Struggling to Get Enough Calories

anachronicles
anachronicles Posts: 109 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello!

I've been struggling with my diet recently. I was undereating for quite a while and recently I've been trying to increase my caloric intake to a healthier level. However, I like to eat cleanly and I find that the foods I like are naturally low in calories. This makes it quite hard for me to even reach 1000 calories in a day (feel free to take a look at my diary to get an idea). Despite the low number I actually do feel satisfied on this diet and have enough energy to sustain my exercise routine. I know it isn't healthy though, which is why I'm looking for some tips on how to get my calories up in a healthy, sustainable way.

My other problem is that when I attempt to introduce more calorie dense foods I often overdo it and end up overeating. Or I adapt the mindset that I need to get my calories up by any means necessary and I find myself eating very unhealthy foods.

It seems as if the only way I can maintain a clean diet is with an unhealthy calorie deficit! It's very frustrating, especially because I want to build lean muscle. I have been doing my best to incorporate lots of protein into my meals, but would love some advice on how to improve my diet :)

Replies

  • ilmb87
    ilmb87 Posts: 216 Member
    Any nut butter should help boost your calories, so long as you have no allergy to it. Some peanut or almond butter would go marvelously with the apple you had. Also, when it comes to dairy (I saw the yogurt you had today), stick with full fat versions for the extra calories.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I realize that not all of these fall into the "clean" category (depending on your personal definition of clean eating) but you might be able to find some ideas here:

    Nuts
    Nut butters
    Cheese
    Avocado
    Steak
    Less lean cuts of meat
    Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, or other cooking fats
    Full calorie dressings, condiments, and sauces
    Full fat dairy
    Greek yogurt
    Ice cream
    Dark chocolate
    Seeds (sunflower, flax, chia, etc)
    Protein shakes, smoothies, and bars
    Honey or other sweeteners
    Whole eggs
    Baked goods (homemade or store bought)
    Pasta
  • acheben
    acheben Posts: 476 Member
    Eat more of what you're currently eating or add more calorie dense foods like:
    - Nuts
    - Nut butters
    - Full fat dairy
    - Avocados
    - Whole Eggs
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    Any nut butter should help boost your calories, so long as you have no allergy to it. Some peanut or almond butter would go marvelously with the apple you had. Also, when it comes to dairy (I saw the yogurt you had today), stick with full fat versions for the extra calories.

    Seriously it is ridiculous how many calories are in peanut/almond/cashew butter. That's probably the easiest way to boost your intake without feeling like you're stuffing yourself if you're not used to eating a lot of food.
  • MississippiMama87
    MississippiMama87 Posts: 204 Member
    I realize that not all of these fall into the "clean" category (depending on your personal definition of clean eating) but you might be able to find some ideas here:

    Nuts
    Nut butters
    Cheese
    Avocado
    Steak
    Less lean cuts of meat
    Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, or other cooking fats
    Full calorie dressings, condiments, and sauces
    Full fat dairy
    Greek yogurt
    Ice cream
    Dark chocolate
    Seeds (sunflower, flax, chia, etc)
    Protein shakes, smoothies, and bars
    Honey or other sweeteners
    Whole eggs
    Baked goods (homemade or store bought)
    Pasta

    This^ This is a great list of some more calorie-dense foods. This list also contains just about every single one of my favorite foods.

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