What does 1500 calorie- per- day eating plan look like?

Yes, another day of talking about calories, but it won't last forever! I promise! We have lots more to talk about as the weeks go by ...like healthy snacks, emotions, fiber....sounds good, huh?

But bear with me for a few more postings about caloric numbers because it really, really matters.

Yesterday, you started looking at food labels. If you read all the way down to the bottom of each label, you saw that recommendations about vitamin and mineral percentages are based on a recommended 2000-calorie per day diet. That's considered average for a young - to -middle age person who is moderately active (remember that means 30 minutes of sustained physical activity every day).

We know now, that for those of us who are older, less active, or already overweight....2000 calories per day is too much. and for those of us who tracked our calorie intake for  couple days, we may have been shocked to find we were taking in way more than 2000 calories per day.

So to lose, we are going to shave about 500 calories from that 2000.... and here's an example of how to do it.  First, I am taking it for granted that you will know what your portion size is, and what the calorie content of each food is.

Second, you are going to have to commit to eat breakfast! we'll be talking about breakfast in another blog, but for now , know that meal skipping is over if you want to lose weight in a healthy way.

So a healthy 400 - calorie breakfast is going to look like this:
about a 1/2  - 3/4 cup high fiber cereal like unsweetened oatmeal or Fiber One with fat-free milk or unsweetened almond milk (you can get it at Food Lion, Kroger or Wal-mart), a sprinkling of blueberries or raspberries, or a 1/2 orange, and coffee or tea. An alternative might be a whole wheat English muffin toasted with an egg and low-fat cheese.  Both of these will provide you with fiber, protein, healthy fat, and give you energy without causing your blood sugar to spike.

Mid-morning, eat a 100-calorie snack. Yes, you could go for those pre-packaged 100-calorie snacks, but those are usually sugar-filled and won't keep you very satisfied. So I recommend 5-7 triscuits, or a string cheese, or a palm-full of almonds or walnuts. That will keep you full till lunch.

Lunch time you will need another 400 calories.  Needless to say, if you are used to grabbing burger, fries, and coke, that won't work now. Some burgers are almost 1000 calories all by themselves! Basically, a 400 calorie lunch or dinner needs to have a healhy protein whether meat, chicken, fish, soy or beans - and the serving size should be about the size of a deck of cards. Fill up the rest of your plate with veggies. Oh, and for us, a potato is no longer a veggie - it's a starch ( kinda like bread), so we are going to limit it.

For lunch you can put your protein and veggies on a wrap if you miss having a sandwich.  I usually build a green salad, add peas, kidney beans or chickpeas to it and top with a small grilled chicken breast. For dressing I use oil and vinegar - or I put a dab of ranch dressing on and thin with vinegar. We'll be talking salad again later!

Mid-afternoon, have another 100 calorie snack....could be soup, microwave popcorn, a cup of leftover veggies, an apple. Drink water every time you eat. And in between. If  you need to sweeten your tea or coffee, use Splenda or Truvia. If you need to sweeten your water(!!!!), use those Crystal Light sticks.

At dinner time, you can repeat lunch if you like to keep life simple. A 400 calorie dinner will have fresh green, yellow or red veggies fillilng half the plate. One-fourth of the plate will be a lean protein - again, something like grilled fish, chicken, lean beef or beans. The last 1/4 of the plate can be a healthy complex carbohydrate ( wow, will we be talking carbs later!) - like brown rice, whole wheat bread or couscous.

Sweet tooth? If you have saved room -calorie-wise, you can treat yourself with a square or two of dark chocolate! Don't panic, dessert doesn't go away forever, but we are going to let your palate take a break from sweet  a little and learn to love the taste of real food!

Here's a website if you'd like to peruse other recipe ideas:
http://www.deliciousdecisions.org/

So there are lots of ways to vary a low-calorie, weight-loss food plan...this is one of them...and it's one that is high in nutrition and will not leave you feeling hungry or low on energy! Another advantage is that this is a simple way to eat in terms of shopping and cooking.   Let me know if you try this and what your reactions are! Bon apatit!