eating 1800 calories really??

I constantly have this issue!

I have 1300 calories to eat in a day without exercise (those days don't happen often) but I still have trouble eating all those calories consistently. Go back to the whole milk, that fat is not going to kill you and it will help you deal with the sugars in the milk, too. What are your ratios? Fruit is great and sometimes nutritious but it has a lot of sugar, I'd be more worried about that then some naturally occurring fat.

When I started at this threshold of calories my trainer said until you get used to eating this much, do whatever it takes to get all the calories in, even if it means eating ice cream and cookies. But now, two months later he expects me to know enough to make good choices throughout the day and not get to the point where it's 9:00 at night and I've 800 calories to eat. If convenience is the issue for you, try protein shakes and bars. I'm not a fan of processed foods as a rule, but Clif Builder Bars are easy to tote around and convenient, they have 270 calories and 20 grams of protein which works well for me.

if you're not too full, try eating bigger meals and heartier snacks. Finally, if you're full on what you're eating now, and you're losing weight regularly, and you're not having trouble with blood sugars or energy levels then I would question whether 1800 calories is what you need?

First thing I saw that I would get rid of... meal replacement shakes. You need real food. Supplements should be just that, supplemental.

Eat more lean protein. Protein has more calories then fruits and vegetable. I did not see a good amount of meat or protein in your diary (if you are a vegetarian I am sorry)! Great adive I receive last week from someone else was to have meals be planned around my protein. This has helped in adding more calories and more protein.
Also, try some whole grains; complex carbs; those too have higher calories and have higher levels of nutrional values.

I have to agree with the others... I'd get rid of the meal replacement shakes. Your body needs REAL FOOD. If you do a little prep work on the weekends or the night before, it's not difficult to get real nutrition.

For example, in the grocery service deli, they have rotisserie chickens and roast turkey breasts. Get a turkey breast, and slice it all up (I store mine in a gallon zip lock baggie). Then you just have to weigh out your serving in the morning when you're packing your lunch. Veggies come pre-cleaned (bags of carrots, sugar snap peas and/or broccoli). Weigh some out and pack some of those in your lunch too. Yesterday, I sliced up 4 mangos to store in the fridge for lunches this week. Total prep time for cutting up the turkey and mangos-- about 20 minutes yesterday, and I have lunch covered for 5 days. Total time throwing it all together in my lunch sack this morning -- 5 minutes.

Take the time to plan ahead. You'll be happier and fuller in the long run.

I think you need to balance your meals more and add lean protein. I would try to up the calories at breakfast to around 300-400, and add a protein to keep you going longer. I also think you might just be over limiting yourself, just up your portion size a little and it will put you right where you need to be.

I definitely have this problem! I love to exercise but didn't really think about how much it was taking off my calorie intake until I looked at graph and noticed I was netting negative calories! You might think that is good but it is probably the reason I plateaued!

Two things from checking out your profile and diary:

1) You put on the weight somehow, right? Unless you're very short, I'd say from your pics that you're what, 250? It takes roughly 2500 calories, consistently, to be that size. I know, I was over 250 for a while. My point is that no way in hell is 1800 calories too much to eat. You've been eating that much or more for a while, so don't tell yourself you can't do it - tell yourself it's a joke, it's actually way less than you're used to, and you absolutely CAN do this.

2) Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too little protein in your diet and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many carbs. You aren't an athlete, you don't need 50% of your calories from carbohydrates. I'm guessing you used the MFP default which is fine, and you're down 30lbs so it's obviously working - as caloric deficit does - but it would work way better if you got the protein and fat up and dropped the carbs. Maybe 40/30/30 in some mix.

Some other thoughts:
* Fat is not the enemy! Unsaturated fats are good for you!
* Protein is not the enemy either. At a protein deficit, your body can and will go after existing muscle tissue for its daily protein needs meaning you will actually get weaker over time.
* Since you brought up milk: milk is spectacular for both weight loss and weight gain due to the mixture of macronutrients and rapid (liquid) delivery system.

Another thought and a big topic of discussion here is to have a big glass of chocolate milk after your workouts (that'll add a couple of hundred calories right there).

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/198864-chocolate-milk-after-workout?hl=chocolate+milk+after+workout#posts-2630157

go to your goals and change your nutrition; you need more protein; especially if you are doing P90x. My friend is on her second cycle of it ( she lost 20ilbs her first cycle). Uping your protein will help repair your muscles. As another post said, scale back on the carbs and go for more protein. I do a 40/30/30 ratio (carb/fat/protein), but you may want to do more protein or what ever fits your lifestyle. I do more cardio then weight training, so I like to have a little more carbs to help give enegery to support my cardio fitness.
Here is a great website that has helped be find what I need; a ton a tools to help you find what you need for your diet.


http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Two things from checking out your profile and diary:

1) You put on the weight somehow, right? Unless you're very short, I'd say from your pics that you're what, 250? It takes roughly 2500 calories, consistently, to be that size. I know, I was over 250 for a while. My point is that no way in hell is 1800 calories too much to eat. You've been eating that much or more for a while, so don't tell yourself you can't do it - tell yourself it's a joke, it's actually way less than you're used to, and you absolutely CAN do this.

I don't think that this is a necessarily fair assessment. Often times the problem is WHAT you are eating, not necessarily HOW MUCH. If you decide to go healthy, and you're eating healthier foods in the same quantities as before, you may NOT be able to figure out how to make the 1800 calories. Junk food jacks up the calories really fast.... cut that out, and ya, it is entirely possible to be at a loss for how to make up the 1800.

Fat is not the enemy.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262

From your mayo clinic citation:

"When choosing fats, pick unsaturated fat over saturated or trans fat...Saturated fat is a type of fat that comes mainly from animal sources of food. Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat may also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes."

Whole milk is high in saturated fat.

Better high fat choices would be nuts and nut butter, seeds, avocado, hummus and other spreads (baba ghanoush, red pepper, bean, roasted garlic. etc) fattened with olive oil, vegetables with olive oil based vinaigrettes.

Two things from checking out your profile and diary:

1) You put on the weight somehow, right? Unless you're very short, I'd say from your pics that you're what, 250? It takes roughly 2500 calories, consistently, to be that size. I know, I was over 250 for a while. My point is that no way in hell is 1800 calories too much to eat. You've been eating that much or more for a while, so don't tell yourself you can't do it - tell yourself it's a joke, it's actually way less than you're used to, and you absolutely CAN do this.

I don't think that this is a necessarily fair assessment. Often times the problem is WHAT you are eating, not necessarily HOW MUCH.

False. It is always "how much"; 2500 calories is more than 1800 calories, junk food or not. I wasn't trying to be mean or "unfair", I was saying to the guy "hey, guy, obviously this ain't a problem because you gained weight." I didn't say that to be mean, I said it because I've been there. I used to think "wow, 2,000 calories is so hard to get, how did I get this big?!" The truth is I was fooling myself. After a few months it becomes easy as pie to watch your intake.

If you decide to go healthy, and you're eating healthier foods in the same quantities as before, you may NOT be able to figure out how to make the 1800 calories. Junk food jacks up the calories really fast....

You could eat 1800 calories of junk food and still lose weight if your body requires 2500 calories per day to maintain. People advocate for whole, clean foods because they are healthy all around, not because they have more or less calories than junk food does.

Same here, feel free to look at my diary. Right now I'm eating 2100 - 3300 calories per day depending on exercise or not. Get comfy in a grocery store. It's choc full of ingredients...just learn how to combine a few simple ones into meals that work for you throughout the day.

For example, every Sunday night I whip up a batch of my pancake batter that I use throughout the week in the mornings. I store it in a protein shaker and pour out a portion as needed. It's nutritionally balanced for me, by me. Start with equal parts cottage cheese, oatmeal and egg whites (or whole eggs)...blend with a few berries and top with a drizzle of pure maple syrup.

Same thing goes for other meals. Cook up a bunch of chicken breasts on the grill. Make a big pot of rice and pair it with beans. A big bowl of tuna salad, enough for a few sandwiches though the week. Chop up some veggies to make it a little more nutritious.

If this sounds like a chore, spending time in the kitchen is a necessity to keep you from going to microwaved meals. Learn to use the kitchen creatively. When I was a young soldier I'd prepare my meals in a barracks room with a George Foreman grill and microwave only.

It may seem overwhelming in the beginning so start small. Replace only one meal with something you prepare yourself. In time you'll have the recipe memorized and it will be part of your daily / weekly routine. From there, replace another meal etc. Everything should be small steps which you can sustain over time.

Also, you seem to be a big guy...1800 calories seems very low for you but maybe you are short / stocky? When I started at 290 I was eating 2600 calories per day and losing weight. I'm 230's now and eating 2100 prior to exercise. Be careful not to stoop too low on the calories or you could be doing more damage than good for yourself.