Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

Those who want to lose weight often struggle with the fact that they have to give up on food. However, if you still want to enjoy your meals, why don’t you choose low-calorie soups in your diet? You will surely see that even a healthy soup can be a great alternative for a meal. Now, this article will provide you with some of our best low calorie soups recipes so that you can lose weight without depriving yourself of the great taste and good nutrition that these dishes offer.

The soup diet is one of the oldest weight loss diets. It is low in calories and rich in essential nutrients which makes it a great diet for losing weight fast. In today’s post I’m going to reveal a list of the best low-calorie soups that will allow you to lose weight without feeling hungry or deprived. If you want to know more about Low Calorie Diet For Weight Loss, make sure you read this article.

Low Calorie Diet For Weight Loss

A low-calorie diet is a structured eating plan that restricts daily caloric intake, commonly for weight loss. Following a low-calorie diet typically means consuming around 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, which creates a calorie deficit that can lead to weight loss. A low-calorie diet can be effective, but it requires a lot of discipline to work and be safe. Ideally, you should seek help from a registered dietitian or doctor to not overly restrict your calories or miss out on essential nutrients.

Scientists have been studying low-calorie diets since as far back as the 1980s, investigating claims that these restrictive eating plans may slow the aging process.¹ But for weight loss, the science is simple: Take in fewer calories than you burn (via daily living and deliberate exercise), and you will lose weight.²

However, just because the science is simple does not mean actually following a low-calorie diet plan is easy. It takes planning and effort to understand and recognize hunger cues and make sure those 1,200 to 1,500 calories are enough to fuel the body and contain the right nutrients.

That’s why a low-calorie diet is not recommended for everyone, including pregnant or breastfeeding women (who need enough calories to sustain their growing babies as well as themselves) and athletes (who need the energy from sufficient calories to perform).

Very low calorie diets are hard to follow

Very low calorie diets are less likely to be nutritionally complete as they provide far fewer calories than needed to maintain a healthy weight. The recommended daily calories are 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women.

It is not an easy diet to follow. Side effects can include:

• feeling hungry
• feeling low on energy
• a dry mouth
• constipation or diarrhoea
• headaches
• dizziness
• cramps
• hair thinning

While very low calorie diets can lead to short term weight loss, it is likely that the weight will come back on after the diet ends.

Very low calorie diets are not a long-term weight management strategy and should only be used as part of a wider plan.

Very low calorie diets are not suitable for most people

See a GP if you think a very low calorie diet may benefit you.

Very low calorie diets are not suitable if you are:

• under 18
• pregnant
• breastfeeding
• have had an eating disorder

If a GP thinks a very low calorie diet might benefit you they should make sure:

• the diet is nutritionally complete
• the diet is followed for a maximum of 12 weeks (continuously or intermittently)
• you are given ongoing support after the diet

Very low calorie diets are the most restrictive form of dieting, severely reducing calorie intake, so medical supervision is important.

Daily calorie requirements

The following table details estimated calorie needs per day by age, sex, and physical activity levels, according to Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020.Trusted Source

Although this provides a guideline, caloric intake varies from person to person, and other factors — such as height, weight, and weight goals — can affect how many calories a person should consume.

Sex	Age	Sedentary	Moderately active	Active
Male	19–30	2,400–2,600	2,600–2,800	3,000
Female	19–30	1,800–2,000	2,000–2,200	2,400
Male	31–50	2,200–2,400	2,400–2,600	2,800–3,000
Female	31–50	1,800	2,000	2,200
Male	51+	2,000–2,200	2,200–2,400	2,400–2,800
Female	51+	1,600	1,800	2,000–2,200

Tips for weight loss

According to expertsTrusted Source, to lose weight safely and successfully, people should:

• Aim to lose 1–2 pounds of weight per week for a period of 6 months.
• Do this by reducing their calories by 500–1,000 per day.
• Include 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days.
• After 6 months, assess their weight loss and consider their next steps.

Low calorie diets

Some low calorie diets limit calories to specific amounts, such as 1,200 or 1,500 per day.

When choosing a low calorie diet to lose weight, a person must make sure that their meals are nutritionally balanced.

There are various meal plans available online. A person should preferably choose a diet that a nutrition professional has designed to ensure that the meals contain vital nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Choosing healthful, unprocessed foods to make up the required number of calories is the best option to ensure adequate nutrition. For example, a large burger meal with fries and soda contains 1,320 calories, but this would not be sufficient to meet a person’s key nutrient needs per day.

Very low calorie diets

A very low calorie diet consists of fewer than 800 calories per day. Some very low calorie diets consist of 500 calories per day. A person should not start a very low calorie diet without medical support, as it could be dangerous to their health.

Doctors may considerTrusted Source a very low calorie diet to be appropriate for people with obesity who cannot have bariatric surgery and need to lose weight quickly and safely.

The doctor may give a liquid form of a very low calorie diet for a specified amount of time. The drink will contain vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and fatty acids. They may also monitor weight loss and blood pressure and take blood tests to ensure that the person stays within healthy parameters.

Intermittent fasting 

Intermittent fasting is a dietary approach that involves periods of either no food or very low calories and periods of unrestricted eating. There are several different ways to achieve this:

• Alternate day fasting: For this approach, a person alternates between days of normal eating and days of reducing calories by 25% or more of their daily needs.
• Whole day fasting: This approach involves fasting on certain days of the week. For example, the 5:2 diet allows no food restriction on 5 days of the week and 400–500 fewer calories on the other 2 days of the week.
• Time restricted feeding: For this approach, a person only eats within a specific time frame — for example, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. — and fasts for the remaining hours of the day. There are various versions of this, such as the 16:8 diet.

Research into intermittent fasting is controversial, with some sources suggesting that physiological adaptations to calorie restriction may prevent further weight loss.

Calories in different food groups 

The number of calories in different foods depends on what macronutrients they contain.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture:

• carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram
• protein provides 4 calories per gram
• fat provides 9 calories per gram

People can find out how many calories are in different foods by using an online calculator or app. Apps often allow people to input meals they regularly eat to calculate how many calories they consume per day.

Low calorie 1-day meal plan

The following is a 1,200-calorie 1-day meal plan from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteTrusted Source. The meal plan accounts for a grand total of 1,247 calories. It is based on traditional American cuisine.

It is important to note that the following meal plan is only a suggestion. It does not take any dietary restrictions into account or meet the daily recommended allowance for all nutrients.

Breakfast

• 1 medium slice of wholewheat bread with 2 teaspoons (tsp) of regular jelly
• 1/2 cup of shredded wheat with a cup of 1% fat milk
• 3/4 cup of orange juice
• 1 cup of regular coffee

Lunch

• a roast beef sandwich made with 2 medium slices of wholewheat bread, 2 ounces (oz) of lean, unseasoned, roast beef, 1 lettuce leaf, 3 slices of tomato, and 1 tsp of low calorie mayonnaise
• 1 medium apple
• 1 cup of water

Dinner

• 2 oz of salmon cooked in 1.5 tsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 of a medium baked potato, topped with 1 tsp of margarine
• 1/2 cup of green beans
• 1/2 cup of carrots
• 1 small white dinner roll
• 1 cup of unsweetened iced tea
• 2 cups of water

Snack

• 2.5 cups of popcorn prepared with 3/4 tsp of margarine

Low calorie diets can help people lose weight, but evidence as to their long-term effectiveness is controversial.

People should only use a very low calorie diet if a doctor has recommended this, as the doctor needs to ensure that someone stays healthy while losing weight.

People can use an online meal planner or app to plan their weekly meals and monitor how many calories they consume each day.

In addition to following a healthful diet, people should also incorporate an exercise routine into their day for effective weight loss.

How to naturally lose weight fast

While there are endless diets, supplements, and meal replacement plans claiming to ensure rapid weight loss, most lack any scientific evidence. There are, however, some strategies backed by science that do have an impact on weight management.

These strategies include exercising, keeping track of calorie intake, intermittent fasting, and reducing the number of carbohydrates in the diet.

In this article, we consider nine effective methods of weight loss.

Science-backed ways to lose weight

Methods of weight loss that scientific research supports include the following:

1. Trying intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a pattern of eating that involves regular short-term fasts and consuming meals within a shorter time period during the day.

Several studiesTrusted Source have indicated that short-term intermittent fasting, which is up to 24 weeks in duration, leads to weight loss in overweight individuals.

The most common intermittent fasting methods include the following:

• Alternate day fastingTrusted Source (ADF): Fast every other day and eat normally on non-fasting days. The modified versionTrusted Source involves eating just 25–30 percent of the body’s energy needs on fasting days.
• The 5:2 Diet: Fast on 2 out of every 7 days. On fasting days eat 500–600 calories.
• The 16/8 method: Fast for 16 hours and eat only during an 8-hour window. For most people, the 8-hour window would be around noon to 8 p.m. A study on this method found that eating during a restricted period resulted in the participants consuming fewer calories and losing weight.

It is best to adopt a healthy eating patternTrusted Source on non-fasting days and to avoid over-eating.

2. Tracking your diet and exercise

If someone wants to lose weight, they should be aware of everything that they eat and drink each day. The most effective way to do this is to log every item that they consume, in either a journal or an online food tracker.

Researchers estimated in 2017 that there would be 3.7 billion health app downloads by the end of the year. Of these, apps for diet, physical activity, and weight loss were among the most popular. This is not without reason, as tracking physical activity and weight loss progress on-the-go can be an effective way of managing weightTrusted Source.

One studyTrusted Source found that consistent tracking of physical activity helped with weight loss. Meanwhile, a review studyTrusted Source found a positive correlation between weight loss and the frequency of monitoring food intake and exercise. Even a device as simple as a pedometer can be a useful weight-loss tool.

3. Eating mindfully

Mindful eating is a practice where people pay attention to how and where they eat food. This practice can enable people to enjoy the food they eat and maintain a healthy weightTrusted Source.

As most people lead busy lives, they often tend to eat quickly on the run, in the car, working at their desks, and watching TV. As a result, many people are barely aware of the food they are eating.

Techniques for mindful eating include:

• Sitting down to eat, preferably at a table: Pay attention to the food and enjoy the experience.
• Avoiding distractions while eating: Do not turn on the TV, or a laptop or phone.
• Eating slowly: Take time to chew and savor the food. This technique helps with weight loss, as it gives a person’s brain enough time to recognize the signals that they are full, which can help to prevent over-eating.
• Making considered food choices: Choose foods that are full of nourishing nutrients and those that will satisfy for hours rather than minutes.

4. Eating protein for breakfast

Protein can regulate appetite hormones to help people feel full. This is mostly due to a decrease in the hunger hormone ghrelin and a rise in the satiety hormones peptide YY, GLP-1, and cholecystokininTrusted Source.

ResearchTrusted Source on young adults has also demonstrated that the hormonal effects of eating a high-protein breakfast can last for several hours.

Good choices for a high-protein breakfast include eggs, oats, nut and seed butters, quinoa porridge, sardines, and chia seed pudding.

5. Cutting back on sugar and refined carbohydrates

The Western diet is increasingly high in added sugars, and this has definite links to obesityTrusted Source, even when the sugar occurs in beveragesTrusted Source rather than food.

Refined carbohydrates are heavily processed foods that no longer contain fiber and other nutrients. These include white rice, bread, and pasta.

These foods are quick to digest, and they convert to glucose rapidly.

Excess glucose enters the blood and provokes the hormone insulin, which promotes fat storage in the adipose tissue. This contributes to weight gain.

Where possible, people should swap processed and sugary foods for more healthful options. Good food swaps include:

• whole-grain rice, bread, and pasta instead of the white versions
• fruit, nuts, and seeds instead of high-sugar snacks
• herb teas and fruit-infused water instead of high-sugar sodas
• smoothies with water or milk instead of fruit juice

6. Eating plenty of fiber

Dietary fiber describes plant-based carbohydrates that it is not possible to digest in the small intestine, unlike sugar and starch. Including plenty of fiber in the diet can increase the feeling of fullness, potentially leading to weight loss.

Fiber-rich foods include:

• whole-grain breakfast cereals, whole-wheat pasta, whole-grain bread, oats, barley, and rye
• fruit and vegetables
• peas, beans, and pulses
• nuts and seeds

7. Balancing gut bacteria

One emerging area of research is focusing on the role of bacteria in the gut on weight management.

The human gut hosts a vast number and variety of microorganisms, including around 37 trillion bacteriaTrusted Source.

Every individual has different varieties and amounts of bacteria in their gut. Some types can increase the amount of energy that the person harvests from food, leading to fat deposition and weight gain.

Some foods can increase the number of good bacteria in the gut, including:

• A wide variety of plants: Increasing the number of fruits, vegetables, and grains in the diet will result in an increased fiber uptake and a more diverse set of gut bacteria. People should try to ensure that vegetables and other plant-based foods comprise 75 percent of their meal.
• Fermented foods: These enhance the function of good bacteria while inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria. Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, tempeh, and miso all contain good amounts of probiotics, which help to increase good bacteria. Researchers have studied kimchi widely, and study results suggest that it has anti-obesity effects. Similarly, studies have shown that kefir may help to promote weight loss in overweight women.
• Prebiotic foods: These stimulate the growth and activity of some of the good bacteria that aid weight control. Prebiotic fiber occurs in many fruits and vegetables, especially chicory root, artichoke, onion, garlic, asparagus, leeks, banana, and avocado. It is also in grains, such as oats and barley.

8. Getting a good night’s sleep

Numerous studies have shown that getting less than 5–6 hours of sleep per night is associated with increased incidence of obesityTrusted Source. There are several reasons behind this.

Research suggestsTrusted Source that insufficient or poor-quality sleep slows down the process in which the body converts calories to energy, called metabolism. When metabolism is less effective, the body may store unused energy as fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisolTrusted Source, which also prompt fat storage.

How long someone sleeps also affects the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals of fullness to the brain.

9. Managing your stress levels

Stress triggers the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which initially decrease the appetite as part of the body’s fight or flight response.

However, when people are under constant stress, cortisol can remain in the bloodstream for longer, which will increase their appetiteTrusted Source and potentially lead to them eating more.

Cortisol signals the need to replenish the body’s nutritional stores from the preferred source of fuel, which is carbohydrate.

Insulin then transports the sugar from carbohydrates from the blood to the muscles and brain. If the individual does not use this sugar in fight or flight, the body will store it as fat.

Researchers foundTrusted Source that implementing an 8-week stress-management intervention program resulted in significant reduction in the body mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents who are overweight or have obesity.

Some methods of managing stress include:

• yoga, meditation, or tai chi
• breathing and relaxation techniques
• spending some time outdoors, for example walking or gardening

It is important to remember that there are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss.

The best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to eat a nutritious, balanced diet.

This should include 10 portions of fruit and vegetables, good-quality protein, and whole-grains. It is also beneficial to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.