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1800 Calorie High-Protein Meal Plan

1,800 calories is the sweet spot where a cut stays livable. There is enough room for a real breakfast, a substantial lunch and dinner, and a snack, while still clearing about 150 g of protein. Every meal links to a full recipe.

1,800

kcal / day

150g

protein (33% of kcal)

3

days, real recipes

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Your 3-day 1,800 calorie plan

Daily macro totals
DayCaloriesProteinCarbsFat
Day 11,800234g83g51g
Day 21,807204g102g60g
Day 31,763213g86g63g

Day 1

1,800 kcal

234g
Protein
83g
Carbs
51g
Fat

Day 2

1,807 kcal

204g
Protein
102g
Carbs
60g
Fat

Day 3

1,763 kcal

213g
Protein
86g
Carbs
63g
Fat

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Who this plan is for

  • Average-sized adults cutting at a moderate pace.
  • Lifters who want to lose fat while holding on to muscle.
  • Women and shorter men who find 2,000+ calories is maintenance, not a cut.

Is 150 g of protein right for your body weight?

Research on people who train puts useful protein at about 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight per day (ISSN position stand), and gains from extra protein flatten out around 1.6 g per kg (Morton 2018). 150 g falls in that range for a body weight of roughly 75 to 107 kg (165 to 236 lb). A day here is about 33% of calories from protein. That is deliberately on the high end so the deficit comes from fat and carbs, not from your protein.

Sources: Jager et al. 2017, ISSN position stand on protein and exercise; Morton et al. 2018, meta-analysis of protein supplementation and resistance training (Br J Sports Med).

Not sure of your calories? Start with the TDEE calculator and macro calculator, then tune this plan to your numbers. You can also browse the high-protein recipes behind it.

Frequently asked questions

Is 1,800 calories good for losing weight?

For a lot of adults it produces a moderate deficit, but maintenance varies widely. Check yours with the TDEE calculator; a deficit of roughly 300 to 500 calories under maintenance is a common, sustainable starting point.

Is 150 g of protein too much?

For most healthy adults who train, no. The ISSN position stand puts the useful range at 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight per day, and 150 g covers people from about 75 to 107 kg (165 to 236 lb) inside that range.

Do the meals work for meal prep?

Yes. Most dinners are slow-cooker or Instant Pot recipes that make several servings, and the plan reuses a dinner as the next day's lunch to match how people actually batch cook.

Is this plan right for me?

It is a food plan built from tested recipes, not medical advice. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant, have a history of disordered eating, or take medication that depends on diet, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing how much you eat or how much protein you eat.

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