I'm doing calorie shifting, so throughout the week my daily calories will be anywhere from 1200 to 2000, changing every day, but so far, unless I'm making unhealthy choices, I'm having quite a hard time getting to the higher ranges. I just don't seem hungry enough. I'm also trying not to go overboard on carbs, so eating more bread and pasta (even though it's whole grain) is not a preferred way to do this. I'm also allergic to all nuts.

Short of eating McDonalds on high calorie days (no, I'm not going to do that), I'm a bit lost on how I can get to these higher ranges without stuffing myself to the point of bursting. Yesterday was supposed to be a high calorie day and I only made it to 1432. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Healthy oils can be added to foods or used in salad dressings. They can quickly add up, especially if you cook with them, without adding "weight" to the food itself.

Avocados are also good. They fall under the fruit/veggie category, but they have a good amount of healthy fat in them which means they're higher calorie.

Don't forget trying to use full fat dairy products. Again, same volume, but more calories.

If you are a fan of ice cream you can always do a nice Skinny Cow ice cream cup or bar, or you can do a larger helping of ice cream that is more calorie-dense like Breyers. The Skinny Cow bars are nice and light, so I used to use them to get my calories higher toward the end of the day. Maybe a bowl of Kashi cereal (if you are trying to stick with healthier cereal), or some air-popped popcorn with no butter (1 large bowl can make up to 170 calories, but it is carbalicious which you mentioned you are trying to avoid). Cheese sticks (80 cal), Chobani greek fruit yogurt (140) are other options.

Thanks for the advice, guys. Frankly, a treat like ice cream sounds good, but I'm trying to find things low in sugar and less processed as well. Kind of a pickle, hehe. Maybe if i can find a more natural brand of ice cream somewhere. Thanks again!

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't eat if I wasn't hungry. I think it's counterintuitive to ever eat when not hungry. I think we are all trying to break habits that got us here, and for me, that's a biggie. I would take it as a gift at this point. Your body will compensate by perhaps being hungrier than usual another day. Just my 2 cents.

avocados, natural peanut butter,nut butters, olive oil, almonds, nuts, whole grains.

I love Stonyfield Farms products, and they have an organic frozen yogurt that is Creme Caramel flavored, and it's delicious. It's 150 calories per 1/2 cup.

I'm not in the quandry that you are since I never have a hard time eating enough calories--LOL! However, one reason for that may be that I don't buy "diet" products, for the most part (the frozen yogurt mentioned above is an exception and I only made that exception because it's so good). I just can't justify buying one set of products for my husband (who wouldn't touch anything low fat with a ten-foot pole) and one set for me. So, if I use mayonaisse, I use the full fat Hellmans. If I eat cheese, it's the full-fat cheese. Being sure to just use regular products rather than lower fat products may help you to keep your calories higher.

Protein fruit smoothie - 280 cals.
slice pumpkin pie - 240 cals.
30grams cashews - 180 cals.
Beans/peas/lentils - ??? cals.
Oatmeal w/cinnamon & raisins - 280 cals.


Just some of my favorites...

full fat dairy products, add things like avocado to salads, nuts,seeds have a larger piece of protein. Protein shake with milk. Low fat icecream with berries and banana. Find recipes with low fat muffins with lots of healthy ingredients (i have one with things like cranberries, dates, buttermilk, oats, wheat flour etc works out 204 calories each and its not processed. A good site with lots of good low calorie muffins/scones etc on it is skinnytaste.com - good luck

I used to be of the same opinion. However, I changed my mind when I realized that I was often getting full after like 400 or 600 calories (I eat lots of veggies and such)! I guess that's no good, so I stuff more in. =P

I second avocados. Also, smoothies are great. You can throw a ton of veggies and fruit in there, and down it!

Whole egg omelets (you can top those with cheese and vegetables to make them healthier), bacon, pancakes with flaxseed (you can top them with sugar free yogurt, fruit), turkey sausage, corned beef and cabbage.