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Many people, especially so called hard gainers, find it difficult to eat 3000 calories a day. To bulk up and gain muscle mass you must be eating plenty of high quality calories every day. I don’t care if you have the smallest appetite in the world, that’s no excuse.
Here are some very easy ways to get 3000 calories a day – these methods are so simple and effective I wouldn’t be surprised if you started getting in 4000+ calories a day.
1. Add olive oil to everything to boost calories
Olive oil provides a great source of healthy monounsaturated fats. A table spoon contains about 120 calories. Dump a load into your protein shakes, gulp down shots between meals and drizzle it over your salads.
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2. Increase your fat intake
Fats contain over double the calories per gram, 1 gram of carbohydrates or protein contains only 4 calories whereas a gram of fat contains 9 calories.
Sources of healthy fats:
- Coconut
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Almond butter
- Bacon
Incorporate more fats into your meals for a boost in calories and fat soluble vitamins.
3. Drink high calorie shakes between meals
Adding high calorie shakes to your bulking diet will easily take your calories to 3000 and above. These shakes will be not only high in calories but will be nutrient dense and high in protein. Add any combination of the following ingredients to your super calorie shakes:
- Coconut cream
- Whole milk
- Double cream
- Olive oil
- Avocado
- Almond butter
- Whey protein
- Egg yolks
- Banana
- Berries
Mix them all up in a blender and create a yummy, high calorie shake for yourself. Add more fruit for flavour. With these shakes you can easily get in 1000 to 1500 calories, drink a couple of these a day and you will easily hit your target calories.
As they in liquid form they are easy to drink, even for people with the smallest of appetites, just make sure you don’t overdo it with the calories. You still want to be eating 3 whole food meals – use the shake as a simple calorie booster.
4. Drink whole milk between meals plus double cream
Milk is another easy source of calories; a glass of whole milk will contain around 150 calories. Drink a glass with and between every meal. Drink 6 glasses a day and you can easily get in an extra 900 calories a day.
For even more calories a some double cream to your milk. 50ml of double cream is at least 200 calories. This would give you an extra 1200 calories on top of the milk.
Again don’t be dependent on using this method solely for your daily calories, use it as a little booster. If you suffer from lactose intolerance avoid this method and use any of the others.
5. Cook staple meals each day
From a more mental and motivational perspective it is always good to have a few regular meals you always eat every day or throughout week. This will make it a lot easier to plan your meals and should help prevent unhealthy binges or skipping or important meals.
A few great foods you should strive to eat often:
- Eggs: scrambled eggs, omelette or fried eggs with bacon, sausages and tomatoes (yummy!)
- Beef: Bolognese, steak and veggies, burger.
- Chicken: Almond chicken with veggies, roast chicken and potatoes cooked in goose fat.
