1800-Calorie Meal Plan

Keep your calories in check with this 1800-calorie daily menu

A low-calorie plan isn’t right for everyone. You may need to consume more calories because of your current weight, activity level, or weight-loss goals. For example, serious athletes work out multiple times a week. They need more calories for energy! On the other hand, some people just want to slim down a little. A 1,200-calorie diet may be too restrictive for them. For that reason, we created this nutrient-dense, healthy 1800-calorie daily menu. It’s filled with delicious food that’s easy to make. You’ll love every minute!

When you have to follow a calorie-restricted diet, it can be enticing to focus on the calorie count rather than the food you’re eating. Though calories are an essential aspect of eating a balanced diet, they are not the only factor to consider when creating a calorie-specific meal plan.

An 1800-calorie meal plan ought to incorporate balanced meals and snacks that fulfill your appetite, keep your energy levels up, and consist of foods you enjoy, whether for weight reduction or health. While it may seem straightforward enough, maintaining an 1800-calorie meal plan might be difficult when it’s time for supper and you’re stuck for ideas. A pre-planned meal plan can eliminate a lot of dinner-time guesswork and worry.

We took the work out of menu planning by creating a week’s worth of breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and dessert. How great is that? This means all you have to do is follow along to stick to your calorie goal. The 1800-calorie meal plan includes two snacks a day in between your main meals. This much snacking might seem like a lot, but we’ve carefully balanced out your calories (along with your protein, fiber, and fats) to keep you feeling full all day long.

Feel free to make substitutions, and you can always make extras so you have leftovers. If you’re making changes to the program, keep in mind that you’ll need to do some math to keep your daily calorie count under 1,800. And, if you’re looking to eat slightly less than 1800 calories, skip the dessert and you’ll land somewhere between 1,500 to 1,600 calories.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us in the comments! We’re always here to help.

1800-Calorie Meal Plan

meal plan

Day 1 (1,798 calories)

1800-calorie meal plan

We start out the first day with lots of protein. You’ll love the Winter Buddha Bowl for Amazing Health for dinner – even if it’s the summertime!

Breakfast: White Bean Avocado Toast (140 calories)
Snack: Avocado Wontons (265 calories)
Lunch: Clean Eating Chicken Salad (291 calories)
Snack: Stuffed Bell Pepper Pizzas (179 calories)
Dinner: Winter Buddha Bowl for Amazing Health (674 calories)
Dessert: Banana Pudding Ice Cream (249 calories)

Day 2 (1,774 calories)

30-Minute Red Curry Noodle Bowl

Start your day off right with a protein-packed Hummus Breakfast Bowl. You’ll love the flavor, and it’ll keep you going all morning long!

Breakfast: Hummus Breakfast Bowl (354 calories)
Snack: Caramelized Cauliflower (144 calories) and Green Goddess Dip (68 calories)
Lunch: Shrimp Banh Mi Recipe (319 calories)
Snack: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (282 calories)
Dinner: 30-Minute Red Curry Noodle Bowl (400 calories)
Dessert: Lemon Blueberry Cake Recipe (207 calories)

Day 3 (1,737 calories)

No-Bake Chocolate-Covered Cookie Dough Bars (Vegan, Plant Based)

We sneak in a bit under goal today, but you should be feeling great after your first two days of nutrient-dense foods. Any day you can eat a healthy bowl of mac and cheese is a good day in my book!

Breakfast: Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (217 calories)
Snack: 5-Ingredient Butternut Squash Fritters (101 calories) and Weight Watchers Everything Dip (170 calories)
Lunch: Moroccan Chicken Salad with Chimichurri Dressing (300 calories)
Snack: Skinny Cheeseburger Boats (237 calories)
Dinner: 5-Ingredient Instant Pot Mac and Cheese (396 calories)
Dessert: No-Bake Chocolate-Covered Cookie Dough Bars (Vegan) (316 calories)

Day 4 (1,793 calories)

Sweet Corn & Kale Muffins

Get ready to fall in love with today’s mid-morning snack. These Sweet Corn and Kale Muffins are so good, I keep a few in the freezer so I’ll always have them on hand!

Breakfast: Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl (363 calories)
Snack: Sweet Corn & Kale Muffins (234 calories)
Lunch: Fusion Lunch Burritos (397 calories)
Snack: Lasagna Stuffed Spaghetti Squash (243 calories)
Dinner: Honey Garlic Shrimp Stir-Fry (316 calories)
Dessert: Avocado Vegan Fudge Brownie (240 calories)

Day 5 (1,762 calories)

1800-calorie meal plan

It might not be Tuesday, but tacos are great any day of the week. If you’ve never enjoyed breakfast tacos, get ready to be amazed!

Breakfast: Egg and Turkey Sausage Breakfast Tacos (334 calories)
Snack: Oven Baked Zucchini Chips (99 calories) and Sunflower Lentil Dip (100 calories)
Lunch: Butternut Squash and Turkey Bacon Salad (296 calories)
Snack: Cauliflower Nachos (228 calories)
Dinner: Skinny Salmon, Kale & Cashew Bowl (429 calories)
Dessert: Classic Lemon Bars (276 calories)

Day 6 (1,765 calories)

 Clean Eating Loaded Grilled Chicken Nachos

The recipes on this day are some of my favorites on the site. It’s all about clean-eating foods that taste like comfort classics. Nachos for dinner? Yes, please!

Breakfast: Spinach and Artichoke Breakfast Sandwich (237 calories)
Snack: Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bites (94 calories) and Roasted Beet and Hazelnut Vegetable Dip (110 calories)
Lunch: Mediterranean Eggplant Wrap with Creamy Tahini Sauce (263 calories)
Snack: 5-Ingredient Healthy Stuffed Potato Skins (362 calories)
Dinner: Clean Eating Loaded Grilled Chicken Nachos (494 calories)
Dessert: No-Bake Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies (205 calories)

Day 7 (1,800 calories)

1800-calorie meal plan

Today is the last day, and we came in exactly at our target calorie count! We hope you’re feeling great today after a full week of healthy, delicious food.

Breakfast: Strawberry Waffles Recipe (202 calories)
Snack: Oven Baked Zucchini Chips (99 calories) and Cheesy Chicken Chili Dip (166 calories)
Lunch: Tabouleh Salad with Whole Wheat Pita Crisps (386 calories)
Snack: Asparagus, Cherry Tomato, and Feta Tart (319 calories)
Dinner: Slow Cooker Cheesy Spaghetti with Turkey Sausage (372 calories)
Dessert: Flourless Peach Cobbler (256 calories)

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Chef Lindsay

Lindsay D. Mattison is a professional chef, recipe developer, and food writer. After graduating from Cascade Culinary School, Lindsay worked as the executive chef of a farm-to-table restaurant in Bend, Oregon. She is passionate about using local, organic ingredients and loves teaching home cooks how to incorporate seasonal food into their diet. While she spends most of her time writing these days, she still exercises her culinary muscles on the regular, taking any opportunity to create beautiful meals for her family. She lives with her husband in Colorado, where she enjoys the trials and errors of gardening.

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