1500 Cal Food

MerraH89
MerraH89 Posts: 21
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys! I need help on ideas for eating 1500 calories... I just started on my weight loss journey, I started to count my food/calories intake...I make my own food but by the end of the day it would add up to about 1600-1800 calories :cry:
I'm gonna start 30DS for the FIRST time today after work, i can't wait! so I know i REALLY need to watch what I am eating.. I'm a sucker for sweets (candy, chocolate, ice cream, etc) and CARBS :sad: I don't know how to eat without carbs...
Can someone contribute on samples of what to eat, what to snack? or some recipes? Thank you in advance :smile: :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • clairerose11
    clairerose11 Posts: 95 Member
    Why not try adding some friends with open diaries so you can see what they're eating?

    Plus if your food comes out at more than you're allowed and you're exercising, you've earned the extra cals haven't you.

    Dieting shouldn't be a massive headache :)
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
    When you eat carbohydrates make sure to also eat protein at the same time. Carbohydrates give your body a blood sugar quick fix. They are digested very quickly and then you are hungry again soon after. If you eat protein at the same time as carbohydrate, then your body will still get the carb quick fix, but the protein takes longer to digest and leads to more satiation.

    So instead of just crackers, eat crackers with cheese, or crackers with peanut butter, or instead of a slice of bread, eat bread with a slice of chicken (a mini-sandwich), or instead of just a piece of fruit eat fruit with a few almonds, etc. You get the idea.

    Pairing carbohydrates with protein will help you to regulate your blood sugar and will help you to avoid being hungry between meals.
  • spozzybear
    spozzybear Posts: 216 Member
    I also have a massive sweet-tooth, but I must say that I have found that the less I eat those naughty foods like cake and icecream, the less I crave them! You just need to hang in there and break those old habits!

    Nothing wrong with a bit of carbs - try to stick to brown rice, mountain bread or a little baked potato if you need a heavy carb fix :wink:
  • thinjustfabulous
    thinjustfabulous Posts: 30 Member
    1500 cals is alot when you cook all the food yourself.
    1 tea spoon of oil when needed in the whatever you are cooking
    veggies, veggies and veggies
    lots of fruits
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    You should be fine on 1500 and is roughly what I would eat on a day with no exercise.

    The best thing to do would be to decide how you would like to break it down and how many calories you would like to give to snacking/drinks. I try to limit snacks and have tried to train myself to not snack between meals and time exercise to occur before a meal time. If I do get desperately hungry I'll have an apple but because all my cals go on my three meals I don't find that happens often.

    This is roughly how I break it down:
    Breakfast: 400calories.
    Lunch: 4-500 calories
    Dinner: 6-700

    Then some recent meal examples:
    Breakfast:
    Buttered crumpets (x2), 2 x milky coffees, banana.
    Porridge made with milk, chopped nuts, raisins, honey, banana and 2 x milky coffees.
    1 x slice of buttered toast with 1/2 can of (normal) Heinz baked beans (coffees)
    2 x scrambled eggs (made with milk) on one slice of buttered toast.
    2 x shredded wheat with milk and a side of (full-fat) greek yoghurt & honey.

    Lunch:
    3 x egg & mushroom omelette with salad.
    Pate & cheese on cracker-breads (or similar) with a large salad
    Home-made sandwich (ham/beef/salad etc) with a packet of crisps & piece of fruit.
    Tuna (in sunflower oil) with half a can of mixed beans and a large salad.

    Dinner:
    This is really whatever is going on in my house on the day...and can be anything. I just work out how much of it I can eat within my calories and if it's high calorie food then I will have a small portion and have with a large salad to keep me satiated. Most of our food is cooked from scratch.
    Home-made cottage pie with french beans.
    Home-made pizza with salad.
    Spaghetti Bolognese
    Chilli con carne & rice
    Whole rainbow trout with new potatoes and spinach...etc : )

    Take-aways: My safe bets when eating out are grilled chicken kebabs with heaps of salad and put the sauce on at home (low fat salad cream) and tandoori chicken with plain rice or a roti if eating at an Indian.

    Drinks: On a normal day I might have a couple of coffees and maybe a cup of tea in the afternoon. Other than that I try not to drink too many of my calories, using sugar-free squash or just drinking that good old calorie free water! ; ) Alcohol: Vodka/Malibu/Bacardi and diet coke, or wine. : )

    1500 is a good number and you should be fine. Remember to eat back exercise calories too. :flowerforyou:
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
    I eat 1500 calories and my diaries open if you want to take a look :) When I'm really craving something I'll try google-ing a few recipes for whatever it is and then altering them to fit in my calories.
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    Why would you not want to eat carbs? You need carbs. When you start working out you can add those calories to the mix and probably not be going over.
  • onceuponariot
    onceuponariot Posts: 8 Member
    1500 calories is what they put people on for the Minnesota Starvation Study ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment ) to view the effects starvation has.

    1700-1800 is probably better, especially if you're exercising (or even more if you are).

    I'm vegetarian, so YMMV

    I tend to eat veggie or black bean burgers on bread (one slice cut in halves instead of a bun). The burger is 70-170 calories depending on the brand, the bread is 80 cals per slice. I like to put a tablespoon of hummus (35 cals) since I don't like ketchup.

    Breakfast is one egg and one egg white scrambled (87), spinach (45 for a cup), a pancake (~100), and seitan (I make my own, and I can get a pretty filling amount of "sausage" out of 1/4 cup of gluten, 120 cals with 23 g protein).

    Snack is yogurt (90-170) with 1/4 cup granola (~150) and string cheese (80), sometimes with spinach (45), OR I'll have half a block of Ramen (190) in broth with 1 egg white (17) as egg drop soup.

    Pasta dinner is 1/4 cup penne dry (~100) with 1/4 cup sauce (40), bread (80 per slice) with butter (1/2 tbsp per slice) and garlic, side of broccoli (30 per cup)

    Usually have dessert with dinner, 1 serving oreos (3 cookies = 160 cals) with a cup of soy milk (70)
  • steenslaw
    steenslaw Posts: 10
    I'm a sucker for sweets (candy, chocolate, ice cream, etc) and CARBS :sad: I don't know how to eat without carbs...

    I, too, am a sucker for sweets - unless I'm not eating them - and then I find I can just walk away...One of the things I read recently from several difference sources, is that the combination of fat, sugar and salt (such as in a fast food combo meal) is pretty much as addictive as heroine....For me, the best thing was to cut the "processed" food out of my diet. I eat carbs, but mostly in the form of whole grains such as brown rice, farro, barley (I'm not a fan of quinoa). Starting won't be easy, but dig in and stick with your "detox" from the processed foods and you will get there. here's a sample of a day for me:

    Breakfast: Berry Spinach smoothy (almond milk, frozen berries, frozen half banana and a ton of spinach)
    Lunch: Huge salad with garbanzo beans, carrots, radishes, celery and homemade almond balsamic dressing
    Dinner: White bean stew with onions, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms over brown rice.

    Lunch is my biggest meal of the day because my HARDEST time of the day is 3pm to dinner....
  • MerraH89
    MerraH89 Posts: 21
    wow thanks for everyone that replied :smile: i've been trying to cook my own food instead of eating at a fast food... so thank you everyone that give me a sample of what i can eat within the 1500 cal range :smile: i really appreaciate it.. now it's time for me to get some veggies, beans, and some meat to cook :bigsmile:
  • JessicaBR0
    JessicaBR0 Posts: 256 Member
    Check out skinnytaste.com tons of low calorie recipes. They are healthy, satisfying and tasty!
  • kareinlib
    kareinlib Posts: 98
    I also have a huge sweet tooth. I battle it by not keeping sugary foods in the house. It makes an ENORMOUS difference. If it isn't there, you can't go overboard. Just try to limit yourself. Everything is portion control and if you don't deny yourself every day, you won't freak out and eat everything bad all at once over a few days after denying yourself for a while.

    Eventually, though, after only eating little bits of sugary things every day instead of a ton, you find you don't want to anymore. :) And it really doesn't take too long for your body to make that transition. You just have to want it bad enough and teach yourself to avoid it.

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