The documentary diet: A practical guide to the 1500 kcal restriction - the advanced stage

It's important to note that the basal metabolic rate (BMR) listed above is the minimum. Therefore, when setting a target calorie intake, you should not go below this value. These figures are calculated based on average body types.

Obese individuals—those with a non-average body type—have a much higher BMR than this. For example, a 35-year-old man weighing 100 kg needs 2230 kcal for his BMR. Restricting this to 1500 kcal will naturally lead to weight loss.

Conversely, reducing intake below the target value will result in malnutrition and hinder weight loss efficiency. The body will mistakenly perceive this as starvation, thus reducing metabolism. Furthermore, weight loss requires physical exertion; if the body is too weak, it cannot efficiently burn fat.

I am currently 48 years old, 171 cm tall, and as shown in the table above, my BMR is approximately 1400 kcal. To effectively lose weight, I have set my daily calorie target at 1500 kcal. As a result, I really lost weight quickly, so this standard is already quite low. However, this is based on my own experience, and I hope readers will set their own standards according to their own physical condition, and it would be even better to consult an expert if possible.

The primary goal in this upward phase is to reduce calorie intake, so there's no need to deliberately pay attention to nutritional balance, and of course, no need to do any exercise.

If you try to consider both nutritional balance and exercise, it will be difficult to stick to it. I hope everyone can experience what a 1500 kcal diet looks like firsthand.

Because you already know how many calories you usually consume in a day in the upward phase, it might seem very challenging now.

You can start by reducing your usual snacks, desserts, high-calorie fruit juices, and carbonated drinks, and see how it goes. If simply limiting these can achieve the 1500 kcal goal, that's naturally ideal.

If you absolutely must have snacks, you can skip one main meal and replace it with a snack. Regardless of the method you use, as long as you restrict calorie intake, you can freely combine your daily diet.

Notes for the Ascent Phase: Day 100 of the Ascent (Weight 88.8 kg, Body Fat 30.9%) Author's Dietary Content—Breakfast:

"Natural Food"

① Buffet Breakfast (650 kcal); Lunch: None; Snack: 4 senbei (60 kcal); Dinner: 3 senbei, thin-crust filled bread (211 kcal). Total Calories (1366 kcal).

During the ascent phase, planning your diet is like playing a puzzle game. The rules are simple, only two:

① Limit daily calorie intake to 1500 kcal;

② Eat as many things as you like.

Imagine this as a hitchhiking trip on a budget of only 1500 yen a day. "Breakfast costs 180 yen, lunch is 350 yen for curry rice..." Frugal travel doesn't have to be a hardship; hitchhiking with a "enjoying poverty" attitude can be a joyful experience.

Similarly, you'll be starting a 1500-calorie-a-day lifestyle.

People often complain that a 1500-calorie-a-day limit means no yakiniku (grilled meat) or pork cutlet rice bowls.

But that's not true. As long as your total daily calorie intake is 1500 kcal, it's fine.

This isn't like diabetics being unable to eat sweets or people with kidney problems being unable to eat salty foods. You can eat anything—sweet, salty, or oily.

For example, eating two-thirds of a yakiniku or a quarter of a pork cutlet is perfectly fine. It's not that you can't eat something because you're trying to lose weight; if eating it all would lead to weight gain, just eat half. So, it's not that you can't eat it, but rather that you need to think about the best ways to do so.