Oats recipes for weight loss are the new trend worldwide. Oats are famous for being one of the healthiest whole-grain foods that promote weight loss. They are high in minerals, protein, fiber, and vitamins (1). Moreover, their high fiber content promotes satiety, thus decreasing your energy intake (2).
So, following an oatmeal diet and replacing the meals completely with oats keeps your hunger in check and helps you shed 15 to 20 lbs within 6 to 8 weeks. Sounds great, isn’t it? In this article, we have explored a seven-day oatmeal diet strategy and a recipe for each day. So, let’s get started.
In This Article
Oats For Weight Loss
The basic principle behind the oatmeal diet is to replace major meals with oats. This diet plan has three phases:
Phase 1
In this phase, you will have oatmeal three times a day (whole oats, not instant oats). For the other three meals, including fresh fruits and fruit juices, veggies, and a good source of protein.
Phase 2
This phase includes eating whole oats two-three times a day, along with half a cup of fruits or vegetables with each meal. You can also start practicing stretching exercises, yoga, or walking.
Phase 3
This is the phase in which you come back to your normal eating routine. However, be sure to eat healthily and include oats at least for one meal per day.
7-Day Oatmeal Diet Plan (With Recipes For Each Day)
This 7-day diet plan is a balanced calorie diet that requires you to replace at least two meals of the day with oatmeal. Phase 1, includes oatmeal three times a day in your diet for two days. In Phase 2, include oatmeal two times a day for the next two days to lose a significant amount of weight. Finally, in Phase 3, have oatmeal at least once a day for the remaining three days to maintain your new bodyweight.
Note: This is a sample diet plan. You can change the components of the meals as per your convenience.
Phase 1 (Day 1 & Day 2)
Day 1
| Breakfast | Oatmeal with milk and berries |
| Before Lunch | Orange juice or apple juice |
| Lunch | Oatmeal with vegetables |
| Post-Lunch | 1 apple |
| Evening Snacks | Green tea and 1 multigrain biscuit |
| Dinner | Baked fish with oats and veggies |
Vegetarian Alternative: For dinner, you can have a bowl of baked beans or a bowl of sprout salad.
Recipe – Oatmeal With Vegetables
Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- ½ cup oatmeal
- 4 cauliflower florets
- 4 broccoli florets
- ½ medium-sized carrot
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Water
How To Prepare
- Boil the oatmeal until it is soft.
- Dice the veggies and sauté in a frying pan.
- Add the boiled oatmeal, a little water, salt, and pepper.
- Mix well.
Stylecraze SaysYou can make this a one-pot meal by first sauteing the vegetables, adding washed oats, and a little (3/4th cup) water. You need to cover the pot and let the oats and veggies absorb the water.
Day 2
| Breakfast | Oatmeal with apple and cinnamon |
| Before Lunch | Any whole fruit |
| Lunch | Cabbage soup with whole rolled oats |
| Post-Lunch | Cucumber slices with a dash of lime and salt |
| Evening Snacks | Black tea with 1 multigrain biscuit |
| Dinner | Oatmeal with lentils and chicken cubes |
Vegetarian Alternative: For dinner, instead of chicken cubes, you can add mushrooms or soy cubes or use mixed lentils.
Recipe – Oatmeal With Lentils And Chicken Cubes
Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- ½ cup oatmeal
- ¼ cup yellow/red lentils
- 1 chicken breast cut into cubes
- ½ chopped onion
- 1 chopped green chili
- 2 chopped cloves of garlic
- 1 chopped tomato
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Salt and pepper
How To Prepare
- Boil the oatmeal and lentils separately. Do not throw away the excess water.
- Sauté the garlic, onion, tomato, and green chili.
- Add the chicken right after you add the chili.
- Add the oatmeal and lentils and let it cook until the chicken is soft.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Did You Know?For added texture, you can opt for roasted chicken strips or pulled rotisserie chicken and use as a topping.
Phase 2 (Day 3 & Day 4)
Day 3
| Breakfast | Fresh fruit juice or smoothie (avoid banana) |
| Before Lunch | 4 almonds |
| Lunch | Oats pita bread wrap with eggs and veggies |
| Post-Lunch | 1 Kiwi or 1 grapefruit |
| Evening Snacks | 1 cup green tea |
| Dinner | Oatmeal salmon cake with mashed sweet potato |
Vegetarian Alternative: For dinner, instead of salmon, use kidney beans.
Recipe – Oats Pita Bread Wrap With Eggs And Veggies
Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- 1 oats pita bread (available in supermarkets)
- 1 whole egg
- ½ chopped green bell pepper
- ¼ chopped onion
- 1 lettuce leaf
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
How To Prepare
- Sauté the chopped onion and green bell pepper.
- Crack open the egg and add it to the sautéed veggies.
- Lay the lettuce leaf on top of the oats pita bread.
- Transfer the fried egg on top of the lettuce leaf.
- Add a little Dijon mustard and sprinkle salt and pepper for taste.
- Wrap the pita bread and take a generous bite!
Day 4
| Breakfast | Green tea and oats with banana and milk |
| Before Lunch | 1 medium sized carrot |
| Lunch | Light Italian-style sandwich |
| Post-Lunch | Soy milk |
| Evening Snacks | Fresh fruit juice |
| Dinner | Oatmeal balls in Asian-style gravy (vegetarian) |
Recipe – Oatmeal Balls In Asian-Style Gravy
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Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiled oatmeal
- 1/5 thinly sliced cabbage
- ½ thinly sliced carrot
- ½ thinly sliced green bell pepper
- 1 thinly sliced red chili
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Sesame seeds
- Water
How To Prepare
- Mix the oatmeal, cabbage, carrot, green bell pepper, flour, and half a tablespoon of oil and make round, medium-sized balls.
- Brush a little oil on the balls and bake them in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20 minutes until they turn golden brown.
- Heat three tablespoons of oil in a Chinese frying pan and add garlic and red chili to it. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the baked oatmeal balls.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Phase 3 (Day 5 – Day 7)
Day 5
| Breakfast | Oats and berries smoothie with a dash of melted dark chocolate |
| Before Lunch | 1 apple |
| Lunch | Zoodles with shrimps or spinach |
| Post-Lunch | Orange juice |
| Evening Snacks | Green tea |
| Dinner | Oatmeal Rava dosa (oats semolina pancake) |
Recipe – Oatmeal Rava Dosa
Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground oatmeal
- ¼ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup rava (semolina)
- ½ chopped onion
- ½ chopped green chili
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Salt
- Water
- Readymade coconut chutney (available in Indian grocery stores)
How To Prepare
- Mix the ground oatmeal, rice flour, rava, chopped onion, green chili and cumin seeds with water. The consistency should be the same as that of regular pancake batter.
- Heat the pan and spread the batter to make thin, crispy pancakes.
- Serve hot with coconut chutney.
Day 6
| Breakfast | Oatmeal with milk and honey |
| Before Lunch | 4 almonds |
| Lunch | Chicken clear soup |
| Post-Lunch | 1 cup fat-free yogurt |
| Evening Snacks | Green tea |
| Dinner | Tuna-oatmeal lettuce boats |
Vegetarian Alternative: For lunch, instead of chicken clear soup, you can have baked veggies or vegetable clear soup.
For dinner, instead of tuna, use soy cubes or soybeans.
Recipe – Tuna-Oatmeal Lettuce Boats
Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- ½ cup ground oatmeal
- ½ cup canned tuna
- 1 lettuce leaf
- 1 thinly sliced tomato
- ½ julienned cucumber
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fat-free yogurt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
- Lime juice
- Salt and pepper
How To Prepare
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the ground oatmeal.
- On a baking tray, coat the tuna with the oatmeal, brush a little oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes.
- Lay the lettuce leaf and put the tomatoes.
- Add the crispy baked tuna on top of the tomato slices.
- Add the cucumbers next.
- Add a dash of lime and top it with Dijon mustard, fat-free yogurt, and cayenne pepper.
Day 7
| Breakfast | Kale and pomegranate detox drink |
| Before Lunch | 1 small bowl of papaya |
| Lunch | Indian-style oatmeal kofta |
| Post-Lunch | 1 glass buttermilk |
| Evening Snacks | Green tea |
| Dinner | Mexican-style oatmeal with fried egg |
Vegetarian Alternative: Instead of eggs, use button mushrooms or kidney bean chili.
Recipe – Mexican-Style Oatmeal With Fried Egg
Image: Shutterstock
Ingredients
- ½ cup oatmeal
- ¼ avocado
- ¼ chopped onion
- Pickled jalapeno
- ½ chopped tomato
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
- Salt and pepper
How To Prepare
- Sauté the chopped onion and tomato in a frying pan.
- Cook the oatmeal until soft.
- Cut the avocado into medium-sized cubes.
- Add the sautéed onion and tomato to the oatmeal.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper, cook for 30 seconds and turn off the flame.
- Meanwhile, fry an egg.
- Transfer the oatmeal to a bowl and top it with avocado.
- Add a few pieces of pickled jalapeno, a dash of lime, and Dijon mustard.
- Place the fried egg on top of the avocado cubes.
- Add a little salt and pepper.
- Garnish with cilantro.
It is important to know which type of oatmeal should be used for delicious weight loss recipes and result in optimum weight loss.
Know Your Oats Better – What Type Of Oats Is
Good For You?
- Plain oatmeal – You will find a lot of varieties of oatmeal on the market. But make sure you are buying plain oatmeal as it has lesser calories when compared to the other varieties.
- Flavored oatmeal – It contains added sugar and more calories. Stay away from flavored varieties if you really want to shed those extra pounds.
- Larger flakes – People often refer to larger flakes as old-fashioned flakes. These keep you full for a long time and help to curb your hunger pangs.
- Steel-cut flakes – These oats take longer to cook, but they make deliciously creamy dishes. Their texture is delectable, and they are chewy at the same time.
Foods To Eat
Spinach, broccoli, chicken breast, fish, turkey, tea, fat-free yogurt, lettuce, berries, celery, any fruit, carrots, radish, beetroot, sweet potato, beans, lentils, mushrooms, honey, maple syrup, lemon, and lime.
Foods To Avoid
Sweetened or aerated drinks, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, high sodium foods, packaged fruit juices, flavored yogurt, donuts, and cornbread.
Is The Oatmeal Diet Effective For Weight Loss?
Oatmeal is a healthy option for weight loss. However, the amount of weight loss varies based on body type, lifestyle, and exercise habits. Following the oatmeal diet with regular exercise can help you lose 15-20 lbs in a span of 2 months.
The dietary fiber in whole oats helps to provide satiety and reduces weight and abdominal fat (3), (4).
Since this is a fad diet plan, it is not recommended for long-term results.
Consult your nutritionist for a balanced approach.
Role Of Exercise During The Oatmeal Diet
- It is recommended that you do a few stretching exercises while you are in Phase 1.
- When you are in Phase 2, you will provide your body with more calories. Hence, you should start walking/power walking as well as doing free-hand exercises.
- When you enter Phase 3, you will have enough energy to go for a full workout and strength training routine. Merely losing fat will not get you back in shape; you also need to tone your muscles so that your skin doesn’t look aged and loose.
Benefits Of The Oatmeal Diet
- Prevents abdominal fat accumulation (5).
- The soluble fiber found in oats can help in reducing blood cholesterol (6).
- Oats help in slowing down the rise of glucose levels in the blood. They can stop and control the sudden rise in blood sugar levels (7).
