How to get clean calories.

[Garg69]

Hi guys,

My question revolves around how hard it is for me to get enough clean food down the hatch to meet my caloric requirements. I struggle to get 2k down and was wondering if anyone can suggest some dense caloric foods that still fit the clean catagory.

I am aware of the basics of nutrition-whole foods,good fats, high protein, lotsa veggies, andso on. What i'm really asking is for those unique methods you've found to get the calories down when the tank feels full.

I do eat 4 full meals and 2 snacks a day spread out evenly, but i can't seem to eat enough when keeping it clean, thx in advance.

[Iceman1800]

protein drinks, peanut butter, cashews

[freebirdmac]

Why do you have to eat "clean"?

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-n...-clean-eating/

[Jtbny]

Jeez I could eat 2k calories by noon

[ironwill2008]

...... clean food .....

First of all, you'll have to define exactly what constitutes "clean" food. Do you mean food that hasn't been dropped on the floor, or what?

[xCaMeLxxToSiSx]

Why do you have to eat "clean"?

I hate reading but thanks for the link it was very insightful.

[erikjh]

Wash em off.

[billb7581]

Jeez I could eat 2k calories by noon

Yea this.... cutting sux

[DubfromGA]

Jeez I could eat 2k calories by noon

That's what first popped into my head, too.



Protein shake (2+ scoops) & coffee for breakfast.
Hard boilled eggs and tuna for mid morning snack.
Rotisserie chicken & mirowaved fresh stir fry greens for lunch.
Protein shake (2+ scoops) for mid afternoon snack.

That's over 2K before any evening meals.

Not sure how that ranks for "clean" or even what that means. There is fat & cholesterol from the egg yokes and chicken skin but no salt added other than some Tobassco sauce that I use on the chicken.

[mtdman]

Honestly, I have the same problem. I'm at 325 right now and I got there not by eating everything in sight but by eating crappy carbs all the time (think soda and candy bars). Cutting out the complex sugars and simple carbs has eliminated a lot of stuff from my diet. So now I try to stick to complex carbs and away from the sugars, more protein. I find myself eating a lot less, the protein and complex carbs fill me up. And frankly, I'm not used to eating so much and so often. I should be eating at like 3000 calories for maintenance, and some days it's a struggle to get to 2000. Cleaning out the sugar and crap really left me with a lack of appetite, and I'm not so hungry. I often have to force myself to eat. And on top of all that, I am allergic to nuts so I can't eat peanuts and tree nuts and just about every protein bar around is loaded with those, so those are pretty much out of the question too.

[Garg69]

Honestly, I have the same problem. I'm at 325 right now and I got there not by eating everything in sight but by eating crappy carbs all the time (think soda and candy bars). Cutting out the complex sugars and simple carbs has eliminated a lot of stuff from my diet. So now I try to stick to complex carbs and away from the sugars, more protein. I find myself eating a lot less, the protein and complex carbs fill me up. And frankly, I'm not used to eating so much and so often. I should be eating at like 3000 calories for maintenance, and some days it's a struggle to get to 2000. Cleaning out the sugar and crap really left me with a lack of appetite, and I'm not so hungry. I often have to force myself to eat. And on top of all that, I am allergic to nuts so I can't eat peanuts and tree nuts and just about every protein bar around is loaded with those, so those are pretty much out of the question too.

Yeah, apparanley the inability to stuff ones face is a rare occurance these days lol. My problem is that eating whole foods strictly is a problem in that they tend to be low calorie. So in a day i can eat 4 full meals(consisting of chicken,beef,tunafor protein, a huge sald with mixed veggies, and some brown rice or sweet potato) plus two snacks-usually almods or bluberries, AND two protien shakes and guess what-thats right at 2k cals.

Maybe it's just me, but i'm 6'2 200lbs and it takes everything i have to eat that way and get enough cals for maintenance.


My question centered around tricks or tips of overcomming this and staying healthy because i ASSUMED that i was normal. Obviously by the remarks left, it is not normal.


My question then becomes, are you really shoving that much food down your gullet and how on earth can that be healthy? Once you understand that free radicals are why we age and that the amount of food directly influences the amount of free radicals released from within, how then can a 4 5 6k cal a day diet be considered healthy?

Now i might just be misinterpreting bodybuilding in that i percieve it as healthy and if thats not the case fine, but my major goal here is to be healthy first, then pleasing to the eye.

So shoving just anything into my mouth is counter productive to the goal. Hence the clean description i used. Clean as in healthy.


Glad to see atleast one other person feels my pain lol.

[Garg69]

Jeez I could eat 2k calories by noon

Please give an example of how? NM i saw your example upon review. Thank you.

[DaniGrrl]

Honestly, I have the same problem. I'm at 325 right now and I got there not by eating everything in sight but by eating crappy carbs all the time (think soda and candy bars). Cutting out the complex sugars and simple carbs has eliminated a lot of stuff from my diet. So now I try to stick to complex carbs and away from the sugars, more protein. I find myself eating a lot less, the protein and complex carbs fill me up. And frankly, I'm not used to eating so much and so often. I should be eating at like 3000 calories for maintenance, and some days it's a struggle to get to 2000. Cleaning out the sugar and crap really left me with a lack of appetite, and I'm not so hungry. I often have to force myself to eat. And on top of all that, I am allergic to nuts so I can't eat peanuts and tree nuts and just about every protein bar around is loaded with those, so those are pretty much out of the question too.

If you're allergic to nuts, try sunflower seed butter. It's amazing and doesn't taste much different from peanut butter. 2 TBSP is 200 calories right there.

Yeah, apparanley the inability to stuff ones face is a rare occurance these days lol. My problem is that eating whole foods strictly is a problem in that they tend to be low calorie. So in a day i can eat 4 full meals(consisting of chicken,beef,tunafor protein, a huge sald with mixed veggies, and some brown rice or sweet potato) plus two snacks-usually almods or bluberries, AND two protien shakes and guess what-thats right at 2k cals.

Maybe it's just me, but i'm 6'2 200lbs and it takes everything i have to eat that way and get enough cals for maintenance.


My question centered around tricks or tips of overcomming this and staying healthy because i ASSUMED that i was normal. Obviously by the remarks left, it is not normal.


My question then becomes, are you really shoving that much food down your gullet and how on earth can that be healthy? Once you understand that free radicals are why we age and that the amount of food directly influences the amount of free radicals released from within, how then can a 4 5 6k cal a day diet be considered healthy?

Now i might just be misinterpreting bodybuilding in that i percieve it as healthy and if thats not the case fine, but my major goal here is to be healthy first, then pleasing to the eye.

So shoving just anything into my mouth is counter productive to the goal. Hence the clean description i used. Clean as in healthy.


Glad to see atleast one other person feels my pain lol.

And I am not meaning to poke fun at either of you here, but I have to laugh at grown men not being able to put down 2000 calories. I'm a tiny thing and I can do that easily LOL But anyway, as I mentioned the sunflower seed butter is an easy way to get 200 calories right there with not a whole lot of food. Any nut butter will do - pick which one you like, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter. Or just go for the actual nuts if you choose - good fats and an easy way to get calories. There's a million different types - there's bound to be one you like. Roast your veggies in olive oil - you might even find you like veggies cooked that way that you might not have liked previously. Olive oil is an easy way to add calories and good fats. Olive oil makes everything better Eat whole eggs, not just whites. Have low fat yogurt or low fat cottage cheese as opposed to fat-free, or you can even do the full fat versions of those. Have chicken thighs instead of breasts. Those are ways to get more calories without adding more volume. And if all that fails, drink your calories - whole milk instead of skim, chocolate milk instead of plain. Make protein shakes - it's simple to add calories to those and some people find it easier to drink something than eat something if they are feeling full.

[Garg69]

protein drinks, peanut butter, cashews

Thx for the tip i do protien drinks and almonds-haven't tried cashews, and rarely PB. Thx though for the response.

[Garg69]

If you're allergic to nuts, try sunflower seed butter. It's amazing and doesn't taste much different from peanut butter. 2 TBSP is 200 calories right there.



And I am not meaning to poke fun at either of you here, but I have to laugh at grown men not being able to put down 2000 calories. I'm a tiny thing and I can do that easily LOL But anyway, as I mentioned the sunflower seed butter is an easy way to get 200 calories right there with not a whole lot of food. Any nut butter will do - pick which one you like, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter. Or just go for the actual nuts if you choose - good fats and an easy way to get calories. There's a million different types - there's bound to be one you like. Roast your veggies in olive oil - you might even find you like veggies cooked that way that you might not have liked previously. Olive oil is an easy way to add calories and good fats. Olive oil makes everything better Eat whole eggs, not just whites. Have low fat yogurt or low fat cottage cheese as opposed to fat-free, or you can even do the full fat versions of those. Have chicken thighs instead of breasts. Those are ways to get more calories without adding more volume. And if all that fails, drink your calories - whole milk instead of skim, chocolate milk instead of plain. Make protein shakes - it's simple to add calories to those and some people find it easier to drink something than eat something if they are feeling full.

Thank you very much- alot of helpfull hints.

[hammerfelt]

2400 calories in a gallon of whole milk. See GOMAD.

[gomez26]

Once you understand that free radicals are why we age and that the amount of food directly influences the amount of free radicals released from within, how then can a 4 5 6k cal a day diet be considered healthy?

Now i might just be misinterpreting bodybuilding in that i percieve it as healthy and if thats not the case fine, but my major goal here is to be healthy first, then pleasing to the eye.

So shoving just anything into my mouth is counter productive to the goal. Hence the clean description i used. Clean as in healthy.

problem is the damage done from these free radicals is hard to quantify because so many factors are involved.

most health problems are due to ppl being overweight as in carrying excess fat & lack of exercise.

so if u are struggling to gain weight & getting plenty of exercise, getting those extra calories needed to start gaining weight at a reasonable rate from calorie-rich foods that go down easy (eg burgers, pizzas etc) is not as bad as you may think.

note i said extra calories - im not suggesting all calories come in this form.

u seem to go to extremes, either all 'clean' or double/triple your total calorie intake from shoving 'dirty' foods down. there is always a balanced middle ground.

[Cheese3216]

i had the same problem, then i discovered

-protein shakes + powdered, blended oats
-peanut butter washed down with whole milk
-greek yogurt

mix all 3 and you can EASILY drink down 3k cals with good macros for the day in a single shake lol

other than that, as long as your diet is clean, if you need extra calories to bulk you can get them VERY easily from fast food, candy and chips and stuff.
-pizza is also high cal
-olive oil is also high cal

[OutOfStep]

And I am not meaning to poke fun at either of you here, but I have to laugh at grown men not being able to put down 2000 calories. I'm a tiny thing and I can do that easily LOL But anyway

Yeah, I don't get it either. My breakfast alone is almost 1400 calories and 135 grams of protein and I'm ready to eat again 3 hours later.

[Cheese3216]

Yeah, I don't get it either. My breakfast alone is almost 1400 calories and 135 grams of protein and I'm ready to eat again 3 hours later.

take me to mcdonalds or taco bell and ill easily put back 5000cals in an hour

other than that, i eat clean food every day with little to none simple carbs..
it takes 6 meals minimum with my current foods to get 3500 down but two of those are shakes

this is what 3500cals looks like to me:

(everything cooked is cooked with alotta olive oil)

-breakfast = whey protein + oats

workout

-postworkout = whey protein + oats

-2 hours later = 6oz chicken breast

(every 2 hours from this point on)

-1/2cup uncooked, brown rice + large piece of some type of red meat

-large piece of fish, usually salmon, + 2 eggs

-1 cup greek yogurt

-6 servings natural PB washed down with 2 cups whole milk, followed by 1 serving of either ben n jerry's ice cream OR haagen daaz(sp) ice cream

^^^^^basically every day during bulking. no veggies, dont have enough stomach room for them. the veggies are in abundance during the cuts)

[BloodySalad]

Just read this thread and thank Christ it's my carb up day today.

I could eat 2000 calories in one mouthful.

[ezra76]

I like oat bread with peanut butter and wash it down with a couple scoops of protein mixed into 20oz. of whole milk. There's 1250 down just for breakfast.

[Rowyn]

If you're allergic to nuts, try sunflower seed butter. It's amazing and doesn't taste much different from peanut butter. 2 TBSP is 200 calories right there.



And I am not meaning to poke fun at either of you here, but I have to laugh at grown men not being able to put down 2000 calories. I'm a tiny thing and I can do that easily LOL But anyway, as I mentioned the sunflower seed butter is an easy way to get 200 calories right there with not a whole lot of food. Any nut butter will do - pick which one you like, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter. Or just go for the actual nuts if you choose - good fats and an easy way to get calories. There's a million different types - there's bound to be one you like. Roast your veggies in olive oil - you might even find you like veggies cooked that way that you might not have liked previously. Olive oil is an easy way to add calories and good fats. Olive oil makes everything better Eat whole eggs, not just whites. Have low fat yogurt or low fat cottage cheese as opposed to fat-free, or you can even do the full fat versions of those. Have chicken thighs instead of breasts. Those are ways to get more calories without adding more volume. And if all that fails, drink your calories - whole milk instead of skim, chocolate milk instead of plain. Make protein shakes - it's simple to add calories to those and some people find it easier to drink something than eat something if they are feeling full.

^^All of the above^^

Its easy to get that many calories just by allowing more fat in the diet. You got good suggestions on oils and dairys, how about a steak versus chicken breast? Lots of amino acids in red meat that chicken doesn't have.

While I am a proponent of healthy eating, there is nothing wrong with incorporating "regular" foods into your diet. This is kinda what freebirdmac and ironwill were poking fun at. As for free radicals, just being overweight and metabolizing more calories produces free radicals. And building muscle actually creates a whole lotta inflammation in the body. You are naturally exposed to those processes every day, healthy as you may think you are. Which is why it is good to pay attention to your food choices to help your body combat these byproducts, but no need to throw all "unclean" foods out the window.

[BillReilly]

My question then becomes, are you really shoving that much food down your gullet and how on earth can that be healthy? Once you understand that free radicals are why we age and that the amount of food directly influences the amount of free radicals released from within, how then can a 4 5 6k cal a day diet be considered healthy?

According to current science, exercise can increase oxygen utilization from 10 to 20 times over the resting state. This greatly increases the generation of free radicals. So, if this is your concern, stop exercising. Further, exercise in untrained individuals overwhelms defenses (antioxidants) resulting in increased free radical damage.

Otherwise, I suggest you post up a detailed description of your typical diet. I think you have a math problem more than a food of free radical problem.

[Dirk57]

When I started 10 years ago I was 250 lbs and wore a size 38 pants. I started lifting and doing cardio. I didn't change what I ate just the amount that I ate. The only thing I cut out was soft drinks and sugar. I dropped all the way down to 195 and then started coming back up with muscle gains. I am now 207 lb. I am 6' 1" tall. I now wear a size 34 pants. I did it without " Clean Eating".

[xanderlam]

there is no such thing as a clean calorie. u can try cleaning ur food with soap

[ironwill2008]

Twenty six posts ITT, and still no definition of what "clean" calories are supposed to be.

[mslman71]

calorie - the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water one degree celsius (assuming no phase change).

kilocalorie - the amount of energy required to raise one kilogram of water one degrees celsius (assuming no phase change).

Note that you cannot say a kcal is the energy required to raise one gram of water 1000 degrees celsius. The proof is left to the reader.

I'm not sure what else needs to be said about the calorie unless one wants to debate the merits of the Atwater system.

[BillReilly]

calorie - the amount of energy required to raise one gram of water one degree celsius (assuming no phase change).

kilocalorie - the amount of energy required to raise one kilogram of water one degrees celsius (assuming no phase change).

Clean calorie - the amount of energy required to raise one gram of distilled water one degree celsius (assuming no phase change).

Clean kilocalorie - the amount of energy required to raise one kilogram of distilled water one degrees celsius (assuming no phase change).

Fixed!

[BrotherWolf]

Hi guys,

My question revolves around how hard it is for me to get enough clean food down the hatch to meet my caloric requirements. I struggle to get 2k down and was wondering if anyone can suggest some dense caloric foods that still fit the clean catagory.

I am aware of the basics of nutrition-whole foods,good fats, high protein, lotsa veggies, andso on. What i'm really asking is for those unique methods you've found to get the calories down when the tank feels full.

I do eat 4 full meals and 2 snacks a day spread out evenly, but i can't seem to eat enough when keeping it clean, thx in advance.

Donuts...