Hitting 3000 cal

Akious
Akious Posts: 71
in Health and Weight Loss
While my recent change from 300lbs to 160lbs has me rather excited, I have noticed that I an pretty much a walking twig. I have decided to put on a little muscle. I've talked to my doc and a lot of people that I work out with and every one says that I need to eat more to put on muscle. Makes perfect sense. Problem being, I don't eat much. I have a hard enough time hitting my old calorie goal (2k). I worked it out with a few other people and according to them I should be eating around 2980 calories a day. Anyone have any high calorie foods that can help me hit that? I cannot seem to eat enough as is and now that I am being told to eat more, I am at a loss of what to eat.

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    For starters, nuts and avocados. Both are very calorically dense and contain a lot of essential fatty acids (EFAs). Hit the protein sources hard too - if you're trying to build muscle, protein is the "building blocks" your body needs.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You do not need a huge surplus above present TDEE to increase lean body mass. I add an additional 500 calories a day to gain 4 lbs per month (2 lb of muscle for 2 lb of fat).
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    Did you see the thread about the 1500 calorie slice of carrot cake?
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
    You do not need a huge surplus above present TDEE to increase lean body mass. I add an additional 500 calories a day to gain 4 lbs per month (2 lb of muscle for 2 lb of fat).

    this
  • sunnykt
    sunnykt Posts: 66
    Mmm.
    Nuts, avocado, coconut, eggs, bananas, yogurt, salad dressings, a little bit of butter on your greens (such as kale and spinach), oily fish, natural peanut butter, green smoothies and homemade fruit juices.

    You could make a home-made "healthy" carrot cake with almond flour (higher calorie but higher in good fats), or almond flour pancakes.
  • aproc
    aproc Posts: 1,033 Member
    You'll definitely need to up the fat. So think nuts, nut butters, avocados, etc. There are lots of things you can add into meals that add calories without adding bulk. If that isn't working, then start drinking some calories? Smoothies are great since you can mix so many different things and make them high in calories and healthy. I can easily hit 2700-3000 without junk but I also have a pretty big appetite. XP
  • kuger4119
    kuger4119 Posts: 213 Member
    I'm trying to do the same thing and it's been harder than I thought to gain weight back. (Who would have ever thought that?) I went from 180 to 160 but went on down to 150 just to prove that I could do it. I'm trying to get back up to 160 lbs and I'm at 151 lbs after three weeks. Part of the issue is that I've conditioned myself to a 500 calorie deficit and I have to force myself to even get to 2000 calories some day.

    I've been doing two protein shakes per day and adding nuts into the equation. I've also added the always reliable krispy kreme donut back into the equation for a quick 300 calorie hit. I figure that I'm not ever going to have an awesome six pack so I might as well have some tasty goodness along the way. For me, the subconscious fear of getting back to 180 lbs has made it hard to go much over 2000 without feeling guilty though.

Categories