Difficult to get enough healthy calories
 

I'm finding it difficult to get enough healthy calories each day - obviously if I were to have lots of fatty and sugary foods this wouldn't be a problem, but that doesn't seem constructive!

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Are you snacking? How many calories are you trying to add?

I'd try adding some nut butter, hummus, cheese wedges, etc. Something small that contains good fats. I spread a bit of almond butter on carrot sticks, or eat veggies with horseradish hummus when my calories are a bit low for the day. Or drink a glass of soy milk.

Those are great suggestions, I have a mental block on nut butters and cheese as in large quantities I consider them bad, but of course they make great things to have as little snacks. Thanks :D

Well, what is it exactly that you're eating? Can you give us a typical day so that we know what you are eating and aren't repetitive?

In the meantime, till you get back to us, as far as healthy calories - proteins and fiber - fruits and veggies.

Chicken, fish, eggs, turkey, soy products.

Soups, chillis, stews.

Fruits - apples, berries, melons, pears, oranges, etc.

Salads - baby spinach, greens, mango, chickpeas, avocado, turkey and chicken breast - the combinations are endless.

Veggies - butternut squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, sugar snap peas, and on and on.

HEalthy grains - quinoa, oatmeal, whole grain breads

Nuts - almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans - thrown into salads and in chicken dishes.

Beans and lentils.

There is no end to the list of healthy foods. And each one of them is full of calories.

Look--you can eat larger portions of healthy foods! Like chicken, fish, whole grains like brown rice, whole grain bread, starchy vegetables, etc. :yes:

Jay

Sockeye Salmon and avacado, raw almonds too...these are all staples in my daily diet

I have the same problem and have posted about it! I really have a very hard time getting enough calories. Most days I end up about 100-200 under my goal of 1500 and that can't be good. The problem is I am NOT hungry! I am stuffing my face all day it seems. Before I only ate twice a day and had about 2000 extra calories. LOL So eating 6 times a day is extremely hard to do.

add more snacks. I eat about every 2 hours. Just so that I don't get hungry and then want to eat everything in sight.

Add more healthy fats and proteins, in addition to the suggestions above:
LF string cheese
Avocado
Trail mix
Olive oil on a salad, to stir fry your veggies, in a sauce or dressing
Hard-boiled egg
Cottage cheese
Yogurt

Wow, you've all really opened my eyes. For some reason even though I know the items you've all listed are healthy, if they weren't often in my diet before I forget about them as an option.

Avacados, peanut butter (PB2 is good if you want to keep the fat down), and low fat cheese like laughing cow, jarlsberg and alpine lace.

I find corn quite high calorie compared with other vegetables. I got a big surprise when I stuffed my face with corn and discovered I ended up eating 320 calories worth of corn! It's like 80 calories per half cup. So if you like corn, that could be a good addition in larger quantities to get your calories up as well.

Here are two things that I frequently turn to if the end of the day is near and I haven't eaten enough:

-- frozen peas. A minute or less in the microwave and they're good to go

-- banana concoction: I take a small amount (like 1/2 tbs) of almond butter, put it on a plate, microwave for 30 seconds to soften it. Slice a banana on top, and then drizzle on a small amount of honey. With a small banana, this comes out to about 135 - 150 calories. And it is heavenly and healthy.

<---Wants banana concoction... :drool:

<--- Will make a banana concoction this evening!

I know what you mean! I'm so not hungry, so I wasn't worried about it. Though some of those suggestions are going to help me mix things up a bit. :D

I am having proglems getting enough calories period! I feel like I eat and eat then I count my calories in the evening and I'm only about 1000! I think I need to eat more for lunch maybe...cuz I eat plenty of snacks throughout the day. But veggies don't add up very fast either.

I understand completely! It's so foreign to me, considering that I used to eat MORE calories than my body needed. But it really is ALL ABOUT VOLUME, not calories, when it comes to how much we feel we should be eating. That's why the easiest way to add more calories is get healthy, calorie-dense foods to add, like olive oil on things. I started making a list in this thread of some healthy calorie-dense foods: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173862
I'll quote mine and if you follow the link you can see what some other people have added. I'm going to start using them to more easily get to 2000 calories a day. I have the VOLUME right; it's the calories themselves that are an issue. It goes to show you! If you eat right, calorie counting is far less of an issue (as far as going over, at least). It's not EASY to overeat when you're eating healthy.