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How do I maintain 3,000 calories each day?

Posts: 6 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hey everyone, I just recently got back into the gym and my goal is 1 lb per week. Im aiming for 3,200 calories per day. What foods do you recommend and how should I break it down by the hour or how many meals per day? As of 830pm I have about 1,000 calories remaining to digest but I am FULL.

How do I make it easier to hit that daily calorie goal?

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  • Posts: 2,235 Member
    That's a lot of calories per day, are you a large person?
  • Posts: 1,200 Member
    Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are 880 calories. That would be my go to.
  • Posts: 19 Member
    Maybe break down your meals and snacks and try to aim for a specific number of calories per meal. For example, I am doing 1760 calories a day, I don't drink calories, and I don't eat my exercise, so my diary would look like this:

    Breakfast - 8am: 350 calories
    Morning Snack - 10am: 150 cals
    Lunch - 12pm: 400 cals
    Afternoon Snack - 2pm: 150 cals
    Dinner - 7 pm: 600 cals
    Evening Snack - 9 pm: 110 cals

    Adding little extras to every meal will help push you, too. For example, one serving of butter is 100 calories. Adding nuts to a snack, or cheese, or even eating a piece of bread or dinner roll, can bump you up too.
  • Posts: 4,658 Member
    1lb per week will mean lots of fat gain!

    - drink calories
    - eat more calorie dense food
    -
  • Posts: 19,809 Member
    Eat an extra 500cal sandwich every day as a snack- not that difficult.
    Or any other food you enjoy, your macros should really take care of themselves with a high'ish calorie goal.

    If you are struggling with feeling full then calorie dense foods make sense - grab a handful of nuts (excuse the expression!) for example. Most people also find drinking calories easy.

    Meals per day or snacks per day is personal preference.

    (Do wonder why you are aiming for such a rapid rate of weight gain though - are your priorities size and strength over body composition perhaps?)


  • Posts: 12 Member
    I would also suggest to build it up gradually and not aim for your 1lb per week immediately, remember the more weight you gain the more you are going to have to adjust your macros too.

    You are going to have to work the meals around your lifestyle, e.g. how many breaks you have in the day, what time you train etc. Using myself as an example the majority of a calories come several hours before my work out and right after my work out, (basically the say I see it i like to have my calories were they are used the most e.g. a meal 2.5-2 hours before my workouts to give me the energy I need, then after the workout i have meal to replenish my glycogen stores as well as providing the nutrients needed for recovery and growth)

    I just jump on spreadsheet and split my meals up dependent on when i have breaks at work and when I'm training.
  • Posts: 1,890 Member
    Your are maintaining on 3000? You must be big or very active. I'm a 143 lb guy and my maintenance is about 2000.
  • Posts: 364 Member
    OP, is your goal to gain a pound a week? Sorry, I just wanted clarification as you said your goal is 1lb per week but you didn't say gain or lose. Plus this is the maintenance forum, so I just wanted to make sure
  • Posts: 10,321 Member
    Peanut butter...
  • Posts: 37 Member
    I have nothing constructive to add other than I read the title as being "How do I *kitten* 3,000 calories a day".
  • Posts: 975 Member
    Almond butter and ice cream would be my solution :)
  • Posts: 447 Member
    I'd eat more good fat throughout the day.
  • Posts: 4,658 Member
    tattygun wrote: »
    I'd eat more good fat throughout the day.

    What is good fat? And how does it differentitate from bad fat?
  • Posts: 447 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    show previous quotes

    What is good fat? And how does it differentitate from bad fat?

    Steak instead of spam.

    Guacamole instead of mayo.

    Butter instead of margarine.

    Etc etc.
  • Posts: 5,727 Member
    tattygun wrote: »
    show previous quotes

    Loooooooool yeah sure becuase mayo is as good a food source as guacamole. This forum is comical.

    As a source of dietary fat, it's better.

    Comparing steak and spam... those are protein, not fat sources.

    Margarine and Butter, I tend to agree with you.

    I think you've swallowed some woo.
  • Posts: 4,658 Member
    tattygun wrote: »
    show previous quotes

    Loooooooool yeah sure becuase mayo is as good a food source as guacamole. This forum is comical.

    You might want to read a bit more about nutrition.
  • Posts: 4,572 Member
    You can add fat to anything. Cream cheese and peanut butter are incredibly calorie dense and not that filling.
  • Posts: 249 Member
    Cashews! Roasted salted nuts! I can't even buy them because I'd eat the whole container in an afternoon. I HOPE for one day when I'm trying to gain. I will eat roasted salted mixed nuts morning, noon, and night.
  • Posts: 999 Member
    EmbeeKay wrote: »
    Cashews! Roasted salted nuts! I can't even buy them because I'd eat the whole container in an afternoon. I HOPE for one day when I'm trying to gain. I will eat roasted salted mixed nuts morning, noon, and night.
    Yes, me too.
  • Posts: 8 Member
    I just started a weight gain high calorie diet. And am scary thin. That being said I've learned a lot about high calorie shakes. At this point early in I'm not concerned too much about fats but. Fire up the blender, whole milk, Greek yogurt, bananas, blue berries, some oats, etc and you can add a lot of calories. Yesterday I did one that was a whopping 2000 calories
  • Posts: 18 Member
    The majority of guys I see lifting at the gym seem to think their calorie needs are much higher than they are. Rather than muscular and lean, they tend to have guts like a barrel. Your calorie goal seems too high unless you're an Ironman. I'd really consider how much you truly need to eat.
  • Posts: 8 Member
    stephanieturner0122 wrote: »
    The majority of guys I see lifting at the gym seem to think their calorie needs are much higher than they are. Rather than muscular and lean, they tend to have guts like a barrel. Your calorie goal seems too high unless you're an Ironman. I'd really consider how much you truly need to eat.

    Not an iron man but dangerously under weight. I'm 6'3" and 138# I need to get some weight on. Don't have much left to lose. Just stating you can throw 5-800 calories together quick and easy in a blender if you need to hit your goals.
  • Posts: 3,648 Member
    bsurb wrote: »
    Hey everyone, I just recently got back into the gym (did they lock you out or something?) and my goal is (to lift?) 1 lb per week . Im aiming for 3,200 calories per day (I thought you said 3000, why the extra 200?). What foods do you recommend (have you never eaten before?) and how should I break it down by the hour or how many meals per day? As of 830pm I have about 1,000 calories remaining to digest but I am FULL.

    How do I make it easier to hit that daily calorie goal?

    Your easy answer is to lower it. That's a lot of calories. Listen to your body.
  • Posts: 5,600 Member
    stephanieturner0122 wrote: »
    The majority of guys I see lifting at the gym seem to think their calorie needs are much higher than they are. Rather than muscular and lean, they tend to have guts like a barrel. Your calorie goal seems too high unless you're an Ironman. I'd really consider how much you truly need to eat.

    and I know 5'2" females who are active who maintain on 3000 calories - you can't just make a blanket statement about what is and isn't right (says an 2x ironman)
  • Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited June 2017
    stephanieturner0122 wrote: »
    The majority of guys I see lifting at the gym seem to think their calorie needs are much higher than they are. Rather than muscular and lean, they tend to have guts like a barrel. Your calorie goal seems too high unless you're an Ironman. I'd really consider how much you truly need to eat.

    Lol...3,000 calories to maintain isn't a lot for most men who just exercise on the regular...no where close to iron man training.
  • Posts: 5,600 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    show previous quotes

    Lol...3,000 calories to maintain isn't a lot for most men who just exercise on the regular...no where close to iron man training.

    pretty sure I maxed out on about 3500 during my peak training (not including intra-workout calories) during my last ironman season (even for half-irons, I peak at around 3000 a day)
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