1500 Calorie Full Day Diet Information

Enjoy substantial meals and avoid feelings of deprivation with 1,500 calories. A 1,500 calorie day diet gives you gives you choices in structuring your day's meals, but stick with nutritious choices and proper portions. A 1,500-calorie diet helps promote weight loss in most adults, but is not appropriate for everyone.

Features

A 1,500 calorie diet includes foods from all five of the major food groups: grains, vegetables, meats and beans, fruits and dairy. Stay within the Institute of Medicine recommendations; take in 10 to 35 percent of calories from protein, 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 20 to 35 percent of calories from fats. The exact distribution of macronutrients varies according to personal preference. As long as a diet is low in calorie for you, it will help prompt weight loss regardless of whether it is high-protein, low-carb or low-fat, according to the "New England Journal of Medicine."

Strategy

Spreading your 1,500 calories out evenly over the course of a minimum of three meals helps keep hunger in check. Each meal should contain approximately 500 calories. If you prefer, eat 400 calorie meals and enjoy two 150-calorie snacks between them.

Types of Food

A 1,500 calorie diet does not leave a lot of room for discretionary calories --- such as those from alcohol, extra servings at meals, sweets, soda or junk food. Emphasize fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and lean meats. Low-fat or non-fat dairy keeps saturated fat and calories in check.

Considerations

A 1,500 calorie full day diet is not for everyone. Active people and larger men might find it too restrictive. In fact, Medline Plus advises men not drop below 1,500 calories per day when seeking weight loss unless under medical supervision.

Sample Day

A full day, 1,500-calorie diet might begin with a whole-grain English muffin, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a cup of skim milk and an apple for 425 calories. At lunch, enjoy a sandwich made with 2 oz. of deli turkey, whole-wheat pita, tomato and avocado slices. Have baby carrots and an orange on the side for about 400 calories. For dinner, grill up 3 oz. of chicken breast and enjoy with 1 cup of whole-wheat pasta, ½ cup peas and a tablespoon of olive-oil based pesto. For dessert, snack on ½ cup of blueberries for a total of 500 calories. Enjoy a mid-afternoon snack composed of ¾ of 1 percent cottage cheese with a tablespoon of salsa and chopped vegetables for dipping for about 175 calories. Other snack options include string cheese with a peach, an ounce of roasted almonds or plain yogurt with cantaloupe.