How can i eat 3000 cals a day.affordability wise

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caseycurley90
caseycurley90 Posts: 1 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building

im 149.0 i want to get to 160 and it says i need to eat 3000 cals a day, thats unaffordable for me at the moment, just looking for some good ideas to keep the bulk up and my pockets happy

Answers

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,379 Member

    10% instead of homogenised milk… butter and oil everywhere…. mayo anywhere non mayo would work… bread and pasta (and don't be shy with the condiments)… baked goods with thick crusts… double cream cheeses, especially mild ones that can encourage you to eat more of them! (combine with something sweet or spicy or both to eat even more)… candy bars and sweets, especially with syrups… and, let's face it, "standard commercial hyperpalatable products": full sugar pop, nachos/chips/crisps/cookies…. they can all add up quite fast without adding much cost. If you're trying to add calories while eating lean fish protein… the costs are not going to work out as well.

  • mar_sbar
    mar_sbar Posts: 183 Member

    Tuna, whole milk, beans, chickpeas, cottage cheese, ground turkey, oatmeal, and peanut butter are all some good staples to keep around. Eggs and Greek yogurt are also good, but prices for those are pretty high now, unfortunately.

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,379 Member

    Did an AI search for foods with the most calories for $5. After weeding out a bunch…

    rice and pasta (7500 Cal per $5)
    dried beans (and legumes) 5 to 6,000 Cal per $5, especially if you prepare them with oil or clarified butter and consume with bread products!
    Oatmeal 4,000 or so per $5. Could mix in with instant flavored oatmeal at ~2700 Cal per $5
    bread (3,000 Cal per $5)
    peanut butter (4,935 Cal per $5)… I would add "jelly" myself!
    Peanuts roasted/salted (5,400 Cal per $5) cheaper than cashews or macadamia nuts or walnuts
    Ramen 4,000 or so per $5
    Potato and tortilla chips are less "efficient" but they do meet the 2,000 Cal per $5 benchmark.

    These are Canadian funds so I am sure the price would be less south of the border… but the relationship re: cheap calories would hold.9

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,379 Member
    edited May 18
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48615238#Comment_48615238

    Tuna and ground turkey I would place in the high protein for fewer calories (and not for higher calories) category. I would choose to eat them in a bid to limit my weight gain while eating a good quality..... Cottage cheese I don't enjoy but unless the full fat variety?

    Frankly légumes (cheap) cooked with an extra good amount of fat (oil/ghee/cream) and paired with rice and bread like items.... seem like quite efficient little calorie bombs for the price. Cheap protein (chicken or turkey legs maybe, possibly pork)... here we go re-inventing modified take out Indian food!!! Add some Gulab jamen or a box of jaleibies too!🤣🤣🤣

    Where are the frugal shoppers who used to discuss cost efficient menus! 🤔

  • yakkystuff
    yakkystuff Posts: 1,186 Member
    edited May 18

    Rice & beans with sliced sausage rounds mixed with butter and on top, broiled cheese. Make a big pan, eat liberally amd reheat leftovers for days.

    • For variety, add spaghetti or tomato sauce or salsa

    Large packages of dried beans and rice are inexpensive, in smaller packages or bins at grocers or very large packages at warehouse grocers.

    Pick up cheese, butter and sausage when on sale. Same for all meats and dairy. Buy extra to freeze when possible.

    Other affordable carbs - tortillas and potatoes.

  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 14,590 Member

    At BW 149, I argue 3,000 calories is too much, all you'll do is gain a lot of weight fast and most of it will be fat, not muscle. Why so aggressive in weight gain?

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 15,379 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48616224#Comment_48616224

    Very good point (speed of bulk). There is an assumption in answering the question that the 3000 Cal is a reasonable and desirable goal. It would be for someone recovering from an eating disorder: the goal would be to get to target weight as soon as possible (would have to be a tall person ;-)) But if the reason for the bulk is gaining MUSCLE… then there is zero reason for bulking FAST.

    a) the program and the execution will bring more results than the food
    b) the food is supportive and even a 200-250 Cal surplus is more than sufficient to provide the extra energy
    c) some extra concern about sufficient protein content might enter into the equation.

    Of course the Caloric need is unknown unless logging has already been taking place.

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