Need to increase caloric intake, please help!

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BoresEasily
BoresEasily Posts: 582
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm looking for any help with healthy calorie rich foods. I learned today what I've suspected for a little while that I wasn't eating enough and that if I want to build muscle, lean or otherwise I need a caloric surplus. I want to keep my intake healthy I don't want to just shove crap down my throat, but I need things that have a high caloric value. Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

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  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
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    Nuts are great for adding calories to your diet. They're high in protein for your muscles and also in your healthy fats.
  • izzypup
    izzypup Posts: 341 Member
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    I go to the baking isle and get the almonds there. They are plain.... no salt no roasting. I don't know about sugar in these but the drinks called barely naked or something like that have a ton of fruit and veggie stuff in them.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
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    nuts...are good..protein...23 almonds have about 160 cals...

    add nut butters...almond, cashew, peanut butter to fruit

    protein bars..especially if you are trying to build muscle

    avacados...so yummy

    look at snacking between meals even with fruits and veggies...shoot a big ol banana has 100-120 cals. eat a banana as a snack with a handful of nuts and boom around 300 cals of good healthy foods consumed in all of 3 minutes.
  • dtummel
    dtummel Posts: 7
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    Have to agree with the nuts...walnuts and almonds, but make sure they are raw unsalted. Also raw unsalted pumpkin seeds-they can be sprinkled on everything and sooo good for you.
  • Bearface115
    Bearface115 Posts: 574 Member
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    Bump


    I'm doing the same!!
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Here's my reply from the other thread you mentioned this in, just in case you don't see it or someone else is looking for it here instead of over there.

    BoresEasily: Additional protein is best for adding muscle. But you can only build so much muscle at a time and any extra calories you consume that aren't used for that muscle build will be stored as fat. A pound of muscle equals 600 calories, which is a lot less then the 3500 calories of a pound of fat, so to add a pound of muscle a week, you only need like 85 extra calories from protein a day. Thats only about 21 grams of protein added a day. An extra chicken tenderloin (grilled and not breaded) will give you that. Or one scoop of protein powder.


    Now, that response was based on thinking you were eating at your optimal intake level and just needed to increase calories for muscle gain. Are you needing to up your overall caloric intake too?
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
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    Now, that response was based on thinking you were eating at your optimal intake level and just needed to increase calories for muscle gain. Are you needing to up your overall caloric intake too?

    Yeah I'm not eating anywhere close to where I should be for maintaining. I was eating at a large deficit. And I was told that to gain muscle I need to eat even more. I'm eating between 1750-2100 calories and for maintaining I should be at 3000 according to a fitness instructor on another site, someone whom I respect a great deal. He said to gain I should eat around 3500 and to lose fat I should be eating 2500. Sometimes I find it hard to eat even 1800 calories. 3000 seems like a TON.

    I do eat a lot of almonds and I've started adding bananas to my diet more. I like the idea of almonds and a banana. That's a nice little spike right there. I'm going to start with 2500 to start till I get used to that because jumping from where I am to 3000 or 3500 seems like a massive leap. I want to take it gradually.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Now, that response was based on thinking you were eating at your optimal intake level and just needed to increase calories for muscle gain. Are you needing to up your overall caloric intake too?

    Yeah I'm not eating anywhere close to where I should be for maintaining. I was eating at a large deficit. And I was told that to gain muscle I need to eat even more. I'm eating between 1750-2100 calories and for maintaining I should be at 3000 according to a fitness instructor on another site, someone whom I respect a great deal. He said to gain I should eat around 3500 and to lose fat I should be eating 2500. Sometimes I find it hard to eat even 1800 calories. 3000 seems like a TON.

    I do eat a lot of almonds and I've started adding bananas to my diet more. I like the idea of almonds and a banana. That's a nice little spike right there. I'm going to start with 2500 to start till I get used to that because jumping from where I am to 3000 or 3500 seems like a massive leap. I want to take it gradually.

    Yeah, don't jump that much super fast as it will make you sick. I'd add 100 calories per day for the first week, then next week add another 100 calories per day. It will take a while to get to where you are eating what you think you need without getting sick from it.. Honestly, though, if 3000 is maintenance, 3100 a day is sufficient to build a pound of muscle a week without storing excess as fat.
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
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    Tonya, Thank you so much yet again. Always a fountain of valuable information. I'm going to follow the directions you laid out about increasing gradually. I also like the idea of not increasing too much, 3100 seems fine.
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
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    As for the nuts I buy the 1kg Dan-D-Pak of almonds once a week. They are all natural, nothing added. If I want something extra I dip them in salsa. Salsa has like next to no calories, 10cal per 2 tbsp and I stick with low sodium alternatives. I think I might add Clif bars as they're like 230cal per bar, 1 or 2 of those a day will increase my calorie intake.

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