High Calorie Meals for Picky Eaters Reddit

The Real Reason You Can't Gain Weight (It's Not Your Appetite)

The most effective high calorie meals for picky eaters reddit users recommend aren't meals at all; they're liquids that can pack 1,000 calories into a single glass, bypassing your body's 'full' signal entirely. You've probably heard it a thousand times: "Just eat more." It's the most common and most useless piece of advice for someone who struggles to gain weight. You've tried forcing down another dry chicken breast, another bowl of rice, and you just end up feeling sick, bloated, and defeated. The problem isn't your willpower or your appetite. The problem is food volume.

Your stomach can only hold about 1 liter, or roughly 4 cups, of food at a time. People who tell you to "eat more" are asking you to fight a physical limitation. A typical "clean" bulking meal of 8 ounces of chicken breast, a cup of brown rice, and a cup of broccoli fills about 3 cups of stomach volume but only delivers around 500 calories. You feel stuffed, but you're not even in a significant calorie surplus. It’s a losing battle. The secret isn't eating *more*; it's eating *denser*. You need to get the maximum number of calories into the minimum amount of physical space. This is where you stop thinking about meals and start thinking about math. We're going to separate calories from volume, and that's how you'll finally start gaining weight without feeling like you're going to explode.

The Calorie Math That Proves Liquids Beat Solid Food

For years, you've been told that liquid calories are "bad." That's advice for people trying to lose weight. For you, a picky eater trying to gain mass, liquid calories are the ultimate cheat code. They are your single most powerful tool because they don't trigger the same satiety signals as solid food. Your body processes liquids faster, they don't stretch the stomach in the same way, and they slide past the hormonal responses that scream "I'm full!" This allows you to stack calories without the physical discomfort.

Let's look at the hard numbers. Compare a standard solid meal to a simple liquid one:

The "Forced" Solid Meal:

• 8oz Chicken Breast: 240 calories
• 1 cup Cooked Rice: 200 calories
• 1 cup Steamed Broccoli: 55 calories
• Total: 495 calories. This meal is physically large, takes 20 minutes to chew, and leaves you feeling stuffed for hours.

The "Effortless" Liquid Meal:

• 1.5 cups Whole Milk: 225 calories
• 2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein: 240 calories
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter: 190 calories
• 1/2 cup Dry Oats: 150 calories
• Total: 805 calories. This fits in one shaker bottle, tastes like a dessert, and you can drink it in less than 5 minutes. You get 310 more calories with less than half the effort and none of the bloating.

This isn't a small difference. Doubling that liquid meal to two a day adds over 1,600 calories to your diet on top of whatever you're already eating. That is the mathematical certainty of a calorie surplus. You cannot fail to gain weight with this method.

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The 3-Step Protocol to Add 1,500 Calories Without Feeling Stuffed

This isn't about replacing your favorite foods. You can keep eating the pizza, pasta, or chicken nuggets you already like. This protocol is about *adding* calories around your existing diet. It's a supplement, not an overhaul. The goal is to create a massive calorie surplus with minimal effort.

Step 1: Build Your 500-Calorie Base Shake

For the first week, your only job is to add one of these shakes to your day. Drink it whenever is easiest-with breakfast, after a workout, or before bed. The formula is simple: Liquid + Protein + Carb.

• Liquid Base: Start with 1.5 cups of whole milk. This provides about 225 calories and a good amount of fat and protein. If you can't do dairy, use soy milk (around 150 calories).
• Protein Powder: Add one scoop of a good-tasting protein powder. A standard chocolate or vanilla whey will add about 120 calories and 25 grams of protein.
• Carb Source: Add 1/2 cup of instant or quick oats. They provide 150 calories and will dissolve almost completely in a blender, adding thickness and carbs without any gritty texture.

Total: This simple shake is roughly 500 calories. It's easy to make and easy to drink. Do this every day for 7 days. That's an extra 3,500 calories for the week, which is enough to gain one pound of bodyweight.

Step 2: Add Calorie Boosters for a 1,000-Calorie Shake

After you're comfortable with the base shake, it's time to turn it into a serious mass-gaining tool. We do this by adding high-calorie, low-volume "boosters." These are fats and simple carbs that blend in easily.

• Fat Boosters (Pick One or Two):
• 2 tablespoons of Peanut Butter: +190 calories
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or MCT Oil: +120 calories (MCT is virtually tasteless)
• 1/4 of a large Avocado: +80 calories (makes the shake creamy)
• Carb Boosters (Pick One):
• 1 large Banana: +120 calories
• 2 tablespoons of Honey or Maple Syrup: +120 calories

Let's assemble a monster shake. Take your 500-calorie base shake and add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (+190) and a banana (+120). You're now holding a shake that is 810 calories. If you swap the peanut butter for 2 tablespoons of olive oil, you're at 860 calories. This is how you build a 1,000-calorie shake without adding much volume.

Step 3: Use the "Bookend Method" for a 1,500+ Calorie Surplus

This is the final step that makes consistent weight gain inevitable. You're going to "bookend" your day with calories. You will have one of your high-calorie shakes (750-1,000 calories) in the morning and another one right before you go to bed.

• Morning Shake: Drink it within 30 minutes of waking up. This starts your day in a calorie surplus.
• Evening Shake: Drink it 30-60 minutes before bed. This ensures you're feeding your muscles while you sleep and prevents you from waking up in a catabolic state.

Two 800-calorie shakes add 1,600 calories to your daily intake. Even if you only eat 1,500 calories from your normal "picky" meals, your total for the day is now 3,100 calories. This is more than enough for a 150-pound person to gain 1-2 pounds per week. You've created a guaranteed surplus without ever having to feel painfully full from a solid meal.

Your First 30 Days: What Gaining 8 Pounds Actually Feels Like

Forget what you think you know about being a "hardgainer." That label disappears once the math is on your side. Here is exactly what you should expect when you follow the liquid calorie protocol consistently.

Week 1: You will feel a little different. The extra liquid and nutrients might make you feel slightly bloated as your digestive system adapts. Don't worry, this passes. The scale will likely jump up 3-5 pounds. This is not fat. It's water, glycogen, and food weight in your system. In the gym, your lifts will feel stronger and more powerful. That's the instant effect of having fully stocked glycogen stores.

Weeks 2-3: The initial bloating will subside. You'll start to see a steady, predictable increase on the scale: 1 to 2 pounds per week. This is real tissue being built. Your t-shirts will start to feel a little tighter across the chest and shoulders. You'll notice you're not hungry all the time because your body is finally getting the fuel it's been craving.

Day 30: Look in the mirror. You will be visibly bigger. At a gain of 1-2 pounds per week, you'll be up anywhere from 6 to 8 pounds. Your face might look a little fuller, and your frame will have more substance. Your bench press, squat, and deadlift numbers will have increased, not by a little, but by a lot-think 10-20 pounds on your major lifts. You have successfully proven that you were never a hardgainer; you were just under-fueled.

One Critical Warning: If you are gaining weight but it's all going to your stomach, you are not training hard enough. These calories need a job, and that job is to build muscle. This plan must be paired with a challenging weightlifting program focused on progressive overload, 3-4 days per week.

You read this far. You're serious.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Best Tasting Protein Powders for Picky Eaters

Taste is everything when you have to drink something daily. Stick to proven brands known for mixability and flavor. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard in 'Double Rich Chocolate' is a classic because it's not overly sweet. Dymatize ISO 100 in 'Fruity Pebbles' or 'Chocolate Peanut Butter' are also extremely popular because they taste like dessert, not a supplement.

Handling Dairy and Lactose Issues

If whole milk causes bloating or discomfort, you have options. Fairlife milk is ultra-filtered to remove most of the lactose and has more protein. Lactaid milk is another easy swap. For a completely dairy-free option, use soy milk for its higher calorie and protein content compared to almond milk, and switch from whey to a high-quality pea or soy protein isolate.

Gaining Muscle, Not Just Fat

The calorie surplus is fuel, but your workouts are the signal that tells your body to build muscle. Without that signal, your body will store the excess energy as fat. You must be on a structured lifting program, hitting each muscle group at least once per week and focusing on getting stronger over time in compound movements like the squat, bench press, and overhead press.

Budget-Friendly Calorie Options

You don't need to spend a fortune to gain weight. The most calorie-dense foods are the cheapest. A giant container of oats costs a few dollars. A gallon of whole milk is cheap. A large jar of peanut butter provides thousands of calories for under $5. Buy protein powder in 5-pound tubs, not small 1-pound bags, to drastically lower the cost per serving.

What If I Absolutely Hate Shakes?

While shakes are the easiest method, the principle of calorie density can be applied to solid foods. Instead of a shake, have a large bowl of oatmeal made with whole milk instead of water. Stir in two tablespoons of peanut butter and a scoop of protein powder. Cook your rice and pasta with a tablespoon of olive oil or butter after it's done. Add cheese to everything. The goal remains the same: add calories to everything you eat.