How much food is 500 calories?

[Dottie]

What can a 500 calories day consist of?

*Through the day - coffee and tea I don't count calories + 1c unsweetened purealmond milk all through the day (35 cals)
*5oz springerhill 98% lean ground beef (158cals) + 1/2 cup rotel tomatoes (20 cals)
*4oz lean boneless skinless chicken breast (100) + 1.5 cups la choy chop suey veggies (45)
*smoothie: 1 cup chocolate unsweetened almond breeze (45) + 1/2 cup strong brewed green tea(0) + 3/4 cup frozen unsweetened mixed berries (40); 0 cal sweetener of choice
*4oz butternut squash (40) cooked and pureed w/1cup chicken broth (10) + 1/4tsp glucomannan powder to add body (ginger and garlic are good in this and add minimal cals).

493 cals total and a lot of food!
You could skip the 85 calorie afternoon smoothie and have some more protein at dinner or something

So don't be afraid of "JUST 500 calories!"

[ellgee]

Wow Dottie!!! You make 500 calories look darn good, sister! And thanks for some fabulous ideas for my next DD!

[Dottie]

Thanks
You can find the springerhill 98% lean ground beef at Randalls

[ellgee]

I was going to ask you about that! I have a Tom Thumb close by which is owned by the same people. Do they have it available all the time? I've been scanning the circulars watching for it to go on sale.

Dumb question of the day: do you count your ground beef calories as cooked or raw? I always used to count it cooked but the other day I had a 16 ounce package of Laura's Lean Beef. Well once cooked down it was only 10.4 ounces. Inquiring minds (mine) want to know!

[Dottie]

The counts on the package are for raw, so that's what I use

[lynnjp]

Dottie

this is why I LOVE reading your menus on the daily what are you eating threads because you come up with some of the most creative and filling ways to make those DD not only doable but actually tasty!!!

[sunday]

Thank you!!! I love to read your input on menus!!!

I notice that my homemade salsa verde can make any lean meat taste like a 5 star dish! I believe the best thing to do on a DD is to have your fav no calorie or low calorie spices and sauces to help with satiety.

[Mariacj]

Ooooo I want to try the butternut soup!

[Beeb]

This is so true about LOTS of food on DDs! Sometimes I re-count my calories because I look at my food log and think, "this can't be right! How did I eat all this food and I'm still under my calories for today"? Making good protein and bulky veggie choices is the key for me!

It's a wonderful thing!

[Dottie]

lol the smoothie is a knock-off of Dr Oz anti-wrinkle foods list But for that 80 cals you sure could add a BIG salad w/low-fat dressing, or 1/2 a bag of frozen cauliflower with a wedge of laughing cow cheese, or something else

[Luna Loca]

Thank you for posting that menu. I think I've been eating too much of the wrong things on DDs and not getting as much bang for my calories. Your menu looks good!

[monica1210]

Great ideas! I tend to eat the same damn thing every DD.

Coffee with SF creamer for breakfast (90 cal) THIS IS A NECESSITY!
Progresso light soup for lunch (160-170)
Shiratake with marinara and 2 t of Parmesan (120)
Rosemary flat bread toasted with yogurt spread (123)

Usually right around 480-490

I am so boring!

[Luna Loca]

Monica, it's not necessarily a bad thing to eat the same things over and over. For one thing, it's a known quantity--doesn't cause cravings, etc.

For another thing, it's been shown that when we have variety in our diet, we eat more. Monotonous diets tend to help us eat less. Which is a good thing on a DD!

[b_lou_who]

^^^ agreed
my down days are mostly boring
chia almond milk
cottage cheese and a veg
lean meat and veg and maybe shirataki

[sorenkkg]

That's amazing Dottie!

Can you please come to my house? Not all the time, just every other day

S.

[Dottie]

lol
My main point is that you can fit a lot of food in for 500 cals! So don't be afraid of that number

[IThinkICan]

You might want to check out some sample HCG Dieters menus (in these boards or just in internet searches), as they spend several weeks on 500 cal/day with each round. You can definitely expand your veggie choices beyond the HCG veggies list though! I think lots of veggies is the key to feeling like you're eating a lot without actually consuming too many calories. Shiratake noodles added to dishes will also add bulk for zero calories. I always find that a simple broth or cup of tea can help curb hunger if that's an issue.

[buttoni]

I tell ya, without a Randalls, I don't know where in the heck you can find such lean ground meat. I can't hardly fit ANY meat or cheese into a DD. The minute I try to fit in much other than a very small piece of fish I go over. Veggies seem to be all I can manage and not go over 500 calories. Just sayin'.

[Dottie]

Peggy I know! Really other than Randalls beef sales and that particular ground beef, I hardly ever shop there. The one here has cut down the produce department to about 1/2 the size it used to be.
They have better selection than Kroger(other than produce), and better quality beef than HEB else I probably wouldn't bother with them lol.

[lisamt]

I'm lucky, the Randalls in my neighborhood has a great produce section with plenty of organically grown fruits & vegetables. Their prices seem to be higher in general than HEB, but sometimes I go for convenience since the closest store is only a half mile away.

[Dottie]

It's kind of funny. The one here enlarged the bakery and beer sections and shrunk the produce. Go figure lol.

[ellgee]

The Tom Thumb (which is the north Texas Randall's) nearest me is about 15 minutes away and not very heavily shopped. They just built one of the huge new Kroger's that has furniture and a jewelry store in the same city. It is pretty amazing and has the best produce I have ever seen. Pretty decent variety of organic stuff plus things I hardly ever find living out in the country - purple and orange cauliflower! Plus they have those moon pop rice cake thingies that are only 16 calories.

[sorenkkg]

Originally Posted by buttoni

I can't hardly fit ANY meat or cheese into a DD. The minute I try to fit in much other than a very small piece of fish I go over. Veggies seem to be all I can manage and not go over 500 calories. Just sayin'.

Do you plan the DD in advance? I know you've been at this much longer than me, but I do find that planning in advance, I can do 6, 8oz of fish or chicken (haven't tried beef yet, but I have 3oz of bbq brisket for about 200 cal that I'm thinking about for a DD this week).

So if I plan for the meat first, then I can figure out the rest of the day around it.
just how I do it... I still need to get creative with the veggies, b/c the GIANT salads are a bit tired already
Am going to investigate the cabbage stir fry first...

Soren