How to eat 3000 calories a day?

clafairy1984
clafairy1984 Posts: 253 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Based on his activity level, may partner need to eat a minimum of 3000 calories a day. I'm finding it difficult to think of healthy ways to bulk his meals up that work with my lower calorie plan. I tend to just add extra carbs to his, but even then he doesn't seem to hit 3000. I'm looking for suggestions of how to up his intake without including junk ?

Replies

  • punkrockgoth
    punkrockgoth Posts: 534 Member
    Healthy fats would be more efficient. Carbs have 4 calories per gram, fats have 9. Things like added avocado and cheese can help.

    With my SO, one of us will cook a basic meal (ex, baked potato, veggies and a meat) and then we split it differently. So I'll get the bigger potato and top it with greek yogurt, I'll get approximately 2/3 of the veggies and meat. If we do a stir fry, I'll add extra peanut sauce and tofu to mine.

    I've found it easiest to make basic foods and just keep a lot of optional toppings around for bulking it up.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    In the absence of any medical issues, extra carbs aren't going to be an issue and I know from experience that it is very difficult to eat up at that sort of level without adding in some junk foods. Case in point, what helps me, when I'm on higher calories, is chocolate & cake.

    But, as punkrockgoth says - fats and oils are a great way of upping the cals. Also, look at oily stuff like avocado, walnuts, oily fish, cheeses.

    Personally, I've noticed that adding in bread has the opposite effect - because it bloats me I don't feel like eating as much.
  • EricLFC1892
    EricLFC1892 Posts: 85 Member
    Healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil and nut butters of any kind as a tasty snack.. can rocket calorie intake easy with just them ingredients
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Just give him larger portions than your own, thats what I do with my hubby, I give him twice the portion size.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    More oil like peanuts, peanut butter, mayo, full fat milk, bacon.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    I used to eat 2000 calories in mixed nuts alone when I was morbidly obese. They are really calorie (and nutrient) packed.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Nuts and ice cream and chocolate and bread.

    Done.
  • elsinora
    elsinora Posts: 398 Member
    Even just a big bowl of pasta with nothing on it can clock near 1000! Nuts, olive oil, peanut butter, cream ... God I could have an epic carbonara or nearly 2000 cals right now lol
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    3000 cals isn't much!
    My wife and I have very different calorie levels but tend to eat the same foods as the core of our diet but I have larger portions and add extras.
    If we have soup for lunch and I add a sandwich then that can be 400 cals extra for me easily.

    Extra snack, larger portion of starchy carbs.
    Nuts and cheese are very calorie dense.

    First thing for me though would be to swap out any low cal / low fat / "diet" foods for their regular equivalents for him if not for you.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    I have a 15-year-old son who is an athlete, so we go through the same thing at our house--he needs 3000+ calories per day, and I try to stay under 1500.

    Portion size is my first line of defense--I try to double him up on meat and potatoes/starches while I double up on veggies for myself. If I'm making sandwiches, he has double meat/double cheese, and I tried to throw some avocado on his, too.

    He has a protein shake (like Muscle Milk) with breakfast every day.

    Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (natural peanut butter, whole fruit jelly, whole grain wheat bread) are the go-to snack for him.

  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    Protein shakes will be his friend. There's also the thought he could stop somewhere for a snack after work, adding another meal to his day without tempting you.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    My husband has no problem reaching that with snacks after dinner...
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    I have no idea how many calories my husband eats per day, but a snack for him is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a large buttermilk waffle with maple syrup or peanut butter or nutella on top. That's several hundred calories right there.

    I also agree with portion sizes. One of our dinners this week is hearty vegetable lasagna at 450 calories per serving (1/12 of pan). I eat one serving, he eats 2.
  • frankie_xox
    frankie_xox Posts: 46 Member
    Can I just say how jealous I am of people struggling to eat 3000 calories a day? I don't think I'd have much problem doing that...
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    frankie_xox wrote: »
    Can I just say how jealous I am of people struggling to eat 3000 calories a day? I don't think I'd have much problem doing that...

    Same here. At most, my TDEE is about 2300, sometimes 2500 on a good day, but it averages 2100. I wish I could eat tons of food all day. I'm guessing the people who are eating 3k cals are 1. males 2. tall and 3. athletic
  • kirstenb13
    kirstenb13 Posts: 181 Member
    edited March 2016
    frankie_xox wrote: »
    Can I just say how jealous I am of people struggling to eat 3000 calories a day? I don't think I'd have much problem doing that...

    I have no problems with that either! Some weekend days I get that much allowed with some decent exercise and it is really not that much. If you eat some chocolate or ice cream or something you can get there in no time. Not to mention nuts and nut butters...
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
    I needed to eat about 3600 calories a day when I was training heavily, and I ate close to 1000 throughout the day in nuts and dried fruit (it's only about a cup and a half of food) plus at least a few hundred calories worth of juice. I also really liked having meal replacement shakes as snacks.

  • Dvdgzz
    Dvdgzz Posts: 437 Member
    I can only stay below 3k with IF. :(
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    A decent PB&J is 500 calories. I could (and used to, regularly) finish off two of those babies without much thought, followed by a big glass of milk.

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