Pray it Off 11/04/10 1500 Calorie Plan and Heathly Breakfasts

1500 Calorie Diet Plan

by Lori at http://www.womenandweight.com/1500-calorie-diet-plan

I created this plan to help you lose weight while still having a balanced and healthy diet. The diet plan allows for a significant amount of fiber to help you feel satisfied. Fiber-rich foods not only help to fill you up but with good choices these foods will allow you to eat a greater amount than you might otherwise with lower fiber, more energy-dense (higher calorie) foods.

Do keep track of your calories. This plan is just a guideline. The actual calories in each of the food choices can vary considerably.

1500 Calorie Diet Plan

Servings/day

Fruit (3-4 svgs) Choose from:
4 oz. juice (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sliced/chopped cooked or raw fruit
(fresh, frozen, or canned.)
1 whole medium piece of fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit

Vegetables
(3-4 svgs) Choose from:

4-6 oz. juice (1/2 – 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup fresh non-leafy vegetables
1/2 cup cooked vegetables
1 cup fresh leafy greens
NOTE: Choose at least 5 total fruit and vegetable servings a day for a healthier diet. Have no more
than 1 serving of fruit or vegetable juice per day

Whole grain breads and cereals (preferred) (3-6 svgs) Choose from:
1/2 cup high fiber dry cereal (about 80-100 calories with
4+ grams of fiber)
1 slice high fiber bread with at least 2 grams of fiber
~1/2 cup whole grain crackers (less than 100 calories with 2+
grams fiber)
1/2 cup cooked whole grain (brown rice, pasta, cereal)
1 SMALL whole grain muffin (about 150-160 calories providing 1/2 svg whole grain plus 1/2 serving
fat)
Refined grain breads and cereals such as white bread (2-3 svgs)

Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or beans (2-3 svgs)
Choose from:
2 oz. lean meat, fish, or poultry
1/2 cup cooked dried beans (legumes)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. peanut butter or other nut butter

Low fat and nonfat dairy (3-4 svgs) Choose from:
1 cup skim milk or 1% milk
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
1-2 oz. light cheese
1 cup low fat yogurt

Fats (1-4 svgs) Choose from:
1 tsp. healthy oil (such as olive oil or canola) or soft margarine
1 tsp. regular mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. regular salad dressing
2 Tbsp. light salad dressing
1/2 cup ice cream

Nuts and Seeds Choose from:
1/2 oz. nuts
1 Tbsp. seeds

Sweets/other (1-3 svgs) Choose from:
1 tsp. maple syrup, sugar, jelly, or jam
1 gingersnap
1 vanilla wafer

Best Healthy Breakfasts for Weight Loss

http://www.womenandweight.com/weight-management/weight-loss/best-healthy-breakfasts-forweight-loss-part-1 October 31, 2010

Breakfast matters. Dozens of research studies have confirmed what health professionals have been teaching for decades. From having a higher intake of essential vitamins and minerals, to feeling better both physically and mentally, and possibly living longer, breakfast eaters seem to have an edge over those who skip.

That’s good news but there’s more. Did you know that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less? Or that choosing certain healthy breakfast foods over others could make weight loss or maintenance easier?

Ideally a healthy breakfast includes a variety of foods, fruits and/or vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, and a good source of low calorie protein. However, meeting nutrient needs for the whole day is a challenge when on a low calorie diet (This is one of the reasons nutritionists advise people to not go below 1200 calories when dieting.)

It is much more difficult and often not possible to achieve nutritional balance for a single meal, especially breakfast.

So what are your best choices for breakfast? Let’s take a look at how to meet your nutritional needs while at the same time increase your chances for weight loss success. In addition, let’s keep in mind the need for breakfast to be quick, easy, and appealing!

To begin, breakfast may be very important but it is only one meal. Try to spread out your meals and snacks over the day to keep your metabolism running smoothly and help you feel your best. To do this, breakfast will provide about 1/4 to 1/3 of your total daily calories. That’s only 375 to 450 calories on a 1500 calorie diet).

Lots of low calorie “eat and run” healthy breakfasts are high in carbohydrates. (Think breakfast cereals, toast, muffins, and fruit whether fresh or dried, and fruit juice.) That can be good if you pick carbs with plenty of fiber and other nutrients.

Eating high-fiber foods can fill you up and keep you satisfied longer than many other foods. But you can improve on this choice by understanding the value of having enough protein with your breakfast. Protein can blunt your hunger for longer than any other nutrient. Avoiding hunger and the desire to eat any food in sight can be a struggle on a low calorie diet! Give this tip a try for nourishment and to see if it helps you feel less hungry.

How much protein is enough and what foods can you pick to keep the calorie
count down? The daily recommendation for protein in a healthy diet ranges from 10 to 35 percent. This assumes you are eating ENOUGH calories for YOU.

Your protein needs are independent of your calorie intake. You have a need for a certain amount of protein whether you are on a reduced calorie diet or not. Thirty-five percent protein is probably more than what is needed by the average person. (People who need very high levels of protein are athletes and those recovering from surgery and certain illnesses.)

Approximately, 15 to 25% protein will hopefully meet your daily protein needs and will not be too difficult to obtain with a healthy diet. So let’s go with 20% as an average. Twenty percent of 1500 calories would be 300 calories or 75 grams of protein for the day.

Five healthy low calorie sample breakfast menus.

I’ve chosen these because they provide a good source of dietary fiber and protein as well as other essential nutrients for less than 350 calories. With a little advance planning these breakfasts can be ready to eat in minutes.

Well-balanced nutritious breakfasts with plenty of protein and fiber for less than 350 calories are hard to find. How much is enough fiber? See if you can obtain at least 5 grams of dietary fiber or more. [The recommended amount of dietary fiber for women 19 to 50 years of age is 25 grams of fiber a day. For women 51 or older it is 21 grams per day.

All of the breakfast ideas can be ready to eat in minutes. However, some of the
menus will require a little advance cooking and or planning. I recommend setting aside some time over the weekend or whenever it works for you to prepare some of the food ahead of time and then have it ready to eat for the rest of the week. Foods that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated include hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, and muffins (make up a large batch of muffins and freeze).

5 Low Calorie Sample Breakfasts with Plenty of Protein and Dietary Fiber

Breakfast 1

Top 2 halves of a multi-grain english muffin with low fat cottage cheese and sliced fresh strawberries.
Eat along with one hard-boiled egg.
1 English Muffin (100 calories, Light Multi-Grain by Thomas)
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (1% milkfat)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 hard-boiled egg
calories: 306
protein: 28.3 grams
dietary fiber: 11 grams
calcium: 264 mg
Vitamin C: 89.4 mg

Breakfast 2

A waffle spread with a peanut butter and yogurt mix served with 4 ounces of skim milk and a kiwi fruit
1 Nutri-grain lowfat waffle (71 calories, Eggo)
1/4 plain lowfat yogurt
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
4 oz. skim milk
1 kiwi fruit
calories: 299
protein: 14.0 grams
dietary fiber: 5 grams
calcium: 274 mg
Vitamin C: 84.9 mg

Breakfast 3

Oatmeal with skim milk and a whole orange.
1/2 cup Naturally Sweetened Oatmeal (226 calories)
4 oz. skim milk
1 medium orange
calories: 325
protein: 14.5 grams
dietary fiber: 7.3 grams
calcium: 301 mg
vitamin C: 59.9 mg

Breakfast 4

A six ounce low fat vanilla yogurt served with a low fat blueberry bran muffin, a kiwi fruit, and a few
almonds.
1 six ounce Light ‘n Fit Creamy French Vanilla (Dannon)
1 Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffin (125 calories, Low Fat Blueberry Bran Muffins)
1 kiwi fruit
6 almonds
calories: 316
protein: 14.1 grams
dietary fiber: 8 grams
calcium: 313 mg
Vitamin C: 85.7 mg

Breakfast 5

Cottage cheese topped with blueberries
and a touch of real maple syrup drizzled on top. Eat along
with a low calorie oat bran muffin.
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (1% milkfat)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp. real maple syrup
1 low calorie oat bran muffin (178 calories)
calories: 348
protein: 19.2 grams
dietary fiber: 4.8 grams
calcium: 130 mg
Vitamin C: 6.9 mg
Note: See how this breakfast combination is low in calcium and vitamin C but otherwise a healthy
choice? When choosing this you will want to be sure to have good sources of these nutrients later in
the day. How about a low fat yogurt or piece of cheese for more calcium with a mid-morning snack?
Or a piece of fruit or juice for Vitamin C?
Always remember to get plenty of water each day. Add a glass of water or unsweetened tea or coffee
to round out each breakfast meal.

Photo- livestrong.com, fotosearch.com