Good "extra calorie" ideas

Calliope610

Good Morning! So far I have lost 12 lbs - from 232 to 220 this morning - since January. I started out with 1200 cals/day, then upped it to 1300. Now I'm thinking I should up it to 1500 or 1600 since I am starting C25K.

I am 50yo, 5'4" and fairly sedentary (office/desk job).

My appetite has adjusted to my food intake, I'm not "starving" all the time and haven't binged during the last couple of weeks. I need some ideas for good, nutritious snacks/foods to make up that additional 200-300 daily cals without adding a bunch of fat and sodium. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

TavistockToad

nuts!

fightininggirl

would you believe this time last year I weighed 220 pounds. I have done two 5k's and my trainer told me when doing them I need to up my calories to 1500-1600 calories. I am doing a more atheltic work out. my body needs the extra calories to fuel me. of course you want to eat more carbs (the good kinds) as well as proteins. the best way to find 200-300 calorie snacks is to search on google they have tons of them. you can write down the ideas on that.

mimiyo1980

nuts!

I agree! Whole Earth Organic Crunch Peanut Butter, Almond Butter on rice/corn cakes or an apple (or just by the tea spoon ;0), Avocado (I like mine with a splash of balsamic and pinch of sea salt)

KetoDebbie912

0% Greek Yogurt
Extra Lean protein (I keep grilled chicken in the fridge all the time)
Protein Shakes
Protein Bars - I like Quest Nutrition bars. They are high fiber with no sugar or sugar alcohols.

warbelton

How about a smoothie? My current favorite~~1 cup fat free plain greek yogurt, 1 cup frozen peaches, 1/2 cup of fat free vanilla almond milk, 2 packets truvia, splash of vanilla, 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and 1 cup fresh spinach. Blend until smooth. About 175 calories. Satisfies my sweet tooth too. My favorite go to snack is 15 unsalted oven roasted almonds~just 100 calories.

seena511

nuts!

I agree! Whole Earth Organic Crunch Peanut Butter, Almond Butter on rice/corn cakes or an apple (or just by the tea spoon ;0), Avocado (I like mine with a splash of balsamic and pinch of sea salt)

those both have quite a bit of fat though. it's good fat, but if you're watching your overall intake, you might not want it. you could try maybe rice cakes or popcorn...light stuff that you can really eat quite a bit of, and usually whole grain too.

berthabunny

0% Greek Yogurt
Extra Lean protein (I keep grilled chicken in the fridge all the time)
Protein Shakes
Protein Bars - I like Quest Nutrition bars. They are high fiber with no sugar or sugar alcohols.

I say full-fat Greek yogurt, but won't make this a macros discussion, do whatever your macros are. Full fat will add calories faster though.
Chicken is great, as are many other non-processed meats, and fish.
Protein bars are yummy and calorie dense.
Avocado is delicious with salt (try potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride for no sodium version).
A couple of slices of cheese (feta only if you have sodium to spare)

ngyoung

What's wrong with fat and sodium? There are many people that are sensitive to sodium but a majority of the population doesn't really have much of an effect despite popular opinion. Don't be scared of fat either just eating it isn't going to go straight to body fat. Eating fat helps you feel satiated. I am not suggesting going out and chew on a stick of butter but adding natural foods like avacado, nuts, etc is a good thing and won't drive you to binge.

Don't go out and buy a bunch of pre-packages "healthy" snacks to fill your daily cal intake. Just add natural real food. If you are increasing your energy output your body will tell you when you are hungry. Usually people that are at your progress level can tell when they are having a craving vs actually being hungry. I usually distinguish craving vs hunger when I get the feeling like I want something tasty on my tongue it is a craving and when my stomach is getting an empty feeling when then it is likely real hunger.

There have been times where it hasn't been true where I get a hunger feeling in my stomach where even after eating where I still feel hungry but it is usually a day where earlier in the day I was eating some junk or dug into the kids Halloween candy or something. This is likely different for most people but drinking a glass of water before deciding whether to eat usually helps at least stall long enough to ignore a craving.

Calliope610

What's wrong with fat and sodium?

Nothing, I suppose, if you aren't hypertensive. However, I am.