1500 Calorie Meal Plan

Eating plan for 1500 calories
There are many different types of eating plans available; however, the key to success is finding one that works
for you.
One key ingredient for a meal plan to work is consistency. Many of us fail to keep consistency in our lives or we
stay consistent with bad habits. Two examples that come to mind include skipping meals and breakfast.
Failure to break-the-fast every day and skipping meals improves the chance that you will fail to reach your
goals. Eating breakfast and consuming small meals (4 to 6 per day) prevents binge eating, nighttime snacking,
and weight gain. It also keeps your metabolic rate at an optimal pace.
The body requires fuel to keep your metabolism burning. Think of metabolism as a campfire. To keep a fire
burning strong, it must be fed small doses of wood (ie, fuel). Dropping a large log onto the fire will keep the fire
burning, but not as effectively as if it was fed small portions of wood.
With the fire still in mind, you have to look at its preferred fuel choice. Adding paper or “empty calories”, the fire
will burn through it very quickly. As a result, the fire becomes starved and must be fed very often. Now if you
added a mixture of paper and wood, the fire will have enough fuel to burn for a longer period of time. The wood
will satisfy the fire’s appetite more than the paper. Wood is to fire as protein is to humans. Your diet should
always include a source of protein at each meal and snack.
Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are not designed to tell you how much you should eat at each meal, but rather, to give you a
pattern which to compare your intake with your goals. Based on the goals set above, try to consume the
appropriate amount of food based on the following serving sizes.
Breads, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group

One serving=80 calories=1 slice bread, 2 slices “extra thin” or “diet” bread, ½ English muffin, ½ frankfurter or
hamburger bun, 1 small dinner roll, ½ cup starchy vegetables, ½ cup mashed or 1 small baked potato, ½ cup
cooked cereal, pasta, rice, 1 tortilla 6” across, 1 ounce cold cereal, 4-6 crackers, 3 cups air popped popcorn, 2
rice cakes or 5 mini cakes.
Fruits
One serving=60-80 calories=1 medium portion of fresh fruit: orange, apple, banana, 2 Tbs. Raisins, ¼ cup
dehydrated fruit; ½ cup cooked or canned fruit, ½ cup fruit juice.
Vegetables
One serving=25-30 calories= 1 cup leafy green vegetables, ½ cup cooked, ½ cup chopped, ½ cup raw, ¾ cup
vegetable juice.
Milk, Yogurt and Cheese

Choose low-fat whenever possible…
One low fat serving=90 calories=1 cup skim or 1% milk, 1 cup non-fat yogurt, ½ cup low fat yogurt, 1 ounce low
fat cheese, ½ cup nonfat or 1% cottage cheese.
One regular serving=150 calories=1 cup whole milk or whole milk yogurt, ¾ cup fruit flavored yogurt, 1 ounce of
natural cheese, ½ cup cottage cheese.
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans and Nuts Group

Choose low-fat whenever possible
One low-fat serving=70 calories=1 ounce of cooked lean meat, fish or poultry, 4 Tbsp hummus, 1/3 cup cooked
dry beans, 3 egg whites, 1 ounce low-fat cheese
One regular serving=100 calories=1 ounce cooked meat, 1 egg, 4 ounces tofu, 1 ounce of natural cheese, 1
Tbs. peanut butter.
Copyright © 2008, The Nutrition and Food Web Archive (www.nafwa.org), All rights reserved.
Breakfast: 400 calories
This is one meal… Feel free to eat this in parts.
Choose ONE of the following:

• Toast (2 slices 100% whole wheat)
• 1 English muffin
• 1 cup bran cereal
• ½ cup Grape-Nuts
• 1 ½ cups Puffed cereal with 3 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
• 1 cup grits
• 1 cup cooked oatmeal
• 1 cup shredded wheat
And ONE of the following…

• 1 cup nonfat or 1% milk
• 2/3 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
• ½ cup nonfat or 1% cottage cheese

• 1 boiled egg (up to 4 per week)
• 1 turkey sausage link
• 2 slices Canadian bacon
• 2 ¼ teaspoons peanut butter

• 1 small banana
• ½ cup orange juice (with calcium)
• ¾ cup red or green grapes
• 1 ounce raisins
• 1 apple
• 1 orange
And…
• 8 ounces water
Snack: 150 calories

• 100 Calorie snack pack and 15 grapes
• 4 Tablespoons hummus with 12 baby carrots
• 1 cup nonfat or 1% cottage cheese and 1/3 cup pineapple chunks
• 2 large graham cracker squares and 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
• 2/3 cup plain, fat-free yogurt and 2 Tablespoons Grape Nuts
• 15 almonds
• 15 cashews
• ½ medium apple and 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 rice cakes and 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 string cheese with 3 saltines
• 2 oz tuna salad with 3 saltines
And…
• 16 ounces water
Lunch: 350 calories

• Note: 3 ounces = 1 deck of cards or size of palm of hand
• Grilled chicken on a pita – (3 ounces)
• Tuna sandwich – (3 ounces tuna, 2 slices reduced-calorie wheat bread)
• Chicken/turkey/tuna/beans in salad– (3 ounces /3 slices)
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter sandwich with 1 Tbsp jam on reduced calorie whole wheat bread
• 2 eggs (hardboiled or scrambled) with 2 slices whole wheat toast
• 1 ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese with 2 slices whole wheat toast
• 3 Tbsp. Hummus with lettuce and tomato in a wrap
• Chicken and veggie stir-fry (1½ cups), rice (1/2 cup)
• 1 bowl soup, 2 Saltine crackers, small salad with 2 Tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar
• 1 grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread
• Large garden salad large (1 cup leafy greens, 1 cup mixed colorful vegetables, 6 oz sliced chicken, 2
Tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar, ½ cup wheat thins)

• 1 cup low-fat yogurt with ½ cup applesauce
• 1 cup non-fat or 1% milk with ½ cup applesauce
And…
• 16 ounces water
Snack: 150 calories

• 15 almonds
• 15 cashews
Dinner: 300 calories

• 2/3 cup beans and rice
• 2/3 cup whole wheat pasta
• 2/3 cup couscous
• Bread, multi-grain (2 slices)
• 1 cup lentils

• 3 ounces chicken or turkey (white meat, no skin)
• 3 ounces fish (fresh or frozen cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, trout, canned or fresh tuna and salmon)
• 3 ounces tofu (not deep fried)
• 3 ounces shellfish (clams, lobster, crab, shrimp, scallops, imitation crab)
• 2 fat-free hot dogs
• 2 ounces lean deli meat

• Garden salad (large = 1 cup leafy greens, 1 cup mixed colorful vegetables, 1 tbsp. Low fat dressing)
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup non-starchy vegetable (full list at the end)
And…
• 16 ounces water
Snack: 150 calories

• 15 almonds
• 15 cashews
Non-Starchy Vegetables Mixed vegetables (without corn or peas)

Artichoke Mushrooms
Artichoke hearts Okra
Asparagus Onions
Beans (green, wax, Italian) Pea pods
Bean sprouts Peppers (all types)
Beets Radishes
Broccoli Salad greens (endive, escarole, lettuce, romaine,
Brussels sprouts spinach)
Cabbage Sauerkraut
Carrots Spinach
Cauliflower Summer squash
Celery Tomato (fresh or canned)
Cucumber Tomato sauce
Eggplant Tomato/vegetable juice
Green onions/scallions Turnips
Greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip) Water chestnuts
Kohlrabi Watercress
Leeks Zucchini

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Eating plan for 1500 calories

Breads, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group

Milk, Yogurt and Cheese

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans and Nuts Group

Choose ONE of the following:

And ONE of the following…

And ONE of the following…

And ONE of the following…

Snack: 150 calories

Lunch: 350 calories

And ONE of the following…

Snack: 150 calories

Dinner: 300 calories

And ONE of the following…

And ONE of the following…

Snack: 150 calories

Non-Starchy Vegetables Mixed vegetables (without corn or peas)

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