable, and you can still keep some of your own meal ideas in there.
Is A Custom Meal Plan For You?
A Custom Meal Plan may be for you if:
- You want clear direction and you want to take the thinking out of your meals
- You like having structure without having to count every calorie
- You’re stuck in a meal rut and want new meal ideas tailored to your needs
- You want simple and easy recipes you can quickly prep that aligns with your busy lifestyle
Final Thoughts
A good custom meal plan doesn’t box you in. It gives you structure, confidence, and clarity – but with flexibility. So you spend less time thinking about and planning your food.
If you’re curious what a personalized plan could look like for you, let’s hop on Complimentary Session to chat through what’s possible.
Let’s get started on your healthy, sustainable weight loss journey, and build something that actually works for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will I have to eat the same meals every day?
A: No. Each custom meal plan contains three full menus with similar calories and macros, so you can mix-and-match breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks for variety.
Q: How do you create my custom meal plan?
A: We review a detailed intake form covering your age, goals, health conditions, food preferences, cooking skills, and schedule. Then we design recipes and portions that fit your exact needs.
Q: Can you accommodate dietary restrictions and cravings?
A: Yes. Whether you’re vegan, gluten-free, or just crave chocolate, the plan includes suitable swaps and treat options so you never feel restricted.
Q: What if I’m missing an ingredient from a recipe?
A: Every plan comes with an Ingredient Swap Guide that lists nutritionally similar foods (protein, carb, fat, or veg) you can exchange on a 1:1 basis.
Q: How should I start using the meal plan?
A: Begin by adding one or two new meals the first week, then layer in more over time. This gradual approach keeps the transition realistic and sustainable.