wth do people eat on 1500 calories?

Options
12346

Replies

  • arl1286
    arl1286 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    Eat fewer carbs, then. The first few days you may have a headache, but your body will acclimate to fewer carbs, and it will be fine.
  • pspenc90
    pspenc90 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    I'm like you! It's not easy I would say start slow cut like 100 cals a week or every two weeks from your normal diet, until you can get the calorie goal you want. But I usually eat a really filling breakfast with a lot of fiber/protein.

    My breakfast usually includes:
    Bran Flakes (80cal/ 5g fiber) or another fiber rich cereal
    Almond milk (Btwn 30-100 cal per 80z)
    Light and fit greek yogurt (80 cal/ 12g protein)
    and some sort of fruit.

    I usually end up with 300-400 cal breakfast

    After that I pretty much eat whatever to me breakfast is most important because I can't function w/o it. I also noticed that bars like the market pantry (target brand) fiber and protein bars really do help me. And the fiber one bars.

    good luck
  • lorenzovonmatterhorn7549
    lorenzovonmatterhorn7549 Posts: 495 Member
    Options
    1 - 4 oz chicken breast is a little over 100 calories. I usually have 2 or three breasts in a day. Leaves plenty to spare for salads, veggies, fruits, grains and of course greek yogurt.
  • LAW_714
    LAW_714 Posts: 258
    Options
    So what makes the difference between that, and 1500? What corners do people cut, out of curiosity?

    I don't cut corners. I eat real food (though I do generally avoid bread) What did I eat for less than 1500cals yesterday?

    Breakfast
    2 eggs (scrambled)
    2oz sausage
    Coffee (w/ half-and-half)

    Lunch
    4oz NY Strip
    Asparagus stir-fried in olive oil and lemon
    1/2 cup raw carrots

    Snack (s)
    1 Babybel cheese
    1 cup watermelon

    Dinner
    4.2 oz NY Strip
    1 cup broccoli w/ sour cream
    1 cup chopped buttenut squash+ 1/2 cp seedless red grapes + 12 (home grown) grape tomatoes + chilli powder+ground ginger+cardamom+shallot salt+ olive oil+ black pepper - oven roasted until squash is golden

    Dessert
    1 square 70% Lindt Dark Chocolate


    Total - 1470 calories
  • HeyGoRun
    HeyGoRun Posts: 550 Member
    Options
    ALOT! if you make every calorie count, I sometimes need to force feed to get in my calories ... I had 8oz of turkey meat for lunch yesterday! turkey ham only has 30cals, almond and coconut milk are low cal too... oh the possibilities in a 1500 calorie clean diet, try it! :wink:
  • amsipub
    amsipub Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    It sounds like with the carbs you may have an addiction to them. I heard about it on Dr. Oz. He has a 28-day plan that might help. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/28-day-plan-kick-your-carb-addiction

    GL!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Options
    It sounds like with the carbs you may have an addiction to them. I heard about it on Dr. Oz. He has a 28-day plan that might help. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/28-day-plan-kick-your-carb-addiction

    GL!

    Oh god.
  • danarandallreed
    danarandallreed Posts: 132 Member
    Options
    I am a strong believer I Splenda for coffee, but I am sure there are many who would disagree.
  • lorenzovonmatterhorn7549
    lorenzovonmatterhorn7549 Posts: 495 Member
    Options
    1 - 4 oz chicken breast is a little over 100 calories. I usually have 2 or three breasts in a day. Leaves plenty to spare for salads, veggies, fruits, grains and of course greek yogurt.
    I assume you mean 4 ounces before cooking? Because all the stats I find on cooked chicken have it at approximately 50 calories an ounce.
    Sorry I meant Italian marinated chicken breast is about 120 calories.
  • grampajimmy
    grampajimmy Posts: 18
    Options
    I started out at 1500 cals. but quickly learned that I could not loose weight at that pace, so I have dropped to 1200,with an occasional week at 1000 just to try and break thru a plateau. I too used to eat like you describe, but at 315 lbs and 65 years old, I decided that I needed to loose the weight before I had a heart attack or stroke! It's been 6 months now and my eating habbits are still hard to control, but I find I can nolonger consume the vast amounts of food I used to. On a bad day, I may eat 1500, but then I need to exercise to get at least 300 calories back. It works, but not over night. I have a long way to go, and have acceped the fact that this is a new way of life for me and the days of two whoppers & fries for lunch are gone forever! Ya gott work at it every day, but as I heard on TV the other night, "Don't let the mistakes of yesterday, ruin today"

    Gramps:-}}
  • kdchase
    kdchase Posts: 7 Member
    Options
    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.

    This is the best tactic. You can't expect your body to be used to 600 less calories overnight. Just start slow, cutting it down to1900 for the week and work your way down the ladder. When I first started dieting, I had a horrible time reaching my 1200 mark--still do, on some days, but I'm not going to beat myself up for eating 1500 calories when my body truly told me "YOU NEED TO EAT SOMETHING STAT." That headache was the sign. Listen to your body and you'll be surprised how fast you'll reach your 1500 goal. Good luck!
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    Options
    It sounds like with the carbs you may have an addiction to them. I heard about it on Dr. Oz. He has a 28-day plan that might help. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/28-day-plan-kick-your-carb-addiction

    GL!

    ahhhhhh..... run awayyyyyyyyy.. lol

    Dr Oz says whatever will get him ratings, viewers and money...

    Plus.. if you don't want your carbs.. I'll eat them.. tyvm.. nom nom..
  • AlyssaJoJo
    AlyssaJoJo Posts: 449 Member
    Options
    Breakfast is greek yogurt, 2 cups of watermelon, .5 cup of grapes, a banana, and iced coffee
    Lunch is 2 cups of cucumber, 3oz of carrots, 1 green pepper, 4oz of fish, 2 flax crackers with laughing cow queso, and veggie dip
    Dinner is 4 to 6 oz of chicken with 3 cups of broccoli with a quino side dish
    dessert is a fudge ice cream bar. NOM
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    Options
    Hope this takes you to the recipe. If not message me and I'll send it to you.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/edit/29331096

    152 calories a serving (8 oz) and very, VERY filling. I think I could starve to death stuffing myself with it. It is very good too. I add siriacha, balsamic vinegar, and Tony Cashere's to mine.

    Please share the recipe.. that link only takes you to your own recipe box
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Options
    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?

    I eat a little over 1,500 calories a day and I do vigorous exercise as well. But I cannot stress enough that when you are eating a small number of calories, they must be nourishing ones---otherwise, you won't be able to stay with it. I eat very well. But I didn't do it overnight--I just kept pursuing better nutrition. I worked my calories down as my weight came down. And I worked my exercise up from just doing a few calisthenics while sitting to being more active than I have ever been in my adult life. Because I have arthritis, the pool exercise I do has been the most helpful in that way. Friend me if you want to see what I eat. :smile:
  • SaiJ
    SaiJ Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    I didn't read through all the replies so I don't know if someone else suggested this already.

    But what helped me go from approx 1800 calories a day to approx 1250 calories a day(I'm only 5ft-ish) is cutting back a little at a time. Initially I set my daily calorie goal(w/o exercise) at 1650. Then every week, I would drop it by 50 calories per day. So 1600 the next week, 1550 the next and so on. Trying to cut out so many calories all of a sudden can throw your body out of whack. Everything about weight loss is slow, steady consistency. I found that cutting back a little bit at a time helped the size of my stomach keep up so that I wasn't ravenous by the end of the day.

    I also eat every 2 hours or so up until 6:30 pm-ish and I allow myself a little of the things I like(such as bacon) I work a regular dayshift so it kinda looks like this(this is my menu for today actually haha).

    8am-breakfast (small scoop of scrambled egg whites, 2 pieces of bacon)
    10am-snack (cup of cherries)
    12pm-lunch (salad...w/ ranch. Yup)
    2pm-snack (1 large apple, scoop of peanut butter)
    4pm-snack(rest of my apple and peanut butter)
    6/6:30pm-dinner (piece of pork loin, green beans, homemade mashed potatoes)

    Perhaps it would help if you snack more often and don't pressure yourself TOO much about quitting things cold turkey. As time goes on, you can decide what to keep and what to cut out-i.e. I still allow myself cheese, ranch and bacon, but I cut egg yolks, a lot of bread(I do wraps instead now for the most part), things like that). You have to figure out what works best for you.
  • SaiJ
    SaiJ Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    So if carbs is your thing(meat and cheese are mine haha), I'd start out decreasing by a little at a time. 6 months ago, my 'menu' looked totally different, and I was only able to change it slowly over time.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    Options
    check out some other people's diaries and see what they are eating

    I am stuffed full at 1200-1400 calories..... afraid I will be struggling to lose weigh once I make it out of the obese category, but we'll see-- all the junk I was eating all these years did not take up much space in my belly apparently even though it was way high in calories... but this is a good thing for me because I don't feel hungry

    I hope you find the answers you need.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
    Options
    holy bejeesuses I can't believe I'm finally able to access this thread. Wow. Writing quickly to get it in.

    1) Thanks everyone, AGAIN

    2) Consensus = a) reduce cals slowly & b) increase fibre (veg), slowly - COPY THAT

    3) Yes, have an IBS dx from a clinical exam (no lab though, so it's just me going 'yeah I get the runs etc' and everyone agreeing it kinda sucks). Not really keen on adding that to my list of things to see docs about. This msk stuff is a pain too, am very reluctant about getting into it with the doctors etc. My previous experience (re another injury) has shown this can be a long & fruitless path. Months of spending hours in a waiting room 3x a week with nothing to show for it. But the fact is, I can't walk to the park beside my place without stopping 6 times. So will *have to* do it for that one. For guts, I'll just deal with the gurgles.
  • VeggChick
    VeggChick Posts: 23
    Options
    It's not too hard if you plan it out right. My goal is 1,380, but I tend toe end up under it or be full around 1000 calories You just plan it out right with lots of low cal foods that are filling!

Categories