wth do people eat on 1500 calories?

anemoneprose

I am going to have go below what I'm used to (2100-2300) bc it doesn't look like real physical activity's going to be possible for a while. So, I tested myself today, to see how little I could eat with what is to me a reasonable menu.

I'd had just 1700 calories by dinner and started to have a headache, so had to eat a turkey sandwich, and then a banana, and then 2 aspirin to get out from under it. I think it's going to have to be 1900. I knew this though, bc this has always been true, except I've usually been able to exercise, so I didn't worry that much about it.

From today and looking back, it seems that:

- 4 oz of meat per meal is not enough, I need at least 6 (feel best with 8)

- if I try to fake myself out with just leafy veg & veg-carbs, and don't have some kind of carb-carb at every meal (a piece of bread, 1/2 cup rice, 1 cup pasta), I get a) hunger headaches 2 hrs later and b) the runs,

- getting fats in (including olive, some nuts, butter, and fish oil supplements) is not something I can do without (nor should I), but iti's a bit of a Jenga game figuring out how to keep them & stay under limit

I had this today and I don't really see where cutting could work. I mean I guess I could cut the coffee w/cream but I would NOT be happy. This is the "cleanest" I've eaten in a while btw, if I had a nutritionist she'd be proud:

- breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 pat butter, 1 piece rye, large coffee w 2 sugar & cream
- lunch: 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup black beans, I think 4 oz chicken, 1 cup sauteed red peppers; 2 cups spinach salad w OO & balsamic
- snack: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, .4 oz walnuts, 10 grapes
- dinner: 1 cup black bean chill, 30 grams veal, 1/2 cup rice, 30 grams yogurt
- headache so: 1 piece rye, whole grain mustard, 4 slices roasted turkey breast
- BANANA AND ASPIRIN

stats: F/135/5'7, maintenance 2+ yrs (very recent regain of 10 lbs, spent most of it around 125 and DO NOT want to go up)

So what makes the difference between that, and 1500? What corners do people cut, out of curiosity?

ladymiseryali

It's not that difficult for me. I eat an omelette for breakfast. Either chicken or cold cuts for lunch with ranch dressing and dinner is usually tuna or two small hamburger patties. I'm doing keto, so no bread products for me, but even before keto I was able to eat 1516 cals and be satisfied.

thefragile7393

I eat under that because my BMR is around 1500 (a little over). I eat a lot of protein shakes with greens and fruit, egg whites with cheese, some meats....

corgicake

I've been having less days under 1500 lately as exercise calories have solved that, but earlier on there were plenty. Meat was the first thing to get cut, though cheese was a must. Portions in general went down.

zytah

When I first started I had to kind of train myself to eat less. Ate what I normally ate the first week and then the next week id drop it down 100 calories. Kept doing that til I was used to eating less calories. Then I made sure to 'split' my calories and made sure I ate every few hours so I would have like 5-6 meals a day. Made it easier for me and im alot less hungry and happier.

SilverLotusGirl

I eat meat but I eat less starch than I used to. I bake things more than before. I eat a lot of veggies and salads. I think part of the key to a lower calorie limit, not that 1500 is all that low, is to fill up on veggies and nice learn protein sources because protein will help you stay fuller longer too.

Another thing I'd suggest is looking through diaries here, find someone on 1500 who tends to stay under and see what they eat and what of that you'd be willing to try. Also, if you're used to eating more, it may take a few weeks of scaling down bit by bit before you can feel full on 1500.

MercenaryNoetic26

I dunno but I had Wendy's pretzel burger today and had around 1500 for today.

Mama530

You make great choices. I'd only cut one of the eggs, I drink ff milk in my coffee and make a salad for lunch and only cut the half cup of rice.

tellybrown

Humus + Special K crackers for snacks
50 calorie wheat bread is the best i think
tunafish sandwich is great because i can get full on about 300 calories

hamburger using Laura's ground beef.
50 calorie cheese
Bake your french fries

grilled chicken
grilled pork chops
steak

Subway helps a ton. I use spicy mustard because it is 0 calories.
Baked chips

Diet drinks/water

I tend to do around 1300 calories and use tunafish to offset my cheat days if i do have it.

laurynwithawhy

Add in egg whites (2 egg whites and 1 whole egg), skip the butter, and cut down the OO on your spinach salad. Kind of miserable, I'm definitely not against fat at all but they are calorie dense.

Also, if you are getting physically ill not eating carbs I'd look into insulin resistance and/or low blood sugar. One of my family members is insulin resistant and experiences the same side effects of low carb diets.

jedigrover

If you kill the starches (esp. bread), you will find you have a lot of room suddenly for much more filling (and nutritious) food that is bulky and satisfying. More meat, more fibrous veggies. I do Primal & sometimes find it hard to pack down all my calories if I'm eating all whole foods. Replace the most empty calories you have with the most nutrient rich ones you can find & you'll be amazed at how satiated your body can be.

oppii

Egg whites
Lean cuts of meat, (ham and chicken.... mmhmmmmm)
All vegetables except starchy ones
Water
Low calorie drinks
More water
Low fat Greek yoghurt
Low fat cottage cheese
Celery and Peanut butter

AND....

WAIT FOR IT....

TUNA! sssssweet food of the gods, love tuna... There's a high chance I will die from mercury poisoning, and that's something I choose to overlook.

aggieanne04

Cut back to two eggs, nix the banana in favor of turkey, and cut out the sugar in your coffee- presto change-o fewer calories. I try to stay around 1200-1300 calories myself. Daily, I try to eat: 40-50g fat, 100g protein, and 150g carbs. It's not always that "good," but the exercise calories help! Today I ate way more than usual- I think it's because I started strength training. Breakfast is almost always a protein shake w/ spinach thrown in and sometimes extra fruit- about 230-260cal, 3g fat, 25g protein. It keeps me full for about 3-4hrs. Lunch is sometimes a sandwich with fruit, veggies & hummus or dip (plain nonfat Greek yogurt + a packet of Ranch dressing mix).

herblackwings39

I am going to have go below what I'm used to (2100-2300) bc it doesn't look like real physical activity's going to be possible for a while. So, I tested myself today, to see how little I could eat with what is to me a reasonable menu.

I'd had just 1700 calories by dinner and started to have a headache, so had to eat a turkey sandwich, and then a banana, and then 2 aspirin to get out from under it. I think it's going to have to be 1900. I knew this though, bc this has always been true, except I've usually been able to exercise, so I didn't worry that much about it.

From today and looking back, it seems that:

- 4 oz of meat per meal is not enough, I need at least 6 (feel best with 8)

- if I try to fake myself out with just leafy veg & veg-carbs, and don't have some kind of carb-carb at every meal (a piece of bread, 1/2 cup rice, 1 cup pasta), I get a) hunger headaches 2 hrs later and b) the runs,

- getting fats in (including olive, some nuts, butter, and fish oil supplements) is not something I can do without (nor should I), but iti's a bit of a Jenga game figuring out how to keep them & stay under limit

I had this today and I don't really see where cutting could work. I mean I guess I could cut the coffee w/cream but I would NOT be happy. This is the "cleanest" I've eaten in a while btw, if I had a nutritionist she'd be proud:

- breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 pat butter, 1 piece rye, large coffee w 2 sugar & cream
- lunch: 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup black beans, I think 4 oz chicken, 1 cup sauteed red peppers; 2 cups spinach salad w OO & balsamic
- snack: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, .4 oz walnuts, 10 grapes
- dinner: 1 cup black bean chill, 30 grams veal, 1/2 cup rice, 30 grams yogurt
- headache so: 1 piece rye, whole grain mustard, 4 slices roasted turkey breast
- BANANA AND ASPIRIN

stats: F/135/5'7, maintenance 2+ yrs (very recent regain of 10 lbs, spent most of it around 125 and DO NOT want to go up)

So what makes the difference between that, and 1500? What corners do people cut, out of curiosity?

Sara Lee makes bread that's 45 calories a slice and it's not bad tasting.

alfiedn

These are already some good suggestions. I have a small one to add. I always put my eggs on top of my toast and avoid using butter on my toast that way. I do cook my eggs with olive oil, though, so that might even out.

I am a vegetarian. The shift was very gradual for me, but I do remember (excuse the TMI) that my stool was looser than usual (very loose) for a little bit and it took some getting used to. I generally was a little bound, so it works out well for me, but that may just be something your body needs to adjust to. One day of eating this way will not feel the same as allowing your body to get used to it.

I do tend to eat less dairy than you (yogurt, etc), but I take a calcium supplement to help out with that.

I've also lately been loving quinoa. It's filling, feels like a carb, but gives you a little more protein that might make you feel full longer (and make you feel like you ate a real carb).

angiep098

First, I would cut the cream+sugar and the salad dressing

I eat a lot of
Egg Whites
Nuts (only a handful!) + avocado + beans
TONS (i mean mass amounts) of veggies
Grilled Chicken, fish

I've also noticed that I don't tend to eat a lot of dairy products (butter, cheese, yogurt) or starchy foods. I eat bread/noodles in small amounts, and go for 100% whole grain so that it actually fills me up.

BunBun85

I'm really curious what's happening with you physiologically that makes you sick when you don't eat enough carbs because I am the exact opposite. If I want a sandwich it has to be on one very thin slice of bread, no pasta, no rice, only one medium boiled potato and that's still risky because I get a fallout where I end up shaking, sweating, dizzy and just an all around serious blood sugar crash. My doctor ran some tests to check for diabetes but they came back normal, my body just can't handle the carbs.

MyFreakingNameIsScott

Plz excuse the OT nature of this but...reading threads like this makes me really, really hungry.

I stumbled upon one or a combination of things that absolutely killed my hunger last week. I was ready to swallow a cow when I pulled out a 1 oz. bag of pistachios from my backpack and then grabbed about ten leaves of fresh basil to snack on. My hunger disappeared.

themommie

Try to find things that help to keep you full eggs, chicken, string cheese and sweet potatoes, mashed cauliflower with a couple potatoes,. Maybe look at other peoples diaries to get ideas on new foods to try.watermelon helps to keep me full too hope this helps

anemoneprose

Really great ideas, everyone, thanks so much! It's exactly little tweaks like this that I hoped to hear about

No idea what my carb-lust is about; my blood sugar's been in the normal range every time I've been tested. However, I lasted exactly 3 hours on Paleo, so am loathe to try that one, though I know it works for many.

I think I could deal with 1 less egg, or substituting whites for 1-2 yolks (so sad, though, so pretty & filling -- but I could do it!).

I agree that one day of veg isn't representative, & I'll have to up the fibre more slowly -- am sure that will help with the digestion/elimination.

Love the ff milk idea, & getting rid of one of the rice portions, that is *totally* doable!

So far I've been a little disappointed with the lower-cal/gluten-free bread options near me, but I'll experiment a bit, see what's around.

Really appreciate the time everyone's taken to answer! Will def review as I'm sure I missed some great ones!

phoenixgirl81

I am going to have go below what I'm used to (2100-2300) bc it doesn't look like real physical activity's going to be possible for a while. So, I tested myself today, to see how little I could eat with what is to me a reasonable menu.

I'd had just 1700 calories by dinner and started to have a headache, so had to eat a turkey sandwich, and then a banana, and then 2 aspirin to get out from under it. I think it's going to have to be 1900. I knew this though, bc this has always been true, except I've usually been able to exercise, so I didn't worry that much about it.

From today and looking back, it seems that:

- 4 oz of meat per meal is not enough, I need at least 6 (feel best with 8)

- if I try to fake myself out with just leafy veg & veg-carbs, and don't have some kind of carb-carb at every meal (a piece of bread, 1/2 cup rice, 1 cup pasta), I get a) hunger headaches 2 hrs later and b) the runs,

- getting fats in (including olive, some nuts, butter, and fish oil supplements) is not something I can do without (nor should I), but iti's a bit of a Jenga game figuring out how to keep them & stay under limit

I had this today and I don't really see where cutting could work. I mean I guess I could cut the coffee w/cream but I would NOT be happy. This is the "cleanest" I've eaten in a while btw, if I had a nutritionist she'd be proud:

- breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 pat butter, 1 piece rye, large coffee w 2 sugar & cream
- lunch: 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup black beans, I think 4 oz chicken, 1 cup sauteed red peppers; 2 cups spinach salad w OO & balsamic
- snack: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, .4 oz walnuts, 10 grapes
- dinner: 1 cup black bean chill, 30 grams veal, 1/2 cup rice, 30 grams yogurt
- headache so: 1 piece rye, whole grain mustard, 4 slices roasted turkey breast
- BANANA AND ASPIRIN

stats: F/135/5'7, maintenance 2+ yrs (very recent regain of 10 lbs, spent most of it around 125 and DO NOT want to go up)

So what makes the difference between that, and 1500? What corners do people cut, out of curiosity?

*puts hand up as MUST HAVE CARBS kind of person*

If I don't eat enough carbs (and if I don't have carbs at every meal) I am uber-sick. I get light headed, nauseous and have zero energy. I must have carbs.

I'll start off by declaring that I'm vegetarian (and I try to eat vegan most of the time) because I need to be. Eating meat causes major flare ups in my Rheumatoid Arthritis, even meat biproducts (so no jelly, animal rennet, etc). But, it doesn't mean that it's boring food. I'm NOT suggesting you have to go veg. Just saying that's how I eat.

I'm going to second ditching the butter on your bread. I haven't had butter for a couple of months now and I don't miss it at all. Just put your egg straight on top and let the yolk moisten it.

Re your coffee, I have full-fat soy milk (prefer the flavour) and 1 sugar (down from 2 sugars a couple of years ago) and I have it once or twice a day. You don't need to cut it out. Just budget for it.

My usual breakfast consists of: (usually around 350 cal in total)

two small-ish slices of local bakery made sourdough bread (about 70g in total) and about 12g of crunchy peanut butter on one slice, and either vegemite, lemon curd or jam on the other, along with my 35 cal coffee. I also have porridge/oatmeal or eggs, tomato, mushrooms and toast or even pancakes (real ones) on occasion.

Lunch is often: (usually around 350-400 cal-ish)

two large vita-weat slices with either avocado, tomato and some kind of vegetarian protein (tofu, vege-deli-"meat", etc) or some cream cheese in place of the avocado and a banana or strawberries. Or I made myself a big salad with lots of veggies, some nuts and some protein (e.g. egg, or cheese, or pulses, or tofu, etc) and take a slice of bread to have with it or incorporate some pasta or rice or quinoa or cous cous. Or I take some home-made soup or left overs. Or I have sushi or rice-paper rolls. Or I have a full-on salad sandwich with mustard and avocado (hold the butter)

Snacks: (150-200 cal each for morning and afternoon tea)

I switch it up all the time, but some of my snacks include: banana/mandarin/strawberries, mini-muffin (home made), hummus with various raw or blanched vegetables, seeds and nuts mix (e.g. pepitas, sunflower seeds, and maybe 8-10 raw almonds or pecans. VERY FEW nuts. Sometimes I add sultanas), peas in their pods, protein bar (usually aim for about 10g of protein in each bar to make it "worth" the calories), museli bar (alternate this with the muffin other-wise too much sugary carbs), air-popped popcorn, kale chips, yoghurt (full-fat), roasted broadbeans, some fruit with cottage cheese, etc etc.

Dinner: (400-500 cal - unless I exercise, in which case it's more)

Always different but I love veggies so I usually start with what I have in the fridge and go from there. An example of some of my dinners are: tacos (beans, veggies, sour cream, cheese, the works), lasagne, soups, stews, "fake meat" products with roast veggies (e.g. "schnitzel"-shaped proteins, sausages, seitan, vege-mince, tofurky roast, etc), chillis, omlettes, frittatas made with loads of veggies, quinoa and veggies, risotto, curries (lentils or beans with veggies), pasta (yes, real pasta) and pesto or tomato-based sauce, stroganoff (tempeh and mushroom) with egg parpadelle, pizza, and many more dishes.


I don't believe in "diet food". I don't eat "low-fat" things or do things like "cauliflower pizza bases". I eat what I can fit into my calorie goals and if I want to eat more I have to go for a walk or do some other exercise.

I also budget calories to still go out for dinner at least once or twice per week at restaurants that don't do nutritional information (i.e. proper, real restaurants. Not chains or fast-food places).

It's do-able. But you just need to be a bit creative with how you can fit things into your budget. I find pre-logging food for the day is great because I can play "calorie jenga" and mix and match the foods I plan on eating so that I get my needs met in terms of calories AND carbs/other macros.

sdonovan4

Veggies and lots of them

trud72

Veggies and lots of them

THIS /\

Bob Harper says...you don't get fat on broccoli ! AND ITS TRUE :bigsmile:

ecdce

I don't know about anyone else but I had sickness symptoms when I first switched to primal-style eating. I assume it was due to the sudden drop in carbs. I had a near-connstant, nagging headache, upset stomach, etc for days. I was tired and moody all the time, no matter how much I ate, drank, or slept. Not to mention insatiable cravings, even though i wasnt hungry at all. It was a very unpleasant, miserable experience.

And then it was over. It was like my body was going through carb-withdrawal. It may just be that you have to wait it out. Honestly, I'm not sure I could've suck to it if I had to go in to work and be pleasant to people every day (I work remotely), so maybe its a transition best left for a holiday or long weekend - I took a nap one day and slept three hours accidentally, but I still woke up feeling tired and grumpy. I definitely recommend doing it cold turkey, as any slip up during that 'transition' made me ravenous for grains and potatoes all over again, which just made the whole process more difficult.

MyJourney1960

your menu is fine but you can cut a little to get it down to 1500. if you are going to be consistently exercising LESS, you will probably not feel as hungry anyway. It sounds like you are afraid you will be hungry cause you're used to the food, but you're used to the food because you NEED it (for the exercise). give yourself some time to adjust.

what i would do:


- breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 pat butter, 1 piece rye, large coffee w 2 sugar & cream
I would have 2 eggs, add fruit or veg, and yes i would cut the sugar and cream

- lunch: 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup black beans, I think 4 oz chicken, 1 cup sauteed red peppers; 2 cups spinach salad w OO & balsamic
Lunch - i would have the chicken or the beans not both.

- snack: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, .4 oz walnuts, 10 grapes
snack - I would have the cheese with vegetables, not nuts and grapes.

- dinner: 1 cup black bean chill, 30 grams veal, 1/2 cup rice, 30 grams yogurt
again - veal or beans (if you cut the beans from lunch, then have them here), try to cut out the rice and add a big salad.

candylilacs

I just don't get why the headache means you need to eat. Maybe you just had a headache. Secondly if it's from low glucose, a piece of fruit would be best.

Thirdly, try the eggs with one less yolk at first. Stay away from any dairy more than 2 percent and try roast beef instead of turkey. It's slightly more calories but sometimes you need more iron.

pkingfox

It is funny that I always had thought of myself as that "could NOT live W/O carbs" person....so not the case...it just takes time to adjust. I have backed way off on my pasta/rice/breads consumption over time. I feel much better now that I try to keep to a 40/30/30.....it's hard to do some days - but the best way to get proteins up are with tuna and cottage cheese - they are my highest proteins and wish I could find more.....just keep researching food on the glycemic index and trying different combos of items! I hate to use any man made sweeteners and have found that over a little time I have gotten use to coffee with just cream but always fat free....you can get use to anything with a little time.....now if I can get rid of my one vice alcoholic beverages...I would prob be much more successful in my weight loss efforts! Looking forward to fall for sure !! Good luck and let us know how it is going for you!

Francl27

That rice is a killer. Sorry. I'd have the beans or the rice, and not rice twice a day. I have nothing against carbs but that's a lot of not very nutritious calories in a day. More veggies, fruit, and see a doctor to figure out what your headaches come from? And I hardly have salads anymore because of those olive oil calories... I just nuke some veggies.

It happens to me too that I feel that I'm starving, but that's usually just a few days a month though, and I still do fine on 1700 calories, and that's including 150ish calories of 'junk' every day.

LB2812

- breakfast: 3 eggs, 1 pat butter, 1 piece rye, large coffee w 2 sugar & cream
- lunch: 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup black beans, I think 4 oz chicken, 1 cup sauteed red peppers; 2 cups spinach salad w OO & balsamic
- snack: 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, .4 oz walnuts, 10 grapes
- dinner: 1 cup black bean chill, 30 grams veal, 1/2 cup rice, 30 grams yogurt
- headache so: 1 piece rye, whole grain mustard, 4 slices roasted turkey breast
- BANANA AND ASPIRIN

stats: F/135/5'7, maintenance 2+ yrs (very recent regain of 10 lbs, spent most of it around 125 and DO NOT want to go up)

So what makes the difference between that, and 1500? What corners do people cut, out of curiosity?

I eat a little more calories then you do, but I just wanted to add that maybe you need to reduce your calories slowly? So your body can get used to eating less. If I tried to suddently cut out a few hundred calories I'd get a massive headache too. But if you go 100 cals less for a week, you will get used to that, then another 100 the next week. Might help. Also if your not exercising now, your body will adjust and not be as hungry.

Your day looks really good to me actually, if you want to cut something, maybe do half whole eggs and half egg whites, less butter & maybe reduce the sugar/cream. Maybe reduce the rice & watch how much olive oil your using for cooking & on the salad.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

ksy1969

I don't know about anyone else but I had sickness symptoms when I first switched to primal-style eating. I assume it was due to the sudden drop in carbs. I had a near-connstant, nagging headache, upset stomach, etc for days. I was tired and moody all the time, no matter how much I ate, drank, or slept. Not to mention insatiable cravings, even though i wasnt hungry at all. It was a very unpleasant, miserable experience.

And then it was over. It was like my body was going through carb-withdrawal. It may just be that you have to wait it out. Honestly, I'm not sure I could've suck to it if I had to go in to work and be pleasant to people every day (I work remotely), so maybe its a transition best left for a holiday or long weekend - I took a nap one day and slept three hours accidentally, but I still woke up feeling tired and grumpy. I definitely recommend doing it cold turkey, as any slip up during that 'transition' made me ravenous for grains and potatoes all over again, which just made the whole process more difficult.

^^^^^This - Giving up or severely decreasing your carb intake is no different than quitting smoking or drinking for some people. They are an addiction and you go through withdrawals for a few days. Before I get a bunch of responses saying this person or that person didn't have any trouble let clear things up by saying not everyone would experience these withdrawal symptoms.