Ideas needed for HEALTHY higher calorie snacks please

slummymummy

I'm a busy Mum of 2 and I have my own business working from home. My husband is in the armed forces and often spends around 9 months of the year away from us. As such, I have in the past considerably undereaten (after all there was nobody there to remind me to eat!) this is the reason I am overweight, basically I have starved myself for at least the last 5 years!

I joined MFP with the aim of eating regularly, sensibly and healthily and with the hope that if I do so, my waist may shrink a few inches along the way!

I'm very lucky in that I find training very easy and tend to burn off at least an extra 600 calories per day, 5 days per week. I'm 20lbs over my healthy weight range and am limited to 1200 calories per day. Please don't read this the wrong way (I've seen replies to posts with people querying how you can't manage to hit your calorie target) but I am really struggling to eat my daily 1200 calories let alone the extra 600 I have to consume!

Please don't tell me to train less - I actually really enjoy it and it's the only time I get away from home and work! I'd love to eat all of my extra exercise calories but don't see the point in adding Mars bars and Lard to my diet in an attempt to lose weight! Can any of you lovely people advise me on some healthy (low sugar and sodium) high calorie additions I can make to my daily diet please?

erickirb

Snacks: Nuts, seeds, nut butters, dehydrated fruit, full fat cottage cheese or yogurt.
switch from low cal to regular fat products (switch from 1% milk to 2%, use full fat sour cream and cheeses)
add Avocado to salads and sandwiches
add olive oil to soups, salads and sauces

polo571

Nature valley chewy trail mix bars. 140 cals they have almond, raisin, peanut and cranberrys only 65 g of sodium and they are tasty.

morganadk2_deleted

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

please read these , they may well change your mind

Daisygurl7

Natural Almond Butter is good for you with Thin Buns. YUMMY!
http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-nut-spreads-organic-almond-butter-no-salt-added-raw-creamy_f-Y2lkPTYzODkmYmlkPTE2OTgmZmlkPTEwMjY5NiZlaWQ9NjEyMDI3NjI5JnBvcz0yJnBhcj0ma2V5PWFsbW9uZCBidXR0ZXI.html

jessieinblue

Nuts are your best bet. Almonds and macadamia nuts are my personal favorite. Also try pecans, cashews, pistachio nuts, peanuts . . .

High calorie, full of good fat and general goodness

ETA: Eating them raw, rather than roasted/salted, is the best way. If you really can't stand raw, try roasted unsalted.

sroseber

almonds...full of good fat and easy to keep with you.

If you can make yourself eat a "snack" every 2-3 hours and make that snack be around 200-300 calories you should be good. Keep stuff like almonds, protein bars/shakes, hard boiled eggs, string cheese, fruit, raw veggies, etc. around that is easy to take with you if you are on the go alot. It shouldn't be too hard to come up with a 200-300 calorie, healthy snack and eating small amounts every few hours will increase your metabolism. Also make sure you eat breakfast...something within about an hour of getting up...so that your metabolism can get started.

You do what you have to do to get yourself up to that 1200 calories and then you can build from there. Don't worry about anyone on here trying to lecture you and tell you how you should be doing it. This is a process and you have to get to where you can eat the 1200 calories regularly before you can make yourself eat the extra 600 and it seems you already know you're supposed to do that so no one needs to tell you what you already know.

Good luck!

slummymummy

Wow peeps - thanks for the help already! I hadn't really considered nuts and seeds, I guess in my pre-MFP days I would have gone for a bar of choccie (Oh how I'm learning!) I know it sounds cliche, but to go from surviving on probably 500 calories a day to having to consume somewhere in the region of 1800 is a huge challenge for me. I need to get used to the idea of fitting in healthy snacks between meals or I'm going to run the risk of consuming fewer calories than I did before!
Thanks for the help.

slummymummy

:happy:

slummymummy

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

please read these , they may well change your mind

@Morganadk2 Sorry, I don't know if you misread my post but I AM trying to eat my exercise calories! I need help with some high calorie, healthy snacks in order to do so.

Shamrock40

Mum, do you have whole wheat pastas over there? The whole wheat/whole grain is higher in protein and calories, yet is a complex carb, so better for you. I would suggest a home-made cold pasta salad with whole wheat pasta, a few raw veggies like carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and peppers, plus maybe a few things like zucchini, asparagus, onions (or veg of your choice) roasted in the oven with salt, pepper and olive oil. The make your own vinaigrette with olive oil and lemon juice or a vinegar of your choice (my new favorite is rice wine vinegar.) If you add all the ingredients into the recipe tool on here, it will give you the total of everything you put in, then divide into serving sizes for you.

You're lucky you need to add calories. I love pasta and olive oil, but find my calories don't permit more than a serving size. Boo!!

I don't know if you're a home cook, but I love to roast veg in the oven, it's my favorite way to eat them. If you need any help or suggestions, shoot me a message.

SHBoss1673

I'd agree with the peanut butter, almond butter, and yogurts options (try greek yogurt too, double the protein, same calories)

just try to make them the natural versions as they have less fillers, added sugar, and HFCS.

Also don't forget about things like avocados, steel cut or irish oatmeal, and lest we forget, EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) has some fantastic properties, is relatively high in calories, and is a great tool for both cooking an on salads.

Whole grain carbs are a good source as well. Try to keep them as close to natural as possible, it's better that way, keeps much of the fiber and vitamins intact.

rnroadrunner

I am glad you are aware that undereating can couse bad things. everyone had great suggestions so I won't add anything but this link. you should check it out. good luck in your journey.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner

california_peach

My favorite snack is 1/4 of raw almonds and 1/8 of a cup of Trader Joe's orange flavored cranberries. As a mom, this is my go to snack for staying full while chasing my kids.

slummymummy

Thankyou all for your help. Yes, we do have wholewheat pasta and, typically that is the option I tend to go for, along with brown rice etc. It's nice to know I'm heading in the right direction and I'm very much cheered up by the fact I can add Peanut butter and nuts in their whole form to my diet!

I actually took part in masterchef last year (not sure if those of you from places other than the Uk will know what that is) but my cooking has always been based more on taste than nutrition!

Thanks again all for taking time to help me out.

slummymummy

I am glad you are aware that undereating can couse bad things. everyone had great suggestions so I won't add anything but this link. you should check it out. good luck in your journey.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner

Wow! this makes a LOT of sense! It's so clear when it's broken down into hard facts! BTW, I'm flattered that you'd think of me as "relatively light"! I veer more to the side of "relatively lardy!"

Thanks for taking the time to include the link - I'll definitely save it for future reference.