Struggling to keep up with a high calorie diet.

[Fjones]

I am trying hard to gain weight. I am shifting to a high calorie diet, but it is tricky. I already was on a high calorie diet just because I tend to eat frequently. I was already eating around 3000 calories a day (I weigh 150 pounds), but now I am trying to eat around 3600.

I am having a tough time doing this without resorting to junk food. I don’t like to eat a lot of junk food, though I really enjoy doing so. I just try to limit sweets because I know they are unhealthy.

I generally eat a lot of small meals throughout the day. The problem is ,getting to 3600 calories that way is difficult, especially since I like to eat fruits and vegetables, which fill me up without adding calories.

I am trying not to make up the calories by just eating sugar-dense foods like candy and donuts, but it seems the easiest way.

Large portions of bread and pasta are also filling.

Meals with high fat content are probably the easiest, what with having 9 calories per gram. But, I am not trying to go overboard on that either, as I already consume a lot of fat.

So, what do people do? I need suggestions. I am already eating sometimes when I am not really hungry.

 

[yougene]

Once A Month Cooking

The foundations can be easy to make if you keep it simple. Rice, Oatmeal, Beans, Peanut Butter, etc...

 

[aanallein]

Try 8k it fuckin sucks.

 

[Fjones]

Try 8k it fuckin sucks.

I would go flat broke. How much do you weigh? What's up with the 8000 calorie diet? How do you manage to eat 8000 calories a day? What's a typical day's eating plan look like? (I am asking because I am legitimately interested and curious. I have seen your posts in various workout / nutrition threads and you seem knowledgeable).

Then again, I might end up needing closer to 4500 or something, I don't know. So far my mody is mocking my attempts to gain weight, but I feel like it is too early to tell.

 

[toa$t]

shakes dude.

 

[Fjones]

shakes dude.

High car shakes, I assume, like the weight gainer ones?

I thought about those. I will look into it. What kind of carbs do they put in them?

If they are just unhealthy junk carbs, I's rather just eat sugar.

I don't know much aboutthe high carb weight gainer shakes. I used to drink XXL 1100 , but those were terrible and we not a good kind of carb.

 

[toa$t]

well, you get what you pay for. they are still like 50x cheaper than the price of food though.

 

[aanallein]

I would go flat broke. How much do you weigh? What's up with the 8000 calorie diet? How do you manage to eat 8000 calories a day? What's a typical day's eating plan look like? (I am asking because I am legitimately interested and curious. I have seen your posts in various workout / nutrition threads and you seem knowledgeable).

Then again, I might end up needing closer to 4500 or something, I don't know. So far my mody is mocking my attempts to gain weight, but I feel like it is too early to tell.

well i generaly eat 4000 but when i was bulking hard i was up to 8k (was trying to break past 600 deadlift and was weighin 275 lbs). 8k cals is basically 4 lbs of chicken and 4 lbs of rice on top of a normal person's diet. I just had a tub of chicken and rice with me all day and was full ALL day long.

 

[Fjones]

well, you get what you pay for. they are still like 50x cheaper than the price of food though.

Now I am very confused.

I don't understand what you mean. In terms of caloriesp er dollar, I think shakes are more expensive than food. 1000 calories of rice costs next to nothing. 1000 calories of bread is very cheap.

How much do 1000 calories of weight gainer shake cost? $3 or $4 right?

 

[toa$t]

maybe $2, which is still way cheaper than decent food.

 

[Rabbi]

The easiest way to get in lots and lots of calories a day is, if you're not lactose intolerant, drink a gallon of whole milk a day. Lift heavy and you'll be fine. I did this for a month back in October and put on 18 pounds.

 

[Fjones]

maybe $2, which is still way cheaper than decent food.

That's not bad. Can you give me a brand name so I can check it out. I might pick some up.

 

[Fjones]

The easiest way to get in lots and lots of calories a day is, if you're not lactose intolerant, drink a gallon of whole milk a day. Lift heavy and you'll be fine. I did this for a month back in October and put on 18 pounds.

You said this in a different thread. That's 80 grams of saturated fat a day, just from the milk alone. That is a terrible terible terrible idea. ALso, 320 Mg of cholestrol.

Yes, I want to gain weight, but not at any cost.

though, 18 pounds in one month !??

Were you Juicing? How much did you weigh before and after? Was it 18 pounds of muscle?

 

[toa$t]

I don't use them, but look around online. you should be able to find something easily enough

this is pretty close

 

[Fjones]

Wow.

You wre right -- !000 calories for $2.30. Not bad at all.

Shipping mightsuck, but that can be avoided by ordering $100 worth.

It looks like the carbs are in the form of Maltodextrin though.

If I recall, that is one of the worst carbs you can eat. I'll have to do some more research.

 

[cocamatic]

You should stop worrying about good carbs and bad carbs in those drinks when you contemplate eating doughnuts! Maltodextrin is fine.

Try doing oil shots? Get some extra virgin olive oil and do shots with it. Do the same with warmed coconut oil. Add butter to those veggies you're eating.

Get nut flours or ground up nuts and seeds and toss some of that in with shakes.

Six hundred calories can be tough, but it isn't THAT hard to get. Eat a full avocado and several bananas. There are your calories. Eat a whole coconut and some melons. Eat olives.

If your budget allows, get tons of beef. A big 16oz steak can be well over 1000 calories! Cook stuff in sauces and reductions... big pots with cream based sauces. If not at least add a nob of butter to the steak or chicken or whatever.

There are recipes out there for shakes that are around 1000 calories... just add one of those after a workout.

You have to learn to add calories where there wouldn't be. You can make this tasty paste from mixing coconut oil and honey... then you can use it to sweeten tea or coffee. Or mix it with heavy cream for even more calories. Eating fruit? Cut it up into a fruit salad and drizzle honey over it... add ground almond on top. Then, what the hell, blitz up a shake made with half and half to wash it down. lol With only six hundred to add you have options.

Get some pizza recipes that are dense in calories and make them. Eat an entire one or two post-workout.

If the gallon of milk scares you go with the skim milk or a half gal...

Oh! One more... eat CHEESE! Full of calories, protein, vitamin A, etc.

You can do it.

 

[Fjones]

You should stop worrying about good carbs and bad carbs in those drinks when you contemplate eating doughnuts! Maltodextrin is fine.

Try doing oil shots? Get some extra virgin olive oil and do shots with it. Do the same with warmed coconut oil. Add butter to those veggies you're eating.

Get nut flours or ground up nuts and seeds and toss some of that in with shakes.

Six hundred calories can be tough, but it isn't THAT hard to get. Eat a full avocado and several bananas. There are your calories. Eat a whole coconut and some melons. Eat olives.

If your budget allows, get tons of beef. A big 16oz steak can be well over 1000 calories! Cook stuff in sauces and reductions... big pots with cream based sauces. If not at least add a nob of butter to the steak or chicken or whatever.

There are recipes out there for shakes that are around 1000 calories... just add one of those after a workout.

You have to learn to add calories where there wouldn't be. You can make this tasty paste from mixing coconut oil and honey... then you can use it to sweeten tea or coffee. Or mix it with heavy cream for even more calories. Eating fruit? Cut it up into a fruit salad and drizzle honey over it... add ground almond on top. Then, what the hell, blitz up a shake made with half and half to wash it down. lol With only six hundred to add you have options.

Get some pizza recipes that are dense in calories and make them. Eat an entire one or two post-workout.

If the gallon of milk scares you go with the skim milk or a half gal...

Oh! One more... eat CHEESE! Full of calories, protein, vitamin A, etc.

You can do it.

Now here are some good ideas. I like the way you think. This reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer is trying to gain weight to go on disability and Dr. Nick Riviera tells him all sorts of creative ways to add calories.

Anyway, to clarify -- I love sweets, but I try to avoid them because I try to stay healthy. To make up the 600 extra calories, I wouldn't mind just eating donuts and candy, but I'd rather do it healthier. (It might actually be 1000 extra calories, I have little confidence that 3600 calories will be enough to gain weight).

I already eat a lot of milk, cheese, and meat, and I have a protein shake every day. I like Yogurt as well. Anyway, all that amounts to an already high content of saturated fat and cholesterol. Though I am very healthy and my blood levels of glucose and cholesterol are excellent, I want to keep it that way and not press my luck.

I like cheese as much as anyone. I put it on everything. I could easily make up the calorie deficit by eating cheese and drinking milk, but I worry about the already high dairy intake.

I guess the problem I have is I like to eat well rounded balanced meals. A 1000 calorie steak is 1000 calories of Protein and fat, much of it saturated. That is a pointlessly excessive and wasted amount of protein, and an awful lot of saturated fat.

I do like the idea of drizzling honey on fruit. Of course, I could just chug honey once or twice a day also. Honey is delicious

regarding Maltodextrin -- I could be mistaken but I think that is the worst carb there is on the Glycemic index. I believe you are better off just eating an equivalent amount of pure sugar.


I used to eat Protein Bars that had a lot of Maltodextrin until I read that it is not good for you.

Edit -- I looked it up. Maltodextrin is pretty bad as far as carbs go.

http://optimalhealth.cia.com.au/gi17.html

Fructose is good though. Why do I never see packages of fructose available?

Anyway, Eating mountains of Maltodextrin does not sound like a good idea.



Do people trying to gain weight at the gym just give up on any semblance of a healthy diet? That seems to be the only way.

 

[Portillo]

I drink whole milk. Real men squat and drink whole milk.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Now I am very confused.

I don't understand what you mean. In terms of caloriesp er dollar, I think shakes are more expensive than food. 1000 calories of rice costs next to nothing. 1000 calories of bread is very cheap.

How much do 1000 calories of weight gainer shake cost? $3 or $4 right?

LOL what the fuck are you going to do with 1000 calories of RICE. LMAO.

You need 1000 calories of chicken, whey, beef, etc. You're growing muscles remember

Some good shit to eat is coconut milk (from cans). That stuff is calorically dense (REALLY DENSE) and tastes SCRUMPTIOUS. Make it with oat bran or something in the morning. And 4 eggs. And some whey. There ya go breakfast is about 800 calories.

Then shake about two hours later before lifting. Thats 400 calories. Then lift, another shake, and lunch (1200 calories more).

Then afternoon snack (yogurt, fruit, eggs, nuts, etc). 400 more.

Dinner (800 calories).

Before bed snack (yogurt, cheese, bread, fruit). 400.

Thats about 4k calories.

but, I agree with you that eating so much food is annoying. Not only that but I find moral flaw in consuming that much food just to add an inch or two to your arms and be able to deadlift 100 more pounds than you could a year ago. Its good to be physically strong, but in the face of so much world poverty it can make a man feel awful guilty.

One of the main reasons why I plan to get to and stay 160 (and never go beyond). I'm only 5'7" though! :D

 

[Fjones]

Ugh. I hadn't even though about that aspect of it. No doubt there are some who would frown upon this uneven distribution of calories among the people in the world. Eh. We can only solve so many problems at one time though, right?

I would love to be 160. If I got to 160, i would stop and just focus on improving flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. I am currently aroudn 148, so being 160 would mean 12 extra pounds of muscle.

What do you think a typical breakdown of macronutrients is for people who lift and try to gain muscle mass?

Do you think it is something like 45/30/25 ? (Carbs / fat / protein)?