Cramming more calories down my throat?

[cheekytreeko]

Hey guys, I've been lifting for a few months now and I want to go on a bulk. I've had a really low bf %age all my life and I'm still really skinny (age 18, height 6'1, weight 155lbs). I lift 5 days a week, and walk around 90 mins a day. I've calculated my bmr and multiplied by x1.6 to account for exercise, and I believe I should be eating around 2900 calories a day to maintain weight. So, to bulk, I assume I'd need 3500+ calories/day. The problem is, I'm a medical student and I have a pretty full schedule that doesn't really allow much time for making 7 meals a day.

What can I do to make getting more calories down easier? Is it worth mixing up some kind of high calorie shake to drink over the course of the day? Or should I try and eat higher calorie meals? (my meals are usually 500-600 calories each - not great but they're quick and good macros). Any tips for just eating more? Thanks for any advice.

[jdrush]

Do whatever helps you get it in. A high calorie shake isn't a bad idea; I do that for my wife on her busier days. 2 cups Chocolate almond milk, 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 scoop chocolate protein. Call it the almond joy shake.

650 calories
51 G Protein
Around 30 G carbs
Not sure about fat, maybe less than 5

[digistp]

Pizza, fast food, ice cream, pb, nuts, etc. You want calorie-dense foods.

[ShyGuyXS]

High-calorie shakes are great, as well as calorie-dense but portable things.

(i.e. PB/banana sandwiches, other cold wraps/sandwiches, trail mix with dried fruit and nuts - you can make your own and pack it in batches, some higher-calorie bars might work...)

[aquamarine84]

Liquid calories, nuts, dried fruit, avocados, eat whole eggs, add olive or coconut oil...sometimes you have to eat past your comfort level.

[77Davis]

Try gradually adding calories to your diet until the scale starts going up. Monitor each caloric increase over the course of a couple weeks. Once you're gaining you can stop there.

As for eating more. You would think it would be easy, but when you're not used to it, it can actually be quite difficult. Foods like nuts, peanut butter, avocados, ice cream, and cheese are very calorically dense for the portions they provide. Try eating foods like these to spike your caloric intake.

[Shredthetics]

I can't believe people recommend eating ice cream, pizza, and fast food over other nutrient dense high caloric foods. And this is the nutrition section.. smh.
You can gain weight without eating crap regularly. Cheaper pizza joints alone have been found to use dough's filled with crap like monosodium glutamate and potassium bromate. Super awesome things to suggest for one to eat regularly to gain weight and you know.. maybe get cancer.


OP Yes it is worth it to make a shake in your situation. Oats, protein powder, Greek yogurt, oils, nut butters.. they all can be mixed into a pretty good tasting shake that packs 1000+ calories easy.
I would suggest that and/or simply adjust your macronutrient intake to be a little higher fat and lower carb as it is easier to consume calories with more dense foods like nuts, oils, darker meats, fatty fish ect.


You also don't need 7 meals a day. It doesn't matter when you fill up your gas tank as long as you have your fuel needed for the day.
Something like intermittent fasting where you only eat 1 or 2 very large meals in a short window may benefit you as well. I personally liked that approach with one pre and one post workout late at night.

[XCRunner9]

^ Last time I checked, ice cream and pizza are full of micros.

[ironwill2008]

Hey guys, I've been lifting for a few months now and I want to go on a bulk. I've had a really low bf %age all my life and I'm still really skinny (age 18, height 6'1, weight 155lbs). I lift 5 days a week, and walk around 90 mins a day. I've calculated my bmr and multiplied by x1.6 to account for exercise, and I believe I should be eating around 2900 calories a day to maintain weight. So, to bulk, I assume I'd need 3500+ calories/day. The problem is, I'm a medical student and I have a pretty full schedule that doesn't really allow much time for making 7 meals a day.

What can I do to make getting more calories down easier? Is it worth mixing up some kind of high calorie shake to drink over the course of the day? Or should I try and eat higher calorie meals? (my meals are usually 500-600 calories each - not great but they're quick and good macros). Any tips for just eating more? Thanks for any advice.

Your maintenance is probably closer to about 2500 calories; to build muscle, 2800-3000 should be plenty (as long as you weighing/measuring/tracking accurately, and not guessing).

No requirement to eat a certain number of meals per day, certainly not 7; just eat 2-3 meals with high calorie content. Some high-calorie choices would include fatty cuts of red meat, nuts, peanut butter, avocados, full-fat dairy to include premium ice cream, and olive oil in your salads and anything else you can stand to eat it on. Nothing wrong with a home-made shake as one of your meals; a forum search will turn up a dozen recipes.


If you're used to eating small meals (5-600 cals), it's going to take some getting used to eating 1000+ calories per meal. Don't try to do it overnight; work up to eating more but less often over a period of a couple of weeks. That will give your digestive system a chance to adapt without you feeling as if you're going to bust every time you taks a step.

[Shredthetics]

^ Last time I checked, ice cream and pizza are full of micros.

Never said they weren't.

Your maintenance is probably closer to about 2500 calories; to build muscle, 2800-3000 should be plenty (as long as you weighing/measuring/tracking accurately, and not guessing).

No requirement to eat a certain number of meals per day, certainly not 7; just eat 2-3 meals with high calorie content. Some high-calorie choices would include fatty cuts of red meat, nuts, peanut butter, avocados, full-fat dairy to include premium ice cream, and olive oil in your salads and anything else you can stand to eat it on. Nothing wrong with a home-made shake as one of your meals; a forum search will turn up a dozen recipes.


If you're used to eating small meals (5-600 cals), it's going to take some getting used to eating 1000+ calories per meal. Don't try to do it overnight; work up to eating more but less often over a period of a couple of weeks. That will give your digestive system a chance to adapt without you feeling as if you're going to bust every time you taks a step.

Good advice here OP.