How to Make Sure I Eat Enough Calories

If you have been wondering to yourself, how to make sure I eat enough calories, you have come to the right place.

In this article we are going to discuss what it is going to take for you to ensure that you eat enough calories.

Before we get to that point, I must ask you, why do you want to eat more calories? Make sure that you have a why. Do you want to build muscle and gain size? That is a good reason to want to eat enough calories.

Maybe you are underweight and just want to build a fuller looking body. That is a great reason as well.

The reason that I ask about your why is because this is what is going to motivate you to push through the tough times. You absolutely need to follow your own reasoning. And when times get tough, you can look back on those reasons.

Before we get started, I urge you to download our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play). Our FREE workout plans will get you to where you want to be.

Calorie counting

When you are wondering to yourself, how to make sure I eat enough calories, there is one way that is sure to do the trick. That is calorie counting.

And before you jump down my throat about the complexities of counting every calorie you eat, you have to ask yourself, how bad do you really want your perfect body?

I used to struggle to put on weight big time. I thought I was eating a ton of food, yet I still would either remain the same, or even lose weight after working out for weeks or months.

It wasn’t until I started counting my calories that I really started to gain some steam.

I think the reason that so many people are opposed to counting calories is the stigma surrounding it, and the fact that they don’t know where to start.

Lucky for you, I know exactly where to start, because I had to go through it myself. Start by calculating your maintenance calorie number. This is the number that your body burns on an average day without losing or gaining weight.

From here, if your desire is to put on weight, you are going to need to eat at a caloric surplus. This just means that you are eating more calories than your maintenance calorie number every single day. This is how I figured out the secret to myself putting on muscle.

You cannot build muscle or gain weight in a caloric deficit. Our bodies were designed differently.

Let’s look at a quick example. Say you discover that your maintenance calorie number is 3,000 calories per day. Start by eating 500 calories over maintenance every day. So you should be aiming for 3,500 calories per day.

How do you eat enough calories?

Here is a simple trick. If you are not gaining at least a half pound per week while eating at a caloric surplus of 500 calories per day, that’s fine.

This just means that it is time to step up your caloric intake. I recommend starting with another 250 per day in addition to your 500 calorie surplus. If after a week, you haven’t gained at least a half pound, then it is time to add another 250 per day.

Keep this trend until you are gaining at least a half pound per week.

But you might find that the most difficult part about all of this is actually consuming the calories that you are required to consume. I found that at the beginning, I was struggling hard to eat enough food.

My maintenance number is 3,100 calories, which means that I was eating 3,600 calories per day.

I remember at the end of each day, I was trying to eat oatmeal and other calorie dense foods just to hit my calorie goal.

The secret is to find out what works for you. And what worked for me was the fact that I created my own 1000 calorie protein shake recipe.

If it wasn’t for this protein shake, I don’t think I ever would have stuck with my weight gain desires.

Still to this day, I drink a 1000 calorie protein shake every morning for breakfast. It is one of the best ways that you can jumpstart your day if you struggle to gain weight.

Check out my affordable diet plan for muscle gain to see what I eat on an average day when I am bulking.

Again, you are going to have to find out what works best for you. Not everyone is going to like the way that I do things, but that is the beauty of counting calories. You can make it want you want, as long as you are hitting your total calorie goal.

Consistency in eating and working out

Gaining weight and gaining muscle is all about consistency. And if you are still thinking to yourself, how to make sure I eat enough calories, there is one more thing that you need to factor in.

You can eat a ton of calories 5 days per week, but if you slack on 2 days of the week, everything will average out.

Here is a great example. Let’s say my maintenance calorie number is 3,000, and to be in a caloric surplus, I need to eat 3,500 calories per day.

So 5 days out of the week, I stick to my story, and I eat 3,500 calories per day. But on the weekends, I don’t track my calories and I eat 2,500 calories per day for those 2 days.

Here is what that averages out to in a week: (3,5005) + (2,5002) / 7 = 3,215 calories per day on average.

And I know what you are thinking. “I am still in a caloric surplus.” But unfortunately, it’s not a big enough surplus. It is closer to your maintenance than your surplus requirements.

Consistency in diet is being able to make sure that on average, you eat at a big enough caloric surplus averaged out every day of the week.

But what about working out? If you are eating at a caloric surplus, it is my biggest recommendation to make sure that you are working out. Lifting weights specifically. Our app has multiple FREE workout plans for you.

When you are eating in a caloric surplus. Those extra calories have to go somewhere. And if you aren’t working out, those calories are going to end up as fat. If you are working out, they are going to build muscle.

Now combine the consistency of working out 3-4 days per week while also hitting your daily calorie goals, and you are going to build a body that you never thought possible.

Main Point: How to make sure I eat enough calories

If you are still wondering to yourself, how to make sure I eat enough calories, I can sum it up for you. Learn what your maintenance calorie number is, count calories to exceed your maintenance, and do what you can to hit that number every day.

Most people are terribly turned off by the idea of counting calories. But I will admit, once you get the hang of it, you are going to be shocked at the power that you hold. You can use calorie counting to lose fat, gain muscle, or stay exactly where you are.

How do you think actors get in shape so fast? They combine the rules of calories and consistency and next thing you know, they have a completely transformed body.

Now, we must answer our main question. How do you make sure you eat enough calories? Well, for one, if you struggle to eat, supplement with shakes like my 1000 calorie protein shake.

Find high calorie foods that will help you go over your goals.

At the end of the day, the key to transforming your body into what you want it to be comes down to sacrifice, consistency, and progression.

I love the idea that anyone in the world can transform their body to look like a fitness model if that is what they so desire. I personally just like the idea of having more muscle than the average person and being comfortable in my own skin.

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