Feels like forever since my last post.
Really, though, it’s only been two days. I left the last post up for a bit because of its important message, and also because this gave me a chance to thoroughly read through all of the heartfelt and personal comments so many people took time to leave.
It was especially wonderful seeing readers responding to and encouraging each other in the comment section with ideas for high calorie recipes or just with support in general. Please, always feel free to respond to other commenters on my posts. If someone asks a question and you know the answer, share your knowledge! I don’t have all the answers, and so I’m happy when someone more knowledgeable speaks up.
Today’s post is a follow-up to Thursday’s. It was written for anyone who’d like some higher calorie recipes and is tired of resorting to so-called junk food all the time. I once tried the junk food route to gain weight. (For more about that, see the following post: My Junk Food Phase.)
It did not work for me, and I felt awful. No way could I continue to scarf down pints of vegan ice cream every day, or eat two slices of cake as a daily snack—I was beginning to hate dessert! I finally had to take a good look at my diet and try something new. That “something new” was adopting a healthy, but still high-calorie, diet.
Many of my favorite recipes on this blog are the high calorie recipes (or the ones that can be high in calories if you employ some of the optional ingredients or substitutions). For example: One of my favorite “weight gain” recipes is actually a recipe I specifically highlight as being low in calories:
Yes, the recipe has half the calories of peanut butter… So if you eat 1 or 2 tablespoons on a sandwich, you’ve saved calories. But I like to eat the entire recipe in a serving, which makes it closer to 500-600 calories. It’s one of my favorite high calorie recipes, and it’s not made with hard-to-find ingredients. Just peanut butter and banana… what could be easier??
And if you use a frozen banana (I highly recommend you do!), it’s like ice cream. So incredibly delicious! Other recipes on my blog that are—or can be—higher in calories:
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Shake
Seriously, forget Boost. This shake is way better. Actually, I’ve never tried Boost since it’s not vegan… For awhile I did drink some weight-gain-type shakes (called Power Dreams) from the Imagine Foods company. I liked the chocolate ones best. (Surprise!) But then the company went and discontinued those drinks. Oh well; I like my own better anyway.
(People with peanut allergies can easily sub almond butter or an allergy-friendly alternative like sunbutter or soynut butter.)
I always always always add the optional oil when I make these pancakes for myself. And if you can spare the calories, I highly recommend you do the same. Using coconut oil makes them taste like buttery shortbread, bursting with giant blueberries.
Darn it, now I’m craving pancakes.
Another one of my favorite things to eat. These little candies are absolutely addictive. You cannot eat just one two seventeen. Thankfully, they’re also incredibly easy to make. I prepare a huge amount at once… but, even still, they disappear so fast!
Chocolate-Raspberry Fudge Cake
Yet another personal favorite. Ok, so I have a lot of favorites. Since first creating the recipe a few years ago, I don’t think a week has gone by where I haven’t had a slice of this fantabulous fudge cake. For extra calories, eat more than one serving. You can do that, right?
I certainly always do! And yet, it doesn’t leave me feeling gross and sluggish like when I used to eat those sugary layer cakes every day.
Those are “Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie” Bars in the photo. They’re one of my favorite high calorie recipes on the blog. (How many times have I said “my favorite” now in this post? Sorry, can’t help it.)
I don’t really like the crunchy texture of granola, but I sometimes use this recipe as one would use granola– sprinkled over other foods, or just eaten straight from the food processor. Really, why bother shaping into bars? That just burns calories ;).
This ice cream has just 50 calories per serving… If you use almond milk, that is. Opt for the super-creamy version made with creamer or canned coconut milk and you can easily (painlessly!) take in some extra calories.
A glass of nothing but frosting? Heck yes! This recipe is very high in healthy fats. And none of the sugar or processed ingredients found in that Pillsbury stuff. Which means… go ahead and eat the whole glass. You know you want to!
What are some of your favorite high calorie recipes?
If you can’t tell from this post, mine include coconut, peanut butter, and really dark chocolate. Also, most raw nuts, and olive oil (on things, not plain lol!). Every now and then, I give avocado another chance because I want to like it; it’s so healthy! But alas, I just can’t see what everyone else seems to love about it.
For more, see the following: How to Gain Weight on a Healthy Diet.
You say you can gain weight on a healthy diet, and you now that your weight is underweight, which isnt healthy at all, then why don’t you set a good example and try to gain weight on a healthy diet? You dont have to stuff your face with junk food to gain like you said! Why dont you do it? Or the benefit of yourself, and your folowers?
I’m sure for people struggling to lose weight it must be impossible to conceive that someone could struggle to maintain weight, no matter how much they eat, but I guess this is the way of the closed-minded world: people don’t want to look outside of what they know.
I ment that comment that I just posted in the nicest way possible. You would look so much more beautiful and healthier if you gained weight and got to a healthy weight! I am sure you would be even happier too!
“I think you look ugly now, and you’re too skinny.
Oh, but I meant that in a nice way.”
WTF? How can you criticize someone and say you’re doing it in a “nice way”? Rudeness is rudeness! Don’t try to cover it.
As impossible as it may be to believe, there are people who can eat enormous amounts of food and still not gain weight while the majority of us have the opposite problem. I understood Katie to mean that she went through a phase where she attempted to eat these extra necessary calories in the form of junk food. How is that different than most young people who subsist on a diet of chips, snacks and fast food meals? She’s making the point here that there are healthier ways to get large calorie doses, if that is what your body needs. I don’t see why this post is such a problem for some.
Just something to think about: Would you say to a blogger who you thought was overweight “You would look so much healthier and more beautiful if you lost some weight!”
That would be horrible, right?
I ALWAYS think this when people criticize Katie on here!!! Katie, you are admirable for even leaving some of these posts up and not just deleting them. People can just be so nasty.
Avocado is my favorite food, period. One of my favorite snacks is a piece of toast with some hummus and avocado sliced on top with a little garlic salt. Mmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. That’s probably not much help if you don’t like the taste though. As several others have mentioned, have you tried it in a smoothie? It makes them so good and creamy! And I don’t think you can taste it much then either, but maybe I just don’t notice it because I like it.
Don’t let comments from judgmental people get you down. Anyone who actually reads this blog knows the things they say are completely untrue. You’re such a kind and wonderful person, Katie, and you’re such an inspiration to me.
Thank you so much, Kacey! And I hadn’t tried avocado in a smoothie… now it’s on my to-do list!
Love this post!!! I’m always starving…and I’d rather eat coconut than sugar.:)
I don’t like avocado on its own, but I love guacamole and I love adding it to smoothies. I find that I can’t taste the avocado but it makes a super thick and creamy shake! Nut butters have to be my favorite high calorie treat though. Peanut butter is the best!
I don’t mean this in the wrong way Katie, or CCK readers, but why do you try to gain weight? If it’s because of what other people think, that’s hog-wash. Everyone is fine just the way they are. thin or thick, tall or short, muscular or, well, non-muscular. if you have a big body type, then you have a big body type; if you have a small body type, then you have a small body type, no one should ever try to change that about themselves. you seem healthy; you run, you host a blog, you’re energetic. So, why gain weight?
Unfortunately, being below a certain weight can be unhealthy- equally unhealthy as being obese. Whether it is due to an eating disorder or other factors such as a high metabolism, it is important for people to have enough fat on their body to support healthy body functioning- hormones, immunity, etc.
I agree that in terms of looks we should love our bodies at any size, but for many of us trying to gain weight, outward appearance isn’t the main concern.
Honestly, vanity is a big part of it for me. If you look at my photos from back in 2007-2009, my arms are like sticks. They’re still sticks, but I’m trying to build up some muscle. I’ve managed to add and maintain around ten pounds, which just makes me feel less self-conscious. I know I shouldn’t want to change for anyone, but I’m in an industry where I’m a role model, and I want to be a good one. Even though I might be able to be healthy at such a low weight, I know others can’t and I don’t want to send out the wrong message… plus, I don’t want to perpetuate the stereotype that vegans are scrawny. Still, if I tried way harder I could gain more, I’m sure. But at some point I agree with you that the vanity of looking a certain way isn’t worth spending your entire life planning your next meal!
But another reason for me is that I know it’s good to have a little padding for your bones. Even if you’re healthy, thin people have higher instances of getting osteoporosis. My grandma was stick-thin like me her whole life, and she ended up with osteoporosis when she got older :(.
LOL sorry for the novel!
Avocado is definitely my favorite! You have to try baking with it, it absolutely makes everything delicious. I’m sure you’ll grow to love it some day. Try a recipe for chocolate chip avocado cookies, they’re to die for!
I love to eat cream cheese- with a spoon!
Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, and avocados are favorites!!!!
My favorite high calorie foods are peanut butter and all kinds of nuts, especially roasted almonds… Yum!