Types of foods to eat more?

LizCO2DC

With very limited results eating 1200 calories a day, I've decided to try something new... EAT MORE. However, what should I be eating more of? I'm assuming that these calories shouldn't be from junk food or unhealthy foods, so what do you eat to hit that calorie mark?

Thanks!

wonderkitten711

I'm still working on the eating more thing myself (it is HARD some days), but I generally try to toss in more fruits and veggies as I can. Protein shakes are good. Also healthy fats like nuts and nut butters, avocados, etc.

AmyzNewGroove

Most of the peeps here have changed their macro ratios to 40% carb, 30% protein, & 30% fats. Some are lifting weights to transform their form, and others are focusing more on cardio, but either way, having the extra protein is really important! There are as many ways to eat those cals as there are people on this board so, you have to find what works for you, but here are some of my staples:

Nuts (especially almonds!)
Peanut butter (or in my case, almond butter
CHICKEN! Holy cow do I eat a lot of chicken! I add it to everything
Turkey
Milk (dairy or, yes, you guessed it, almond!)
Protein shakes
Low carb wraps (I heart Flat Out Multigrain w/Flax)
Eggs
Fish
Lean red meat (filet mignon - yuuuuumy)!
Greek yogurt

I am trying to eat "cleanly" too, so lots of raw fruits and veggies. Keeping away from processed foods (as tough as that is) will help you keep your sodium/added sugar levels down. My diary is open if you are interested, take a look

LizCO2DC

Thanks for all of your great suggestions! I think that helps give me a better sense of what types of things I need to be eating.

Is there a particular protein shake you recommend? I've never had them before, and with so many on the market I'm not sure where to begin!

AmyzNewGroove

I have been using "Designer Whey Protein" - mostly because a) I can get it at my local grocery store without breaking the bank, and b) it doesn't have all the added stuff (e.g. fillers, creatine, etc). It dissovles easily in a shaker bottle (so it has a good texture), but it is definitely not the best tasting on the market (if I were buying only for taste I would go for Muscle Milk or GNC's Total Lean Shake) and at first I just mixed it with water - let's put it this way, I had to chug it and get it over with!!! But after experimentation, I found that the chocolate is delicious with chocolate almond milk. And I like to add the vanilla almond flavor to smoothies.

I've also tried Jillian Michael's whey protein and it was pretty good. Wal-Mart usually carries it, and it's fairly inexpensive. If you are looking for a high quality organic whey protein, I hear Dr. Mercola's pure protein or Jay Robb's are pretty popular.

ANewLucia

I have been using "Designer Whey Protein" - mostly because a) I can get it at my local grocery store without breaking the bank, and b) it doesn't have all the added stuff (e.g. fillers, creatine, etc). It dissovles easily in a shaker bottle (so it has a good texture), but it is definitely not the best tasting on the market (if I were buying only for taste I would go for Muscle Milk or GNC's Total Lean Shake) and at first I just mixed it with water - let's put it this way, I had to chug it and get it over with!!! But after experimentation, I found that the chocolate is delicious with chocolate almond milk. And I like to add the vanilla almond flavor to smoothies.

I've also tried Jillian Michael's whey protein and it was pretty good. Wal-Mart usually carries it, and it's fairly inexpensive. If you are looking for a high quality organic whey protein, I hear Dr. Mercola's pure protein or Jay Robb's are pretty popular.

OH YESSSS FOR DR. MERCOLA PURE PROTEIN!!! LOVE IT! :-)

twinmomtwice4

I've been drinking the Trader Joe's Whey Protein - vanilla flavored with 8 oz of skim milk and I actually really like it. It's like my sweet treat for the day after my work out!!!

k0nfyo0zed

I started cooking with olive oil again... the flavor is great, the smell is awesome, and it's healthy fats. So it's a good way to add in healthy fat calories without adding a lot of volume.

I also eat a lot of eggs with cheese, nuts, and recently discovered how awesome avocado is when mashed up with a little olive oil and garlic then used as a sandwich spread. OM NOM NOM.

twinmomtwice4

I had a hard time trying to increase my calories but finally found some great healthy, clean foods that help...

quinoa
barley
peanut butter or almond butter (make sure it's the natural kind with no added sugar or oil)
greek yogurt
steel cut oats
whole wheat couscous
beans (I just posted a fantastic Mediterranean Chickpea Salad that is completely clean and delicious)
chicken breast or thighs (no skin)
ground turkey
whole wheat pita chips with hummus

witrixie2011

Honestly, I'm not trying to do anything special and I easily can eat 2000 calories a day. :blushing:

I'm just making what I always have made but now I'm more aware of the macros I want. Like tonight I'm making chinese. I used to use a ton of rice and very little chicken. Now I'm almost tripling the chicken for protein, dropping the rice down to about a quarter cup (wow is there a ton of carbs in rice!!) and throwing in a pound of veggies. And it fits into my macros for the day perfectly.

In the beginning I was taking all of my recipes and cutting the portions way down to very little calories. Now I make my alterations and up portions to 500-600 a serving. I love it!! :flowerforyou:

AngelAura777

The other night I had that many veggies (3/4 of a big plate) I felt like I was going to explode and I had 2 fillets of fresh skinless and boneless basa fish and salad on top of that and greek yoghurt with 1/4 cup of rolled oats and berries and banana all in one huuuge sitting it got my calories up and it was all healthy! I went to bed that night feeling insanely full and the next morning I woke up feeling skinnier than the morning before it was great!

runningfromzombies

Thanks for all of your great suggestions! I think that helps give me a better sense of what types of things I need to be eating.

Is there a particular protein shake you recommend? I've never had them before, and with so many on the market I'm not sure where to begin!

Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate Protein Powder FTW! Blended with milk instead of water it tastes JUST like chocolate milk--and gives you an added protein boost from the additional milk, too! :bigsmile:

And, the stuff I've been eating since upping my calories...

-peanut butter (I'm so happy I can eat this again--while I was low-cal I never had the budget for it! What a sad life!)
-almonds or other nuts (roasted, unsalted, delicious)
-string cheese
-lean ground turkey
-chicken breasts
-eggs in all ways
-carrots/celery with cream cheese
-greek yogurt
-oatmeal (I love the Quaker Weight Control variety for the added protein boost in it)
-every kind of granola imaginable (I'm particularly attached to the High Protein Cinnamon Granola by Archer Farms, as well as the Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Biscotti and Chocolate Chunk Cherry by the same company)
-fruit, fruit, fruit (bananas, oranges, grapefruit, apples, applesauce, strawberries, blueberries)
-veggies, veggies, veggies (celery, carrots, green beans, cauliflower--and mashed cauliflower, tastes like mashed potatoes, broccoli, asparagus)

Marge321

I'm addicted to my protein shakes : 1 cup of frozen fruits, 1 cup of milk, protein powder.....Hmmmmm!

MoominFit

One of the best, inexpensive foods that I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned is pumpkin seeds. I don't mean necessarily the do-it-yourself roasted from the Halloween pumpkin kind! You can go to any major grocery store and find them in the bulk aisle. I eat them plain, I put them in salads, and for a special treat, I'll put a 1/2 cup with some dark chocolate chips. YUM. But seriously, you can hardly beat the nutrition these little things provide:

http://www.womenrepublic.co.uk/diet_fitness/pumpkin_seeds/

WeCallThemDayWalkers

such good suggestions!!