Eating over 2000 calories

stacibuk
stacibuk Posts: 276 Member
For those who eat so much, could you please tell me what you eat? I can't seem to eat more than1500calories and then I eat bananas to increase the amount of calories I'm ingesting. Please could someone tell me how they manage to get such high calorie intakes and still lose weight too.

Replies

  • I eat 2200kcal a day (that's based on a TDEE - 20% calculation) and I am losing weight fairly consistently. How is this possible?! I am 6'1 and I work out for at least an hour a day 6x a week.

    How do I physically manage to eat that many calories? Lots of protein, low-fat dairy, a crazy amount of veg, and a secret love of sweets that I alternatively satisfy with fruit and homemade baked goods. Everything in moderation!
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    I'm losing on 1800, not 2000 - but if I managed another 200 calories a day worth of exercise, I could lose on 2000! I don't eat anything fancy to add calories, but I don't have a hard time eating that many. I could usually eat more, if I wasn't trying so hard to lose a few pounds.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    Hi staci, feel free to glance at my diary as I can't see yours. I'm a pretty regular eater of 2000+ which leave me a modest deficient(I'm more interested in maintaining muscle while losing fat then just quickly losing everything I can which is muscle and fat)

    Also I'm 5'8 lightly active, my calories are now based off of TDEE as calculated by body media link. I don't work, I <3 my t.v.(Netflix yay) but I also zumba via xbox kinects a couple of times a week and chase around my 5year old and go to the gym a couple to several times a week.(usually, but sometimes I take a break from the gym)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Diary is open.

    I just have slightly larger portions, and no phobias about supposed "bad" foods. I still have bread, pasta, bagels, rice, potatoes, etc. I try to avoid most "diet" foods, like lowfat dressings or cheese. So instead of a bowl of cereal, I have two for breakfast. One bowl doesn't cut it. Instead of a 3-4 ounce chicken breast, I have a 6-8 ounce one. I have two quarter pound cheeseburgers when I make burgers, sometimes with bacon.

    (I'm not currently losing, but I wasn't eating much less when I was. I run 3x a week and lift weights at home 3x a week.)
  • chels0722
    chels0722 Posts: 465 Member
    I eat 2200 a day to lose fat at TDEE-10%, and I make lots of homemade food/snacks to fill my day. I basically make sure I'm eating every couple hours. And I eat lots of fruits and veggies, so I understand those not giving you much for a calorie source.

    Throw in a steak or something ;)
    Fish is also a good source of quality calories from protein and fats
    Nuts can really help, lots of healthy fats and high in calorie per gram
    Cheeses have good sources of protein and fat
    Quinoa and brown rice
    List goes on......

    Feel free to take a look at my diary
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Open diary.

    How do I get so many calories? Easy, I just eat more calorie dense food, and higher quanties of less calorie dense food.

    How do I still lose weight? I use activity to keep a daily 500-1000 calorie deficit. My goals are set to maintenance - I manually monitor my deficit through the day, so the 'calories left' figure on MFP is equal to my deficit.
  • nuts, seeds, avocado--really high in fat which means low bulk and high calories

    lean beef/fatty fish--higher in calories than tuna/chicken

    bigger servings of what you already eat

    low fat or full fat dairy NOT no fat
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    Full fat dairy instead of the lowfat stuff...so milk, cheese and yogurt all full fat. Just don't buy the lowfat stuff anymore, you are basically paying more money for less fuel (calories). It's like paying $4.00 a gallon for gas on one corner and $3.50 a gallon right across the street.

    Add some nuts as a snack, or have some peanut butter with your banana - yumm,

    Put cheese on your potatos and salads, use butter when sauteeing vegetables or chicken or seafood.

    I have a goal of 1700, but I usually hit around 2000.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I eat 2,150. Usually when people struggle to meet their calorie goals it is because they don't get enough fat due to the ongoing fat makes you fat line of thinking. There are a number of sources of good, heart healthy fats and you don't have to stuff yourself.

    cook with more olive oil, etc...instead of steaming those veggies or eating them raw, roast them in olive oil or saute them. Eat more nuts and nut butters...one of my favorite snacks is apple wedges and peanut butter...'bout 275 calories right there. I also love avocado as a snack...1/2 a large avocado packs about 120 calories and is very nutrient dense as well. If you're eating/drinking fat free dairy, change to 1% or 2% or even full fat (I can never squeeze full fat in)...eat a bit of cheese, 1 Oz of good sharp cheddar has about 110 calories. The list goes on and on.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I like to eat large portions, that makes a good start. I fill in extra needed calories with things like a banana, a handful of almonds or cashews, a glass of milk.
  • BEERRUNNER
    BEERRUNNER Posts: 3,046 Member
    BEER!
  • thatjeffsmith
    thatjeffsmith Posts: 110 Member
    BEER!

    What he said :)

    But seriously, I avg around 2,000 and if I want to go higher I'll splurge on the snack or after dinner drink or 2.
  • SteveJWatson
    SteveJWatson Posts: 1,225 Member
    I'm on 2100 without excercise - I have an outdoor job.

    Diary is open, I just eat a lot of food. Nom.
  • keithmustloseweight
    keithmustloseweight Posts: 309 Member
    You can check my diary for tips on my perma bulk
  • rm7161
    rm7161 Posts: 505
    Full fat dairy instead of the lowfat stuff...so milk, cheese and yogurt all full fat. Just don't buy the lowfat stuff anymore, you are basically paying more money for less fuel (calories). It's like paying $4.00 a gallon for gas on one corner and $3.50 a gallon right across the street.

    This advice I realised also worked for unsweetened coconut cream... lowfat coconut milk is just diluted and not nearly as tasty. I'd rather use less of the concentrated stuff. Though I still buy lowfat and nofat dairy, but that's because protein values are a tad higher and help me reach that macro.
  • djssjg
    djssjg Posts: 1
    Drag, Im eating right at 1900 calories a day and not losing
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    You can look at my diary, with exercise calories I'm over 2000 every day.
  • stacibuk
    stacibuk Posts: 276 Member
    Thanks for your advices. But, I'm scared of going that high. You all must exercise like crazy!
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
    Thanks for your advices. But, I'm scared of going that high. You all must exercise like crazy!

    I do actually, that's why I eat so much!
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Thanks for your advices. But, I'm scared of going that high. You all must exercise like crazy!

    Not really. My average daily burn is around 2600 - 3000 Calories. I burn 300 - 600 of those in my daily 40-60 minute workouts, the rest comes from non-exercise activity like playing with my daughter, doing DIY around the house, yard work, cleaning, grocery shopping - just the daily business of living really. I wear a fitibit all the time, which tracks how active I am, estimates my burn, compares it to the MFP baseline (which I keep as sedentary) and gives me more Calories if I earn them.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    I have a peanut butter addiction!
  • saltedcaramel86
    saltedcaramel86 Posts: 238 Member
    I eat between 1700-2000 cals (meant to be on the higher end of maintenance though!). I eat a lot of full fat dairy, peanut butter, oils, etc. Plus, bigger portions go a long way. I eat a lot of wholewheat carbs, etc, which are quite calorie dense.

    Chug down an extra glass of milk
    Add oil to your veggies, or over a baked potato before putting it in the oven (delicious)
    Add some peanut butter to your apple or banana
    Eat an extra chicken fillet or something (I don't eat any meat aside from fish!)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I run 3x a week and lift weights 3x a week. I run anywhere between 3 and 6+ miles at a time, and lift about 45 minutes. So... maybe about 5 hours total exercise time per week. I don't think that's a excessive.