Healthy Meal Plan 1500 Calorie
Nutritional and Healthy Meal Guidelines
- Commit to consuming 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday.
- To succeed, you must plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.
- Keep it simple. Don't get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.
- Eat your foods slower.
- Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.
- Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
- Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.
- Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every single day.
Here is a sample healthy low fat meal plan (1517 calories).
Breakfast |
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| Amount | Item | Protein | Carbs | Fats | Calories | |
| 12 ounces | coffee-w/caffeine | 0.40 | 1.40 | 0.00 | 8.00 | |
| 1 cup | Milk | 8.00 | 11.00 | 5.00 | 120.00 | |
| 1 tbps | cream,fluid,half and half | 0.44 | 0.65 | 1.73 | 19.55 | |
| 1 pack | Oatmeal-instant,maple,brn sugar Quaker | 4.50 | 31.60 | 2.10 | 152.00 | |
| Total: | 13.34 | 44.65 | 8.82 | 299.55 | ||
| AM Snack | ||||||
| 1 cup | Cottage cheese- 1%fat | 28.00 | 6.00 | 2.00 | 164.00 | |
| 0.5 cup | Pineapple-canned, chunks | 0.00 | 18.00 | 0.00 | 70.00 | |
| Total: | 28.00 | 24.00 | 2.00 | 234.00 | ||
| Lunch | ||||||
| 2 each | bread whole wheat-slice | 6.00 | 24.00 | 2.00 | 140.00 | |
| 1 cubic inch | cheddar cheese | 4.26 | 0.15 | 4.12 | 56.36 | |
| .15 cup | mayo | 0.32 | 8.47 | 11.77 | 137.37 | |
| 1 ounce | turkey breast/white meat | 8.50 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 38.25 | |
| .25 small | Tomato-small | 0.25 | 1.43 | 0.10 | 6.50 | |
| Total: | 19.33 | 34.36 | 18.19 | 378.48 | ||
| PM Snack | ||||||
| 8 each | Cracker/Nabisco-Low Saltines | 1.60 | 16.00 | 3.20 | 96.00 | |
| 1 ounce | Turkey/white meat | 8.50 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 38.25 | |
| Total: | 10.12 | 16.00 | 3.40 | 134.25 | ||
| Dinner | ||||||
| 5 ounces | Halibut - broiled | 37.50 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 198.75 | |
| 1 cup | rice-white cook steamed | 6.00 | 62.00 | 0.00 | 164.00 | |
| 2 tbps | Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft | 0.00 | 6.00 | 2.00 | 40.00 | |
| 0.5 cup | Vegetables - mixed, frozen, boiled | 2.60 | 11.90 | 0.10 | 54.00 | |
| 1 small | salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion | 1.30 | 9.50 | 0.40 | 49.00 | |
| 1 tsp | Sugar-white | 0.00 | 4.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 | |
| 12 fluid ounces | Tea-prepared w/tap water | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 | |
| Total: | 44.80 | 82.50 | 7.40 | 470.75 | ||
| Grand Total: | 115.58 | 201.50 | 39.82 | 1517.04 | ||
Grocery List
| Food | Quantity |
| Apple - medium with peel | 7 each |
| Banana - medium 8 inch | 7 each |
| Bread whole wheat - slice | 14 each |
| Broccoli | 7 spears |
| Cheerios | 10.5 cups |
| Chicken Breast / White Meat | 28 ounces |
| Coffee- w/caffeine | 84 ounces |
| Cream, fluid, half and half | 7 tablespoons |
| Halibut - broiled | 35 ounces |
| Mayo type, reg., w/salt | 1 cup |
| Milk - 2 % fat | 7 cups |
| Orange - medium | 7 each |
| Sugar - white | 14 tea spoons |
| Rice - white | 7 cups |
| Thousand island - reduced cal. | 7 table spoons |
| Turkey Breast / White Meat | 14 ounces |
| Tea | 82 ounces |
1500 Calorie Diet
If you need a 1500 calorie diet take a look at the four 1500 calorie diet samples below. No 1500 calorie diet was used on two consecutive days they were used day by day for four days then repeated to try to ensure no deficiencies in nutrients. Water made up most of fluid intake but up to 5 cups of tea or coffee were drank using sweeteners and skimmed milk.
If finding your hunger is getting the best of you on a 1200 calorie diet plan , you may want to boost your intake to a 1500 calorie diet.
About Low Calorie Diets
Low calorie diets are designed to create an energy deficit. This means you're taking in less calories than you body needs, and as a result your body burns stored fat as it's fuel source. The result is weight loss.
If this type of diet leaves you feeling tired and unable to exercise, raising your calorie intake to 1500 calories may be the answer. The technique is still low-calorie and fits within the high end of what weight loss experts recommend for women and the low end of calorie amounts needed for men if you plan to lose weight.
Calories and Pounds
Now that you understand that creating an energy deficit results in the body burning stored body fat, know that one pound of body fat equals around 3,500 calories. You need to take in 3,500 less calories than your body needs for fuel to get rid of one pound of body fat.
Don't let this depress you. Instead, think how eating 1500 calories can melt away unwanted fat. If you normally eat 3000 calories in a day and cut back to 1500, that's 10,500 calories less in one week! Eating 500 less calories each day burns about one pound each week; double that and expect to lose about two pounds each week.
How Many Calories is Right For You?
While it's easy to choose a 1200 or 1500 calorie diet to lose weight, take into consideration factors for you as an individual. There's no magic diet right for everybody. Some people require more than 1500 calories per day even when losing weight. To determine the right caloric intake for yourself, factor in things like:
- Activity level
- Height
- Current Weight
- Age
This isn't as hard as it sounds. Today it's as easy as clicking an online Calories Needed Per Day Calculator.
Example for Women
If a 35-year-old woman weighs 170 pounds at 5 feet 4 inches and is moderately active, she can eat 2264 calories a day and maintain her weight. She needs to eat less to lose weight. Now if this same 35-year-old woman weighs 150 pounds, the calories needed to maintain her weight drops to 2133, and if she weighs 130 pounds, she needs to eat 2002 calories to maintain. The point is that all of these amounts are to maintain—not to lose. Eating 1500 calories creates an energy deficit significant enough to help lose weight.
Example for Men
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Usually, it is not recommended for men to reduce their caloric intake below 1500 calories per day. Men are typically more muscular and require additional calories to perform day-to-day activities.
A 5 foot 9 inch man who is 35-years-old, moderately active and weighs 200 pounds must eat 2925 calories a day just to maintain his weight. If he weighs 180 pounds that amount drops to 2738. In the same way, if the 200 pound man is two inches taller that affects caloric needs too, and the amount goes up to 2963. With these totals, it is clear that limiting your diet to 1500 calories is a drastic step toward weight loss. In fact, a 2000 calorie diet creates an adequate calorie deficit to see substantial weight loss results.
Foods to Eat on a 1500 Calorie Diet
Just as there are good foods for you, the following list of foods should be avoided:
- Fried foods
- Salty snacks
- Rich sauces
- Sweets
- Fatty desserts
A Doctor's Opinion
While a low calorie diet assists in losing weight, it's important to talk with your doctor about your plans. Reducing your calories too much is feasible. When this happens, your body is designed to protect your energy storage (fat) and your metabolism will kick into survival mode because it thinks you're starving.
Eating 1500 calories is right for many people, but if too few calories enter your body for an extended time, nutritional deficiencies may occur. If you're in doubt, talk with your doctor or dietitian for their suggestions. It's great to lose weight but you want to do it in a healthy way...
Calorie diet sample Day 1
Breakfast:
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2 egg, low fat Cheddar cheese omelette - 320 calories
-
2 slices wholemeal toast with thin smear butter - 200 calories
-
Large slice melon - 47 calories
Lunch:
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Spicy Turkey Salad recipe - 304 calories
Snack:
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Muesli or honey nut Health Bar "Sainsbury" - 180 calories
Dinner:
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Baked potato with 100g "Heinz" baked beans &/or Cottage cheese if desired - 300 - 400 calories (350 average)
-
Large helping salad fruits &/or vegetables - 100 calories
Target: 1500
Total calories = 1501 Calorie Diet
Calorie diet sample Day 2
Breakfast:
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Breakfast Cereal with skimmed milk small Bowl - 350 calories
-
Fruit juice unsweetened - 60 Calories
Snack:
-
1 Banana - 107 calories
Snack:
-
Strawberry Yogurt - 120 cals
Dinner:
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Beef Chow Mein "Take away meal" - 850 calories
Snack:
-
1 Kiwi Fruit - 30 cals
Total calories = 1517 Calorie Diet
Calorie diet sample Day 3
Breakfast:
-
2 lean sausages - 250 cals
-
Baked Beans 100 grams - 90 cals
-
2 slices wholemeal bread/toast with little butter - 200 cals
-
Piece of fruit or fruit juice - 60 calories
Lunch:
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"Birds eye" Captain's Fish pie frozen meal 284g - 330 calories
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Mixed Vegetables - 100 cals
Snack:
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low fat Yogurt - 95 cals
-
piece of fruit - 60 calories
Dinner:
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Chinese Noodles (recipe coming soon!) - 350 cals
Total calories = 1535 Calorie Diet
Calorie diet sample Day 4
Breakfast:
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Large Bowl of Muesli (50g) other cereals to fill rest with skimmed milk - 400 calories
-
Fruit juice - 40 calories
Lunch:
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Tuna Salad Sandwich with Brown bread 2 slices & mayonnaise - 300 calories
Snack:
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Packet of low fat chips (crisps UK) - 110 calories
-
1 Small chocolate bar - 150 calories
-
Fruit - 80 calories
Dinner:
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Beef Stew & Dumplings "Birds eye Menu Master" - 320 calories
-
Any Vegetables - 100 calories
Total calories = 1500 Calorie Diet