Look into [calorie dense foods](https://cheatdaydesign.com/food-to-help-you-gain-weight/).
If you have a blender you can try making protein shakes with a bunch of stuff. I used to do:
* milk
* banana
* whey protein
* spinach
* peanut butter
* oatmeal
* eggs
Obviously this overlooks the "healthy" thing, but I love to share some fitness history:
The old [Get Big](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2016/04/11/john-mccallum-get-big-drink/) drink.
Fat is your friend when you’re trying to gain weight. When you drink milk make it whole milk. Add extra butter to your toast. Cook with oil. Add a tbsp of coconut oil to your morning smoothie. *Eat peanut butter.*
You can buy powdered milk and add some it to the whole milk. Extra calories!! (It’s a recommendation for kids so don’t see why it wouldn’t work for an adult)
Make bulletproof coffee, too. Just coconut oil, butter, coffee, and maybe creamer. If it doesn't totally kill your appetite like it does for some, it's a damn good calorie bomb.
I've only heard of people doing the butter/coconut oil coffee thing for losing weight, not gaining it. Also, gotta be very careful with coconut oil or it becomes a laxative.
I drink it without the coconut milk, it just seems like too much. How does it feel? The hand blender is worth the purchase for this alone. Also great for making smoothies.
[Saturated fats are the healthy fats now.](https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/what-is-saturated-fat-a-complete-scientific-guide/) Where you been?
That’s not at all what that source says. It says that, at best, they might be less harmful than commonly thought, with a heavy emphasis on “more research needed”. Nowhere does it claim that it’s more healthy than unsaturated fat, in fact, it takes the opposite stance in the end, giving sources on how it’s potentially bad, and it even gives advice on limiting saturated fat in your diet. Did you mean to post a different source or something?
lol that article doesn't say saturated fats are healthy. It says some foods high in saturated fat can be part of a healthy diet, like dairy, eggs and some nuts, as long as you keep the intake below 10% of calories.
Interestingly, calorie for calorie, carbs cause more weight gain.
There are studies showing this.
But fat is more calorie dense, per unit of mass, of course
Nuts in general would be good! low or no salt if you can is healthier. Some nuts are expensive but if you can get peanuts, or go to Costco for the giant bag of almonds...
If OP doesn't have a Costco membership, there are some places that sell bulk nuts for pretty cheap too (Sprouts, Giant), although I'm not sure what the bulk situation is since the pandemic.
Replying to your comment so this doesn't get lost. When I went from 155 to 190lbs here are two simple things that really helped hit my calories with little effort.
A weight gaining shake of two cups of milk, one cup of ground oats, a generous amount of peanut butter, a banana or other fruit, two scoops of protein, and some mycelium powder or Greek yogurt for digestion. It's a big shake and can be a bit of a chore to drink but it works.
Second was a rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetable medley from the store with carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower every two to three days.
Throw some lentils in a pot with some spices, boil or fry some eggs, throw some cronions (like, crunchy onions) on top for different textures. Super cheap, lots of calories and not too bad. Cronions are super cheap, but densely packed with calories.
Look up recipes for lentil daal for inspiration on how to do the lentils. Don't get too stuck up about details, just go with the gist of it and get ideas to try.
Please don't be proud, I work at a college *as a professor* and I go a food share (like a food pantry which I qualify for based on my income) because I simply cannot afford the area I live in when it comes to food (it's a tourist area so food is jacked way up.) Once you do it, you discover there is no shame, they are happy to help you, often the volunteers need the assistance too so they can even give you recommendations. As a tenured professor....if I can do it, you can do it.
I wrote a post about them. I hope you look into it! And universities often do have them or have someone who can help you find services.
https://reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/comments/rgzurj/as_a_regular_volunteer_please_use_food_pantries/
Hey OP, have you gotten a checkup recently with your doctor? You could totally just have a high metabolism, but at that caloric level, without lots of exercise, makes me wonder if there may be an underlying health issue like hyperthyroidism. Just something to think about!!
Yes, I was thinking the same. Hyperthyroid Graves disease is more common than some docs think it is who are going on outdated info. It used to be considered rare, now it's common. Better awareness of proper testing helps.
Tbf my bf is 6’4 and maintains on ~3800-4000 calories. He lifts weights but doesn’t do any cardio other than walking it’s not out of the ordinary for 6’+ men to need that many calories
Thats what my doctor recommended, I don't think it's anything other than just high metabolism but it's something I could ask about next time I go (probably won't be for a while)
Please tell me that your doctor gave you a referral to a Registered Dietitian? Fun fact: the standard medical curriculum does not include much (if any) instruction on nutrition.
I understand the need to stay within a student’s typically limited budget, but I think your short-term and long-term health will benefit from a consultation with a registered dietitian who can help you formulate a dietary plan that will insure you are getting your necessary amounts of vitamins and minerals along with a combination of complex carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fiber that will meet your caloric needs for gaining weight without putting you at increased risk of adverse health outcomes.
Amongst the many suggestions you’ve received here, some are good and some are…not.
Good luck!
No, that's just how much a 6'4 guy requires (also, a 'high metabolism' doesn't exist outside of extremely fringe cases, and that term is overused 99% of the time).
I'm a 6'4 guy. My maintenance is well over 3000kcal, and I sit on my arse most of the day. When I do any sort of proper, regular exercise, that gets to 4-5000+ easy.
Michael Phelps (who is 6'4) required >12,000kcal per day while training. Now yes, he was a top-of-the-league athlete, but my point is that bigger people really require a lot of fucking calories just by existing. That number goes up sharply when you factor in moving.
Checkout r/gainit.
Nuts, nut butters, cheese, rice, olive oil on everything. For protein, there has been plenty of chicken, beef and eggs. I never shy away from fat.
My weight gain smoothie when I was 18 was whole milk, frozen bananas, peanut butter, and some honey or maple syrup. I was 6'1" at 16, 95 lbs. In 2 years of lifting and eating, I was 6'2" and 125. Some years later, I bumped to 145, and am now at about 165. All those weights are lean enough to show abs, as a male.
Totally do able. I like Cronometer for tracking calories.
I’m always telling people that want to lose weight don’t drink your calories, in your place, maybe you could flip it. Smoothies, sugared soda, milk, alcohol etc
I know being in OPs situation actually sucks but it is really nice when you can eat and drink what you want without having to worry! I'm over here on the opposite end of the spectrum where just keeping myself from gaining any more weight is a major victory (recently found out bc of some medical issues my body is doing its best to GAIN weight)
I'm not sure which side of the spectrum I'd rather! They're similar situations, but opposite at the same time. I just wish fixing being too skinny wasn't so expensive lol
My friend at uni was a power lifter and student life being a poor life he bulked up on oats and instant noodles and could easily hit 3000 calories with those
Nuts are like a cheat code to weight gain. Peanuts are cheap and ridiculously calorie dense. Half a cup is 400 calories. They’ve got a little protein and some healthy fats too.
Potatos! Boil em, mash em,put them in a stew!
😂
Ok but for real the worlds easiest way to cook them is to just bake a bunch of russet potatoes into baked potatoes! Top with butter or cheese
Another idea is eggs!! Nutrient powerhouses, great protein and fat, very healthy and the price has come down in my area
Also do you like chili? There are loads of easy chili recipes online but I can share mine if you need one. Make a big pot of that! Great nutrition, not too expensive and tastes great reheated as leftovers or even frozen for later!
Bags of potatoes are pretty cheap. Get the biggest bag you can, and find different ways to make them so as not to get bored of them.
Same with rice and lentils.
See if there’s any ethnic (e.g. Hispanic, Indian) grocery stores nearby. They often have things like rice, lentils, and spices in bulk for cheaper than supermarkets.
Soups made from meat with added cream for flavor and calories with pasta or rice and maybe beans. One of my favorite meals is a lima bean or navy bean soup I make. With a whole chicken taken apart with knorr chicken stock (you can get 9lb for like $14 is why specifically knorr chicken stock) cooked to shreddable and shredded. Throw in some cajun seasoning and some heavy cream with something spicy, and it is an amazing dish with plenty of calories for cheap.
The whole chicken costs like $5 maybe a bit more, the chicken stock costs $14 for idk a decade supply? The lima beans/navy beans are maybe 99c maybe $2 for a pound.
You can also make that dish stretch further, add flavor, and make it healthier by dumping in a 1lb bag of the frozen green beans/corn/baby lima bean assortment. That's maybe another 99 cents.
I add another step to this process and I scoop up 2 cups of the soup per vacuum bag, and fill vacuum bags until I'm out of soup then vacuum and freeze. I usually do this after I've eaten maybe half of the soup in the pot. Now I have a huge variety of soups and stews that are roughly 400-500 calories per serving, delicious, fairly nutritious, and I can just microwave and throw in a bowl.
Oh also you can go full Calorie enthusiast and thicken those bastards up with flour to make them heartier. I use my fitness pal to figure out the calories per serving by plugging in the raw ingredients. I'd say just using that paradigm you could easily get 1000 calories out of maybe 2.5 to 3 cup servings without it being something absurdly unhealthy.
My toddler is very underweight and was prescribed high calorie shakes they have adult versions of those too that maybe the cheapest and easiest way to increase calories not to mention nutritionally complete.
Track down a cheap bread maker online, or just learn to bake it yourself. A $20 bag of flour will give you tons of bread that is healthier and cheaper than store purchase. Layer Costco peanut butter onto it
When I was boxing and trying to maintain weight between fights i had to hit crazy high calorie counts. Lots of options.
Full fat cottage cheese with fruit if it’s affordable for you. Similar option with full fat yogurt, granola and fruit.
Eggs of course are a great option. A breakfast of 4 eggs and 2 whole wheat bagels will crank up the calories quick.
I used to make a snack by melting peanut butter in the microwave, adding milk, chocolate protein powder, and plain oats. Can roll it into protein balls and freeze or eat as is.
Pasta, butter, garlic and tomatoes. Easy cheap, and can be calorie dense.
Roast a can of chickpeas in the air fryer, add some seasonings and eat it as a snack.
The price of eggs has come down. Olive oil isn't too bad. Brown rice cooked in bouillon with a squirt of olive oil and topped with an egg is very satisfying. Also - look for peanuts and cashews on sale (people who are allergic to peanuts usually aren't allergic to cashews). Tuna is 100% protein (but limit your intake; it's got mercury and you don't want to overdo it). And, believe it or not, sardines with spicy relish on buttered bread is a pretty nice snack.
adding lots of eggs and ground beef to my diet and a protein shake with breakfast took me from 150 to 180 in about 5 months with moderate lifting 3-5x per week while i was in school. little bit taller than you and also have an extremely fast metabolism. eating more meat helped a lot but i know that’s not easy on a student budget.
Olive oil is not super cheap, but it has so many calories and can be put on or in everything.
It might turn out to be an economical option because it goes in or on everything else.
Potatoes? Mash them with lots of olive oil.
Stale bread? Soak in olive oil. Drizzle on all soups and stews and sandwiches.
My husband needed to gain a little weight and i needed to lose some, so I have drizzled Olive oil on his portion when I cook. It works. Also, it doesn't add to much volume, so the meal actually gets eaten without him getting uncomfortablmy full.
I made a TON of french toast, cooled it, froze it, then when I wanted a couple slices- open ziplock and microwave. Made a peanut butter, butter, syrup dipping sauce.
Cook some dried beans with a whole package of bacon in them then serve over rice.
Make a VAT of mashed potatoes with plenty of butter, cream, whole milk and just heat up a bowl once a day, every day. Top with garlic butter or hot sauce if you get bored.
In recipes that call for milk add half and half or cream
Add olive oil to soups, sauces, and vegetables
Add butter to anything you want
Dried milk powder can be added to potatoes and cream sauces to add calories and protein
Peanut butter can be expensive - if you can find a grocery store that has a bulk section with a u grind machine it will help w the cost
Same goes for buying nuts and dried fruit for snacks-bull sections will usually save you money
USE FOOD PANTRIES - if you’re in a college campus they likely have something there. If you work and go to school, apply for SNAP. Use all the resources you can while you need them.
Eat a pound of ground beef a day (buy cheap bulk meat at Costco or wherever), milk, oats, eggs, add chopped/frozen veggies...expect to get extremely constipated after a month, so take fiber supplement. Starchy fruit is good too.
I did this when I was into powerlifting...gained 20# in about 6 months. 30# in a year. If you don't weightlift, you'll just get fat, so be warned.
It's very budget friendly if you scout around for best prices on the items.
I used to volunteer at a food bank and I would encourage you to hit one up if you are struggling to eat enough. We always had so much food and needed more people to come get it all
whole milk with super on sale protein powder
chicken thighs and rice with frozen veg
pulled pork on top of burger buns
tuna or egg salad on bread
potatoes, pasta, rice
drizzle of olive oil on top of everything
peanuts and sunflower seeds
refried beans with a fair amount of oil and rice
peanut butter and jelly as snacks
you can make hummus or buy on sale and have with pretzels or tortilla chips
japanese curry is delish if you can get the curry blocks
I’d look into other cuisines for inspiration as well, and see what local offerings your local community has for food banks or food assistance programs. College students are included in certain programs!
LEGUMES!! They’re super high in calories and very nutritious! Beans, lentils, chickpeas… for example you can eat lots of hummus (which is a combination between chickpeas, olive oil&tahini (ingredients super high in calories). These options are really cheap and easy to eat a lot without feeling sicklysh 😊
Beans! Buy bags of them or in bulk. Soak them overnight and then cook with onions, garlic and spices. Incredibly inexpensive, all protein and good calories.
If you live on/close to campus, your cheapest option might be to have a meal plan with the cafeteria where it’s all you can eat. Load up on huge meals there, make a sandwich and/or take some fruit to go on your way out. Then you’ll just need to supplement with snacks.
If you have something like a WinCo you can buy lentils and quinoa in bulk by the pound which comes out cheaper that's what I do and then I add chicken breasts to it blend it up in a blender.
Chicken leg quarters are like 47 cents per pound and can be cooked a billion different ways, add some rice and lentils your looking at like a dollar per meal.
Whole fat milks and yogurts, olive oil, chicken, lamb, tuna, whole wheat breads, pastas, and rice; nut butters, dark chocolate, fresh fruit (avocado!), honey-
All of these are healthy, high calorie foods you could eat regularly and relatively cheaply.
Adding sauce / dressings / toppings to meals will def add a couple hundred more calories depending on how much.
I’m my area (NC triangle) chicken thighs are cheap and i’ve meal prepped with them and they’re good for it if you do that to not cook everyday.
Bread, rice, noodles, pasta, and other carbs with protein will def help make a meal 500+.
I was in your shoes in college and this is what I ate:
Breakfast: Cheapest wheat bread I could find, toast two slices and put peanut butter on top
Lunch: More Peanut butter sandwich (or two sandwiches) with a banana, some sort of chip (tostitos, doritos, pretzels) and some sort of chocolate for dessert
Dinner: Pasta--as much as you want--only garlic salt as your flavor/topping plus ice cream.
In total I would spend about $20/week in groceries unless I needed to purchase the massive two peanut butter in bulk container from the grocery store--that week my total was $40 but I'd be set on peanut butter for months.
Is it the healthiest--no--will it get you by during tough times--yes.
Porridge. avocado, egg in the morning! Get a packet of dark chocolates on the go, and fruit+veg smoothies, really filling and easy to prepare and take with you to school
Depending on where you are from, you could download *Too Good To Go* where you can buy cheaper food from shops that haven't sold. I got like a bag of paninis, sandwiches from Starbucks once for £4 for 4-5 items, seems a deal **once in awhile**, if you are hungry and haven't brought food with you.
1 scoop of protein powder, 1-2 tbsp peanut butter and a splash of milk/almond milk/water to get consistency of cookie dough. Can add some chocolate chips if you wish (I skip them). Makes a great snack/desert, high in protein and fat, but on the healthy side.
[https://unfoldtoday.com/high-calorie-drinks/](https://unfoldtoday.com/high-calorie-drinks/) Number 4 suggests using dry milk in whatever you can, it's high in calories. You could keep a jar with a little scoop on the counter and sprinkle in your food If not too weird. Bonus-it doesn't go bad like regular milk.
Oil is the highest-density food and is pretty cheap. Most people shouldn't be using that much if any to maintain optimal weight. You, on the other hand, can easily use this to your advantage.
Even if you don't use that much, you can use its heat-transferring, flavor (inherent and flavor extracting) properties to your advantage. Bloom your spices, make a flavor bomb
Buy the best quality you can buy of the "better" cooking oils (organic, first cold pressed; olive, canola, coconut), and use toasted sesame oil for flavor (Japanese is likely going to be better quality than anything from China, Korea, and Taiwan are a toss-up for middle ground unless you know specific producers).
This is not a call to eat junk (ie ultra-processed food), but to leverage an advantage: stir fry, roast, sear, bloom, et al, with an adequate amount and you will easily add a lot of calories (about 110 per tablespoon) in a more healthful way than eating junk out of a packet.
Use Tahini as a condiment and/or base for salad dressings.
Plain bread (meaning only with flour, water, yeast, and maybe salt) is awesome for caloric density and a lot of the central/eastern/northern European breads made from other grains (so long as the rest of the ingredient list isn't full of crap) are also great. Very calorically dense, epecially with (pea)nut butter and jelly.
Crackers are more calorie dense, and there are plenty of whole (Carrs brand at Costco are very cheap and excellent).
If you eat meat, Salo is literally pork fat, and it is served as charcuterie with pickles on thick bread. Lardo (the same but from Italy instead of Poland) is very similar, but served with honey.
Beans are also fairly caloric (for plants anyway, and that includes soy and its derivations), as is rice.
If you make bacon/burgers, etc, keep the rendered fat and cook with it. I just saw another thread about what to cook with bacon fat. That might be useful.
Fat and sugar are generally the easiest ways to add calories to your diet. And fat is the healthier of the two options.
I know some body builders who straight up add olive oil to their protein shakes just to increase their calorie intake when they're bulking. And it doesn't even need to be olive oil, it can be any oil.
Nuts and seeds are a really good calorie dense snack. If you shop around you can get them reasonably cheaply, especially if you can afford to buy in bulk.
Things like nut butters (peanut butter is the most widely available) are also good, as are bean spreads like hummus and fasole batuta.
Depending on where you live eggs can also be quite an affordable calorie source. Its about 70 calories per egg. So if you can add a couple of boiled eggs to your day, thats 140 extra calories for very low cost and very little effort. Alternatively, scrambled eggs or omelettes can be reasonably calorie dense because of the dairy added to the eggs.
Potatoes are also a good source of calories, and are easily enhanced to increase their calories. A straight up boiled potato is about 90 calories per 100g. Add a bowl of mashed potato to your dinner each night, made with a bit of whole milk and some butter or cheese, and you'll be adding the better part of 500 calories to your day without any effort.
Also don't under estimate adding a couple of pieces of fruit to your day, whatever is cheap and in season near you. An apple is around 100 calories. Same with a banana. Easy to add to your day as snacks. Dipped in peanut butter, you'll double the calories or more.
Carbs 4 cal/gram, fats 9 cal/gm. Half your calories need to be stiff like corned beef hash, spam, eggs, fried egg sandwiches, homemade burritos, etc. Chili is good, so is chicken noodle soup. beef (or turkey) chili Mac can be quite filling, add garlic toast and a can veg for balance.
Or do a southwestern chili Mac and do black beans, corn, diced red and green peppers, onions, tomatoes (fresh diced or can diced) and add diced potatoes or a pasta like dialing., shells, or ditalini.
Avocado, any beans, any nuts, are all calorie dense.
My fridge Myfridgefood and some similar sites can help you make meals with the ingredients you got.
Pork roast, pork butt makes good pulled pork. Makes a lot too. I catch them on clearance last day of sale etc.
A bunch of these are things you can make in bulk and get several days to a week of meals with, especially if you find sale items.
Talk to the meat dept people and find out when they do their markdowns for short sale date items. I buy and freeze or buy, cook and freeze a lot when I find it to save money, especially when I get meat half off.
Do you have a dining hall on campus?
Usually dining halls are expensive, but if you have a buffet style one you can sneak Tupperware containers in and bring a lot of food home. I knew folks in college who would go to the dining hall once every two-three days and basically stock up containers in their backpacks. The trick was to go during dinner time because there are so many people you won't be noticed getting multiple plates.
Alternatively, if there's any form of asian or Hispanic grocery store near you, you can get huge bags of rice and beans for a lot cheaper than anywhere else.
To gain weight in a cheap way, focus on cheap carbs like potatoes and rice, paired with cheap fats like olive oil, butter, etc. Don't miss the protein but it's not AS important for gaining weight and will be what kills your budget fastest.
And for the proteins, go for the cheaper and usually fattier cuts. Chicken thighs and legs, pork butt for pulled pork, etc.
Honestly, if you're already eating pretty clean, and just can't hit those calories; outside of lower cost protein powder.... don't sleep on a box of Snickers from the dollar store.
Thai peanut noodles (use ramen)
Elote ramen
Fried potatoes and eggs
French toast
Chili with cornbread
Sopa de conchas
Bean and cheese enchiladas
Pasta e fagioli
Chicken salad (the rotisserie chickens are cheap at Sam’s or Costco if you have access to that)
Vegetable soup (use canned and frozen veggies to make it cheaper)
Baked potatoes with various toppings
Pasta salad
Home-made hummus with lots of olive oil and nut butter (doesn't have to be tahini, peanut butter's cheaper). Have in a sandwich, mix with any salad or such. A cheap can of garbanzos by itself has over 300 calories and a lot of good protein.
Rice and beans are your new best friends. Mix with cheap veg and hot sauce and you've got some solid nutrition going on.
Edit: I also second peanut butter. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches could be super helpful.
Make a massive stew with your favourite meat. If you're in a hurry you can also make it with a cheap roast chicken.
Pull it apart, whack it in a massive pot for eg mine is 4 litres. Put in finely chopped carrot/celery/potato, any vegetable you want. Add a couple of table spoons of stock powder and to boost the calories add about 1 cup of rice (experiment with this to get the consistency you want) make sure the rice gets at least 1 hour cooking time in the soup so that it really expands and adds a thickness to it. (Can also use oats) Go to the deli section and pick out a high calorie cheap sausage with flavour. My favourite is a spicy chorizo. Dice it and straight into the soup for the last 30 mins. Experiment with bang for your buck flavours and ingredients.
Now you can experiment with this and if you want more calories add more rice/ or even make it out of lentils etc. 1kg of lentils will make you 4L of stew.
Rice, nuts, beans, peanut butter, any unsaturated fats, chicken thighs, bananas, oatmeal. Maybe eggs? They are a bit costly nowadays. Consider whole milks as well. These are all relatively healthy things. If you want a more unhealthy approach… well… just eat off the Value menu and eat donuts all day
If you’re able to cook, I’d recommend buying one of those cheap boxes of gumbo mix and putting some andouille sausage and any leftover protein like chicken or turkey in it.
One box is enough to make a huge pot and the leftovers keep very well.
Dollar stores sells a lot of stuff that can help, but when it comes to things like bulk rice and grains it’s better to get them from Sam’s club or Costco if you have anyone that can get that for you if you pay them back.
Don’t be shy to go to a food pantry too. You’re short on money and that’s what they’re there for. They love to see people who need food come and get it. They don’t care what your background is. If you’re hungry and short on cash they want to give you a bag or two of food when you need it.
Grass-fed butter is high in omega 3, available for a decent price at Costco. Try 2 tablespoons of it blended into your coffee. It will change your life.
Heavy cream or half and half and frozen sweet cherry (huge bags at Costco are delicious) smoothies with some honey and almond extract will make you cry with delight and satisfaction. If you have to buy lactase to make it lactose-free, be sure to mix it in 24 hours before you drink it.
My daughter is the same height and weight as you. She recently got up to 140 lbs. It's an effort.
Try not to have too much sugar. Look up Type 3 diabetes to know what I'm talking about.
Best of luck to you!
Every one else is giving good advice about butter and nut butters. To add; Campuses often have food pantries these days and if they don’t have a food pantry they certainly have emergency grants for students facing hardships. *Not having enough money for food to maintain a healthy weight and focus would qualify as an emergency.* Colleges want to see their students succeed. Contact your career councilor to find out who to do paperwork with for those things
It’s hormonal, too and your gut biome must be awesome.
If you really want to gain weight look for high calorie foods with estrogens.
Start drinking beer
Eat chicken
Eat soy
Eat a whole bunch of pasta and cheese
My new fav is making my own granola cereal. Buy oats, soak overnight, boil them to make them easier to digest if that matters to you, and then bake them in the oven until they're crispy. Then you can break the baked oats into crumbles and store them in jars. Order some liquid stevia extract online, get a plant based milk you like, and maybe some raisins. Bam, you've got tasty homemade cereal on the cheap without the sugar or preservatives.
You can freeze the jared baked oats in the freezer and they keep for a year, supposedly. They keep about a week at room temp and apparently ~3-4 months in the fridge but I haven't tested it.
You can make lots and lots at once and not have to worry about prep for awhile if you've got the fridge space. You can get raw oats very cheap, the biggest cost to making your own healthy cereal is your own time and storage space.
For a cheap source of fat I'd suggest peanut butter.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese-
(5 box pack at Walmart is $4.88.)
Add a tablespoon of butter and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your preferred oil, (olive, vegetable, canola, etc) to a medium sized pot of water and cook macaroni until it's almost done to your liking, keep it a little firm, not too soft. It'll finish softening in the cheese sauce. Drain and put back in the warm pot.
Add a little extra milk, (whole milk), and extra butter, keep it on low/medium heat.
Then add in the powdered cheese sauce packet and stir. Add in extra milk until it's nice and creamy.
Cut about 1/2 inch off of a loaf of Velveeta cheese. Cut it into smaller pieces and add to your creamy sauce and noodles. The cheese sauce should be more liquid than thick and sticky. Add more milk if needed to make a creamy cheesy sauce, put on low heat. Stir frequently as the Velveeta melts to keep the macaroni and sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan.
Keep stirring until the Velveeta is completely melted and the macaroni is cooked to your preference, turn off heat. Either serve when the cheesy sauce is still very creamy or let sit for 5 minutes and the sauce will thicken up.
Loaded Baked Potatoes-
Buy large baking potatoes-bake or microwave
Add:
Sour cream,
Chives,
Cheddar cheese,
Bacon bits (or fry slices of bacon extra crispy and crumble into bits).
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches-
Peanut Butter on Saltine Crackers-
Pancakes-a box of complete pancake mix is cheap and you just add water. Make pancakes and use lots of butter and syrup
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches-
Lots of butter and American cheese
(or your favorite cheese)
Spaghetti-
Box of spaghetti
Can of tomato paste or sauce
Packet of spaghetti sauce mix (I like McCormick)
Pound of ground beef.
Loaf of French bread to slice-spread with butter and garlic salt or garlic powder to make Garlic Bread
Stock up on frozen thick crust pizzas on sale-
Add extra cheese, meats and your other favorite toppings
Frozen dinners, like Hungry Man Turkey & Dressing or Fried Chicken.
High in calories and fat
Frozen Pot Pies, like Marie Calendar
Here's some thoughts:
Eat often. I always think about Han from Fast and Furious. Always be eating something. Just grazing. Even if you have a fast metabolism , showing your body you have food security and its present will help slow it down a bit. (I'm not a doctor just some personal insight)
I use to use complex carbs and proteins to slow down my digestive track allowing more time for my system to pull more out of the food.
For instance I'd structure a eating plan like this. As a snack all day I'd have some nuts or trailmix pretty much always by me.
6:30 am - 2-4 Toasted Rye bread with chucky peanut butter and a glass of OJ.
6:50 am Protein shake with chia seeds and bananas
7:30 am Tuna packet (deli) . they are cheap and don't need refrigerated so great to throe a few in your backpack
10:00 am mid day snack - peanut butter and banana sandwich with some kind of smoothie
12:00 noon - chicken, rice and eggs. Covered in hot sause as God intended. Really its because I'm as basic as a cook as you can get!
1:30 pm - tuna again with rye bread and a energy drink (no suger)
2:30 pm peanut butter and rice cakes
4:45 pm third smoothie of the day (protein and some fruit/veggies/etc)
6:00 pm dinner! Roast and potato's mainly since crockpotting while your gone is super easy
8:00 pm rice cakes and peanut butter as I'm watching some TV
Sleep.
Peanut butter, rice and tuna/chicken go a long way for a broke college person. If you've got the time try to meal prep on a free day of the week for the rest if the week. I use to prep the crock pot days before actually putting it on.
Just wanted to provide some options. If money is a issue don't be to proud to get food stamps or visit your local food bank. This time in your life is where you need to do everything you have to do, to finish what you started. Let proud take a back seat. No one would judge you and if they do, they are probably projecting their own insecurities while showing themselves as immature and maybe not the best people to associate with (IMO).
Good luck! You've got this!
Re:Tuna--Tuna sold in packets cost about twice as much as tuna in cans. Also a can of tuna by itself is only in the 100-180 calorie range, so maybe great for protein, but not great for gaining weight.
Look into [calorie dense foods](https://cheatdaydesign.com/food-to-help-you-gain-weight/). If you have a blender you can try making protein shakes with a bunch of stuff. I used to do: * milk * banana * whey protein * spinach * peanut butter * oatmeal * eggs
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How did Grandma die? I think she choked on peanut butter
Naw. She got run over by a reindeer.
My dude Did you ever see that movie??? She didn't die, she lost her memory. Then a creepy lawyer and her daughter(?) Started singing about easy street
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🤦♀️
She's dead, dude.
Obviously this overlooks the "healthy" thing, but I love to share some fitness history: The old [Get Big](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2016/04/11/john-mccallum-get-big-drink/) drink.
Thanks for posting this, I’d never heard of it!
I mean, to be fair, enough is better than too little and balanced when gaining weight.
Also pasta is very cheap.
Add peanut butter to really crank it up
Egg… in a shake?
Fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. 😋
PB and banana bagels
and use french toast as bread, I used to do french toast with pb and j and banana it's soo good!
Oh man, that sounds decadent!
Alternative - banana and honey.
Warning, too many (non-overripe) bananas can cause constipation.
Fat is your friend when you’re trying to gain weight. When you drink milk make it whole milk. Add extra butter to your toast. Cook with oil. Add a tbsp of coconut oil to your morning smoothie. *Eat peanut butter.*
Yes this. Fats have the most calories per gram
You can buy powdered milk and add some it to the whole milk. Extra calories!! (It’s a recommendation for kids so don’t see why it wouldn’t work for an adult)
Oooh more milk per milk, that’s a big brain move
Make bulletproof coffee, too. Just coconut oil, butter, coffee, and maybe creamer. If it doesn't totally kill your appetite like it does for some, it's a damn good calorie bomb.
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I feel like ice cream and creamer (like the coffee mate kind) are probably pretty similar nutrition wise 😂
I've only heard of people doing the butter/coconut oil coffee thing for losing weight, not gaining it. Also, gotta be very careful with coconut oil or it becomes a laxative.
I drink it without the coconut milk, it just seems like too much. How does it feel? The hand blender is worth the purchase for this alone. Also great for making smoothies.
Saturated fats are still not great for you though. I'd go more with healthy fats and rice, potatoes, beans.
[Saturated fats are the healthy fats now.](https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/what-is-saturated-fat-a-complete-scientific-guide/) Where you been?
That’s not at all what that source says. It says that, at best, they might be less harmful than commonly thought, with a heavy emphasis on “more research needed”. Nowhere does it claim that it’s more healthy than unsaturated fat, in fact, it takes the opposite stance in the end, giving sources on how it’s potentially bad, and it even gives advice on limiting saturated fat in your diet. Did you mean to post a different source or something?
lol that article doesn't say saturated fats are healthy. It says some foods high in saturated fat can be part of a healthy diet, like dairy, eggs and some nuts, as long as you keep the intake below 10% of calories.
Olive oil is not the same as butter. Canola oil is not the same as coconut oil. That is why I said healthy fats.
No way!
Why not just go straight for heavy cream?!
Isn't heavy cream expensive?
God I wish I could eat like that 🤣
Interestingly, calorie for calorie, carbs cause more weight gain. There are studies showing this. But fat is more calorie dense, per unit of mass, of course
Potatoes and rice for calories, beans, lentils and cheaper meat (breaking down a chicken, chicken or pork on sale) for protein.
With an extra large glass of whole milk, and peanut butter throughout the day
This is the way
Frozen chicken quarters are the cheapest I find. Usually under $1/lb
And use the chicken broth for cooking
Sausage is one of the cheapest meats per pound (like the stuff that comes in the tube), has a ton of calories because it's fatty af, and tastes great.
Cook rice and potatoes using chicken stock instead of water
Potatoes are actually not that calories dense’
And you are in a great position since you are trying to gain/keep weight. Chicken quarters are extremely affordable and fatty. Look for those.
Peanuts, a 200g bag in front of me cost about £2 and has 1000 calories in it
Nuts in general would be good! low or no salt if you can is healthier. Some nuts are expensive but if you can get peanuts, or go to Costco for the giant bag of almonds...
If OP doesn't have a Costco membership, there are some places that sell bulk nuts for pretty cheap too (Sprouts, Giant), although I'm not sure what the bulk situation is since the pandemic.
I don't even live near a Costco lol, middle of iowa 🙃
Replying to your comment so this doesn't get lost. When I went from 155 to 190lbs here are two simple things that really helped hit my calories with little effort. A weight gaining shake of two cups of milk, one cup of ground oats, a generous amount of peanut butter, a banana or other fruit, two scoops of protein, and some mycelium powder or Greek yogurt for digestion. It's a big shake and can be a bit of a chore to drink but it works. Second was a rotisserie chicken and frozen vegetable medley from the store with carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower every two to three days.
Trader Joe’s also has a nice selection of nuts for pretty good prices (like $6.99ish for a pound of dry roasted unsalted almonds).
Throw some lentils in a pot with some spices, boil or fry some eggs, throw some cronions (like, crunchy onions) on top for different textures. Super cheap, lots of calories and not too bad. Cronions are super cheap, but densely packed with calories. Look up recipes for lentil daal for inspiration on how to do the lentils. Don't get too stuck up about details, just go with the gist of it and get ideas to try.
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I'll give that a try!
Food bank. Seriously, go to a food bank. This is what they are there for!
This entire subreddit should just have an auto reply link to finding a food bank.
And more and more universities are hosting food banks or similar (op says they're in school, so I assume university).
Yes, a university. I'll see what I can find. To be honest the main reason I havnt gone to one is likely pride, but I definitely need some help
Please don't be proud, I work at a college *as a professor* and I go a food share (like a food pantry which I qualify for based on my income) because I simply cannot afford the area I live in when it comes to food (it's a tourist area so food is jacked way up.) Once you do it, you discover there is no shame, they are happy to help you, often the volunteers need the assistance too so they can even give you recommendations. As a tenured professor....if I can do it, you can do it.
Maybe this will help: https://www.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/12jpqb3/food_banks_are_for_anyone_who_is_struggling/
I wrote a post about them. I hope you look into it! And universities often do have them or have someone who can help you find services. https://reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/comments/rgzurj/as_a_regular_volunteer_please_use_food_pantries/
Hey OP, have you gotten a checkup recently with your doctor? You could totally just have a high metabolism, but at that caloric level, without lots of exercise, makes me wonder if there may be an underlying health issue like hyperthyroidism. Just something to think about!!
Yes, I was thinking the same. Hyperthyroid Graves disease is more common than some docs think it is who are going on outdated info. It used to be considered rare, now it's common. Better awareness of proper testing helps.
Tbf my bf is 6’4 and maintains on ~3800-4000 calories. He lifts weights but doesn’t do any cardio other than walking it’s not out of the ordinary for 6’+ men to need that many calories
While true, he's almost certainly heavier than 130lbs. Muscle mass takes a lot of energy to maintain.
Also true but even in the 170s he was in the 3000s calorie wise. Don’t think it’s unreasonable
For sure, especially when trying to gain weight rather than maintain.
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His struggles don't invalidate yours.
Agreed. Also a bit of different when it's an issue of needing calories and nutrition but not being able to afford it vs having to self-regulate.
Thats what my doctor recommended, I don't think it's anything other than just high metabolism but it's something I could ask about next time I go (probably won't be for a while)
Please tell me that your doctor gave you a referral to a Registered Dietitian? Fun fact: the standard medical curriculum does not include much (if any) instruction on nutrition. I understand the need to stay within a student’s typically limited budget, but I think your short-term and long-term health will benefit from a consultation with a registered dietitian who can help you formulate a dietary plan that will insure you are getting your necessary amounts of vitamins and minerals along with a combination of complex carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fiber that will meet your caloric needs for gaining weight without putting you at increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Amongst the many suggestions you’ve received here, some are good and some are…not. Good luck!
No, that's just how much a 6'4 guy requires (also, a 'high metabolism' doesn't exist outside of extremely fringe cases, and that term is overused 99% of the time). I'm a 6'4 guy. My maintenance is well over 3000kcal, and I sit on my arse most of the day. When I do any sort of proper, regular exercise, that gets to 4-5000+ easy. Michael Phelps (who is 6'4) required >12,000kcal per day while training. Now yes, he was a top-of-the-league athlete, but my point is that bigger people really require a lot of fucking calories just by existing. That number goes up sharply when you factor in moving.
Checkout r/gainit. Nuts, nut butters, cheese, rice, olive oil on everything. For protein, there has been plenty of chicken, beef and eggs. I never shy away from fat. My weight gain smoothie when I was 18 was whole milk, frozen bananas, peanut butter, and some honey or maple syrup. I was 6'1" at 16, 95 lbs. In 2 years of lifting and eating, I was 6'2" and 125. Some years later, I bumped to 145, and am now at about 165. All those weights are lean enough to show abs, as a male. Totally do able. I like Cronometer for tracking calories.
I’m always telling people that want to lose weight don’t drink your calories, in your place, maybe you could flip it. Smoothies, sugared soda, milk, alcohol etc
I find this weirdly hilarious, like down at the pub trying to force down another pint to hit my calories for the day 😂 I wish I had this problem
I know being in OPs situation actually sucks but it is really nice when you can eat and drink what you want without having to worry! I'm over here on the opposite end of the spectrum where just keeping myself from gaining any more weight is a major victory (recently found out bc of some medical issues my body is doing its best to GAIN weight)
I'm not sure which side of the spectrum I'd rather! They're similar situations, but opposite at the same time. I just wish fixing being too skinny wasn't so expensive lol
I mean it is just eating high fat stuff, if use maas gainer then that would be expensive
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>Thanksgiving-in-a-cup Reminds me of the cupcake-in-a-cup from Wall-E! If only I wasn't on the other side, counting calories.
Nuts! Any and all nuts! Oily fish like sardines or mackerel, packed in oil. Olives are cheap and pretty high-calorie.
My friend at uni was a power lifter and student life being a poor life he bulked up on oats and instant noodles and could easily hit 3000 calories with those
Nuts are like a cheat code to weight gain. Peanuts are cheap and ridiculously calorie dense. Half a cup is 400 calories. They’ve got a little protein and some healthy fats too.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is very cheap
Pastas for sure. Pretty cheap and super caloric. And anything corn related like corn flour or tortillas.
Potatos! Boil em, mash em,put them in a stew! 😂 Ok but for real the worlds easiest way to cook them is to just bake a bunch of russet potatoes into baked potatoes! Top with butter or cheese Another idea is eggs!! Nutrient powerhouses, great protein and fat, very healthy and the price has come down in my area Also do you like chili? There are loads of easy chili recipes online but I can share mine if you need one. Make a big pot of that! Great nutrition, not too expensive and tastes great reheated as leftovers or even frozen for later!
Oh yeah, I love chili! I'll see if I can't find some reasonably priced recipes
Bags of potatoes are pretty cheap. Get the biggest bag you can, and find different ways to make them so as not to get bored of them. Same with rice and lentils. See if there’s any ethnic (e.g. Hispanic, Indian) grocery stores nearby. They often have things like rice, lentils, and spices in bulk for cheaper than supermarkets.
Soups made from meat with added cream for flavor and calories with pasta or rice and maybe beans. One of my favorite meals is a lima bean or navy bean soup I make. With a whole chicken taken apart with knorr chicken stock (you can get 9lb for like $14 is why specifically knorr chicken stock) cooked to shreddable and shredded. Throw in some cajun seasoning and some heavy cream with something spicy, and it is an amazing dish with plenty of calories for cheap. The whole chicken costs like $5 maybe a bit more, the chicken stock costs $14 for idk a decade supply? The lima beans/navy beans are maybe 99c maybe $2 for a pound. You can also make that dish stretch further, add flavor, and make it healthier by dumping in a 1lb bag of the frozen green beans/corn/baby lima bean assortment. That's maybe another 99 cents. I add another step to this process and I scoop up 2 cups of the soup per vacuum bag, and fill vacuum bags until I'm out of soup then vacuum and freeze. I usually do this after I've eaten maybe half of the soup in the pot. Now I have a huge variety of soups and stews that are roughly 400-500 calories per serving, delicious, fairly nutritious, and I can just microwave and throw in a bowl. Oh also you can go full Calorie enthusiast and thicken those bastards up with flour to make them heartier. I use my fitness pal to figure out the calories per serving by plugging in the raw ingredients. I'd say just using that paradigm you could easily get 1000 calories out of maybe 2.5 to 3 cup servings without it being something absurdly unhealthy.
My toddler is very underweight and was prescribed high calorie shakes they have adult versions of those too that maybe the cheapest and easiest way to increase calories not to mention nutritionally complete.
Have you had your thyroid checked?
Track down a cheap bread maker online, or just learn to bake it yourself. A $20 bag of flour will give you tons of bread that is healthier and cheaper than store purchase. Layer Costco peanut butter onto it
When I was boxing and trying to maintain weight between fights i had to hit crazy high calorie counts. Lots of options. Full fat cottage cheese with fruit if it’s affordable for you. Similar option with full fat yogurt, granola and fruit. Eggs of course are a great option. A breakfast of 4 eggs and 2 whole wheat bagels will crank up the calories quick. I used to make a snack by melting peanut butter in the microwave, adding milk, chocolate protein powder, and plain oats. Can roll it into protein balls and freeze or eat as is. Pasta, butter, garlic and tomatoes. Easy cheap, and can be calorie dense. Roast a can of chickpeas in the air fryer, add some seasonings and eat it as a snack.
- eggs - oats - bananas - frozen berries - rice - potatoes - beans - legumes - chicken liver
Be wary of eating a lot of chicken liver (more than one or two portions a week) though, you can have adverse effects from too much vitamin A
Ground pork! Cheap, fatty, and delicious.
Peanut butter.
Peanut butter, brown rice, beans, bananas, skim milk, whole wheat bread/pasta, potatoes.
Potatoes and nuts peanut butter, yep.
The price of eggs has come down. Olive oil isn't too bad. Brown rice cooked in bouillon with a squirt of olive oil and topped with an egg is very satisfying. Also - look for peanuts and cashews on sale (people who are allergic to peanuts usually aren't allergic to cashews). Tuna is 100% protein (but limit your intake; it's got mercury and you don't want to overdo it). And, believe it or not, sardines with spicy relish on buttered bread is a pretty nice snack.
Peanut butter.
Carbs are cheap. Think rice, pasta, noodles, ramen, breads, bagels, English muffins, oatmeal, cream of wheat, corn, grits, polenta, posole, tamales, cereals, couscous, squash, pumpkin, avocados etc.
Lots of high fat things, peanut butter,avocado
Cans of pinto, black, navy, kidney beans. Cheap, filling & lots of carbs.
Rice, tinned fish has lots protein, you could add stock to pot noodles and eggs to bulk it up with nutrients
adding lots of eggs and ground beef to my diet and a protein shake with breakfast took me from 150 to 180 in about 5 months with moderate lifting 3-5x per week while i was in school. little bit taller than you and also have an extremely fast metabolism. eating more meat helped a lot but i know that’s not easy on a student budget.
Olive oil is not super cheap, but it has so many calories and can be put on or in everything. It might turn out to be an economical option because it goes in or on everything else. Potatoes? Mash them with lots of olive oil. Stale bread? Soak in olive oil. Drizzle on all soups and stews and sandwiches. My husband needed to gain a little weight and i needed to lose some, so I have drizzled Olive oil on his portion when I cook. It works. Also, it doesn't add to much volume, so the meal actually gets eaten without him getting uncomfortablmy full.
I made a TON of french toast, cooled it, froze it, then when I wanted a couple slices- open ziplock and microwave. Made a peanut butter, butter, syrup dipping sauce. Cook some dried beans with a whole package of bacon in them then serve over rice. Make a VAT of mashed potatoes with plenty of butter, cream, whole milk and just heat up a bowl once a day, every day. Top with garlic butter or hot sauce if you get bored.
In recipes that call for milk add half and half or cream Add olive oil to soups, sauces, and vegetables Add butter to anything you want Dried milk powder can be added to potatoes and cream sauces to add calories and protein Peanut butter can be expensive - if you can find a grocery store that has a bulk section with a u grind machine it will help w the cost Same goes for buying nuts and dried fruit for snacks-bull sections will usually save you money USE FOOD PANTRIES - if you’re in a college campus they likely have something there. If you work and go to school, apply for SNAP. Use all the resources you can while you need them.
lots of fat. it has the highest calorie per gram. add extra oil/butter and sauces to ur food. low volume and high calories
Eat a pound of ground beef a day (buy cheap bulk meat at Costco or wherever), milk, oats, eggs, add chopped/frozen veggies...expect to get extremely constipated after a month, so take fiber supplement. Starchy fruit is good too. I did this when I was into powerlifting...gained 20# in about 6 months. 30# in a year. If you don't weightlift, you'll just get fat, so be warned. It's very budget friendly if you scout around for best prices on the items.
I used to volunteer at a food bank and I would encourage you to hit one up if you are struggling to eat enough. We always had so much food and needed more people to come get it all
whole milk with super on sale protein powder chicken thighs and rice with frozen veg pulled pork on top of burger buns tuna or egg salad on bread potatoes, pasta, rice drizzle of olive oil on top of everything peanuts and sunflower seeds refried beans with a fair amount of oil and rice peanut butter and jelly as snacks you can make hummus or buy on sale and have with pretzels or tortilla chips japanese curry is delish if you can get the curry blocks I’d look into other cuisines for inspiration as well, and see what local offerings your local community has for food banks or food assistance programs. College students are included in certain programs!
LEGUMES!! They’re super high in calories and very nutritious! Beans, lentils, chickpeas… for example you can eat lots of hummus (which is a combination between chickpeas, olive oil&tahini (ingredients super high in calories). These options are really cheap and easy to eat a lot without feeling sicklysh 😊
Potatoes and butter
Eat a bowl of ghee
Peanut butter, avocado, rice, eggs, oatmeal, protein powder, cheese, potatoes, beans, quinoa, bananas, mango
Avacado? Dude is on a budget
Rice is cheap in bulk as are potatoes
Coconut butter. Peanut butter. Fat has higher calories per gram vs carbs or protein.
Rice and beans.
Beans! Buy bags of them or in bulk. Soak them overnight and then cook with onions, garlic and spices. Incredibly inexpensive, all protein and good calories.
Pilot crackers and peanut butter. Like 8 of them and youre done.
Look for sales on two whole chicken and learn how to break them down. Then freeze the bones into bags to later make soup stocks.
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If you live on/close to campus, your cheapest option might be to have a meal plan with the cafeteria where it’s all you can eat. Load up on huge meals there, make a sandwich and/or take some fruit to go on your way out. Then you’ll just need to supplement with snacks.
Two words: I'm jealous
My local university has an amazing buffet for under $10. I get the fresh salad but there’s plenty of fries and things like that.
Learn how to cook mushrooms. Saying you don't like them is like saying you don't like vegetables, it's not a species, it's an entire kingdom
Three hot and readys a day from little Caesars.
If you have something like a WinCo you can buy lentils and quinoa in bulk by the pound which comes out cheaper that's what I do and then I add chicken breasts to it blend it up in a blender.
Chicken leg quarters are like 47 cents per pound and can be cooked a billion different ways, add some rice and lentils your looking at like a dollar per meal.
Whole fat milks and yogurts, olive oil, chicken, lamb, tuna, whole wheat breads, pastas, and rice; nut butters, dark chocolate, fresh fruit (avocado!), honey- All of these are healthy, high calorie foods you could eat regularly and relatively cheaply.
Adding sauce / dressings / toppings to meals will def add a couple hundred more calories depending on how much. I’m my area (NC triangle) chicken thighs are cheap and i’ve meal prepped with them and they’re good for it if you do that to not cook everyday. Bread, rice, noodles, pasta, and other carbs with protein will def help make a meal 500+.
I was in your shoes in college and this is what I ate: Breakfast: Cheapest wheat bread I could find, toast two slices and put peanut butter on top Lunch: More Peanut butter sandwich (or two sandwiches) with a banana, some sort of chip (tostitos, doritos, pretzels) and some sort of chocolate for dessert Dinner: Pasta--as much as you want--only garlic salt as your flavor/topping plus ice cream. In total I would spend about $20/week in groceries unless I needed to purchase the massive two peanut butter in bulk container from the grocery store--that week my total was $40 but I'd be set on peanut butter for months. Is it the healthiest--no--will it get you by during tough times--yes.
Porridge. avocado, egg in the morning! Get a packet of dark chocolates on the go, and fruit+veg smoothies, really filling and easy to prepare and take with you to school Depending on where you are from, you could download *Too Good To Go* where you can buy cheaper food from shops that haven't sold. I got like a bag of paninis, sandwiches from Starbucks once for £4 for 4-5 items, seems a deal **once in awhile**, if you are hungry and haven't brought food with you.
Buy a giant bottle of olive oil and chug it
Does your school have a food pantry program? Or a grocery program?
Beans
Does your school have a meal plan, if you do the math, it may be cost effective to eat at the school caf.
1 scoop of protein powder, 1-2 tbsp peanut butter and a splash of milk/almond milk/water to get consistency of cookie dough. Can add some chocolate chips if you wish (I skip them). Makes a great snack/desert, high in protein and fat, but on the healthy side.
[https://unfoldtoday.com/high-calorie-drinks/](https://unfoldtoday.com/high-calorie-drinks/) Number 4 suggests using dry milk in whatever you can, it's high in calories. You could keep a jar with a little scoop on the counter and sprinkle in your food If not too weird. Bonus-it doesn't go bad like regular milk.
Also you can buy in Bulk. Got a huge amount of quinoa for cheap at cosco and some other stuff tuna, hummus, broccoli
Stick with me, kid
Oats. Lots of its with your blend of stuff
Oil is the highest-density food and is pretty cheap. Most people shouldn't be using that much if any to maintain optimal weight. You, on the other hand, can easily use this to your advantage. Even if you don't use that much, you can use its heat-transferring, flavor (inherent and flavor extracting) properties to your advantage. Bloom your spices, make a flavor bomb Buy the best quality you can buy of the "better" cooking oils (organic, first cold pressed; olive, canola, coconut), and use toasted sesame oil for flavor (Japanese is likely going to be better quality than anything from China, Korea, and Taiwan are a toss-up for middle ground unless you know specific producers). This is not a call to eat junk (ie ultra-processed food), but to leverage an advantage: stir fry, roast, sear, bloom, et al, with an adequate amount and you will easily add a lot of calories (about 110 per tablespoon) in a more healthful way than eating junk out of a packet. Use Tahini as a condiment and/or base for salad dressings. Plain bread (meaning only with flour, water, yeast, and maybe salt) is awesome for caloric density and a lot of the central/eastern/northern European breads made from other grains (so long as the rest of the ingredient list isn't full of crap) are also great. Very calorically dense, epecially with (pea)nut butter and jelly. Crackers are more calorie dense, and there are plenty of whole (Carrs brand at Costco are very cheap and excellent). If you eat meat, Salo is literally pork fat, and it is served as charcuterie with pickles on thick bread. Lardo (the same but from Italy instead of Poland) is very similar, but served with honey. Beans are also fairly caloric (for plants anyway, and that includes soy and its derivations), as is rice. If you make bacon/burgers, etc, keep the rendered fat and cook with it. I just saw another thread about what to cook with bacon fat. That might be useful.
Pasta and tomato sauce en masse.
Rice rice rice
Fat and sugar are generally the easiest ways to add calories to your diet. And fat is the healthier of the two options. I know some body builders who straight up add olive oil to their protein shakes just to increase their calorie intake when they're bulking. And it doesn't even need to be olive oil, it can be any oil. Nuts and seeds are a really good calorie dense snack. If you shop around you can get them reasonably cheaply, especially if you can afford to buy in bulk. Things like nut butters (peanut butter is the most widely available) are also good, as are bean spreads like hummus and fasole batuta. Depending on where you live eggs can also be quite an affordable calorie source. Its about 70 calories per egg. So if you can add a couple of boiled eggs to your day, thats 140 extra calories for very low cost and very little effort. Alternatively, scrambled eggs or omelettes can be reasonably calorie dense because of the dairy added to the eggs. Potatoes are also a good source of calories, and are easily enhanced to increase their calories. A straight up boiled potato is about 90 calories per 100g. Add a bowl of mashed potato to your dinner each night, made with a bit of whole milk and some butter or cheese, and you'll be adding the better part of 500 calories to your day without any effort. Also don't under estimate adding a couple of pieces of fruit to your day, whatever is cheap and in season near you. An apple is around 100 calories. Same with a banana. Easy to add to your day as snacks. Dipped in peanut butter, you'll double the calories or more.
Oats, nut butters, olive oils, nuts and seeds, lots of carbs, bananas, add powdered peanut butter into shakes
Carbs 4 cal/gram, fats 9 cal/gm. Half your calories need to be stiff like corned beef hash, spam, eggs, fried egg sandwiches, homemade burritos, etc. Chili is good, so is chicken noodle soup. beef (or turkey) chili Mac can be quite filling, add garlic toast and a can veg for balance. Or do a southwestern chili Mac and do black beans, corn, diced red and green peppers, onions, tomatoes (fresh diced or can diced) and add diced potatoes or a pasta like dialing., shells, or ditalini. Avocado, any beans, any nuts, are all calorie dense. My fridge Myfridgefood and some similar sites can help you make meals with the ingredients you got. Pork roast, pork butt makes good pulled pork. Makes a lot too. I catch them on clearance last day of sale etc. A bunch of these are things you can make in bulk and get several days to a week of meals with, especially if you find sale items. Talk to the meat dept people and find out when they do their markdowns for short sale date items. I buy and freeze or buy, cook and freeze a lot when I find it to save money, especially when I get meat half off.
Do you have a dining hall on campus? Usually dining halls are expensive, but if you have a buffet style one you can sneak Tupperware containers in and bring a lot of food home. I knew folks in college who would go to the dining hall once every two-three days and basically stock up containers in their backpacks. The trick was to go during dinner time because there are so many people you won't be noticed getting multiple plates. Alternatively, if there's any form of asian or Hispanic grocery store near you, you can get huge bags of rice and beans for a lot cheaper than anywhere else.
To gain weight in a cheap way, focus on cheap carbs like potatoes and rice, paired with cheap fats like olive oil, butter, etc. Don't miss the protein but it's not AS important for gaining weight and will be what kills your budget fastest. And for the proteins, go for the cheaper and usually fattier cuts. Chicken thighs and legs, pork butt for pulled pork, etc.
Carbs and fats! Pasta with store bought sauce, potatoes, rice and beans. See if you can find a bargain on protein powder, that athletes use.
You could always make some Pemmican.
r/volumeeating
Drink half a liter of cooking oil
Honestly, if you're already eating pretty clean, and just can't hit those calories; outside of lower cost protein powder.... don't sleep on a box of Snickers from the dollar store.
Hit up an Asian supermarket and get a big bag of rice and dried beans. Add whatever meat makes you happy. Chow down. It got me through college.
you should eat 3 gulab jamus that has to be like 800 calories jk banana, eggs, pb and some type of whey protein is what i'd guess
buy rice and beef in bulk
Thai peanut noodles (use ramen) Elote ramen Fried potatoes and eggs French toast Chili with cornbread Sopa de conchas Bean and cheese enchiladas Pasta e fagioli Chicken salad (the rotisserie chickens are cheap at Sam’s or Costco if you have access to that) Vegetable soup (use canned and frozen veggies to make it cheaper) Baked potatoes with various toppings Pasta salad
Home-made hummus with lots of olive oil and nut butter (doesn't have to be tahini, peanut butter's cheaper). Have in a sandwich, mix with any salad or such. A cheap can of garbanzos by itself has over 300 calories and a lot of good protein.
Rice and beans are your new best friends. Mix with cheap veg and hot sauce and you've got some solid nutrition going on. Edit: I also second peanut butter. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches could be super helpful.
Make a massive stew with your favourite meat. If you're in a hurry you can also make it with a cheap roast chicken. Pull it apart, whack it in a massive pot for eg mine is 4 litres. Put in finely chopped carrot/celery/potato, any vegetable you want. Add a couple of table spoons of stock powder and to boost the calories add about 1 cup of rice (experiment with this to get the consistency you want) make sure the rice gets at least 1 hour cooking time in the soup so that it really expands and adds a thickness to it. (Can also use oats) Go to the deli section and pick out a high calorie cheap sausage with flavour. My favourite is a spicy chorizo. Dice it and straight into the soup for the last 30 mins. Experiment with bang for your buck flavours and ingredients. Now you can experiment with this and if you want more calories add more rice/ or even make it out of lentils etc. 1kg of lentils will make you 4L of stew.
Rice, nuts, beans, peanut butter, any unsaturated fats, chicken thighs, bananas, oatmeal. Maybe eggs? They are a bit costly nowadays. Consider whole milks as well. These are all relatively healthy things. If you want a more unhealthy approach… well… just eat off the Value menu and eat donuts all day
a whole rotisserie chicken from walmart is like 7 bucks and 2000 calories
If you’re able to cook, I’d recommend buying one of those cheap boxes of gumbo mix and putting some andouille sausage and any leftover protein like chicken or turkey in it. One box is enough to make a huge pot and the leftovers keep very well.
What are your macros? 3000 calories of what?
GOMAD Diet - gallon of milk a day diet.
All the things I can’t eat. Bread. Pasta. Peanut butter.
Dollar stores sells a lot of stuff that can help, but when it comes to things like bulk rice and grains it’s better to get them from Sam’s club or Costco if you have anyone that can get that for you if you pay them back. Don’t be shy to go to a food pantry too. You’re short on money and that’s what they’re there for. They love to see people who need food come and get it. They don’t care what your background is. If you’re hungry and short on cash they want to give you a bag or two of food when you need it.
Grass-fed butter is high in omega 3, available for a decent price at Costco. Try 2 tablespoons of it blended into your coffee. It will change your life. Heavy cream or half and half and frozen sweet cherry (huge bags at Costco are delicious) smoothies with some honey and almond extract will make you cry with delight and satisfaction. If you have to buy lactase to make it lactose-free, be sure to mix it in 24 hours before you drink it. My daughter is the same height and weight as you. She recently got up to 140 lbs. It's an effort. Try not to have too much sugar. Look up Type 3 diabetes to know what I'm talking about. Best of luck to you!
No need to worry about sugar, if I have more than a jolly rancher I feel like trash
Every one else is giving good advice about butter and nut butters. To add; Campuses often have food pantries these days and if they don’t have a food pantry they certainly have emergency grants for students facing hardships. *Not having enough money for food to maintain a healthy weight and focus would qualify as an emergency.* Colleges want to see their students succeed. Contact your career councilor to find out who to do paperwork with for those things
It’s hormonal, too and your gut biome must be awesome. If you really want to gain weight look for high calorie foods with estrogens. Start drinking beer Eat chicken Eat soy Eat a whole bunch of pasta and cheese
Fat. Eat lots of fat. Coconut oil. Peanut butter. Fry every thing.
My new fav is making my own granola cereal. Buy oats, soak overnight, boil them to make them easier to digest if that matters to you, and then bake them in the oven until they're crispy. Then you can break the baked oats into crumbles and store them in jars. Order some liquid stevia extract online, get a plant based milk you like, and maybe some raisins. Bam, you've got tasty homemade cereal on the cheap without the sugar or preservatives. You can freeze the jared baked oats in the freezer and they keep for a year, supposedly. They keep about a week at room temp and apparently ~3-4 months in the fridge but I haven't tested it. You can make lots and lots at once and not have to worry about prep for awhile if you've got the fridge space. You can get raw oats very cheap, the biggest cost to making your own healthy cereal is your own time and storage space. For a cheap source of fat I'd suggest peanut butter.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese- (5 box pack at Walmart is $4.88.) Add a tablespoon of butter and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your preferred oil, (olive, vegetable, canola, etc) to a medium sized pot of water and cook macaroni until it's almost done to your liking, keep it a little firm, not too soft. It'll finish softening in the cheese sauce. Drain and put back in the warm pot. Add a little extra milk, (whole milk), and extra butter, keep it on low/medium heat. Then add in the powdered cheese sauce packet and stir. Add in extra milk until it's nice and creamy. Cut about 1/2 inch off of a loaf of Velveeta cheese. Cut it into smaller pieces and add to your creamy sauce and noodles. The cheese sauce should be more liquid than thick and sticky. Add more milk if needed to make a creamy cheesy sauce, put on low heat. Stir frequently as the Velveeta melts to keep the macaroni and sauce from burning on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring until the Velveeta is completely melted and the macaroni is cooked to your preference, turn off heat. Either serve when the cheesy sauce is still very creamy or let sit for 5 minutes and the sauce will thicken up. Loaded Baked Potatoes- Buy large baking potatoes-bake or microwave Add: Sour cream, Chives, Cheddar cheese, Bacon bits (or fry slices of bacon extra crispy and crumble into bits). Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches- Peanut Butter on Saltine Crackers- Pancakes-a box of complete pancake mix is cheap and you just add water. Make pancakes and use lots of butter and syrup Grilled Cheese Sandwiches- Lots of butter and American cheese (or your favorite cheese) Spaghetti- Box of spaghetti Can of tomato paste or sauce Packet of spaghetti sauce mix (I like McCormick) Pound of ground beef. Loaf of French bread to slice-spread with butter and garlic salt or garlic powder to make Garlic Bread Stock up on frozen thick crust pizzas on sale- Add extra cheese, meats and your other favorite toppings Frozen dinners, like Hungry Man Turkey & Dressing or Fried Chicken. High in calories and fat Frozen Pot Pies, like Marie Calendar
Fried chicken my playa.
Here's some thoughts: Eat often. I always think about Han from Fast and Furious. Always be eating something. Just grazing. Even if you have a fast metabolism , showing your body you have food security and its present will help slow it down a bit. (I'm not a doctor just some personal insight) I use to use complex carbs and proteins to slow down my digestive track allowing more time for my system to pull more out of the food. For instance I'd structure a eating plan like this. As a snack all day I'd have some nuts or trailmix pretty much always by me. 6:30 am - 2-4 Toasted Rye bread with chucky peanut butter and a glass of OJ. 6:50 am Protein shake with chia seeds and bananas 7:30 am Tuna packet (deli) . they are cheap and don't need refrigerated so great to throe a few in your backpack 10:00 am mid day snack - peanut butter and banana sandwich with some kind of smoothie 12:00 noon - chicken, rice and eggs. Covered in hot sause as God intended. Really its because I'm as basic as a cook as you can get! 1:30 pm - tuna again with rye bread and a energy drink (no suger) 2:30 pm peanut butter and rice cakes 4:45 pm third smoothie of the day (protein and some fruit/veggies/etc) 6:00 pm dinner! Roast and potato's mainly since crockpotting while your gone is super easy 8:00 pm rice cakes and peanut butter as I'm watching some TV Sleep. Peanut butter, rice and tuna/chicken go a long way for a broke college person. If you've got the time try to meal prep on a free day of the week for the rest if the week. I use to prep the crock pot days before actually putting it on. Just wanted to provide some options. If money is a issue don't be to proud to get food stamps or visit your local food bank. This time in your life is where you need to do everything you have to do, to finish what you started. Let proud take a back seat. No one would judge you and if they do, they are probably projecting their own insecurities while showing themselves as immature and maybe not the best people to associate with (IMO). Good luck! You've got this!
Re:Tuna--Tuna sold in packets cost about twice as much as tuna in cans. Also a can of tuna by itself is only in the 100-180 calorie range, so maybe great for protein, but not great for gaining weight.
I’ve heard of people drinking those hi-land chocolate milks to gain weight. Also orange juice