What does 1500 calories look like, anyway?

WHAT DOES 1500 CALORIES LOOK LIKE, ANYWAY?

I thought it would be interesting to see what other people's daily menus look like. I just sat down and figured out, in detail, what I will be eating today to meet my 1500-calorie goal ... and thought I would share.  For those of you eating 1500 (or somewhere in that general area), what does YOUR 1500 calories look like?

=^..^= MOLLY

 

BREAKFAST

140 calories one cup of Kashi Go Lean cereal

20 calories one-half cup of unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze

100 calories two slices of organic, sprouted flax seed bread

22 calories one slice of Oscar Mayer Fat Free bologna

00 calories I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray (for sandwich)

282 calories TOTAL

* * *

LUNCH

59 calories one 9oz bag of fresh spinach

24 calories one medium peeled, sliced cucumber

27 calories one cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

126 calories eight eggs whites (hard-boiled)

120 calories one serving (18 crackers) Kellogg's All Bran Garlic Herb Crackers

00 calories Walden Farms zero-calorie Bacon-Ranch Dressing

360 calories TOTAL

* * *

DINNER

580 calories Grilled salmon, broccoli, asparagus from Macaroni Grill, with salad.

        (Bring own salad dressing from home)

00 calories Walden Farms zero calorie Balsamic Vinaigrette

107 calories one and one-half servings (14) Quaker Quakes mini cheddar rice cakes  (Instead of restaurant bread, and I needed more carbs)

687 calories TOTAL

* * *

SNACKS

72 calories Medium sized apple

100 calories Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop Mini Bags

1503 DAILY TOTAL

NOTE: Because of the grilled salmon, this menu actually gives me a higher fat percentage than I normally eat, and a slightly lower carb percentage. And I usually limit dinner protein calories to 200, giving me more room for more veggies ... but we're going out tonight to celebrate a friend's birthday.

VEGGIES:  This contains 8 servings of veggies, one serving of fruit.

FIBER:  36 grams of fiber. 

This is what I was doing at 1500 calories a day:

Breakfast:

Kashi granola bar (honey flax)             140 calories
1 cup sliced strawberries                       49 calories
1 hard boiled egg                                   78 calories

Lunch:

100 grams raw carrots                            35 calories
100 grams sliced tomatoes                     22 calories
1 T Newmans lite balsamic                      23 calories (for the tomatoes)
2 T Jif creamy peanut butter                 190 calories
Wild Oats birdland bread (1 slice)         150 calories (and worth every one)

Dinner:

I always aimed for about 500 calories at dinner so I could eat with my husband.

Snacks:

My 2% cottage cheese mixture (has nuts, wheat germ and dried cherries in it)                                           310 calories

Then I'd have room for either a Dove miniature ice cream bar (59 calories) OR 10 animal crackers (110 calories) OR maybe a mixed drink or two.

Now I'm eating about 200 calories more than that, so my eating plan is still in flux as I figure out how to get more food in appropriately so I'm not down 700 calories at 9 PM.

I'm between 1300-1400, but here's my typical day:

Breakfast: 

200 cals  frosted mini-wheats   (24 biscuits)

80 cals    banana

Snack:

110 cals  activia yogurt

130 cals   raisins (1/4 cup)

Lunch:

110 cals   1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese

80 cals     diced pears

Snack:

10 cals     sugar free jello

80 cals     apple

Dinner:

Typically chicken (130 cals) and some veggies and either rice or egg noodles.  And then I have a fudgsicle.  (I have a sweet tooth and this seems to satisfy it pretty well.

Whole grains, lean proteins, fruit and veggies .... what a nice balance in your menus, peeps!  It's nice to see strawberries and pears are pretty low in calorie, I will have to add them to my diet repetoire.

And I try to have peanut butter or nuts at least 2-3 times a week, for the healthy fats.

Yum!!!!

=^..^= MOLLY

Here's a typical day for me:

Breakfast -

120 cals - Coffee w/ 1 packet Instant Cocoa No Sugar Added & 2    Tbsp powdered Creamer

71 cals- Small Banana

Lunch -

340 cals - Weight Watchers Chicken Fettucini

220 cals - Healthy Choice New England Clam Chowder

55 cals - small apple

Afternoon Snack-  

100 - Yoplait LightFat Free yogurt

Dinner -

280 - Lean Cuisine Spaghetti w/ meat sauce

43 - 2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

26 - Home grown Tomato

110 - half cup cottage cheese

Evening Snack -

120 - Hunts Chocolate pudding Snack Pak

15 - Choc Dipped Altoids(2)

total = 1474

This varies day to day, but I usually have 2-3 fruits, yogurt, 2 frozen boxed Lo-Cal meals, cottage cheese, one coffee,  either soup, or oatmeal and a snack pak pudding or granola bar for a treat. Oh, and I usually have Grape Nuts with my yogurt.

I love love LOVE Grape Nuts in yogurt. But since I'm aiming for more calcium at a lower calorie rate, I'm using the cottage cheese. I put in 2 T each of wheat germ, walnut pieces and dried cherries because otherwise the texture of cottage cheese is disgusting.

And pears are YUMMY.

Breakfast

Sugar Free Maple and Brn Sugar Oatmeal with added Cinnamon - 120

Yoplait Boston Creme Pie Light Yogurt - 110

Total Breakfast - 230 

Lunch

Pineapple Chunks in 100% Juice - Canned Fruit - 60

Salad with lettuce, half a roma tomato, 1 Tbsp Italian dressing, black olives, green onion and croutons - 170

Chopped deli ham to go in my salad - 45

Apple Cinnamon Rice Snacks - Quaker Quakes - 60

Total Lunch - 335

Dinner

Spaghetti Noodles - 2 Cups - 394 (I eat one cup at a time then go back and get a second helping, one of these days one cup will fill me up!!!)(But it's soooooooo good!!!)

Spaghetti Sauce made with Hunts Mushroom Sauce, onions and ground turkey - 1 Cup - 228

Salad with lettuce, half a roma tomato, 1 Tbsp Italian dressing, black olives, green onion and croutons - 170

Total Dinner - 792

Snacks

Act II 95% Fat Free Buttered Popcorn - 4 Cups - 86

Hunt's Chocolate Pudding - 120

Total Snacks-206

Total Calories - 1563 

Breakfast:
    1 cup Puffed Millet cereal- 100 Calories
    1/2 cup silk soy milk - 55 Calores

    155 calories

Lunch
    2 quaker oats sweet and salty granola bars - 150 Calories
    Or 1 Corn muffin (around 3 oz.) - 360 Calories

    150 Calories or 360 Calories

Dinner
    Whatever my mom makes that day... normally some salad with          protein, or pasta... a lot of carbs during dinner actually.

    500 Calories, normally.

Snacks
    Soy milk - 110 Calories per cup
    20-30 frozen Grapes (I'm addicted!) - 60-90 calories
    Some form of bread - 120 Calories
    5 Almonds - 35 Calories
   
    Snacks vary according to how much I've eaten that day
    100- 400 Calories

Total Calories = 1300, normally (somehow)

What a wonderful idea Mollymouser!  I'm getting some good ideas from this thread!

My day:  Breakfast:  Kashi Heart to Heart   w/blueberries & milk     230

Lunch:  Ham & Cheese on Stone Ground Wheat Bread  & plain lettuce salad  352

Dinner:  Sirloin tip steak & red/green/yellow peppers (all grilled) 1/3 baked potato (DH shares his) Garlic Steamed spinach with diced portabello mushrooms   725

snack  mid afternoon  100 cal Carrot Cake    100

bedtime snack  granny smith apple  80

Daily total:   1487

       &nb sp;               &nb sp; 

Breakfast:  Luna Bar- 180

Banana- 110

Coffee/creamer-60

Snack:

2 egg whites-40

Lunch:

Ham sandwich

Lite Wheat Bread (2 slices)-80

fat free may (1/2 tblspoon)- 13

lettuce-5

tomato-6

Boars Head low sodium ham(2.5 ounces)-75

Grapes(40)-64

100 calorie pack chips ahoy-100

Snack:

4 ounces of Boars Head low sodium turkey:120

Not sure what I'm having for dinner but I have 360 calories to go and I'm working out later.

[Edited-formatting nightmare]

BREAKFAST 317

  Oats, Regular And Quick And Instant, Unenriched - Cooked With Water, Without Salt , 3/4 CUP 111

  Flax bread 69     

marmelade sugar-free 10

  Almonds, about 7 slivered  46

  Milled Flax Seed, 2 tbs  60

  Raisins, Seedless , just a few 21  

Lunch 360

  Progresso Traditional 99% Fat Free Soup Beef Barley 120

  Flax bread , don't have my 60 cal slices on list 135     

Virginia Baked Ham 97% Fat Free Glazed, Hickory Smoked - Ham 45     

Premium Crackers Saltine Crackers Multigrain 60

Dinner 334

 Flounder - Fresh Seafood 133

  Potatoes, Red, Flesh And Skin, Baked , 1 small quartered 123

  Leafy Romaine Blend - Packaged Salads, Fresh Discoveries 25

 Asparagus - Cooked, Boiled, Drained , 10 pcs 33

  Parsley - Raw 5     

Butter Buds Brand Butter Flavor Granules - Sprinkles 5  

Snacks 312

 Puddings, Tapioca, Ready-to-eat, Fat Free 89

 Cream, Whipped, Cream Topping, Pressurized 23

Fiber One Chewy Bars Oats and Chocolate 140

 Smart Balance Popcorn Light Popcorn 60  

Total Calories Consumed   1,324

  I drink coffee, water & unsweetened ice tea. You can see why I need to add more calcium - and Ca supplements make me feel sick.

Oh, I love the Progresso Light soups that are 120 calories for the whole can! I've been eating them with lunch, with dinner, and even as snacks ... and what a great way to get in my veggies.

I need more calcium, so perhaps I will look into FF cottage cheese.

OK, and who had that 100 calorie carrot cake? Come on, fess up! What brand?

I love getting ideas from what other people are eating!!!!

=^..^=  MOLLY

Here's something interesting by Mary Hartley, our About.com nutrition expert

1500 Calories in Six Meals

1500 Calories in Three Meals

It spells it all out!

Breakfast
Homemade SlimFast Breakfast Shake with Fruit 223 calories (1/2 can of SlimFast, 1 banana, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries)

Lunch
1/2 cup Fiber One with Raisen Bran Clusters 85 calories
1/2 cup Raisin Bran 97 calories
1/2 cup skim milk 42 calories
1 slice Baker's Inn 100% Whole Wheat Bread 110 calories

Dinner
1 1/2 cup Homemade Squash Soup 224 calories
3 oz grilled chicken 128 calories
1 cup skim milk 83 calories
1 slice Baker's Inn 100% Whole Wheat Bread 110 calories

Snacks
1 1/4 medium apple 90 calories
15 large baby carrots 79 calories
1 package Part Skim, Reduced Fat Mozzerella String Cheese 70 calories
1 Homemade Fruity Pebbles Treat (like a Rice Krispie Treat) 91 calories

Total Calories: 1432
    15.4% from Fat
    20.7% from Protien
    64% from Carbs

Losing Weight and Feeling Healthy:  Priceless

oooooooh .... a Fruity Pebbles treat!!!!

YUM!

=^..^= MOLLY

I'm fairly short, so have to eat 1300 per day only, but since its only 200 calories lower than you, I'll outline a typical day .  You could just add some snacks and or eat a little more of the portions i've described to get 1500.


Breakfast:

Michele's Homeade Iced Latee. 

3 shots of expresso
1 Cup of fat free milk-  90 calories

1 Cup of Dole fruit naturals fruit-140 calories

230 calories total


Lunch:

Salad

Fresh Express Romaine, or Butter lettuce 10 calories for 2 1/2 cups.  There are about 5 cups in a bag of salad.  I usually eat half the bag for lunch.

To top the salad either:

Topped with either 6 slices of lowfat lunch meat -50 calories

Or 1/4 cup of kraft skim mexican cheese- 80 calories

And always

1/4 cup of feta cheese- 90

Diced green peppers-14 cals

Croutons.-70 cals

Sprayed with about 50 1 calorie wishbone salad dressing sprays.


With lunch meat option-  299 calories
With mexican cheese option-  339

I've been eating the mexican cheese option b/c I'm sick to death of the ham I bought this week.  May go back to lunch meat next week.

Dinner

Any of the following :

Low Carb Pizza on a Burito Grande tortilla, 1/2 cup of reduced fat pizza cheese, and pizza sauce-  480 calories

Geen Pepper and smart pepporoni tofu add-530 cals

Or 1 cup of grilled chicken, 1 serving of green beens-  around 400 calories

Or grilled chicken salad-  See lunch options, but substitute the lunch meat and mexican cheese with grilled chicken-  400 calories

Or 1/2 cup of grilled chicken in a wrap with balsamic vinagrette wishbone spritzer, mexican cheese, and fresh express salad

Grilled chicken-230 calories
Vinagrett-50 calories
Mexican Cheese-80 calories
Salad for wrap-10 calories

370 calories

Snacks

Quaker Dips chewy chocolate chip granola bar
or
10 baked lays-120 cals
or
2/3 cup of chex mix-140 cal
or
1 cup of fat free no sugar added ice-cream with 100 calorie cookie pack under neath- 280 (this is if I have a bunch of calories left and want to slurge)

Or 2 snackwells devil's food cookies-100 calories

Is Mexican cheese a type of cheese, or is it Mexican-flavored cheese?

 

=^..^= MOLLY

Breakfast 285 cal

1 slice whole-wheat toast - 100 cal

5 egg whites -  85 cal

1/4 c low-fat cottage cheese - 50 cal

Lite canned fruit - 50

Lunch 250 cal

1 low-carb tortilla - 110

2 turkey slices - 60

1 tbsp. Thousand island dressing - 60

Lettuce, tomato, mushroom, bean sprouts - 20 

Snack 235

small apple - 55

Nature Valley granola bar - 180 

Dinner 353

1/2 c brown rice - 110

Stir-fry chicken with broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms - 243

Evening snack 201

1 c grapes - 61

Fiber One bar - 140 

Total: 1324

Molly, I think it's the shredded cheese in a 4 cheese blend, made with either with or without seasoning.  For instance, the Sargento 4 cheese mexican blend is unseasoned, just four tasty cheeses.

Here's a typical day for me. Please note that I'm on a high carb, low protein regimen per my nutritionist.

Breakfast (PB & J sandwich) A-  Bread, Pita, Whole-wheat 75 C   Skippy Natural 95    fruit spread 1 tbs 35  B  Coffee (Filter) 10  B+  Organic Fat Free Milk 45 

Lunch  A (potato broccoli & salmon salad)   Potatoes, Boiled - Cooked Without Skin, Flesh, Without Salt 134 C   Hellmann's Light Mayonnaise 45A   Broccoli - Cooked, Boiled, Drained, Without Salt 55B   Salmon, Atlantic, Farmed - Cooked, Dry Heat 117 

Dinner (Pasta Putanesca) A   Tomatoes, Red, Ripe - Raw, Year Round Average 32A   Garlic - Raw 9  A   Basil, Fresh 3    Greek Kalamata - Olive 60C   Olive Oil 124A   Capers, Canned 1C-  Locatelli Pecorino Romano - Italian Cheeses 28A   Onions - Raw 17A-  Veggie Rotini Spirals 397 

SnacksB   Cottage Cheese, Nonfat, Uncreamed, Dry, Large Or Small Curd 62A   Melons, Cantaloupe 82A   Watermelon 46A   Pineapple 37 

Total Calories Consumed  1,507

Breakfast Propel Sport Water Quaker Instant Oatmeal Lower Sugar Maple & Brown Sugar

Lunch Yoplait Light Yogurt (Fat Free) Diet Coke

Dinner Low Fat Oatmeal Raisin - Quaker Chewy Garlic Beef & Broccoli - cafe classics Yoplait Light Yogurt (Fat Free) Oroweat Extra Sour Rye Oroweat Extra Sour Rye Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Strawberry Preserves - Smucker's Ocean Spray Light Cran-Apple 

SnacksOroweat Dark Rye Oroweat Dark Rye Smart Balance 37% Light Buttery Spread Low Fat Oatmeal Raisin - Quaker Chewy Low Fat Oatmeal Raisin - Quaker Chewy Propel Sport Water Low Fat Oatmeal Raisin - Quaker Chewy Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy 

Total Calories Consumed 1,562

Not the most nutritious yesterday, lol.  What a weak lunch!