Many people have had success following a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet when it comes to weight loss and maintenance. Cutting fat is a great way to help keep calories low, as 1g of fat contains 9 calories, whereas protein and carbohydrates each supply only 4 calories for every 1g.
Eliminate the Fat
Removing the obvious fat sources from one's diet is a simple task. Trim visible fats from all meats. Dieters should refrain from using butter on their foods and avoid eating anything deep fried. Replace regular salad dressings with nonfat versions. You can purchase all dairy products, including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream in reduced-fat varieties. You will find hidden fats in cream soups, lunch meats and all baked goods including breads. Look at nutrition labels when grocery shopping so that you can identify and eliminate the sources of fat in your diet.
Plan for Success
To stick to a 1,500-calorie diet, plan out daily meals ahead of time. A good rule of thumb is to allow 300 calories for breakfast, 400 calories for lunch, and 500 calories for dinner. The remaining 300 calories can be broken up throughout the day as snacks. Eating larger meals as the day progresses will help you stay full and avoid binging due to hunger pangs.
Sample Diet
A sample day of a low-fat 1,500 calorie diet would be as follows: Breakfast consisting of 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 scrambled egg whites and 1 cup orange juice equals 294 calories. A large apple as a snack before lunch is 90 calories. Lunch could be a grilled chicken salad from a fast-food restaurant such as McDonald's which is 320 calories without dressing. Add 2 tbsp.of non fat dressing for 30 calories and one caramel corn rice cake at 50 calories for a total of 400 calories at lunch. Before dinner, a snack of 3 cups of air popped popcorn is only 93 calories. A baked 6 oz. salmon fillet, 2 cups of vegetable soup, 1 cup steamed broccoli, and 1/2 cup of cranberry juice mixed into a glass of diet lemon lime soda make for a 485-calorie dinner. This brings the day's total calories to 1,362. This sample diet leaves 138 calories for the dieter to use as he sees fit for dessert.
Conclusion
As the sample diet clearly shows, a 1,500 calorie diet does not require a person to go hungry as long as one makes proper food choices. Avoiding heavily processed foods enables a dieter to eat more while consuming fewer calories and fat. Keep in mind, however, that a certain amount of fat is essential to maintain good health. According to the USDA dietary guideline, fats should make up at least 20 percent of one's diet. The salmon in the sample diet is a good source of healthy fats.
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