How do you eat enough food to get 2,000 calories per day?

[malverick]

I wonder how people are able to fit in 2,000 calories it is such a struggle for me even getting just over 1,000. I don't know what people eat?

I have soup veggie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or chicken with mashed potato. Banana and peanut butter for snack. And I drink whey protein shake which makes up most of my calories. Also trying to eat healthy. Still don't know how you fit in so much food.

I am 5'2 and ~106 lbs aiming for 115 lbs. I have been weight lifting.

[Partyrocking]

Look back at your entire childhood. You ate more than 6 different foods.

Instead of eating vegetable soup three times a day, eat food that's more calorie dense. Eggs, pancakes, yogurt + granola. There are lots of options

[gcarey3678]

Good foods that are more calorie dense would be: Oatmeal, sweet potato, white potato, rice, nut butter, banana, eggs..of course lean proteins

I like making shakes as you mentioned maybe use 2 scoops of protein with some oatmeal, banana, and peanut butter. That will be very tasty as calorie dense.

I also make oatmeal and add in a scoop of protein for breakfast on occasion which is also good, you could top that with some peanut butter as well.

You could make big omelets and pack in lots of veggies with some toast on the side.

Cook up chicken in a crock pot and shred it. That could be used in many different applications and is simple and basically effortless.

[mgftp]

3500 Cal's a day crew, full fat foods Master Race

[sardelsa]

You want to add more calorie dense foods to your day. I would drop the vegetable soup in favour of something with more calories.
Drinking cals can help... juices, full fat milk, smoothies,...in terms of food, calorie dense fats.. nuts, but butters, seeds, oils, guacamole, coconut milk, granola, trail mix, ice cream.. low fibre carbs..white bread, bagels, pasta, naan, English muffins, dried fruit etc. Also higher fat meats and fish. Also make sure you eat often, plan and be prepared (always have food with you and in reach). If you are still having issues, slowly increase your intake over time to let your hunger catch up.

[ilesss]

Eating calorie-dense foods such as nuts and nut butters, red meat, potatoes, and rice will be the way to go.

[ProYeo]

I'm also 5'2 and generally eat about 3500 calories right now. At the tail end of my last bulk I'd pushed up to 4000+ ... that is when it got challenging!

I'm a firm believer in having red meat in your diet. I do, every day, and did so even through my last physique prep. Ground sirloin is my preference and I generally eat 2 5 ounce servings every day. Add in a good amount of brown or white rice depending on when I'm eating it, and there you have quite a few more calories. But reading your post, you need quite a bit more food variety - for calories, and for sanity!

[MrsRage]

I wonder how people are able to fit in 2,000 calories it is such a struggle for me even getting just over 1,000. I don't know what people eat?

I am 5'2 and ~106 lbs aiming for 115 lbs. I have been weight lifting.

Wow, 1000 cals aren't much, I can't understand you can eat so little! You should aim for all protein rich food, like all kinds of meat (not just chicken) and fish, tuna for instance.

[KyleAaron]

If you are used to small or light meals, it can be physically hard to eat a lot.

Australian government heathy eating guidelines suggest for women 19-50yo,

Vegetables serves daily 5 - 2.5 cups chopped vegetables, or 5 cups salad vegetables
Fruit 2 - which would be 2 medium (150g) pieces
Grain 6 - varies, but for example a normal slice of bread is a serve
Meat, fish, eggs, beans 2.5 serves; ~100g meat/fish is a serve, 2 eggs, or a cup of cooked beans
Dairy 2.5 - again this varies, but for example 1 cup of milk is a serve
Discretionary 0-2.5 - this is their allowance for junk food, or extra protein or calories or nutrients according to the person's needs.
Cooking oil etc is factored in.

The below is not a meal prescription, but is an example of how smaller meals can add up to quite a bit - and most people glancing over it will see they themselves don't reach the government recommendations.

Breakfast - porridge
Oats, 0.5 cup dry, add boiled milk and leave for 10'
Milk, 1 cup

Morning snack
Apple
Yoghurt, 1/2 cup

Lunch - fish & vegies
Salmon, palm-sized
Frozen mixed vegies, 1.5 cups
Rice, 1 cup cooked / 160g

Afternoon snack
Banana

Dinner - chilli
Minced beef, 0.5 cup / 100g
Kidney beans, 0.5 cup
Vegies, 1 cup
Diced tomatoes, 0.5 cup
Grated cheese, 0.25 cup
Tortillas, 3

This would come to about 130g protein and 2,200kCal. It also hits the recommended serves for a 19-50yo woman noted above, with no discretionary things added.

Someone who wanted more protein could use their 0-2.5 serves for that, someone who felt the need for more fibre and nutrients could add vegies and fruit, while someone doing a lot of cardio would add more grain to fuel it, and so on. Most people not super-dedicated to training, just the ordinary old occasional milk and biscuits with their coffee, the chocolate snacks from the vending machine at work, the cake for someone's birthday, and wine with dinner, and so on, will more than give 0-2.5 serves of other stuff each day.

Some observe that the govt recommendations are carb-heavy, and in fact they would be a caloric surplus for a a sedentary person; but the govt also recommends cardio and weight training, and you need fuel for that. Specifically, they recommend 75-150' vigorous or 150-300' moderate cardio and 2 lifting sessions weekly; that's for general health, obviously bulking or training for a sport would be different.

For most people, following the ordinary old government healthy eating recommendations is going to make them look, feel and perform better. In combination with the recommended cardio and weight training, some might be overweight, but nobody would be underweight or obese.

Follow the govt recommendations and see how that works for you. If you're not used to big meals, it will be physically hard. You must work as hard at the dinner table as you do in the gym. Most of the physical volume is vegies, which do fill you up but go through you quickly, so you get used to it more quickly than you expect.

[melDorado]

Cheesecake

[phoenix4444]

^^^

The best answer.

[ChloeWilson88]

Skip the soup and eat more wholesome meals as others have suggested. Eat beans, chicken, rice, and whole veggies.

[Vampirelol]

Try eating 8,000 a day and get back to me

[kimm4]

I wonder how people are able to fit in 2,000 calories it is such a struggle for me even getting just over 1,000. I don't know what people eat?

I have soup veggie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Or chicken with mashed potato. Banana and peanut butter for snack. And I drink whey protein shake which makes up most of my calories. Also trying to eat healthy. Still don't know how you fit in so much food.

I am 5'2 and ~106 lbs aiming for 115 lbs. I have been weight lifting.

If you're maintaining 106 lbs you're already eating more than 1000 calories a day. Get a food scale and learn how to track your intake properly. Bump your numbers up to 1850-1900 calories a day to start. There are plenty of food sources out there that can easily get you where you need to be.

[skeetzer]

Pbjelly sandwhiches
bagels
cookies
Milk

[Silencespeaks]

Cannot relate AT ALL. My appetite is 4K a day easy.

[getbigordie18]

Skip the soup and eat more wholesome meals as others have suggested. Eat beans, chicken, rice, and whole veggies.

The main key is to add in shakes they help me get in 4000-5000 calories a day. It doesn't get any easier unfortunately.

[spzdmao]

You ate so little, how did you done that?
I'm 5'3 and 118lbs, having a hard time to eat below 2000cals per day, usually end up with 2500cals.
Especially when that hunger kicked in again after post-workout meal (around 1 hr).....

[ashstaley]

Oatmeal, potatoes and sweet potatoes!

[KyleAaron]

On this and other fitness forums, it's remarkable how often someone comes with detailed questions, gets detailed answers, and is then never seen again.

[coeur]

Oh Mann I struggle to keep myself from exceeding my 3,000... but then again I’m an ex bulimic. Unless ofc I don’t have the money for that much food because I’m a broke bitch and capitalism is violence

I digress, eat lots of peanut butter and avocado

[F1exAppeal]

Damn, sounds like you might have a tapeworm or something. Eating veggie soup 3x a day should bring you up to 400lbs in about 2 months. GL bro.

[KMShep]

Struggles are real. I use to be overweight so my appetite is hard to control.

[ReginaDavies]

Hi, I only can't set go off 900-1000 calories a day can be healthy, no matter how ok and snivel hungry I feel. I'm completely not hitting the protein aspiration cruise my scrawny body mass would indicate, and kind of worried that my ketones are so high because I'm not eating enough ( on ketostix is a bit scary to be honest)