I’ve had a tough time gaining any weight over the past few months. From what I’ve read recently on these boards, I think adding 1000 calories to my diet everyday would be a big help. At work I can’t easily mix or cook anything, so what I need is high calorie, clean snacks to eat between meals.
Another words, something I can buy at the supermarket and keep under my desk. I’ve tried the dry fruit and trail mix, but seriously how much of that shit can you eat everyday? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
fats are probably your best option, because they’re more calorie dense than carbs and protein. With 9 cals a gram, adding calories to your total intake with olive oils and nuts is pretty easy. Snack on almonds or walnuts. Maybe add calories to other meals by adding olive oil. Put peanut butter into shakes. Try stuff like that. Best of luck.
You can buy a shaker at walmart for $2.50 in the pharmacy section (along with whey protein).
Just put 2 or 3 scoops of whey in your shaker, close it up, and take it to work with you. When you get some free time, fill it up with a cup of water from a water fountain or sink, shake it up, and enjoy.
I agree with elusive, fats are the best way to add a lot of calories to anyone’s diet. You only need to add 100g of fats to get 1000 calories, as compared to 250g of protein or carbs. That being said, 1000 cal of any macronutrient, particularly fat, will probably seriously unbalance your diet.
If you are having trouble gaining lean mass, the first place to start is protein. You need at least 1g for every pound of body weight (but 1.25g to 1.5g is not unusual or harmful if you are healthy and drink lots of water). Once you have your protein intake in line, you can add fat or carbs. Good fats (unsaturated fats, especially the Omega line) are an easy option. A few tablespoons of fish or flaxseed oil will quickly add a lot of calories to your diet - I keep a bottle of fish oil in my desk at work.
You should also be eating 5-6 meals a day instead of 3, and eating a big breakfast. If you are only eating 3 meals now, you may find that eating the same quantity of food more often (every 2-3 hours) may help even without a lot of extra calories.
Walnuts are particularly nice since you can get some Omega-3s (but still need fish oil or flaxseed oil to fulfill a proper balance).
Whole milk definitely works for gaining mass, but I found it pretty uncomfortable and gained quite a bit of body fat along with the muscle gains. If you are really stuck, go with the milk (or try the 20 rep breathing squats + whole milk). I used to be a fan of excessive milk, but there are much cleaner ways to gain mass.
Hard Boiled eggs are pretty easy. Only takes 10-15 minutes to boil a dozen eggs and throw them in the fridge. Take a few in a container to work with you everyday, and you can down them real quick. Around 100 calories per egg, low fat, low carbs. Around 6 gram of protein per egg, and lots of Omega 3. Real cheap, too.
Alternatively wake up 30min earlier and make a protein shake with full fat cream. Put it in a special Nalgene bottle and you are set for snacks. Have 3 solid meals a day and one before going to bed. You will gain mass guaranteed.
I find that if I’m already eating 4000+ calories of clean, solid food, then milk is the easiest way of boosting my diet. I prefer goat milk to cow milk - the nutrient profile is better, plus you don’t get such a problem with lactose. 2 litres of whole goat milk per day for a month, take a little break of 1-2 weeks, then repeat.