Menu for 500 calories per day for a week, a month with recipes for weight loss from simple products

Some diets require the unthinkable of us, and trying to survive on a 500-calorie-a-day menu is one of them. In an effort to lose weight as quickly as possible, many people look for extreme eating plans that promise quick results. And while it's possible to stick to a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) for a short time, it's not the type of plan you should try without medical supervision. Before you decide on a specific diet, be sure to do your research and ask a lot of questions. There are many plans that can help you achieve your goals without depriving yourself of the nutrients you need.

Rules for the 500 calorie per day diet

The 500 calorie per day diet is one of the most effective weight loss methods. Its main principle is the selection of products for daily nutrition of no more than 500 calories. This is not enough for an adult, so this diet is short-lived.

For it to be effective, you must adhere to the following rules:

to calculate the energy value of dishes, you need to separately calculate the calorie content of each ingredient;
You can stick to this diet for no more than 3 days, because a significant reduction in calorie intake is a stressful situation for the body;
This technique does not have great limitations in products. The main thing is not to exceed the permitted limit;
fried and fatty foods are completely excluded;
The basis of nutrition is porridge and protein dishes.

The 500 calorie per day menu can be varied and it is not necessary to consume only one product. You can do fasting days no more than 2-3 times a week, depending on the result you want to achieve.

What foods should you eat and what should you cut out of your 500 calorie diet?

It is possible and necessary to eat on a 500 calorie diet with such restrictions more fully and densely. At the same time, you should choose high-quality products that not only satisfy hunger, but also bring useful substances to the body.

Advantages and disadvantages

This diet has its pros and cons that need to be taken into account when choosing the appropriate method for losing weight.

pros	Minuses
The body is cleansed of waste and toxins.	This way of eating is stressful for the body.
In a short time you can lose up to 5-7 kg.	Due to a calorie deficit, a feeling of weakness occurs, so training on fasting days is undesirable.
The menu is varied	Problems may arise in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
This diet can be used as a fasting diet and you can eat according to this scheme 2 times a week.	The condition of the skin, hair and nails worsens.
For some people, restricting food intake can become psychologically stressful.

Despite the fact that there are more disadvantages than advantages, this technique is popular. Some people tolerate food restrictions well and this is not a problem for them. This diet is often used as a fasting diet to quickly bring your figure back to normal.

Recommendations for the duration of compliance

To make any sense from unloading, you need to follow these rules:

Do not do it for 2 days in a row; it is better to stick to the 5 to 2 scheme, i.e. no more than two such days a week.
Additionally, take a vitamin-mineral complex.
If you feel hungry, first drink a glass of water, and if it doesn’t go away, then eat something, for example, a couple of walnuts.
Drink at least 8 glasses of clean, still water daily. This will help not only effectively lose weight, but also improve your well-being.
Have snacks with low-calorie fruits, such as tangerines - there are only 330 units per kilogram, and bananas are high-calorie foods.
A food diary helps you control your weight, where you need to enter data about your daily diet.
It is undesirable to eat after 16:00 on fasting days.

Effect on the body

A 500 calorie per day menu is not suitable for a daily diet, because a longer diet will have a negative effect on the body. The positive effect is rapid weight loss in a short period of time, the body is cleansed of toxins and waste due to accelerated metabolism.

But also a significant restriction of calorie intake can cause the following negative processes in the body:

a constant feeling of hunger leads to general weakness of the body, so it will not be possible to engage in sports activities on this day;
due to low content, chronic diseases may worsen;
due to a lack of vitamins, the condition of the skin, hair and nails worsens;
Restricting food intake can cause stress, depressed mood and irritability.

Therefore, nutritionists do not recommend limiting your diet for a long time. It is better to use this method for a couple of fasting days, and the rest of the time stick to a balanced diet in combination with physical activity.

Sunday

Number of kilocalories: 1646 kcal

Breakfast

Strawberries – 100 g
Yogurt without additives – 300 g
Honey – 10 g

Finely chop the strawberries and mix with yogurt, add honey.

Snack

Pear – 200 g
Honey – 20 g
Walnuts – 30 g

Cut the pears into halves, scoop out the pulp with a spoon and mix with nuts and honey. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with black or green tea.

Spaghetti – 100 g
Tuna in its own juice – 100 g
Green peas – 100 g
Olive oil – 10 g

Boil spaghetti, mix with tuna and peas, add oil.

Snack

Yogurt without additives – 150 g
Apple – 100 g

Eat alone or mix yogurt with chopped apple.

This diet will boost your immunity and remove excess fats before winter.

During the off-season, it is important not to limit yourself in vitamins and minerals so that the body does not experience a deficiency. Diets at this time will be ineffective, because before winter our metabolism also “falls asleep.” An autumn dinner should be complete, but not excessive.

To have enough energy you need carbohydrates. And not simple ones, as in bread, but complex ones, as in cereals, herbs, vegetables and fruits. Nutritionists categorically do not recommend limiting them in the fall. They are absorbed slowly and do not affect sugar levels. Fiber gives a long-term feeling of fullness and does not contain many calories. The proportion of fish and quality meat in the diet should be increased. You should definitely eat citrus fruits - they contain vitamin C and antioxidants.

Nutritionist Marina Kopytko recommends a simple autumn rule: fruits in the morning and lunch, and 3 colorful vegetables for dinner. Dinner 3-4 hours before bedtime and no more than 500 kcal.

Contraindications, side effects

The 500 calorie per day menu is not for everyone.

It belongs to the strict category, and any restriction in products has contraindications:

chronic and acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys and liver;
reduced immunity;
periods of pregnancy and lactation.

Also, this technique is not suitable for people already following another diet recommended for medical reasons, children and adolescents.

Severely restricting calorie intake leads to side effects.

They may appear immediately or later:

disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract can cause diseases;
eating disorders - overeating or bulimia;
decreased appetite;
weakened immunity;
Decreased glucose causes dizziness and headaches.

Because of these side effects, this diet has many opponents. Therefore, before starting fasting days, it is worth assessing all its pros and cons and health status.

Cyclical diet vs. Traditional diet

Although research into cyclical dieting is relatively new, there is evidence that calorie cycling has the potential to maintain satiety, maintain normal leptin levels and optimal metabolic rate, and promote the production of muscle-building hormones, including particularly testosterone. Additionally, calorie cycling may result in greater fat burning than the traditional diet model.

A study published in the International Journal of Preventive Medicine compared the effectiveness of traditional and cyclical approaches to dieting. The study alternated the stimulation of first an 11-day deficit, then a 3-day deficit, and then 3 days of a typical linear calorie deficit. The four-week study was followed by two weeks during which the subjects consumed a normal amount of calories. Scientists, in turn, were able to observe how subjects from different groups “recovered” after a period of diet.

Although members of both diet groups lost weight, subjects in the calorie cycling group lost an average of 1.3 kg more weight. They also regained almost 1 kg less weight during the normal calorie intake phase. If these differences don't seem significant enough to you, note that the study only lasted four weeks. In theory, if we extrapolate these results to a standard diet or competition prep phase of 12-20 weeks, we would get a difference of 6.5 kg of lost weight and almost 3 kg of weight regained.

One possible explanation for the difference in weight loss is related to changes in resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is a key factor in long-term weight maintenance. In the group of subjects following the traditional diet, there was a greater decrease in RMR. Every day for four weeks, on average, members of this group burned about 40 fewer calories than subjects who cyclically consumed calories.

If these results were extended to a standard diet of three to four months, it is not difficult to calculate that the difference in calorie expenditure between the two groups over time could be more than 100 calories. This caloric excess, maintained over a long period of time, can contribute to the development of obesity.

Allowed foods

The menu for 500 calories a day can be varied, the main condition is to use permitted products:

almost all vegetables and fruits;

The 500 calorie per day menu consists mainly of vegetables and fruits
seasonal berries;
lean meat (chicken, turkey);
fish with low fat content;
low-fat kefir;
eggs;
tea;
coffee;
cereals with low starch content.

You can eat all foods that contain no fat and little starch. These should be foods high in protein.

What are calories

Calories measure any energy, including that obtained from food. The body spends it to ensure vital functions, to perform certain reactions, etc. Many people may ask: “How will this information help me lose weight?”

If you ask any nutritionist or athlete, they will confidently answer: in order to lose weight, you need to spend more calories than the body receives. Therefore, you need to calculate how much energy a person spends per day, and based on this, select the daily calorie intake.

Prohibited Products

Any diet involves restrictions on foods, and the “500 calories a day” method is no exception.

Prohibited for use:

smoked meats;
foods high in fat;
all dairy products, except low-fat kefir;
sweet;
flour products;
carbonated drinks;
juices;
compotes with added sugar;
fried foods;
cereals and vegetables with a high starch content.

For the diet to bring results, all of the above foods must be excluded from your diet.

Contraindications and dangers of diet

Fasting days benefit every person, but not with 2 or more days of 500 kcal per day. To avoid becoming a victim of negative consequences, you need to know about the contraindications of the diet. It is not used if:

reduced immune defense;
stomach diseases in acute or chronic form;
special dietary nutrition for the treatment of various pathologies.

When carrying a child and breastfeeding, it is not recommended to limit yourself to a 500-calorie diet. When cutting calories, a person may encounter side effects, which in most cases do not occur immediately. These include:

nausea;
vomiting;
loss of appetite;
weakening of the body's protective function;
increased sensitivity to infectious diseases;
development of gastrointestinal diseases.

These phenomena cannot be ignored, as they are dangerous to health, therefore, if a negative reaction of the body occurs, it is necessary to abandon the diet.

Diet planning and calorie calculation

A 500 calorie per day menu should consist of low-carb foods. When compiling a diet, it is necessary to take into account the calorie content of each ingredient if it is a complex dish. To calculate, you will need a table in which the weight of the product and its energy value will be recorded.

Calculating the calorie content of dishes requires an individual approach, which takes into account weight and height. It is necessary to subtract 100 from the height indicator and compare it with the weight indicators. By following this diet, you can lose up to 1 kg per day.

There are fasting days when you eat only one food. But this is a very strict version of this technique, which is suitable only for those who do not have health problems and the body is already prepared for food restrictions.

Calorizer

Since not everyone likes to count, an online calorie calculator was created to simplify the calorie counting system. In order to calculate the energy value of a product or a whole dish, it is enough to indicate everything eaten in it. And in a second the result is ready.

But the online calorie calculator is far from the only one; there are many more quick ways. Applications for smartphones, tablets and computer programs. They can show not only the calorie content of an individual product, but also an entire dish with a large number of ingredients. For example, you don’t need to count each component, you can just type the name of the salad - and the result is ready.

Examples of a 500 calorie per day diet menu

The 500 calorie per day menu can be varied, so this technique is often chosen by those who have never been on a diet. The main condition is to count the calories of each product so that the diet brings results.

For 1 day

If you need to quickly lose 1-2 kg per day, then you can arrange a mono-diet of 500 calories per day. The peculiarity of this option is that the daily diet consists of only one product.

In order not to cause harm to health, it is necessary to choose the right product for such unloading:

Buckwheat with kefir is the most popular option for a 500-calorie mono-diet. A 100 g serving of boiled buckwheat provides 105 calories, and low-fat kefir - up to 30 calories;
Another popular option is chocolate. Cocoa helps remove excess fluid from the body, resulting in weight loss of 1-1.5 kg. At one time, 100 g of dark chocolate (75%) and green tea are allowed. One chocolate bar should be divided into 5 parts;
The most severe and stressful option for the body is drinking fasting. It is allowed to consume only liquids - water, broths, compotes, decoctions, infusions.

Before carrying out such a mono-diet, it is better to consult a specialist so as not to harm your health.

For 3 days

Nutritionists believe that 3 days is the optimal duration of this diet. During this time, you will be able to lose extra pounds without harm to your health.

Here is a sample menu:

for breakfast - any low-starch cereal porridge and an apple;
for second breakfast - grapefruit;
lunch - 100 g of boiled poultry, cucumber;
for an afternoon snack - 100 g of low-fat cottage cheese;
for dinner - 100 g of baked fish, tomato.

You can drink unlimited quantities of water because it contains no calories. And other drinks should already be included in the calorie count.

For 4 days

When creating a 500-calorie menu for 4 days, you can use the diet suggested above as a basis. On day 4, it is permissible to boil 2 eggs for breakfast, and a grapefruit or apple for the second breakfast. You can have 100 g of poultry and a tomato for lunch, an orange for an afternoon snack, and 2 baked apples without sugar for dinner.

For a week

If a person plans to limit his diet during the week, then he needs to arrange 1-2 fasting days of 500 calories per day. Otherwise, such a diet can harm the body. On other days, nutrition should be balanced and correct.

For breakfast you can make porridge and light vegetable salads, omelettes. For lunch, nutritionists recommend preparing cream soups and vegetable soups. Or replace them with vegetable salads. For dinner you can stew vegetables, poultry and lean fish. Bread can be replaced with fruit. In addition to water, it is also allowed to drink green tea and low-fat kefir, unsweetened compote.

A properly designed menu is the main condition for the effectiveness of the “500 calories a day” diet. This method of losing weight creates a stressful situation for the body, so if you adhere to it, you need to monitor the general well-being of the body. If you constantly have a headache, a feeling of weakness, or dizziness, you should increase the serving size towards higher energy value.

Menu for three days

If you have a hard time on fasting days, try:

The first day

First breakfast: boil two eggs, half a grapefruit;
Second breakfast: make a salad of two hundred and fifty grams of fresh vegetables, season with soy sauce;
Lunch: boil chicken fillet, one hundred grams and make a salad of two hundred grams of fresh vegetables;
Dinner: two hundred milliliters of broth, two hundred milliliters of low-fat yogurt.

Second day

First breakfast: half a grapefruit, fifty grams of low-fat cottage cheese, season with twenty-five grams of low-fat sour cream;
Second breakfast: drink two hundred milliliters of low-fat kefir and eat twenty grams of prunes;
Lunch: stew fifty grams of champignons, seventy grams of chicken fillet, season with soy sauce;
Dinner: make a salad of boiled chicken breast and fresh cucumbers, add soy sauce. Serving size is approximately two hundred and fifty grams.

Day three

First breakfast: make sliced tomatoes and cucumbers weighing one hundred grams and season with twenty grams of low-fat sour cream, boil two eggs;
Second breakfast: eat one grapefruit;
Lunch: stew two hundred and fifty grams of vegetables (tomatoes, beans, zucchini, broccoli, celery, white cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) and season with soy sauce. Boil seventy grams of chicken fillet;
Dinner: two hundred milliliters of one percent kefir and one hundred grams of lean boiled meat of your choice.

Dietary recipes for weight loss from simple products

Most of the foods in this diet are allowed, so the menu can be varied. Therefore, it is psychologically easier for people to tolerate dietary restrictions.

Fruit and vegetable salad from feta cheese with yogurt

This salad is suitable for breakfast or lunch.

To prepare it you will need:

150 g low-fat cheese;
150 g of Chinese cabbage;
2 apples;
orange;
2 cucumbers;
150-200 g low-fat yogurt.

Having prepared all the above ingredients, you can start preparing this light salad:

All ingredients must be cut into large cubes, after peeling the vegetables and fruits.
Mix everything and season with yogurt.

The energy value of 100 g of salad is 150-200 calories. This salad also contains vitamins that the body especially needs during a diet.

Watercress and orange salad

Another option for a light breakfast and lunch is a salad of watercress and oranges.

It is prepared from the following ingredients:

200 g watercress;
200 g oranges;
20 ml olive oil.

This dish is very easy to prepare:

You need to remove the zest from the orange, then divide it into slices. Then you need to remove the thin film from the slices and collect the juice in a separate bowl - this will be needed for salad dressing.
Cut the orange slices into two parts and chop the watercress coarsely.
For dressing, mix the resulting orange juice with olive oil. All ingredients must be mixed.

A 100 g serving of this salad contains 170 calories.

Escarole salad with vegetables

Escarole contains a large amount of vitamins necessary for the body. A salad with it is ideal for this diet.

To prepare it you will need:

escarole salad;
fennel;
cucumber;
a bunch of radishes;
olive oil;
vinegar.

This salad is very light and improves body tone, which is important for a low-calorie diet.

Cooking steps:

All vegetables must be cut into thin strips.
Then you need to sprinkle them with vinegar and olive oil and mix everything

100 g of this dish contains only 70 calories.

Chard salad

Chard leaf salad should also be included in your diet for people who adhere to this technique. They contain vitamins necessary for the normal functioning of the body.

To prepare this healthy salad you will need:

chard leaves;
tomato;
Bell pepper;
cucumber;
parsley;
olive oil - 30 ml;
half a lemon.

Having prepared everything you need, you can start cooking:

Cut all vegetables into thin strips; chard leaves can be torn into large pieces. Finely chop the parsley.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the olive oil.
Add everything to the vegetables and herbs and mix.

The result is a light and healthy salad that is suitable for breakfast or lunch.

Cream of mushroom soup

For lunch you can prepare not only salads, but also dietary vegetable soups.

To prepare mushroom puree soup you will need:

500 g champignons;
30 g butter;
bulb;
garlic clove;
greens, salt, pepper.

To prepare, you will also need a mixer or blender to grind until mushy.

Cooking steps:

You need to cut the mushrooms, onions and garlic into cubes.
Then you need to pour 1-1.5 liters of water into the pan and cook the vegetables until tender.
Then they need to be beaten with butter until the consistency of puree or cream. Add herbs, salt and pepper.

There are 100 calories in 1 serving of Cream of Mushroom Soup.

Onion soup

Onion soup can be chosen for fasting monodays. It contains large amounts of vitamins A, C and E.

To prepare it you need to prepare:

6-7 pcs. Luke;
1 kg of white cabbage;
3 tomatoes;
3 sweet bell peppers;
celery.

Having prepared all the necessary ingredients, you can start preparing the onion soup:

All vegetables must be finely chopped and placed in a pan with cold water.
Place the pan over medium heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. If the vegetables are not ready, turn down the heat, cover the pan with a lid and continue cooking until done.
Sprinkle the finished dish with herbs. To enhance the taste, you can add spices, salt and pepper.

The resulting broth can be stored for a week. 1 liter of onion soup contains 500 calories.

Low-calorie borscht

The peculiarity of dietary borscht is the absence of meat and minimal roasting of vegetables. This soup is suitable for lunch during a low-calorie diet.

To prepare this borscht you will need:

beet;
2 onions;
carrot;
tomato paste;
bell pepper;
200 g white cabbage;
garlic clove;
salt, pepper, bay leaf.

There are no potatoes in this borscht recipe, because foods containing large amounts of starch are prohibited on a low-calorie diet.

Cooking steps:

Pour water into the pan and place on medium heat.
Then you need to cut the cabbage into thin strips and put it in boiling water.
Next you need to chop the carrots, onions and peppers for frying. Pour a little olive oil into a frying pan and fry the onion first. Then you need to add carrots and peppers.
Grate the beets and add them to the vegetables in the pan. The roast must be simmered for 5 minutes.
Then you need to add 4 tbsp to the vegetables. tomato paste and a glass of broth. Cook everything until the water boils down.
When the cabbage is almost ready, you need to add the frying agent and cook everything until the vegetables are completely cooked. You also need to add spices and bay leaves and garlic passed through a press to the broth.

Decorate the finished dish with herbs, you can add low-fat sour cream.

Creamy vegetable soup

Creamy vegetable soup is also a popular recipe for a low-calorie diet.

Any vegetables with low starch content are suitable for its preparation:

tomato;
zucchini;
cucumber;
half an onion;
1-2 tbsp. olive oil;
salt pepper.

To puree all the vegetables you will need a blender.

Cooking steps:

All vegetables must be peeled. To make it easier to peel the tomatoes, you need to scald them with boiling water.
Pour water into the pan and place on medium heat.
All vegetables must be finely grated.
Pour olive oil into a deep frying pan and fry the onion over medium heat. Then you need to add the rest of the vegetables to it and saute them for 4-5 minutes.
Frying must be filled with boiling water, add spices and leave everything on low heat for another 10 minutes.
Then you need to grind everything with a blender to a cream or puree.

Garnish the finished dish with herbs and serve. This recipe is also suitable for a regular menu, only when serving you can add croutons or sour cream.

Risotto with vegetables

Risotto with vegetables is a favorite dish of those who watch their figure. There are 140 calories per 100 g.

For cooking you will need the following products:

1.5 cups rice;
2 onions;
2 carrots;
2 zucchini;
2 cloves of garlic;
3 tbsp. olive oil;
10 g butter;
greenery;
200 g frozen green peas;
50 g Parmesan cheese;
salt pepper.

Having prepared all the ingredients, you can start preparing the risotto:

All vegetables need to be peeled and cut into small cubes, and the greens should also be finely chopped.
Pour water over all chopped vegetables and place the pan over medium heat.
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter and fry the onion. Then you need to add half a glass of water and simmer over low heat for 1.5 minutes.
You need to add rice to the onion and simmer together for another 1.5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Then the rice needs to be poured with vegetable broth and cooked until half cooked, about 20 minutes.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic until golden brown, gradually adding vegetables and spices to them, stirring constantly.
Then the vegetables, along with butter and Parmesan, are added to the rice and stirred until the risotto becomes a viscous consistency.

If your diet allows, then during cooking you can add dry white wine rather than water to the onions.

Shrimp with polenta

Classic shrimp with polenta is a fairly high-calorie dish. If you are on a low-calorie diet, you should avoid bacon because it is a high-calorie product. The peculiarity of preparing polenta is the addition of cheese during the cooking process. The shrimp and mushrooms are simply fried in a pan and added to the polenta.

Salmon in tortilla breading with rice

This is a variation of the Mexican dish - tortillas with rice and chicken. This option is suitable for those who want to add variety to their diet. Fried pieces of salmon and rice with tomatoes are wrapped in tortilla.

Pork and potatoes with cherry chutney

Pork with potatoes with cherry chutney is a high-calorie dish, so you can eat it in small portions. Chutney is an Indian sauce whose main ingredients are cherries, red onions and apples.

This sauce is ideal for meat dishes such as pork. Potatoes are also a suitable side dish, but it is better to replace them with vegetables.

Pasta with eggplant

Pasta with eggplant is another popular dish among those losing weight. Eggplants need to be fried until al dente to preserve their vitamins. You can also sprinkle the finished eggplant pasta with cheese.

Oat pancake

Oatmeal pancake is a suitable option for a diet breakfast. They prepare it like a regular pancake, only if you grind the oatmeal in a blender, the dish will be more tender.

Cucumber and whey drink

A drink made from cucumbers and whey has a tonic effect and restores strength. And one glass contains only 30-45 calories, so you can drink it instead of kefir or water.

A menu with a significant restriction in the diet can be varied, which helps to better cope with psychological discomfort during the diet. The “500 calories a day” weight loss method is strict, so you cannot stick to it for a long time. Nutritionists advise using it as a “unloading” for the body.

Some low-calorie dishes from the menu for the week

Some dishes should be written separately so that preparation does not cause difficulties.

Oatmeal pancake

For oatmeal pancake you will need ½ egg, 20 g oatmeal, 30 g milk, a pinch of salt. The ingredients are mixed and whipped using a blender until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Next, it is poured onto a heated non-stick frying pan and fried on both sides. You can use different products for the filling, or eat it just like that.

Creamy vegetable soup

Carrots and onions are finely chopped and stewed in a small amount of water. Next, add zucchini and peas, add water and cook until the vegetables are soft. Once ready, puree the mixture using an immersion blender. Serve with croutons or bread.

Pike cutlets

Peel the pike from skin and large bones, cut into pieces and pass through a meat grinder. Add egg, salt, pepper, and seasoning to taste to the minced fish. If the minced meat turns out to be liquid, then it is recommended to add a little rice flour to give it shape. Then form cutlets and steam them.

Risotto with vegetables

To prepare you will need rice, green peas, corn, sweet bell pepper. Pour some vegetable oil into a frying pan and heat. Add rice there and fry until golden brown. Then add water and cook until half cooked. Add vegetables, salt, cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Can be served as a separate dish or as a side dish.