Can't eat enough calories!

lilchubbybunny

ok so following the advice of a woman on here i have started adding my foods to the journal before i eat them. and it seems like a decent amount of food to me, lots of veggies, some fruit, rice, good stuff but its a little over 500. I know that is very few calories. Please tell me how I can bulk up my food without going over board. I am vegan so meat and animal products are out of the question. Also I dont like using suppliments and powders because they seem un natural to me.

emott84

Nuts, like almonds, etc? They are a high-calorie food but full of nutrient-goodness!

morganadk2_deleted

MAYBE IF YOU MAKE YOUR DIARY PUBLIC WE CAN HELP

HeatherMarie1174

I am vegan too, but I seem to find ways to get very close to my goal calories ... maybe I have found more vegan junk food. Hmmm ... that might not be a good thing either. :bigsmile:

My staples that I normally eat everyday are hummus and veggies/pita chips. I try to have a hearty soup as well - not high in calories, but quite good. Nuts are always good too - they have good fat in them too, which help out a lot.

leahsevilla

I'm the same. I either eat foods I'm not supposed to (intollerances and the like) or I am WAY under! I'd second nuts, and maybe try to just add more quinoa or brown rice since it is a healthy carb. Also, potatos are high in calories but pretty starchy. it's hard isnt it?!

meggonkgonk

Try to eat more at each meal- 2/3 a cup of veggie is barely a serving! Try something proteiny or fibrous for breakfast, - aim for that to be about 2-400 calories in total. I like eggs, oatmeal or PB toast with berries.

Add in some snacks throughout the day (fruits, veggies) between meals, and add a protein source for lunch- If you aren't down with meat, try beans.


Overall you just need a bigger quantity of food- you are almost wholely lacking in protein and and that will make it hard to get your calories up.

prov31ms

Finding high calorie foods to eat seems to come naturally to me - LOL -

My issue is finding low calorie foods so I can stay under my calorie goal...

Here are some of my favorite high calorie foods that are also vegan:

Rice
Potatoes
Nuts
Peanut Butter
Pasta
Corn
Beans
Licorice
Dried Fruits
Chocolate
Bananas

I could go on, but there are a lot of higher calorie foods if you need to get in more - again - I wish that were my problem - I just love food! =0)

meggonkgonk

Oh- also a great website for healthy Vegan recipies (I'm not vegan, so it just never occurred to me):

www.ohsheglows.com

Fabulous. Avacado pasta= my new obsession.

BerryH

You definitely need more protein - have beans at least once a day and add Quorn and tofu. Beans will also help with you iron.

Have bigger proportions of wholegrain carbs - pasta, rice, bread - all that good stuff.

Don't forget higher-carb veg - potatoes, sweetcorn etc. And snack on nuts and nut butters.

Cook in vegetable oil and add a good quality olive oil based dressing to your salads, and drizzle on veg.

Use some yummy sauces on your meals - many ones for general consumption are suitable for vegans.

lilchubbybunny

Thank you so much guys! i added a few things and bulked it up to about 1,000 cal. i hope i can eat that much >.<

littttlelaurra

I just posted a black bean cake with mango salsa recipe that is about 424 calories per serving which is 2 cakes. the only issue is it does have 1 egg white as a binding agent so trying to think what you could use as a substitute for the egg white , try 1 egg white = 1 Tbsp. plain agar powder dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water, whipped, chilled, and whipped again. or go to this web site for other substitute suggestions. this recipe is super flavorful and healthy.

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/egg-replacements.aspx

black bean cakes with mango salsa-
makes 8 cakes - serves 4 ( 2cakes per person)

mango salsa - make this first and chill

2 cups mango, peeled & diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, minced
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded & chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, coarsely minced
2 tsp fresh ginger root, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice

black bean cake mixture

2 x 15 ounce. cans black beans, rinsed & liquid removed
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
1 egg white (or possibly substitute), slightly beaten
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1.Combine all mango salsa ingredients (first 7 ingredients) in a bowl and set aside.

2.For the black bean cakes, place beans in a large bowl and coarsely mash till they stick together. Add in cilantro, onion, egg white, cumin, garlic, allspice, and cayenne pepper. Mix till well blended.

3.Divide bean mix into 8 equal parts. Shape into 1/2" thick patties. Coat patties with bread crumbs. Spray both sides of patties with nonstick cooking spray.

4.Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in bean cakes and fry till golden on both sides, turning once, about 8 min total.
Serve hot with Mango Salsa. Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges, if you like.

per serving = 2 cakes (or 212 per cake)
424 calories
19 g protein
5 g fat
75 g carbs
0 cholesterol
81 mg sodium
13 g fiber

littttlelaurra

also try ancient harvest quinoa it has 6 grams of protien and is about 180 calories per 1/4 dry.

ssawchenko

Once you're comfortable with that I would encourage you to bump up the cals by even more. There is plenty of documentation showing that if you don't give your body enough calories it will enter a 'saving or starvation' mode, and you will actually not lose the weight you think you should be losing as your body will simply store EVERYTHING you give it. Given your current numbers I would very much encourage you to bump it up by at least a few hundred more (which is really just one or two more small snacks!).

Like other people said bumping up the serving sizes a bit will help. Also, snacking every few hours (a few handfuls of nuts, some peanut butter on toast etc) can help boost your calories and since the snacking is spread out you hopefully shouldn't notice the increase

Best of luck!

mkennedym

i agree. eat nuts. two handfuls of sunflower kernels is like 200 calories, plus it has fiber, essential fats and protein.

BerryH

I'm just amazed you have any weight to lose on that diet :laugh:

Can you give us an idea of what you'd typically eat in a day before? There might be plenty of good stuff you're kicking out with the bad.

lilchubbybunny

Ok well the kind of stuff i ate before, oh gosh its aweful
ok so
fast food all the time
chips
cream soups
big deli meat sandwhiches
box meals
tons of cheese lol
ramen noodles (2 packages at a time)
i ate alot of ice cream
i baked cakes and cookies all the time
Like I said it was aweful, i just took a long hard look at my diet and weeded out all the really bad stuff, what i ended with? VEGAN! ^.^

annacataldo

Celery with peanut butter (2tbls 200cal), peanut butter jelly sandwichs, handful of almonds is 170cal, beans r high n potassium protein all sorts of things, rice...there's veggie bacon/sausage/hamburers etc (idk if its high cal, just suggesting sumthin). Popcorn (I pop my own all the time and after I add butter or oil it goes from bein 150cal to over 200. High fiber cereal (kashi brand go lean crunch is bout 200cal a cup), with soy or almond milk.
Orange juice 110cal a cup.

Remember u want ur net calories to be ur calorie goal number (if u excercise u gotta eaat more)

Soupskin

Tempeh has a pretty good amount of calories.

I know cause I always want to eat too much of it!

prov31ms

Another item I just thought of that I rarely eat anymore is granola cereal - I love it but 1 cup can have 400-500+ calories!

astromachine

Olive oil! Yummy drizzled on food and bulks up the calories.

Matchamatcha

Whenever I'm really stuck and not hungry I eat a tablespoon of peanut butter. The brand I get is like 110 calories per tablespoon. You can also get salt reduced, sugar reduced, no added salt or sugar types if you prefer.