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Best calorie dense foods?

wizekrak

wizekrak

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Feb 20, 2000
Messages
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In my never ending quest to gain weight I've started looking at which foods provide the most calories per volume.

I know that fats pack twice the energy of carbohydrates by mass. Although a high fat diet isn't exactly healthy. I eat well, no junk food, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meat, and grains. I'm guessing nuts and the like would be a good source of calories seing as they are packed with oils and fats, I'm a big fan of peanut butter.

Basically are there any other high calorie foods that don't take up a lot of volume yet are still healthy? I'm finding that to hit my 3000 calories a day I'm eating a lot of volume, is there any way to decrease the volume and still pack on the calories and maintain a healthy diet?
 
Dried fruit, low fat yohgurt, whole grains & cereals, pasta, potatoes, yams, beans, rice and oatmeal, you're right, nuts as well.

I have no idea what my caloric intake is per day, but I imagine its also around the 3000-3500 mark. Just riding to work is 1200 extra calories gone per day, never mind swimming, running or resistance on top of that.

I just eat when I'm hungry but I'm always pretty much hungry so I just try and deal with it as best I can, the above is what I tend to eat.

I also eat hummous, pita bread, carrots and tuna in the one meal. Seems to be pretty high in energy and filling.
 
Nuts definitely, along with avocado, eggs, essene bread (from a health food store), potatos, pasta & basmati rice <--- it may be helpful to stick with white rather than brown as brown will fill you up quickly whereas white will allow you to eat alot more if gaining weight is what your aiming at.

Also just on the peanut butter, i'd try some other nut spreads (almond, ABC, cashew, hazulnut are all beautiful!!!). They are much more healthy for you and contain no trans fats because i think generally the peanut butter nuts are roasted beforehand although i could be wrong on that point?? Also they are less allergenic.

I would probably try to get in as much calories through liquids as possible as you wont feel as full physically and psychologically. Maybe you could try a weight gainer powder?? They will add about 300-400 calories per serve, if you have 3 a day before each main meal thats an extra 900-1200 cal.
 
Im with mindbodysOul.

Eat high GI foods, and it should be easier to squeeze in more calories, insulin is your friend as it is very anabolic.
And yea, as said above also, liquid foods.

I am guessing your lifting weights, try fit in absurd amounts of protien in your diet.
 
I do about a half hour of intense weight training a day, 5 or 6 days a week. My BMR is about 1600 calories and I'm eating about twice that so I figure the extra 1500 or so calories should cover the weight training and what ever else I do during the day, plus provide enough surplus for growth. I drink about 40 grams of protein powder post workout on top of my protein rich diet.

I've been told to expect about a pound a week of weight gain if I'm doing things right. I thought that with the excess calorie intake I'd get a little soft first and then have that converted to muscle but I don't seem to be putting on any fat at all (which is good I suppose). Although if there aren't any wasted calories after muscle growth I guess I can't tell if I'm really supplying my body with as much fuel as it needs.
 
As far as researchers can tell, it is not total fat that is cardiotoxic, but rather excess saturated fat.

Thus, I can reccomend (as perhaps has already been said) nut butters, avocados, and perhaps fattier fishes. You could also consider increasing the amount of oil with which you stir fry.

I can feel your situation. I eat ~3500 vegan calories a day, which works out to a lot of eating.

ebola
 
You shouldnt be working out every day, it should be about 3 days a week, you need to give your muscles a break to give them a chance to grow, and make sure you are getting enough sleep, more then 8 hours atleast, 10 hours preferable.
 
Iv gained 60 pounds of muscle in the last 3 years and have never taken any kind of weight lighting suppliment ever or steroids and havent gotten any taller at all either. I used to eat nothing but fruits and low fat meats and not even really eat after I lifted weights. You need to find a good weight lifting program first of all and make sure that you are doing it corectly. I would keep it at 3 very hard seperate lifting routines each week and by using different muscles each routine, with a day or rest in between each.. It's OK to do cardio a few times each week too, I will run or play raquateball about 2-3 times a week also. Start eating at least 5 large meals a day..High protine and fats..You might have to force your self to eat that much but eventually you will get used to it. Not saying friuts and vegitables are bad for you but try replacing them with more meats or nuts..But make sure you still get enough vitamins though. also I would stop drinking pop and high sugar juices completely and replace it with milk, whatever kind you drink. I drink a gallon of skim a day...Good Luck..
 
I could be wrong, but from what I have read, sugar spikes insulin, insulin is an anabolic hormone, wich is why some bodybuilders inject it.


wizekrak seems to be an ectomorph and patte4dm you are most likely a mesomorph.
ectomorphs need to concerntrate on being anabolic, wich would mean spiking insulin, also limiting cardio, defenetly no cardio longer then 30mins, and not on an empty stomach.

mesomorphs have a wider margin for error, my cousin is a mesomorph and he always gets asked if he uses steroids, he put on about 8kg this year alone, no suppliments or drugs.

ectomorphs, need extra sleep, High GI foods, and a lot more protien then usual.
 
I'm definitely an ectomorph.

I work a different muscle group each day, so each group gets hit once a week. I used to do 3 or 4 sessions a week hitting multiple groups in a session but I'm finding that the current routine is working better for me. I figure a week of rest per group is enough time for complete regrowth. I get about 8 hours of sleep a night, any more than that isn't really practical.

My current routine:

Day 1: chest/triceps
Day 2: biceps/forearms
Day 3: shoulders
Day 4: lowerbody
Day 5: back
Day 6: abs
Day 7: rest

I avoid cardio altogether. No point burning off calories I need for growth.

Thanks for the input so far. I'm really trying to avoid as many supplements as possible since they aren't regulated. All I supplement with is protein powder post workout and a daily multivitamin. I don't drink soft drinks at all, the closest I come is a cup of coffee every so often. I'll definitely look into adding more dairy and dried fruit.
 
When you do chest and triceps, it works your shoulders aswell, the routine your doing is an advanced routine wich would be more suited to someone whos not a hardgainer and has been training for years.

I think you should do a 2 day split

mon chest triceps shoulders abs
tue off
wed legs back biceps calves
thu off
fri chest triceps shoulders abs
sat off
sun off

Intermediate workout: sample exercises
Chest, Shoulder, Triceps, Abs (Day One)
1. Flat Bench Press: dumbbell, barbell or machine (chest)
2. Incline Dumbbell flyes or pec deck flye machine (chest)
3. Seated Dumbbell or machine overhead press (shoulders)
4. Dumbbell side lateral raise (shoulders)
5. Tricep Pushdown (triceps)
6. Overhead tricep extension with dumbbell (triceps)
7. Crunches (abs)
8. Reverse Crunches (abs)

Legs, Back, Biceps, calves (Day two)
1. Leg Press machine (quads)
2. Leg extension machine (quads)
3. Lying Leg Curl (hamstrings)
4. Low back extension/hyperextension (lower back/hamstrings)
5. Pull-ups or lat pulldowns (lats/upper back)
6. Seated Cable Rows (lats)
7. Barbell curl (biceps)
8. Seated alternating dumbbell curl (biceps)
9. Standing Calf Machine (calves)
10. Seated Calf Machine (calves)
Click to expand...

But if your not satisfied with that, then heres a 4day split

mon back chest abs
tue quad hams calves
wed off
thu shoulders triceps biceps
fri back chest abs
sat off
sun off or quads hams calves

Chest, Back, Abs (Day one)
1. Flat Barbell Bench Press (chest)
2. Incline Dumbbell press (chest)
3. Cable Crossovers (chest)
4. Wide Grip pull up (back)
5. Seated cable rows (back)
6. T-Bar Rows (back)
7. Hanging Leg raises (abs)
8. Cable Crunch (abs)
Quads, Hams, Calves (day two)
1. Barbell Squats (quads)
2. Hack Machine squats (quads)
3. Lunges (quads)
4. Stiff Legged Deadlift (hamstrings)
5. Lying Leg Curl (hamstrings)
6. Standing Calf Machine (calves)
7. Calf press on leg press machine (calves)
Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps (day three)
1. Seated Dumbbell Press (shoulders)
2. Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (shoulders)
3. Rear Deltoid Machine (shoulders)
4. Barbell Curl (biceps)
5. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curl (biceps)
6. Hammer Curl (bicep/forearms)
7. Close grip Bench Press (triceps)
8. Lying Tricep Extension (triceps)
9. Rope pushdown (triceps)
Click to expand...
 
^^^ Stick on topic guys, this is re: food not re: working out.
 
Good calorie dense foods that arent too filling are:

Shakes!! even if you dont have protein powders, shakes made in blender with banana, oats, whole milk, flax/olive oil, and whey protein if you have it

Nuts, natural peanut butters, snack on throughout the day

flax/fish/olive oils - take a table spoon with each of your meals

Drink milk throughout the day - Its easy to get down 2-3 litres of milk just drink 2 cups with each meal or just whenever you remember, the cals add up real fast.

Theres nothing wrong with a high fat diet if you are trying to gain weight, as long as you have are getting enough protein/carbs, your excess cals can come from wherever is easiest. What matters are the kinds of fats you are eating, saturated and trans fats should be avoided while healthy fats from things like nuts, fish, avocado etc are ok.
 
Last edited:
wizekrak said:
Basically are there any other high calorie foods that don't take up a lot of volume yet are still healthy? I'm finding that to hit my 3000 calories a day I'm eating a lot of volume, is there any way to decrease the volume and still pack on the calories and maintain a healthy diet?
Click to expand...

SOY BEANS, EVAPORATED MILK, WHEY PROTEIN, EFA OILS ALL = GOOD CALORIE SOURCES

example, over 1800 calories in liquid form;
4 cups evaporated milk
50g whey protein
2 tbsp udos oil
1810 calories
96g carb
122g protein
83g fat

thats more than half ur goal.. as well are beans they dense stuff bud, easy to prepare and keep well

Soy Beans (COOKED)
1 CUP (172g)
CALS: 298
PRO: 28.6g
CARB: 17g
FAT: 15.4g
Glycemic Index: 18

Kidney Beans (BOILED)
1 CUP (177g)
CALS: 225
PRO: 15.4g
CARB: 40g
FAT: 0.9g
Glycemic Index: 27

Split Peas (COOKED)
1 CUP (200g)
CALS: 230
PRO: 16g
CARB: 42g
FAT: 0.8g
Glycemic Index: 32

Black Beans (CANNED)
1 CUP (172g)
CALS: 227
PRO: 15.2g
CARB: 41g
FAT: 0.9g
Glycemic Index: 30


meat and pasta too, shit, but you obviously know that stuff, your looking for the biggest bang for your precious belly space, in my quest for such ive found the above the most ideal
 
Fresh whole milk , all kinds of cheese, nut butters, potatoes, a porterhouse steak every now and then don't hurt ;)
 
From what ive heard AND NOTICED MYSELF... Oats will do it.

I mixed oats with everything....

1 Serving I believe is 300+ calories (1 cup)

I would have 1 cup of oats and 1 cup of milk = 400 calories (or more, dont really remember)

and whenever I had a protein shake, it would be mixed with oats :)
 
You shouldn't try and just increase your calorie intake with fats, it's not the most successful way to do it. Fats have a low GI, therefore taking longer to oxidise and leaving you fuller for longer and that makes it harder to reach your needed volume of food intake to gain weight. If you are trying to gain weight, you can afford to add sugar to things like cereal, there are extra calories that wont take up any space. White bread with honey........high GI, extra calories.... leaves you full for about an hour! Decreasing the ammount of fibre in your diet leaves extra room for you to include more calories. Eat more meals throughout the day, but make sure that they include some high GI foods, so you can physically fit in more food!
 
basix said:
Good calorie dense foods that arent too filling are:
flax/fish/olive oils - take a table spoon with each of your meals
Click to expand...

this is a bit off topic but are fish oil capsules high calorie? or just the actual oil? (i'm hoping the capsules don't...)
 
rashandreflex said:
this is a bit off topic but are fish oil capsules high calorie? or just the actual oil? (i'm hoping the capsules don't...)
Click to expand...

oil = FAT = 9 kcal per gram

they do have calories, but its really not that much, considering they're about 500mg or so capsules. They're good for you, the benefits of them outweigh the extra few calories to your diet.
 
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