1500 Calorie Diet Plan (What I Eat in a Day)

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7 day 1500 calorie macro meal plan with 150 grams of protein, 150 g carbs, and 40 g of fat daily and a printable! Print this meal plan for a one page printable view of the plan, new healthy meal ideas, the shopping list, and the recipes!

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Relationships with food on a Macro Diet Plan

After posting a “before and after” weight loss picture on Instagram, a reader asked how weighing and measuring food affected my relationship with food, and what kind of message that would send to kids in the home. {read my post here about the Non-Diet approach to kids weight loss}

In full transparency, I’ve never suffered from an eating disorder, beyond the typical days of overeating because I’m mad at the world, or because food tastes so good.

After thinking about this question though, I realized there is a big difference between weighing and measuring your food because you have a poor relationship with food, and doing it because you want to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need.

Macro Meal Plan: Aesthetics vs Performance goals

When it comes to healthy eating, I believe your motives determine your food relationship. Because I’m focused right now on a performance goal (build muscle and run fast), I want every ounce of protein, and every gram of carb my body needs for fuel. I also don’t want to overeat, because gaining weight also limits my ability to run fast and see muscle.

When goals are based on aesthetics, I do think the food relationship can get complicated. Rather than eating to perform athletically, you are trying to control your appearance, and that is a losing battle, and not measurable.

So, if you feel like your athletic performance can benefit from a controlled eating plan, read on about my 1500 calorie macro meal plan.

printable for 1500 calorie macro meal plan

1500 Calorie Diet – My Macro Meal Plan

Right now, my macro goals are set by my coach, Shane Heugly. I am competing in another fitness competition in 2021, so I hired him to help me come back to the stage with more muscle. {see my first fitness competition here}. (To calculate your own macros, use my macro calculator here!)

Shane has me eating 150 grams of protein, 150 grams of carbs, and 40 grams of protein [with 225 carbs once a week, although I didn’t include that in this plan].

I’ve listed all the meals with the macros, recipes, and shopping list in a PDF. Print the meal plan here.

Tips and tricks of this 1500 Calorie Meal Plan

For a complete list of my favorite low calorie brands, check out my buying guide here. For products specific to this meal plan, the links are below.

  • Each day I try to have a variety of all the food groups. Protein, grains, fruit, vegetables, and dairy. {see my nutrition basics here}
  • Where I have vanilla protein powder, I use the Optimum Nutrition (ON) Whey you can find at Costco – 130 calories per scoop. Although it’s not on this plan, I also like cookies and cream combat brand from Costco.
  • the Almond milk I use is the unsweetened vanilla almond milk that is 30 calories per cup. They carry this in most brands, even the generic store brand. The important thing to look for is that it’s 30 calories per cup.
  • I like my protein shakes thick like pudding or yogurt. So, you’ll often see xantham gum and sugar free pudding mix added to my protein shakes. This thickens it up so I can eat it with a spoon!
  • When you see chicken, I am using cooked chicken breasts to get the calories and macros. When you see ground beef , I am using 93% cooked lean ground beef. Cooked meat weighs different than raw. When I cook 5 ounces of chicken, I usually end up with 4 ounces of cooked chicken. Therefore, the shopping list has different amounts than the meal plan.
  • The liquid egg whites I get at Costco.
  • I flavor a lot of meals with sugar free maple syrup. I like the Walden farms here.
  • I used the Mayas Tortillas for 80 calories per tortilla)
  • The Bolthouse Ranch dressing I find in the produce department. It’s a yogurt based dressing. (their website is here)
  • If you have questions, or are trying to add these meals to myfitnesspal and it doesn’t add up, let me know because I saved a copy of the myfitnesspal printout.

Click to print 7 day 1500 calorie meal plan

What I eat to get 1500 Calories a Day

Sunday Meal plan 1531 calories, 140 protein, 144 carbs, 35 fat

1 healthy meals for Sunday
  • Breakfast -(Eggs, toast, and fruit) 1 cup Egg whites, 1 egg, 1 ounce cheese, 2 slices bread, and a banana. 547 calories, 41 P/ 58 C/ 14 F
  • Lunch (Chicken salad) Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, 4 oz chicken, 1 ounce feta cheese, croutons, 2 tablespoons Bolthouse dressing, and sugar free Jello (391 calories 45 P / 22 C / 9 F
  • Snack (Protein pudding) 1 scoop ON protein powder, 1 cup almond milk, 0.25 teaspoon xantham gum, 1 Tablespoon sugar free pudding mix. 180 calories, 25 P / 10 C / 4 F
  • Dinner (Ground beef and rice) 1 cup peaches, 4 ounce 93% ground beef, 3 ounces mushrooms, 85 grams riced cauliflower, 1/2 cup white rice. 413 calories, 29 P / 54 C / 8 F

Monday Meal plan 1499 calories, 149 protein, 141 carbs, 39 fat

2 healthy meals for monday
  • Breakfast (Eggs, oatmeal, and fruit) 1 cup egg whites, 1 egg, 1 ounce cheese, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/3 cup oats [dry measurement], sugar free maple syrup 388 calories, 33 P / 35 C / 12 F
  • Lunch (Chicken wrap and fruit) 1 tortilla, 4 ounces chicken breasts, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, light mayo, and an apple. 425 calories, 40 P / 55 C / 6 F
  • Snack (Protein pudding) 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 2/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, sugar free syrup. 315 calories, 46 P / 12 C / 9 F
  • Dinner (Spaghetti zoodles) 4 ounces 93% ground beef, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 250 g spiralized zucchini, 1 dinner roll. 371 calories, 30 P / 39 C / 12 F

Tuesday Meal plan 1552 calories, 153 protein, 146 carbs, 41 fat

3 healthy meals for tuesday
  • Breakfast (Eggs, oatmeal, and fruit) 1/2 cup egg whites, 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 cup raspberries, 1/3 cup oats [dry measurement], sugar free maple syrup 313 calories 32 p / 39 C / 3 F
  • Lunch (Chicken salad) 3 slices turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, 1/2 cup black beans, 4 ounces chicken, 1/2 ounce feta cheese, 2 tablespoons Bolthouse dressing. 457 calories, 54 P / 29 C / 13 F
  • Snack (Protein shake) 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 cup almond milk, 170 grams frozen strawberries. 204 calories, 26 P / 17 C / 5 F
  • Dinner (hamburger and sweet potato fries) 4 ounces beef patty 93% lean, 1 ounce cheese, 1 hamburger bun, lettuce, tomato, 4 ounces broccoli, 100 grams sweet potato. 578 calories, 41 P / 61 C / 20 F {Sweet potato fries recipe here.}

Wednesday Meal plan 1578 calories, 145 protein, 155 carbs, 43 fat

4 healthy meals for Wednesday
  • Breakfast (Kodiak pancakes with peanut butter and banana) 3 tablespoons egg whites, 1/2 cup Kodiak Mix, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 banana, sugar free syrup. 577 calories, 29 P / 68 C / 23 F
  • Lunch (Chicken sandwich) 2 slices bread, 4 ounces chicken, lettuce, tomato, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 medium carrot or baby carrots. 400 calories, 44 P / 43 C / 5 F
  • Snack (Protein pudding) 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon sugar free pudding mix, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder. 270 calories, 42 P / 21 C / 1 F
  • Dinner (Steak and veggies) 4 ounces petite sirloin steak, 4 ounces broccoli, 3 ounces mushrooms, 85 g riced cauliflower. 331 calories, 30 P / 24 C / 14 F

Thursday Meal plan 1492 Calories, 142 Protein, 145 carbs, 40 F

5 healthy meals for thursday
  • Breakfast (Sweet potato pancakes) 100 grams sweet potato, 1/2 cup Kodiak mix, 1 large egg, 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, sugar free syrup. 448 calories, 40 P / 56 C / 7 F
  • Lunch (Tuna wrap) 1 tortilla, 1 5ounce can tuna, 1 tablespoon light mayo, lettuce, 1 ounce cheese, 3 slices turkey bacon, 1 carrot or 4 baby carrots. 414 calories, 36 P / 25 C / 21 F
  • Snack (Protein shake) 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder. 234 calories, 26 P / 25 C / 4 F
  • Dinner (Chicken teriyaki) 4 ounces chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 ounces broccoli, 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce, 1 medium onion, 1/2 cup cooked rice. 393 calories, 40 P/ 39 C / 8 F

Friday Meals 1519 calories, 151 protein, 146 carbs, 36 fat

6 healthy meals for Friday
  • Breakfast (Scrambled eggs, toast and fruit) 1 cup egg whites, 1 large egg, 1 banana, 1 slice bread, 3 ounces mushrooms. 377 calories, 33 P / 45 C / 5 F
  • Lunch (Chicken salad and strawberries) 170 grams strawberries, 1 slice turkey bacon, 5 ounces chicken, 2 tablespoon Bolthouse dressing, lettuce, cucumber, tomato. 380 calories, 50 P / 27 C / 8 F
  • Snack (Protein pudding and popcorn) 3 cups popcorn, 1 cup almond milk, 1 scoop protein powder, 0.25 teaspoon xantham gum. 253 Calories, 29 P / 25 C / 6 F
  • Dinner (Pizza and fruit) 2 slices from recipe for Greek yogurt pizza crust, 4 ounces turkey sausage, 5 slices pepperoni, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, 1 ounce mozzarella cheese, 1 apple. 509 calories, 39 P / 49 C / 36 F

Saturday Meal plan 1497 calories, 140 Protein, 142 carbs, 42 fat

7 healthy meals for Saturday
  • Breakfast (pancakes and eggs) 1/3 recipe for low calorie pancakes, 2 eggs, 1 cup blueberries, sugar free syrup. 443 calories, 39 P / 44 C / 12 F
  • Lunch (Turkey wrap) 1 tortilla, 4 ounces deli turkey, lettuce, 30 grams avocado, 1 ounce cheese, 1 cup strawberries. 409 calories, 31 P / 42 C / 14 F
  • Snack (Protein yogurt pudding) 1 scoop protein powder, 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon sugar free pudding mix. 250 calories, 43 P / 16 C / 2 F
  • Dinner (Beef and Broccoli) 4 ounces sirloin steak, 1 cup broccoli, 1 T soy sauce, 1/2 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup pineapple. 395 Calories, 27 P / 40 C / 14 F

Download the 1500 Calories a Day Meal Plan (Macro Friendly)

I created an entire printable for this 1500 calorie macro meal plan. It has a one page print out of the meals, the shopping list, the notes, the recipes, and all the calculated calories and macros.

Printable Link here!

1500 calorie macro meal plan with free printable for shopping list and recipes

So sorry for the terrible quality on the video!! Definitely not my talent to make videos. lol

CLICK NEXT FOR MY 1200 CALORIE HIGH PROTEIN, LOW CARB MEAL PLAN!

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142 Comments

  1. Hi! Is there a calculator for me to know what my calories/macros should be? Do you time meals around your workouts? How many miles do you run on this calorie/macros plan? THX!

    1. ​Yes! I have a calculator right here
      https://healthbeet.org/weight-loss/macro-counting/

      ​I can also help you if you want to tell me your height/weight, and your goals!

      Also, I eat as soon as I finish working out! So, right when I get home (8ish or 9am).
      On 1500 calories, I usually run between 4-6 miles per day. If I’m training for a marathon, I’ll add carbs during the run though (like 25 grams every 45 minutes). And usually about 100 g of extra carbs before the run.

  2. If you are prepping for just yourself, how much extra food is left at the end of the week. For example if you only need 1/4 of black beans but need to purchase either a can or a bag of beans.

    1. Almost nothing is leftover, because I will put a meal on repeat for several days in a row!  So a 7 day plan for me, can last 3 weeks, because I eat the first day of meals for a few days, and then move on.
      Does that make sense?  So for example, If I have the chicken salad for lunch and it uses 4 ounces of chicken, I’ll eat that lunch 4 days in a row to eat one pound of chicken that I may have purchased. 

  3. Hi Amy! How do you cook your chicken? Do you use any oil or seasoning at all? Does seasoning throw off the macros much?

  4. I noticed that your highest calorie meal is breakfast. Is this intentional? Do you find yourself to be less hungry later in the day when you have a larger breakfast?

    I’m using you as my inspiration. I’m in my early 30s and I’ve been squishy my entire life, but I have started lifting with my husband and I want to be able to see those gains!! Thanks for sharing your story and all these resources. 🙂

    1. Hi Lacey!
      YES! I’m hungriest in the mornings because I workout fasted usually. So by the time breakfast arrives, I want to eat a lot. I do think it helps me stave off hunger the rest of the day!
      Keep me posted on your progress! I’m so excited you’re lifting!

      Amy

  5. I’m so glad I came across this page! I am going to start this plan this week for me and my teenage daughter who is struggling with food right now. Can you send the PDF’s? I tried to submit my email address and nothing came through for me to download. Thanks!!

  6. I’m calculating 463 calories for Monday’s breakfast plus 15 for sugar free syrup. How do you get the 388 calories?

  7. Hi, not sure if you are still monitoring this post, but I want to thank you for sharing your menu plan. I can see a lot of work went into the creation. I’m going to give it go. I didn’t see any beverages listed but if you could clarify wether you drink any coffee or tea, that would help. I usually have coffee with a spot of cream but maybe this throws my macros off? Thank you

    1. Hi Tanya!!I monitor EVERYTHING. haha.And thanks for your kind words.  I really try to share what’s working for me, and hope it will  help others.
      I drink A LOT!!! As long as there are minimal calories, I think drinking has helped me stay on my plan without being hungry more than anything.  While I don’t drink coffee or tea, I do drink a lot of flavored drink packets, soda stream drinks, BCAA’s, and more.  If you just have a spot of cream, you’ll still meet your goals.
      Thanks for the question and good luck!

  8. It’s the whites I have an intolerance to. Plus, I don’t care for eggs. I tried them different ways and I still get sick from them.

  9. I have an intolerance to eggs. What can I substitute for the eggs? If the eggs are mixed into a recipe, I don’t have a problem, depending on the ratio.

    1. Hi KathieI really rely on egg whites quite a bit to get enough protein while also eating lower calories. So it’s a tough one to replace.If I were you, I’d use the protein pancakes as the substitute, and put them on repeat!
      Amy

  10. I have a food intolerance to oats sadly….is there anything you can recommend as a substitute for oatmeal? Also the pancake mix you use which I believe has oat flour in it if I’m not mistaken. Thanks so much!

  11. Thank you for this, Amy! Question – for the Tuesday breakfast, do you mix the greek yogurt in the egg whites for your omelette, or in the oats? Either one sounds yummy to me but was just curious how you do it. Thank you!

  12. I’ve tried twice to have the printable versions of this sent to me, but nothing ever comes through. Could you please send those to me? This is the exact calories & macros I need! Thank you so much!

      1. May I have a copy too? I tried it several times and I can’t access it. This is an excellent tool I want to refer back too.

  13. Curious what 1/3 cup dry oatmeal is cooked? I make a big batch of oatmeal for my family at breakfast, so I’m at a loss for what my proper portion of oatmeal cooked should be for this meal plan.

    1. It’s close to 1/2 cup of cooked oatmeal for me. It really depends on how much liquid you use and how long you let it sit. It tends to grow the longer it sits and absorbs liquid.
      But, a good guess would be 1/2 cup!

      Thanks

  14. This is so great! Following this plan this week. I love the ease of the shopping list and very specific already planned out meals. For a full time working mom this is great! Anyway to get more meal plans in the 1500 calorie range with high protein(even for purchase)? I’d gladly purchase to take the guesswork out!

    1. Hi Valerie!!
      I AM Starting to take pictures of my meals for the next month, since I am eating 1500 calories right now.
      So, soon, I’ll have one to sell, it’s just not ready yet.

      Thanks for your comments! I’m so glad you found me.

      Amy

  15. I’m counting macros but seem to be all over the place. Love your blog every time I stumble upon it. I’ll be trying this meal plan for a week to help me get my numbers ironed out a bit and get used to what I can be eating. One quick question, on the days you use bread do you have a preferred brand/type?

  16. Hey! I plan on trying this meal plan or your 1200 calorie meal plan, I haven’t decided which one will work best for me yet but I was wondering if you could send the myfitnesspal tracking pdf? thank you!!

  17. Hello Amy!
    I came across your page and omgoodness it’s exactly what I was looking for! I’ve been struggling on ideas of what to eat. Only thing is I’m working with a trainer and my marcos are a smidge off from the meals you posted. Do you offer custom meal plans? I’m willing to pay, I’m determined to get the hang of this and ensure I’m consuming the correct marcos.

  18. Hi Amy!

    Love the way this plan looks but I’m unable to print off from the link. Can you please send me the PDF for the 1500 cal plan?

    Thanks so much for helping sooooo many!!! ❤️

    Cheers,
    Melissa

  19. Can you please send me the pdf? I would like to start doing this meal plan it’s looks very good.!
    Thank you

  20. I’m starting a competition and want to gain muscle. I haven’t the slightest idea how to count macros, or feed my body the fuel necessary to accomplish this goal. Will you please send your pdf.

    1. Hi Amy, I am 61 and have put on menopause weight. I am trying to get on the more protein program, but I find it’s affecting my running. I just don’t have the running mojo on this type of diet. Do you eventually adjust?

      1. ​Hi Sue!
        Are you saying that you run best with more carbs than protein? I actually do think you adjust. But, because I’m big into running, I rarely cut out carbs. Limit them, yes! But never cut them out. I stack most of my carbs around my run. For example, a banana before my run and oatmeal after the run. Most days, I am low in carbs just for dinner, and right before bed.

  21. I am trying to meal plan for 20% carbs 40% protein 40% Fat
    1500 calorie 75g carbs, 150g protein, 67g fat
    I have no idea how to start, I was looking at this but it is too many carbs, any tips?
    Thank You!!!

    1. Sam!
      If you are worried about the carbs, I would start with a minor tweak and just replace one serving of carbs during the day with a serving of protein. That would bring your carbs down by about 20grams, and your protein up 20 grams. You can do this through fruit or grains, your choice.

  22. I’d love the meal plan PDF as well if you don’t mind! It looks so nutritional and well balanced- great work and thank you!

  23. These look beautiful! Can you please send me your MyFitnessPal PDFs and meal plan PDFs?
    And anything else you think I need! Bless you!

  24. Hello Amy,

    could you also please send me a copy of your myfitnesspal PDF. I’ve just started tracking and it really helps to see the specifics that you logged to get my numbers right!

    Thanks for all the great plans, just what someone like me needed!

  25. First off thank you!! Recipes are simple and taste amazing. Not just the typical broccoli,, chicken, egg whites, and sweet potato meal planning that I always come across. Sweet potato pancake were a disaster. If you have a waffle maker, I highly recommend using that to make it. Could never get the right consistency for pancake even after 4 tries.

  26. Hi! Love all your recipes. Thank you for sharing. I wasn’t able to access the 1500 calorie meal plan through your site. Could you send it to me so I can print it? Thank you!
    Monica

  27. Having trouble with the links! Looking for the shopping list and myfitnesspal info. Excited to try this plan…..just found out that Kodiak makes a gluten free version of their pancake mix…..hoping I can use that. I have Celiac.

      1. Hi Amy! Love these meal plans!! Could you tell me cheese you suggest? Specially for the meal plan with the burger?

        Thank you,
        Britt

        1. Hi Brittany!
          I used 1 ounce of colby jack cheese for that burger. But now, I actually like the sargento brand “thin sliced” cheese. They slice it into half ounce slices, so you get half the calories. I think it tastes just as good!

  28. Hello,
    I’m just starting out. I’m switching from WW points to focus more on macros. WW is no longer working for me since turning 50. I’m thinking my biggest problem is not eating enough protein & eating too many carbs (fruits). Could you send me your PDF meal plans? Thank you so much for the great info.

  29. Hi there, when you weigh your meats out are they cooked already or raw? I would also love the 1500 & 1200 meal plan along with MyFitnessPal details if you don’t mind. Thank you!!!!

        1. Great meal plan. Haven’t started yet but, I intend to lose 70 lbs. by my 69th birthday next September so I can encourage others. Thanks I also would like to have the 1200 calorie plan. 💖

  30. Hi! Can I get the pdf for the meal plan please? This helps a lot and is in line with my macros goals too!! THANK YOU!

  31. Hi! Could you send me your fitness pal plan? I’m new to all this but your blog has great information! Thank you!!

      1. Hi! Can you share your pdfs too? Started tracking a few days ago gotta start weight training… been noticing my carbs are too high and protein too low (vegetarian/fish,
        160lbs…5’2” goal to be at least 135!! Thank you

  32. Your meal plan spells it all out for me! So much easier to understand and with foods I actually eat. This is my plan for next week! Thank you

  33. Amy, Could you send me the print out for the 1,500 calorie 7 day plan please? Never got the email and checked all folders. Thanks!

  34. I have been trying macros, and your plan puts it into such a simple format to follow. I struggled in the past with getting enough protein on a 40/40/20 split while also balancing food groups and your macros are almost identical to mine! It would be helpful if I could see your MyFitnessPal layout, too. Where can we see that? Thank you for this! I’m doing this meal plan next week.

  35. Do you track all your meals in MyFitnessPal? This is where is find it the hardest. It is so overwhelming with all of the selections and knowing which one is the most accurate. Do you share your tracking with MyFitnessPal?

  36. Wow! I’m so excited to find your site🎉. I eat a 40:40:20 split and has always been so perfect for me. I’m excited to read all your content and follow you on social media. Thank you fir all your wonderful healthy info. ☺️🙏🏻 💪🏻 🙌

  37. Why does this balance of Macros accomplish? I’m still figuring the balance I need and I think this would cut body fat while maintaining muscle. Was this your intent? Thanks

    1. For me, it was fat loss maintenance and muscle growth. I reached my goal weight, now just looking to put on some muscle without gaining fat.
      This might not be a good fit for you though. I’d recommend talking with a registered dietitian to determine your personal macro requirements.

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