wth do people eat on 1500 calories?

rml_16

I am not much of a breakfast person, so usually just a Greek yogurt. Lunch is usually a salad (a hard-boiled egg, 1.5 oz cheddar cheese, lots of veggies and a T of Newman's Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing) with six squares of Green & Black's 85% cocoa dark chocolate and a T of peanut butter. Dinner varies, but lately a veggie burger with cheese on whole grain bread and then a fruit smoothie for "dessert" (1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup each raspberries and blackberries, a couple strawberries, a banana and 1 T PB&Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, topped with light whipped cream).

Pangea250

Where would I cut corners? In your example diet, I would go to 2 eggs (or use 3 servings of an egg substitute), and cut out the pat of butter and half the sugar and cream. Then for dinner I would cut out half the chili or rice, and probably all the yogurt. I would substitute the yogurt in later for the rye & turkey breast.

So_Much_Fab

I didn't log over this past weekend but overall I've been better with completing my diary over the past few weeks. It's open if you want to take a look for ideas. My daily goal is 1510.

ambergeneva

I spend an evening making a batch of burritos. refried; black beans with onion lime juice and spices; rice in chicken broth with tomato paste; tomatillas blended with cilantro, chili, garlic, and cooked with a bit of bouillion; salsa (soak onions in lime juice for 10 min, add tomatoes etc); yogurt mixed with sriracha; mixed cheese. I use lavash valley bread, make a *huge* burrito, and it's about 400 calories. I make 10 at a time, and freeze most for later dinners. Hope this helps?

emilydiehl08

I usually only have 2 eggs (or egg whites). No sugar in my coffee, half the cream. I don't eat things like yogurt with big meals, I usually do that for breakfast or a snack if I'm hungry and know a meal isn't coming soon.

junejadesky

You aren't having hunger headaches because you are certainly getting enough to eat. When the headaches come up, drink 8 oz of water and take an asprin rather than eating more. If you are still hungry 10 minutes later then eat.

For breakfast cut 2 eggs and have one egg with 3 egg whites and ADD MEAT and cut the butter!!

Good luck to you

qtalbert

I guess everyone is different but my meals get larger as the day progresses. My breakfast is limited to a bowl of cereal and juice and I'm fine until lunch. Not every cereal works though; I had to find one that did. My personal favorite is Quaker Oatmeal Squares (250 cal w/skim milk). Sounds like a lot of calories for cereal but it leaves me satisfied. Glass of orange or apple juice and I'm good-to-go. I also found that hot cereal prepared with water left me more hungry. The milk is key, at least for me anyway. You may need to change it up to find a combination that works.

xxmarysmxx

bump

SJVZEE

My protein level is at or above what the CDC and the WHO recommend for someone my age.

Yes, and those recommendations are for people who are maintaining their weight and are not very active.

The research and collective experience of the fitness world are absolutely and unequivocally clear: the protein recommendations of the CDC and WHO are inadequate for people who are losing weight and/or are very active. You need significantly more protein than standard RDA values in order to maintain lean mass while losing weight. There's really no room for debate on this topic.

Um, I am in maintenance and my main exercise is walking. :huh:

tj1376

Sounds to me like you are giving a whole lot of excuses as to why you NEED to eat and eat and eat.

elainecroft

Greek yogurt really helps for me because it has protein and keeps me full. I eat it for breakfast every day, but also add it (like sour cream) to lunch and dinner when I can.

BeachIron

It's just a matter of self discipline.

It's really not all that hard once you commit.

chrismeece74

I asked pretty much the same question when I started on here May 26th, and looking back it hasn't been that hard for me. I still eat 3 regular meals a day, just got smarter about what, and how much of it eat. I am in the Navy, and currently deployed onboard ship, so some days it is rough. Feel free to look at my food diary though, I stay under 1500 pretty much every day.

jonnythan

My protein level is at or above what the CDC and the WHO recommend for someone my age.

Yes, and those recommendations are for people who are maintaining their weight and are not very active.

The research and collective experience of the fitness world are absolutely and unequivocally clear: the protein recommendations of the CDC and WHO are inadequate for people who are losing weight and/or are very active. You need significantly more protein than standard RDA values in order to maintain lean mass while losing weight. There's really no room for debate on this topic.

Um, I am in maintenance and my main exercise is walking. :huh:

Your intake is still inadequate (you rarely, if ever, meet your actual goal) and you are giving recommendations to someone who is losing weight.

Even if your protein intake were appropriate for you, it's entirely inappropriate for the person you're giving advice to. Don't recommend 250+ grams of carbs a day to someone who is working on a 1500 calorie a day diet for weight loss. That's simply poor, counterproductive advice.

wareagle8706

I don't know what to tell you, it's pretty easy to get full on 1500 calories in my experience. That's plenty of food when the food you eat is whole foods and not processed stuff. Honestly, I think this headache and runs stuff your spouting is either bs or you need to see a doctor because there is no reason that someone would have symptoms like that from NOT eating "carbs carbs," as you phrased it. I think you're just trying to give yourself an excuse to eat a lot of bread, rice, and pasta. Those "carbs carbs" are no different than the sugar in other simple carbs. Also, eat more fruit and veggies. The USDA recommended intake is 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies per day.

Enigmatica

Headaches can be caused by many things besides calorie deficit. For example, eggs, rye, and dairy products all trigger headaches for me. I suffered through years of miserable headaches and even full-blown migraines before finding a doctor who found the problem. Magnesium deficiency can also cause headaches. If you notice muscle tightness, possibly in your neck and shoulders, it might be a sign of low magnesium. One of the successful strategies my doctor taught me for putting a stop to the headaches is to avoid calcium and go for magnesium at first sign of headache. Calcium can make headaches worse, depending on the type of headache. You may have an entirely different set of circumstances but I'm sharing my experience in case you'd like to investigate it further. I wish I'd a clue sooner, myself. In any case, I rarely get headaches anymore since changing my diet. Whew.

SJVZEE

My protein level is at or above what the CDC and the WHO recommend for someone my age.

Yes, and those recommendations are for people who are maintaining their weight and are not very active.

The research and collective experience of the fitness world are absolutely and unequivocally clear: the protein recommendations of the CDC and WHO are inadequate for people who are losing weight and/or are very active. You need significantly more protein than standard RDA values in order to maintain lean mass while losing weight. There's really no room for debate on this topic.

Um, I am in maintenance and my main exercise is walking. :huh:

Your intake is still inadequate (you rarely, if ever, meet your actual goal) and you are giving recommendations to someone who is losing weight.

Even if your protein intake were appropriate for you, it's entirely inappropriate for the person you're giving advice to. Don't recommend 250+ grams of carbs a day to someone who is working on a 1500 calorie a day diet for weight loss. That's simply poor, counterproductive advice.

OP asked what people are eating to get in around 1,500 calories a day and I told her. I also stated that I'm in maintenance in my response to her. I also eat close to the carbs that MFP default sets for me-hers would be slightly different, since I have my diary set for maintenance.

As for protein goes, my protein levels have been at the CDC recommended levels for a while now (I just checked and only one day was under the recommended 46 grams in the past couple weeks). And just for fun, I changed my diary from maintenance mode to 'lose 1lb a week' and the default protein level adjusted DOWN to 46 grams a day. Carbs dropped down to 168 (which is still a decent carb level), and calories dipped down to 1,220.

So again :huh:

jonnythan

My protein level is at or above what the CDC and the WHO recommend for someone my age.

Yes, and those recommendations are for people who are maintaining their weight and are not very active.

The research and collective experience of the fitness world are absolutely and unequivocally clear: the protein recommendations of the CDC and WHO are inadequate for people who are losing weight and/or are very active. You need significantly more protein than standard RDA values in order to maintain lean mass while losing weight. There's really no room for debate on this topic.

Um, I am in maintenance and my main exercise is walking. :huh:

Your intake is still inadequate (you rarely, if ever, meet your actual goal) and you are giving recommendations to someone who is losing weight.

Even if your protein intake were appropriate for you, it's entirely inappropriate for the person you're giving advice to. Don't recommend 250+ grams of carbs a day to someone who is working on a 1500 calorie a day diet for weight loss. That's simply poor, counterproductive advice.

OP asked what people are eating to get in around 1,500 calories a day and I told her.

That's nice. Good luck with that.

To the OP: Don't do what this person does, or recommends.

SJVZEE

My protein level is at or above what the CDC and the WHO recommend for someone my age.

Yes, and those recommendations are for people who are maintaining their weight and are not very active.

The research and collective experience of the fitness world are absolutely and unequivocally clear: the protein recommendations of the CDC and WHO are inadequate for people who are losing weight and/or are very active. You need significantly more protein than standard RDA values in order to maintain lean mass while losing weight. There's really no room for debate on this topic.

Um, I am in maintenance and my main exercise is walking. :huh:

Your intake is still inadequate (you rarely, if ever, meet your actual goal) and you are giving recommendations to someone who is losing weight.

Even if your protein intake were appropriate for you, it's entirely inappropriate for the person you're giving advice to. Don't recommend 250+ grams of carbs a day to someone who is working on a 1500 calorie a day diet for weight loss. That's simply poor, counterproductive advice.

OP asked what people are eating to get in around 1,500 calories a day and I told her.

That's nice. Good luck with that.

To the OP: Don't do what this person does, or recommends.

nm

hbrittingham

I am on around 1500 calories a day.

For breakfast, I have a fruit smoothie, 2 hard boiled eggs and coffee with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. That's about 400 calories.

For lunch I have a giant salad with 5 ounces of turkey or chicken on it with raspberry vinegarette dressing and some sort of sweet, either fresh fruit, a couple of 3 musketeers or some sugar free pudding.

For dinner I have a protein, usually chicken or shrimp, but sometimes pork or beef. Depending on the source of protein, I have between 6 and 8 ounces. We also make homemade french fries quite often, or some spaghetti squash, but usually some sort of carb. I also will have some ice cream with hershey's syrup and sunflower seeds if it's a workout day.

I have a cocktail or two each evening that I count into my daily calorie intake, though I am moving away from them now.