I go back and forth between days when I feel like I have to force myself to sneak in a few more calories... and days where "OMG THERE'S NOT ENOUGH FOOD IN THIS HOUSE!"

I'm not exactly sure why. Each day can be a struggle in its own way.

I recently put up one of those threads... I fill my day with high protein foods, and I try to avoid sweets or very starchy dishes. So I stay full longer, feel satisfied, and am not hungry. This usually leaves me having 500+ calories under my budget at the end of the day. My goal right now is 1750 calories because I'm nursing, so I really need to make sure I eat them all... but it is hard.

I find that on days I just eat for calories and don't pay attention to nutrients, I eat more carbs and sugar and then I'm much more hungry all day long and have to watch myself carefully. I'm also not on a low-carb diet, I'm just trying to make my protein be about 30% and carbs usually end up being about 40% at the end of the day.

I think for a lot of people it is completely mental (although some truly are physically unable to take in that amount and get full quicker). Dieting can turn into disordered eating really fast. It is really easy to go from being able to diet in a healthy manner to wanting it to come off quicker and quicker etc. Then it is a mental battle to get all of the calories in that you SHOULD be eating during a day. You can start to feel like you are falling and the quilt can creep in so it is easier just to stay under the calories...

If you find yourself ever feeling that way, be careful. It is a slippery slope to an eating disorder and NO amount of weight loss is worth the **** of an ED (I know from past experience)!

Good luck on your journey!!

I have been having trouble eating enough healthy calories too.

Key word being healthy!

Sure, I could mow down a shopping basket full of junk food, but there is only so much salad I can take in one day!

So, often way before I get to 1200 calories I am so turned off eating, that I struggle to get all the nutrition that I need.

Fruit and vegetables! If I would put everything I eat in a day on the table you would find that these take up the majority of my food intake.
I don't count calories but when I do (mostly out of curiosity) mine are always very low when I'm 'on plan'. I do get TOM cravings and have like pizza sometimes but most of the days its low.

My calorie limit is 1200 calories. I normally eat low calorie meals and can easily eat 3 meals plus a snack or 2 and end up with a little over 900 calories.