I need more calories...

Hi, I have the same problem. I'm following the Paleo Diet for Athletes, and it's great, but I have a hard time getting enough calories. I feel like there's only so much lean protein a gal can take, lol. I should be eating at least 2000 calories a day and usually am somewhere around 1200 - 1400. Tracking what I eat on the "nutrition" page has been very revealing. And probably I should have more like 3000 when I have long workouts ... but you're right, when you've been heavier, it's hard to adjust your thinking to "more food." Check out the Paleo Diet for Athletes ... there are great ideas about eating around workouts. I, too, need to be much more deliberate about eating ... I will be interested to see what suggestions others have!

I log my food on MyFoodDiary.com, and they have a whole section on their forums (at least, they used to, they've changed it up since I was active on the forums) for people trying to maintain. Also, I happen to think it is an AWESOME logging program.

Try to add in more snacks, and keep your balance of carbs, fat, and protein. Make sure not to add unhealthy junk like sat fat. Also, where did you come up with needing 3000 calories? Are you truly burning that much? It'll probably take you a bit of yo-yoing to find your sweet spot, but pay attention to your body now more than ever.

Slightly larger portions and a few more snacks (including shakes, if you want them) should do the trick. Just don't do what I did and lose the weight, maintain for almost a year, and then decide you are "good at this" and don't need to pay attention any more! Starting all over again...

You probably need to be taking more than just a grain of salt if you're trying to get in more calories.

If you're not drinking milk and you can, start drinking 16-32oz a day. Great protein and calcium and lots of calories, especially if you can afford to drink whole milk (assuming you are generally well under your saturated fat limit; otherwise, drink 2%).

When I was trying to gain weight (i.e. increase caloric intake), the two biggest changes I made were milk and potatoes. I would just microwave or boil a few red potatoes and eat them whole as a snack. Not the tastiest at first, but you get used to it.

Congrats on the weight loss!

the easiest way to get good calories is to go for calorie dense foods with high nutritional value.
off the top of my head:  raw nuts, nut butters, avocados, healthy oils (olive or otherwise), and dried figs or other unsweetened dried fruit (figs are high in fiber and good sources of potassium and maganese), lentils or other beans. 

Hopefully that helps.  Not sure whether you were looking for more protein, carbs, or fat.  Price-wise, if you buy nuts in bulk you can usually do pretty well because a serving of nuts is only an ounce, so they last awhile.  Personally, I find Trader Joe's has a pretty good selection that is well-priced.  Also, I recently purchased a food dehydrator for drying my own fruit, I'm hoping that will save me money in the long run.

I do lots of protein shakes to meet my calorie and protein goals, whey is great, and very affordable if you buy the 5lb tubs on the internet. 

Oh!  If you like hummus but find it expensive, you can find recipes for making it yourself.  It's pretty cheap when you do it this way.  Hummus is pretty calorie dense too.


Edited by DMW 2009-09-23 11:48 AM

I have exactly the same struggle.  I'm down to about 9% body fat now, and want to at least slow my weight loss. 

They're moderately priced, instead of super cheap, but if you're looking for calories it's hard to go wrong with pizza and burritos.

And just a thought, instead of asking a bunch of fit triathletes where to find calories, consider asking your heavier friends what they're eating.   

I'd much rather get the advice on this thread (like the hummus, avacado, nuts, protein shakes, etc. types of dense nutrition) than find out what is making my heavy friends stay heavy. Just my .02.

I'd also recommend whole grains like whole oats, brown rice, whole wheat or brown rice pasta, and quinoa.

haha, how do you even go about asking your heavier friends what they eat without looking like an arse?
"Pardon me Bob, can you tell me what it is you do to keep your figure so pleasantly plump?

Anyway, all you need to do is look at a triathlete who just finished a 12+ hour training week.  Because you're probably looking at someone who ate a whole lot of food.  Fit triathletes aren't fit if they're starving themselves!

Edited by DMW 2009-09-23 6:24 PM

Yeah, it is a bit of a delicate question.  :-)

A friend of mine has gained a fair amount of weight and is thinking of getting back into exercise.  I offered her training advice in exchange for weight gain advice.  It was done with a sense of humor, rather than a judgment, and it seemed like a fair trade. 

Pizza and ice cream were her suggestions.

P.S. In the last couple of days, all of my ribs have started showing.  I'm off to the store to buy some Ben and Jerry's.

Edited by mrcurtain 2009-09-24 4:18 PM

Sounds like my story. And I too take the "You're too skinny" comment with a grain of salt. Please, it's almost like saying, "You're too fat", but I don't go around saying that.

Healthy habits are hard to break. You're consciousness for nutritious eating is deeply ingrained, as it is with many weight-losers and triathletes alike.

My strategy is overlooking the nitty-gritty when it comes to sound portion sizes - especially meals surrounding long work outs. An extra scoop of PB on the waffles, a cup of yogurt to top of breakfast, or 4 eggs instead of 1 egg + 2 egg-white ommlett. It can be filling, but done nutritiously.



That or you can start smoking marijuana. That will give you the munchies.  

10,000 plus calories!!!

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

Problem solved...right on!




(Note, this is not my diet.  This is Michael Phelp's sample day)

Edited by pga_mike 2009-09-27 7:41 AM