Therefore the 1500 calorie diet is not as difficult to follow as even a 1200 calorie diet for the simple reason that if you eat a majority of healthy, low-fat foods you can be well within target and still enjoy a few snacks or extras here and there.
Obviously those snacks and extras will not be unhealthy, fatty or loaded with sugars, but the 1500 calorie diet does offer a little more flexibility or quantity of food and this makes it a popular and effective choice. It's easy to understand why it would be popular but what makes it effective? Surely those extra calories actually slow down the weight-loss process?
No, because it is much easier to stick to the 1500 calorie diet for longer as it is that little bit less restrictive. The fact is that 'lifestyle' dieting is always going to be more effective than 'crash' dieting for losing weight permanently. 'Instant weight loss' is usually followed by 'instant weight gain' - so a sudden drop in your calorie intake will probably not leave you in the great shape you were hoping.
Think instead of making long-term health choices such as fat-free dairy, fruit as a dessert and sugar-free drinks. By cutting down the background calories in your diet you will have much less work to do to bring your normal food intake within the 1500-calorie limits. With a low-fat, low-sugar healthy lifestyle, your weight loss will be much easier - and you'll keep the weight off, too.
So what sort of foods make up the 1500 calorie diet? Basically, all your normal healthy foods, with some of them limited to smaller quantities. That would mean, for example, that you would still eat breakfast cereal, but in a small bowl with a controlled quantity of skimmed milk; and you could enjoy an occasional take-away meal if you select it carefully and don't overeat. Fruit juice, cereal bars, even sausages and beans would all be admissible on a 1500 calorie diet so long as they are balanced with other foods to total the right number of calories.
