How To Eat 1500 Calories A Day & Feel Full (9 Tips)

When you are eating 1500 calories in a day, there are going to be certain food choices that will help you to feel full, and conversely, foods that will leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied with your meal.

In order to feel full while eating 1500 calories a day, you should be focusing on eating high fiber, high-volume foods while also avoiding low-volume foods that are dense in calories. Other helpful tips are drinking ample amounts of water and eating enough quality protein will help you to feel full on 1500 calories.

It is important to note that if you implement all of the tips mentioned in the article below in order to feel full, but you are still feeling incessant hunger, it might mean that you need to increase your calories, as you are in a calorie deficit that is too severe for your body.

In this article, I will discuss:

• Tips for feeling full eating 1500 calories
• Meals that will keep you feeling full on 1500 calories
• Still not feeling full on 1500 calories? Here’s what to do

Tips For Feeling Full Eating 1500 Calories

Below is a list of 9 tips for feeling full while eating 1500 calories a day:

• Focus on eating fiber rich foods
• Prioritize quality protein in each meal
• Drink adequate amounts of water
• Eat water rich foods
• Avoid processed foods that are high in calories and low in volume
• Get Lots of Sleep
• Avoid any liquid calories
• Slow down during mealtime and chew your food more
• Eat consistent meals and avoid skipping any meals

1. Focus on Eating Fiber Rich Foods

Eating adequate amounts of fiber will help you to feel full, since fiber slows down the digestion process, which helps you to feel fuller for longer. Fiber not only helps to curb hunger, but it is essential for your overall health and optimal digestion.

You want to be sure to include both soluble and insoluble fiber into your diet. While soluble fiber dissolves into a gel like substance in your gut, which slows down stomach emptying, insoluble fiber does not dissolve, therefore it moves through the intestines, which will give you a “full” feeling after eating.

Soluble fiber is found in foods such as oats, carrots, peas, fruits, citrus, and beans. Insoluble fiber can be found in whole wheat flour, potatoes, nuts and seeds, brown rice, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.

A good amount of fiber to aim to consume in a day is roughly 20-30 grams for women and 30-40 grams for men.  

2. Prioritize Quality Protein in Each Meal

Foods that contain large amounts of protein take longer for your body to digest, which will ultimately help to keep you full and satisfied after eating and between meals. When you are eating 1500 calories per day, you want to ensure you are including a serving of protein with each of your meals to help you feel full.

Ideally, you want around 25-35% of your total daily calories to come from protein rich foods. That would mean that while eating 1500 calories per day, you would be consuming around 94-131 grams of protein per day.

If you are struggling to feel full on 1500 calories per day, try eating leaner sources of protein, since these will provide you with more volume in comparison to protein sources that contain a lot of fat.

Good examples of lean protein sources to include in your diet are foods like chicken breast, shrimp, low fat dairy products, and protein powder.

3. Drink Adequate Amounts of Water

It is a common occurrence for people to feel as if they are hungry, when in reality they may just be thirsty or dehydrated. This can become a problem if you are trying to eat 1500 calories but you are feeling hungry often throughout the day.

In fact, studies have shown that drinking plenty of water prior to eating your meal can reduce hunger along with the number of calories you consume at that meal.

The correct amount of water to drink will vary based on the individual, however a general recommendation is to consume around 2.7 liters of water per day if you are female, and 3.7 liters of water per day if you are a male.

4. Eat Water Rich Foods

Making sure to include ample amounts of water rich foods in your diet can help you to feel full while eating 1500 calories per day, since these types of foods are generally high in volume and low in calories.

If you are trying to stay full after your meal, aim to fill about half of your plate with fruits and vegetables that have a high-water content.

Examples of water rich foods include strawberries, pineapple, peaches, cucumber, watermelon, lettuce, celery, and zucchini. It is also optimal to rotate these foods so that you are providing your body with a wide variety of vitamins and nutrients.

5. Avoid Processed Foods That Are High in Calories and Low in Volume

When trying to feel full on a 1500 calorie diet, your worst enemy is going to be foods that are processed foods that are high in calories, but low in volume, water, fiber, and essential nutrients.

If you are filling your plate with these types of foods, you are going to find it very easy to fulfill your calorie intake, but you will likely feel quite hungry shortly after eating. 

Many of these foods tend to be high in bad fats and processed sugar, while being lower in protein. This combination will also leave you feeling hungry after your meal.

In order to be successful on a 1500 calorie diet, aim to consume 80-90% of your calories from whole foods that are high in water, fiber, and nutrients. That leaves you 10-20% of your calories for foods that may be more processed and less nutritious.

• Related: I’m Counting Macros But Still Hungry, What Should I Do?

6. Get Lots of Sleep

One of the worst things that you can do for your hunger levels is not get enough sleep. This is because when you do not get enough sleep, it can disturb certain hormones that affect hunger levels in the body.

More specifically, it can trigger your body to elevate your hunger hormone ghrelin, which increases hunger levels. Not only that, but a lack of sleep can suppress leptin, which is a hormone which tells your body that it is full.

The recommended amount of sleep for adults is around 7-9 hours per night, and if you are getting less than 4 hours at night, that would be considered not enough.

7. Avoid any Liquid Calories

While it may seem obvious to avoid high calorie beverages when you want to feel more full on a diet, it is important to remember that empty calories can be hiding in daily beverages we don’t always consider.

For example, if you enjoy a daily cup of coffee, calories coming from your cream and sugar will add flavor, but will add calories that do not help you feel full and satisfied. While the calories coming from your coffee or tea might seem unimportant, these calories can add up fairly quickly and work against you in your diet.

In order to feel full while eating 1500 calories in a day, avoid liquid calories, and aim to consume beverages with low/ no calories such as water, black coffee, or herbal tea.

8. Slow Down During Mealtime and Chew Your Food More

One very simple and effective way to feel more full and satisfied with your meals is to slow down at mealtimes, chew your food thoroughly, and avoid distractions while eating.

 In fact, studies show that these simple habits can help to suppress hunger hormones, in addition to increasing hormones that signal fullness to your brain.

If you want to feel more full while eating 1500 calories a day, aim to chew your food twice as much as you normally would, and give yourself more time to eat your meal. In addition to this, try to avoid eating while in front of a TV, scrolling on your phone, or while working on another task.

9. Eat Consistent Meals and Avoid Skipping any Meals

Skipping meals throughout the day can cause you to feel extremely hungry, which could potentially lead to overeating at your next meal and blowing your calories for the day.

The exact number of meals that you should eat throughout the day will depend on your personal preference along with your schedule, however, a standard recommendation would be to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with 1-2 snacks during the day.

With the meal suggestions I have created below, a daily calorie intake of 1500 calories consists of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and one snack.

• We offer more tips on how to stick to your weight loss diet in our article 34 Tips For Getting Used To Eating Less

Meals That Will Keep You Feeling Full on 1500 Calories

Below is a list of different meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks that will help you to feel full on 1500 calories. Choosing one meal from each category will add up to a total of 1500 calories to help you reach your goal easily.

Note – I put together a complete meal plan that will help keep you feeling full.  Check it out here 1500 Calorie High Protein Meal Plan. 

Breakfast Ideas (400 calories each)

• Egg scramble wrap made with 2 eggs, 3 egg whites, 1/3 cup mushrooms, 1 cup spinach, 1 oz 2% cheddar cheese, 2 tbsp salsa, and 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap

• Protein Oatmeal made with ½ cup of oatmeal, ½ scoop of chocolate whey protein powder, ¾ cup of strawberries. ½ a banana, 1 Tbsp of almond butter, and cinnamon.

• Protein Smoothie made with 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, ½ cup of frozen blueberries, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, and 1 tbsp peanut butter.

Related Article: Is 400 Calories A Lot? 

Lunch Ideas (400 calories each)

• 4 oz baked chicken thigh, 4 oz roasted baby potatoes, 1 cup roasted broccoli with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

• Taco salad made with 2.5 cups of mixed greens, 3 oz extra lean ground beef (with taco seasoning), ¼ cup chopped tomato, 1 oz 2% cheddar cheese (shredded), ¼ cup of salsa, ½ a serving (about 15) low sodium tortilla chips crunched into a salad.

• Turkey wrap made with 3.5 oz turkey deli meat, 1 oz swiss cheese, 2 slices tomato, 2 dill pickles, ½ cup bean sprouts, 1.5 tbsp low fat mayo, 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap.

Snack Ideas (300 calories each)

• 3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese, ½ a chopped apple, 0.5 oz almonds, 1 tsp cinnamon.

• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, ½ cup Kashi Go Lean Protein Cereal, ½ cup of strawberries, 1 tsp honey.

• 1 serving of Mary’s Gone Crackers (approx. 15 crackers), ¼ cup garlic hummus

Related Article: Is 300 Calories A Lot?  

Dinner Ideas (400 Calories each)

• 4 oz pork chop, ½ cup of basmati rice, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 cup of steamed green beans.

• 4 oz salmon, 4.5 oz mashed sweet potato, 10 asparagus spears topped with ½ oz feta cheese.

• Burger made with 4 oz turkey burger patty, 1 whole wheat bun, 1 sliced tomato, 1 pickle, ½ tbsp ketchup, ½ tbsp mustard, with a side of 1 cup of roasted carrots (cooked with dill, salt, and pepper).

Still Not Feeling Full on 1500 Calories? Here’s What to Do

If you have tried all of the tips and tricks above and you still feel incessant hunger eating 1500 calories a day, it might mean that you need to increase your daily calories.

For some people, consuming 1500 calories a day might create a deficit that is too severe for their body and how many calories they are burning in a day. If your deficit exceeds 500 calories, this could lead to issues with feeling constantly hungry, along with other side effects such as low energy, poor sleep, hormone imbalances, and even mood changes.

For example, for an individual with maintenance calories of 2700 calories per day, eating 1500 calories would put them in a deficit of around 1200 calories. This would likely prove to be too much of a calorie decrease, resulting in a poor outcome and a lack of sustainability.

In order to determine whether eating 1500 calories per day is right for you, it is helpful to first determine the number of calories that your body burns in a day by calculating your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). You can easily do this using an online calculator such as this one here.

Once you have done this, you can create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories by around 250-500 calories per day. This deficit is considered a safe and sustainable amount that should result in a weight loss of around 0.5-2lb per week.

If you want to learn more about how to feel full while eating 1500 calories in a day, you can contact one of our coaches to discuss your goals.

Related Article:

• Eating 1500 Calories A Day And Not Losing Weight (Why)

References

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Greer, S. M., Goldstein, A. N., & Walker, M. P. (2013). The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Nature communications, 4, 2259. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3259

Pradhan, G., Samson, S. L., & Sun, Y. (2013). Ghrelin: much more than a hunger hormone. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 16(6), 619–624. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0b013e328365b9be

Andrade, A.M., Kresge, D.L., Teixeira, P.J. et al. Does eating slowly influence appetite and energy intake when water intake is controlled?. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 9, 135 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-135