A high-calorie, high-protein diet aims to help you gain weight, especially healthy muscle mass. The exact number of calories you need depends on your circumstances and body composition goals, but a high-calorie, high-protein diet may contain 3,500 calories or more with up to 35 percent of these calories coming from protein.
Indications
Bodybuilders might follow a high-calorie, protein-rich diet during the bulking, or muscle-building, phase of their training regimen. People who suffer from a wasting disease, severe physical trauma, malnutrition or have undergone cancer treatment, may also need a high-calorie, high-protein diet to restore health. Before following a high-calorie, high-protein plan, check with your physician.
Fat Considerations
Foods high in calories and protein are sometimes also high in fat. Children and those with compromised health instructed to follow a high-protein, high-calorie diet by their doctor may indulge in high-fat foods to support healing, but bodybuilders should stay away from saturated and trans fats, which may cause more fat than muscle gain. Regardless of your reason for following a high-protein, high-calorie diet, unsaturated fats should be your primary choice for fat. Find these in avocados, nuts, plant oils and fatty fish.
Strategies
If you have a small appetite, following a high-calorie diet can be overwhelming because of the amount of food you need to consume. Try spacing your calories out over several meals throughout the day so you do not have to consume large servings in one sitting. Choose calorie-dense foods and liquids at and between meals to help pad your intake. High-protein options include nuts, natural deli meat, seeds, milk, whey protein smoothies, yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese.
Sample Diet
The following is a high-protein, high-calorie diet with just over 3,700 calories -- 30 percent of which come from protein, 45 percent from fat and 25 percent from fat. Start with two whole eggs scrambled with three egg whites and 1 oz. of mozzarella cheese. Include two slices of whole-wheat toast, 1 tbsp. of strawberry jam, 1 cup of blueberries, 12 oz. of skim milk and 8 oz. of orange juice as well. For a morning snack, have a whole-wheat English muffin with 2 tbsp. of peanut butter and a large apple. Make a burger with 5 oz. of lean ground beef at lunch and serve on a whole-wheat roll with sliced tomatoes. Have a cup of low-fat yogurt, 1/4 cup walnuts and a sliced banana for dessert. Mid-afternoon, blend a smoothie with 1 cup of soy milk, 1 cup of frozen peaches, 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 1/2 scoops of vanilla whey protein and 1 tbsp. of almond butter. At dinner, broil 5 oz. of tilapia and have with 1 1/2 cups of brown rice, 10 steamed asparagus spears and a large and cucumber salad with a dressing made with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Before bed, have 2 cups of low-fat cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of pineapple tidbits.
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