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5000 Calorie Diet

While most people are constantly searching for ways to remove excess calories from their diet, there are nevertheless some of us who can never seem to eat enough. Whether due to a high metabolism or a massive volume of physical activity, such as weightlifting, a 5,000 calorie diet is occasionally necessary to maintain a healthy weight.

  1. Calorie Quality

    • While you could easily eat 5,000 calories in a single day by consuming roughly four frozen pizzas, that would hardly provide your body with sufficient nutrients to continue running at optimum efficiency. Remember that although you are on a high-calorie diet, the bulk of your calories should come from quality, nutrient-dense sources. A good rule of thumb is that 90 percent of your intake should be from healthy, natural foods; and if you need that other 10 percent of "junk" to meet your day's calorie totals, so be it.

    Optimal Foods

    • The best foods for someone attempting to eat a "normal" amount of calories consist of lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats--but you can bend the rules a bit when you're on a 5,000 calorie diet. Consume higher-fat cuts of meat to bolster your caloric intake, and don't be afraid to liberally sprinkle your meals with servings of high-fat, high-calorie natural items like olive oil, whole cream, protein powder or spoonfuls of condensed milk. While the bulk of your diet should consist of the same whole grains, fruits and vegetables as everyone else, you can employ calorie-increasing tricks like these to come within range of your 5,000 caloric limit.

    Meal Plans

    • In general, if you eat six small (small being a relative term) meals a day, you will need around 840 calories per meal to reach your recommended total of 5,000 calories for the day. A sample breakfast could consist of four scrambled eggs (280 calories) cooked with two tablespoons of olive oil (240 calories), two cups of milk (160 calories), two slices of whole wheat toast (140 calories) and an apple (65 calories). You can easily see how little tricks like cooking in healthy olive oil can boost the caloric content of your meals, enabling you to easily reach the astronomical goal of 5,000 calories per day.

    Warnings

    • As with any diet or exercise plan, be sure to consult your doctor before beginning. Also, keep a close watch on your waistline to balance food intake against the possibility of unwanted fat gain. If increasing your food intake to such a drastic degree seems overwhelming at first, you can gradually work up to the 5,000 calorie total by increasing your daily intake by 500 calories per week. In other words, if you normally eat a 2,000 calorie diet, aim for 2,500 calories per day during the first week; 3,000 during the second; and so on, until you reach your goal.

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