How to eat on 1500 calories and not deprive yourself of food

1500 calorie per day diet

is a meal plan you can try for weight loss. By eating fewer calories and exercising regularly, you can create a calorie deficit, which will help you lose weight.

While factors such as age, gender and activity level can cause caloric needs to vary, consuming 1,500 calories is less than what the average person needs. As a result, this diet may help some people lose weight.

Why exactly 1500 kcal?

Each person has an individual daily calorie intake, which directly depends on height, weight, lifestyle, gender and age. The diet is suitable for girls of average height, weighing between 60–80 kg, subject to light physical activity 2 times a week. It will allow you to maintain the level of calories a person needs per day and is not below the norm of 1200 units established by WHO.

Contraindications

Although the 1,500 calorie per day nutrition program is effective, there are limitations.

Nutritionists prohibit following a diet:

• Pregnant.
• During lactation.
• If you have digestive diseases.

The advantages of the program are efficiency, varied menu, stress-free weight loss, and improved health.

A person develops the habit of eating right and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The downside is that you won’t be able to achieve significant weight loss quickly. The process is gradual, 2-4 kg are lost per week.

Basic principles of the diet

Dietary food with a calorie content of 1500 units per day is based on compliance with a number of rules:

• daily calorie content should not exceed 1500;
• prohibited foods are excluded from the diet;
• you cannot overeat and saturate your body with food to the limit;
• eat 5-6 times a day in small portions, which should be larger before lunch and smaller in the afternoon;
• if you feel very hungry, eat low-calorie foods or a glass of water;
• Chewing food should be slow and thorough;
• the drinking regime is at least 2 liters of water per day;
• Regular exercise will help prevent skin sagging and loss of elasticity.

Following the recommendations will allow you to get a positive result in 7 days.

Efficiency of weight loss

To successfully lose weight, you need to comprehensively prepare your body. An important rule is that the daily caloric intake should not be less than the minimum expenditure on physiological needs. On average, we are talking about daily 1300-1800 kcal. For these reasons, a 1500 kcal diet is today the most optimal and safe way to cleanse the body of excess “fat”. The reviews and results of this diet are only positive.

Pros and cons of the 1500 calorie diet

The advantage of the diet is stable weight loss, in which the body does not experience stress. When the menu is compiled correctly, fat deposits begin to disappear, not muscle mass. At the same time, the risk of a negative reaction from the body is minimal, including for people who lead an active lifestyle. A person can eat his favorite foods and take into account individual taste preferences when creating a diet.

If you follow your daily calorie intake, weight will come off gradually.

The disadvantage of the diet lies in the slow loss of extra pounds, which does not suit many, but experts recommend gradual weight loss. Calculating calories requires organization and math, but not everyone has the patience to do this. Difficulties may arise when visiting guests or establishments where the calorie content of dishes can be calculated with error.

Diet tips

Nutritionists recommend giving preference to healthy foods. Allowed to use:

• vegetables without starch;
• seaweed;
• egg whites and yolks;
• cereals, including buckwheat, oatmeal, couscous, quinoa, brown and wild rice;
• dietary meat of chicken, rabbit, turkey or duck;
• low-fat white fish;
• unroasted nuts;
• multigrain and rye bread;
• seasonings;
• durum pasta, but no more than 2 times a week;
• fermented milk and low-fat dairy products;
• cold-pressed flaxseed or olive oil;
• red fish of low-fat varieties.

In small quantities you can eat starchy vegetables, fruits, cottage cheese and other cheeses with a fat content of no more than 30%. It is prohibited to consume alcoholic beverages, corn, sugar and baked goods.

Recipes

There is a common misconception that you should not eat sweets while on a diet. It is not true. This can and should be done, since otherwise the body will become psychologically exhausted.

This is how the brain works - it tends to associate sweet foods with a feeling of happiness. Diet should not affect your psychological state.

Here are the recipes for the right sweets. They contain a minimum of calories and serve as a snack or addition to a lunch meal. The simplicity of the recipes will allow you to cook them 2-3 times a week without losing useful time.

Muffin with banana, raisins and walnuts (220 calories per 100 g)

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of oatmeal;
• 200 g milk 0-0.5%;
• 2-3 tablespoons of honey;
• 1 banana;
• 50 g raisins;
• 8-9 walnuts;
• Soda on the tip of a knife;
• Half a teaspoon of baking powder;
• A teaspoon of cinnamon.

Preparation:

Grease the baking dish with oil. In a bowl, stir together baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Cut the banana, mix with walnuts and raisins. Pour milk into this mixture, add honey and mix in a blender along with the ingredients from the first bowl.

Pour the dough into a baking dish and bake in the oven at 180 degrees. Check readiness with a toothpick. As soon as there is no raw dough on it, the cake is ready.

Oatmeal and banana cookies with cherries (serving 5-6 pcs)

Another easy recipe for cookie lovers to add to your menu. One medium serving of cookies contains 118 calories. Cookies are suitable for an afternoon snack: use for food on a 1500 calorie diet up to 3-4 times a week.

Ingredients:

• 100 grams of oatmeal for cooking;
• 1 banana;
• 100 grams of fresh or frozen cherries.

Preparation:

Pour oatmeal into a bowl. Cut the banana into pieces and mix with oatmeal. Prepare the dough with your hands to form a thick substance, then add the cherries and mix.

Grease a baking sheet with oil and place cookies on it. Make the cookies into a ball from the prepared dough and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Self-calculation of calories

A person can calculate the calorie content of a dish independently. To do this, you need to prepare a table of caloric content of foods, a pen or pencil, a piece of paper and a kitchen scale. The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• each product for the dish is weighed separately;
• write down the weight of the ingredients on a piece of paper;
• Using the table, find the number of calories per 100 g of product and write it down next to the weight;
• calculate the energy value of the taken ingredients;
• sum up the obtained indicators and get the number of calories in the dish.

The calorie table can be printed and hung on the refrigerator for convenience. It is worth considering that frying products increases their calorie content, so it is recommended to steam, bake or boil dishes.

Sample menu for the week

An approximate menu for the week will help when drawing up a further nutrition plan.

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Menu for 1500 kcal per day from simple products. Basic Rules

Please note that everything is individual. If you lead an active lifestyle, go to the gym and move a lot during the day, then such a diet is too poor for you. For active weight loss, you can still stick to it, but only in short courses. So, what should a 1200 kcal meal for a week be like using simple foods:

• In total it should include five meals. Of these, three are basic and two are snacks. The latter are allocated 300 kcal, the rest are divided between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Animal fats and fast carbohydrates are what lead to weight gain. They need to be reduced to a practical minimum. However, this rule can be broken, but not going beyond 1200 kcal. Eat a cake or a couple of chocolates, a large sandwich with sausage and mayonnaise, and with regret you will realize that until the evening you can only drink water, since the daily norm has already been chosen.
• The energy balance must be correct. This means that 50% of the selected products are sources of slow carbohydrates, 30% are proteins, and 20% are fats.
• During the day, distribute foods correctly, this is important, even if you carefully follow a 1200-calorie diet per day. It is most convenient to create a menu for the week on Sunday, and move carbohydrates to breakfast, proteins to dinner, and lunch can be a combined type.
• Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks.
• Fresh vegetables and fruits should be on the table every day in sufficient quantities.
• “Empty” calories weigh too much in the daily diet. These are sweet soda, fast food and alcohol.

Diet results and how to maintain them

If you follow a diet, you can get rid of 4–8 kg in 30 days. The exact figure depends on the initial body weight. A person’s digestion improves, the feeling of heaviness and bloating in the stomach disappears, the body becomes toned and fat deposits disappear. To ensure that the result is not lost, after following the diet you need to:

• avoid overeating;
• Gradually increase the amount of calories to the required level;
• give up alcohol and flour products or consume them in small quantities;
• Prevent hunger by having snacks.

The list of permitted foods is large, so you can prepare a variety of dishes.

General recommendations for proper nutrition

When drawing up a diet plan, it is necessary to take into account the recommendations of a healthy diet:

• drink enough water to speed up metabolic processes;
• do not skip meals, otherwise you will feel hungry and create new fat deposits;
• use spices;
• do not completely give up sweets, replacing sugar with honey or a sweetener, and use ground bran or rye flour for baking;
• expend more calories than consumed per day;
• diversify the menu;
• do not go to the store on an empty stomach;
• do not drink alcoholic beverages;
• don't eat before bed.

The amount of water per day depends on the person’s weight and age

In order not to provoke a breakdown, you need to get enough sleep and rest. While on a diet, a person should drink vitamin complexes that replenish the lack of minerals and other microelements.

Principles of nutrition

The principle of the diet follows from the name. The daily calorie intake is at around 1500. The main components of the new diet are healthy foods. If you follow the diet every day for a week, without harm to the body, weight loss is 1-1.5 kg.

Weight loss occurs gradually, which eliminates the possibility of regaining lost weight.

The 1,500 calorie diet involves eating five meals a day: three meals and two snacks. This principle of nutrition will allow the body not to feel hungry during the day. Daily meals occur at the same time: this disciplines the body.

Drink water every day: if you follow a diet, 1.5-2 liters per day. Drink clean water, without gases. Tea, coffee, freshly squeezed juices are not included in the water norm and count towards calories.

Try to have your last meal no later than 3 hours before bedtime: in a shorter period of time, the body does not have time to digest food, sleep becomes restless, and awakening is difficult. After waking up, drink a glass of water at room temperature. Drink the liquid in small sips.

Suitable food recipes

Diet-friendly recipes will be helpful. To prepare green borscht with lean pork you will need:

• chopped onion - 1 pc.;
• drinking water - 1.7 l;
• lean pork - 200 g;
• egg - 7 pcs.;
• chopped potatoes - 4 pcs.;
• sorrel - 50 g;
• seasonings - to taste.

First, cut the meat into cubes and cook it until fully cooked. Then seasonings and potatoes are added to the broth. The onion is sautéed until it turns golden brown. Boiled eggs are peeled and finely chopped, and the sorrel is washed and chopped. Onions, sorrel and eggs are added to the broth when the potatoes are fully cooked. Cover the container with a lid and boil for 5 minutes. The borscht can be eaten after 20–30 minutes, when it has steeped.

Another tasty dish option is chicken noodle soup , for which you need to prepare:

• carrots, cut into strips - 1 pc.;
• chopped onion - 1 pc.;
• bell pepper, cut into strips - 1 pc.;
• chicken fillet - 200 g;
• water - 1.7 l;
• noodles - 100 g;
• seasonings - to taste.

First, boil the meat until cooked. Afterwards it is removed from the broth, to which seasonings and vegetables are added. When the mixture boils, dip the noodles into it and cook for no more than 7 minutes. The boiled fillet is cut into small cubes and added to the finished soup.

As a second course in a diet of 1500 calories, which can be followed constantly, salmon baked with vegetables . To prepare you will need:

• salmon - 450 g;
• boccoli - 450 g;
• mixture of Japanese sauce with lemon juice - 4 tbsp. l.

The fish is cleaned of bones, washed and dried with a paper towel. Then it is placed in a container, sprinkled with lemon juice and soy sauce and left in the refrigerator for half an hour. At this time, separate the broccoli florets and boil them. When the fish is marinated, place it on a baking sheet along with the broccoli and place in the oven for 25 minutes at 201°.

You can diversify your diet menu by preparing meatballs with sour cream sauce . For the dish you need to prepare:

• minced chicken - 400 g;
• ground ginger - 20 g;
• chopped onion - 200 g;
• chopped carrots - 100 g;
• garlic puree - 10 g;
• sour cream - 100 g;
• spices - to taste.

First, ginger, spices and garlic are added to the minced meat. The mass is thoroughly mixed and small balls are made from it, which are lightly fried in a dry frying pan. Vegetables are placed in a frying pan, fried until golden brown, sour cream and a little water are added and simmered for a while. Then place the meatballs in a baking container, pour sour cream sauce on top and bake in the oven for 25 minutes at 180°.

A hearty bean and pepper salad will help curb your hunger. It will require:

• frozen green beans - 300 g;
• sweet red pepper - 100 g;
• soy sauce - 3 tbsp. l.;
• lemon juice - 2 tbsp. l.;
• crushed garlic - 10 g.

The beans are placed in a container, poured with boiling water, put on fire and brought to a boil. Then drain the water, pour the beans into a salad bowl, add chopped pepper, garlic, soy sauce and lemon juice. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

For seafood , the following recipe :

• frozen seafood - 500 g;
• cucumber - 1 pc.;
• lettuce leaves - 50 g;
• olive oil - 2 tbsp. l.;
• soy sauce - 2 tbsp. l.;
• tomato - 1 pc.

The seafood is boiled and allowed to cool. Lettuce leaves are placed on the bottom of the salad bowl, a tomato and cucumber, cut into strips, are placed on top, poured with dressing, seafood is added and the rest of the oil and sauce mixture is poured over.

A cottage cheese casserole in the microwave is suitable as a dessert . To prepare it you need to prepare:

• curd mass - 250 g;
• egg - 2 pcs.;
• sweetener - 2 tbsp. l.;
• pear - 1 pc.;
• banana - 2 pcs.

Beat cottage cheese and eggs, add sweetener and diced fruit. The dish with the mixture is placed in the microwave for 3 minutes at a power of 750 watts. If the power of the appliance is less than specified, then the cooking time is increased.

Those with a sweet tooth will appreciate homemade low-calorie Raffaello , for which you will need:

• soft cottage cheese - 100 g;
• grapes - 12 berries;
• protein - 50 g;
• ground cashew nut - 70 g.

First, mix the cottage cheese and protein. The result should be a non-liquid mixture into which each grape berry is immersed. Then the balls are sprinkled with ground cashews and put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Examples of dishes

For a dietary breakfast on the menu day, it is better to choose something grain or fermented milk. This allows you to get a boost of energy, as well as useful and necessary probiotics. For example, you can cook:

Cottage cheese salad with buckwheat

Soak the buckwheat overnight in cool water. In the morning, add low-fat cottage cheese and any vegetables to it. Season with lemon juice and olive oil to taste. You can stir and sprinkle parsley, cilantro and dill on top. If desired, add a little salt.

Dinner

Soup is the main dish of this meal, the basis of a healthy diet. A great solution is meatball soup.

Preparation:

For meatballs, mix minced meat, eggs, bread. Cut potatoes and turnips into strips, cook vegetables for 15 minutes, add meatballs to the soup. Cook for another 10 minutes and leave for about 15-20 minutes. When serving, sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.

Dinner may not have any fresh ideas. It is quite possible to finish the food from lunch. For taste, add lettuce leaves with vegetable oil, tomatoes and vinegar.

Reviews about the diet

Inga, 21 years old, Kirov: “There are no problems with the digestive system, so I can use any diet. I love sweets and often do fasting days to prevent excess weight. On this day I consume foods whose total calorie content does not exceed 1500 units per day. The method allows you to eat almost all foods, has a minimum number of contraindications, and the effect can be seen after some time. I like the variety of dishes, the recipes of which you can create yourself. I recommend".

Milana, 29 years old, Moscow: “Keeping a diet of 1500 kcal per day in my case did not produce results, but my friend managed to lose 6 kg in a month.”

Vera, 36 years old, Kemerovo: “Before summer I get myself in order with the help of this diet. At this time there is no severe hunger and loss of mood and strength. The weight decreases slowly, but without strain or stress on the body.”

How to burn 1500 calories a day?

In order for your weight to decrease, you need to consume the kilocalories a person receives per day. What's interesting is that even when you sit and read information online, you are already wasting energy. In one hour of such reading, a person loses 29 calories.

To make the consumption more effective, you should load the body with active physical activity. So, in one hour of jogging, you will lose 700 calories; during the same time of weeding the garden, you can lose 250 calories.