1500 calorie low carb meal plan

[WildflowerMama]

Does anyone know if there is a 1500ish calorie, low carb meal plan out there? I've found I really, really need to count calories, not just carbs. I know I can track my food in the Daily Plate or ****** but, I think having a meal plan laid out for me that I can follow is something I really need right now.

[heythatsfun]

I couldn't find one online, but I could try to think of one for you if you give me an idea of foods you like, what plan you're following, your carb limits for that plan, any protein or fat limits/specifications, etc.

[WildflowerMama]

Oh my goodness! How thoughtful! There are so many meal plan sites out there but I could not find one single one based on low carb foods. This would be such a great thing if someone took it on. I know sites like *********** and self.com offer meal plans but, spark people especially is very carb focused.

I anyone is like me, it's so hard for me to meal plan. I get so uninspired so I tend to eat the same things over and over which for me, leads to snacking. Having a meal plan is so much better for me than just winging it on my own.

I don't really have any food restrictions. I'm trying to keep my carbs between 20-30 with a focus on healthy fats and whole foods. Generally, I have eggs with salsa for breakfast or an egg cream (2 egg yolks, some cream a scoop of protein powder, coffee and a splenda). I tend to graze the rest of the day - cheese, sliced cucumbers with sour cream, fage yogurt with a T of peanut butter - Dinner is generally a meat and veggie.

I know my problem is portion control and grazing but sometimes I just look in my fridge and have no idea what to eat so I'll snack. I know I am definitely a person who needs a meal plan and the problem with Atkins is that he doesn't really focus on calories - just eat until satisfied but my problem is that I don't really ever get satisfied because I'm snacking.

[heythatsfun]

EDIT: As I was posting this, you posted, so let me update what I wrote below......


I just did a quick little sample one on me ****** for an Atkins Induction-friendly menu of <1500 calories, and it doesn't seem like it should be too difficult! I usually stick to ~1200 a day because I'm short as heck , so with 1500 calories, you have a lot more options!! Also, not that I'm an expert or anything, but it sounds like set meals would probably be really good for you! Especially if you could pre-make them so that you don't have an excuse to get off track (that's what I did last night, and today is the first day that I really, really, reeeeeeeeally stuck to what I was supposed to eat in a LONG time ). For 1500 cals, I came up with:

Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, cooked in 1 tblspn butter

Lunch: 1 medium chicken breast sauteed in 1 tblspn butter (or EVOO), salt, and pepper (or other seasonings that are sugarless), with a side of 1 cup of steamed broccoli with 1 tblspn butter and garlic

Dinner: 5 ounce lean hamburger meat grilled or pan-fried with whatever seasonings you choose, and a side salad comprised of 2 cups of lettuce, 1/2 a small cucumber, 1 small tomato, and 2 tblspns peppercorn dressing (I just used that because I figured it was a creamy dressing that would be low carb)

Snack: sugarless jello with 2 tblspns whipped cream

That comes in at 1401 calories, 99 grams of fat, 16 carbs (5 from fiber, so 11 "net" carbs), and 109 grams of protein. That will also give you leeway of 100 calories in case measurements are off, or you want a little more dressing or whipped cream, or another small snack or small salad, etc.

Hope that helps!

[heythatsfun]

This is fun and I'm a little bored, LOL, so I'll do another one now that I know you eat like 20-30 carbs, and you eat foods that aren't really "for Induction" but are low carb anyway. I'll update me post in a minute with me next suggested menu!

K, for this one I have:

Breakfast: 2 eggs fried/scrambled/poached in 1 tblspn butter, topped with 2 tblspns salsa

Lunch: 5 ounce turkey burger with a slice of cheddar cheese and a slice of lettuce and tomato

Dinner: 7 oz lean steak with seasonings and 1 cup of steamed or sauteed summer squash with 1 tsp butter

Snack #1: a side salad comprised of 2 cups of lettuce, 1/2 a small cucumber, 1 small tomato, and 2 tblspns peppercorn dressing (again, just used as an example)

Snack #2: some other thing that you like that would fit in with all your leftover calorie/carb allotments!

This totals 1342 calories, 86 grams of fat, 18 carbs (with 6 from fiber, so 12 "net" carbs), and 121 grams of protein)... NOT including that 2nd snack. The 2nd snack could maybe be your yogurt or some more cheese or something like that which would have up to: 150 calories and 12 carbs.

Again, hope this helps! Maybe these will give you a bit of an outline and you can replace the things you don't like with other foods that have similar calorie/carb profiles (maybe if you like fish, you could skip the turkey burger and replace it with salmon or something for example).

Best of luck!

[Zer]

What LC plan are you following? I see menus listed in Atkins' DANDR, but am not sure if that is your particular plan. Also, have you googled for a "low carb 1500 calorie meal plan"?

[Kerry]

heythatsfun!
you are pretty good at that!
nice job!

[TaDa!]

I absolutely do count calories! Right now on pre-maintenance I eat about 2000 calories (60-80 net carbs). For weightloss, on OWL, I did eat about 1500 and it did take some work to figure out my meals, especially when it was time to add some calories and carbs in.

My suggestion is to sit down with a list of meals you would like to incorporate maybe daily or weekly. Figure out their calorie/carb amount and use them like building blocks. It has gotten for me, to where I have maybe 3 interchangeable lunches all equalling, like 400 calories, 20 net carbs. I know I can swap them out at will. The same with snacks, etc.

It takes some work, but was very worth it for me to make this easy.

Dr. Atkins in the book Atkins For Life has menu plans for 45 net carbs, 60 net carbs, 80 net carbs and 100 net carbs. I am going to bet that if you input the 45 net carb menu into ******, it would come out somewhere around 1500 calories daily ... you could try that. He also includes recipes, etc.

Best of luck!!! KUTGW!!!!

[Kerry]

Tada thanks for the book suggestion, I will deff have to pick that up soon, Im getting closeeeeeeee to goal!

[Gr82bthin]

Try the Dr.s Eades book, "The 30-Day Low Carb Diet Solution". You can get it at the library or order it on-line at Amazon or Half.com. I paid $2.00 for my copy. The plans are easy to follow. One thing I really like is that when you make dinner, you make enough for lunch the next day. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. I rely on this book for my meal plans more than any other book. The Protein Power plan is for 10 net carbs at each meal and the food variety is great. I am cooking for one, so I don't like recipes that make meals for 8, because I tire of eating the same thing over and over.

[WildflowerMama]

Thank you so much!!! That is wonderful and definitely give me a great start. Thank you!!!!

[realityjunkee]

I follow Atkins '72 for the most part, and don't really follow meal plans. I do log my food in ****** or CalorieKing and I know where I'm at after each meal so I can plan for the following one. I usually eat about 1600 calories, a few less or a few more depending on exercise level.

[flatferenghi]

stay low carb, but eat slowly, and don't eat everything on the plate. If you do that 3 times a day, i am almost certain, it would not exceed 1500 calories. I myself do not count calories, but because i follow weight watchers, i do make certain "compromizes" such as only 1 yolk in egg meals, lower fat, IF the carb count stays low, and the taste factor does not suffer. I also try to watch my portion sizes in my critters du jour. I try to up my physical activity. Try making the salad or veggies the center of your meal, with the protein/fat as garnishes. These are possibilities. i wish you success in finding a 1500 cal plan that works for you. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI(doing what it takes).

[Tylar_Connar]

heythatsfun let me know when you are bored again!!!

[FarmSchooler]

heythatsfun, Id like some help also. What foods do I like? What I "have" is easier to do. My personal 2010 goal is to ONLY eat what we produce. I want to eat as much homegrown as I can, as SIMPLY as I can. I just dont know how to know if Im eating Protein 271 + Fat 98 + Carbs 20 for 2,000 calories a day.....???? At this point Im sort of stuck on steak and eggs because I enjoy them and they are simple...could burn out easily though. I know a lot about healthy food...just dont use prepared foods and dont have the patience (or the time....raising it keeps me busy enough) to map out calorie/protein plans. I would do best to have a 2 week plan that I can rotate thru...but it gives me a headache to think about trying to figure it all out. How would I measure the fats in the meats?

Beef (just about any cut)
Chicken (still in the yard, but available - lol)
Rabbit (again, available)
Fish (have salmon & pollack in the freezer)
Milk & Cream (4 gallons daily right now)
Kefir, Butter & Soft Cheeses (we have a dairy cow....I make our own on all counts)
Eggs (we collect 1-2 doz daily)
Have a cabinet full of dried herbs & spices
Have red palm, sesame, coconut, olive & walnut oils.
I dont do artificial sweeteners at all. Do have raw honey.
I dont eat bread or pasta but do have wheat, rice, a FEW oats and quinoa in the pantry. Didnt grow them, but probably ought to use them.
Have VERY FEW fresh veggies right now...sweet potatoes, onions, carrots & dried pears & raisins in storage.
Dried spinach and celery and pre-soaked almonds and sunflower seeds.
Also have ferments though (eg kraut, salsa, dilly beans and pickled beets).

[BABSY]

you could follow the recipes on Linda Sue's site. Alot of the casseroles etc. have servings that are 500 calories or less and 5 carbs or less.

[JerseyGirl1969]

I do 1400-1700c, but why do you need a plan? Just figure out what you want to cook, measure the portions, and make the day's total meet your needs....

Create your own plan.

[lisabinil]

Just an FYI this thread is 2 yrs old.

[batlou]

Originally Posted by TaDa!

I absolutely do count calories! Right now on pre-maintenance I eat about 2000 calories (60-80 net carbs). For weightloss, on OWL, I did eat about 1500 and it did take some work to figure out my meals, especially when it was time to add some calories and carbs in.

My suggestion is to sit down with a list of meals you would like to incorporate maybe daily or weekly. Figure out their calorie/carb amount and use them like building blocks. It has gotten for me, to where I have maybe 3 interchangeable lunches all equalling, like 400 calories, 20 net carbs. I know I can swap them out at will. The same with snacks, etc.

It takes some work, but was very worth it for me to make this easy.

Dr. Atkins in the book Atkins For Life has menu plans for 45 net carbs, 60 net carbs, 80 net carbs and 100 net carbs. I am going to bet that if you input the 45 net carb menu into ******, it would come out somewhere around 1500 calories daily ... you could try that. He also includes recipes, etc.

Best of luck!!! KUTGW!!!!

Great Advice. I eat mostly the same foods Chicken, Greens, Eggs, bacon and nuts. I can do all sorts of variations using these basic building blocks. My goal is roughly 1800 per day and I just budget out each meal and find some combo that fits.

Breakfast: 300
Lunch: 600
Snack: 300
Dinner: 600

This keeps it pretty simple and easy to manage for me. If I skip I do not make up for it although if I do miss it is typically only snack time or dinner turns into just grazing on whatever if I don't feel like cooking.