Hi there guys. I just started working out last week and after reading around these forums I got some ideas about what is healthy and what to eat. So here goes a sample meal that I have eaten a few days this week. When I say shortly after below I mean 2-3 hours.

Breakfast - 10 egg whites

Shortly after breakfast I work out and then have a post workout shake. The problem is I hear people are getting 400+ cals from one shake. A glass of milk mixed with the protein I take Calcium Caseinates 15lb only has a little over 100 cals.

Shortly after that I will have a Lauras lean ground beef burger. (To get my fats for the day as it has like 9g in one patty)

Shortly after that some chicken brest with some green beans.

Shortly after that some cottage cheese mixed with fresh fruit.

Then shortly after that maybe another small piece of chicken brest if I am still awake and not in bed yet.

So basically I am getting like 5 meals a day maybe 6 and one of them is a shake? Should I maybe eat 6 or 7 meals? Have another shake? Now another question to you is I know that stuff is no where near 2500-2700 cal range. I did not add it up but from what I remember mostly every thing that I wrote above had under 200 cals each. I bet its only like 1800 cals at the most total if I were to add it all up. So what I am asking if could you guys give me a sample of what you might eat during the course of a day and ways I could get more cals. Or maybe some suggestions on healthy foods that have more cals? How does one get 400+ cals in one shake? Do they add stuff to it? It seems like every thing that I have bought thats healthy like the lean chicken brest has no where near the cals I need for the gym. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Always utilise simple carbs post workout. If you add dextrose to your post workout shake you shouldnt have a problem getting 300 cal+ from that meal. If dextrose isnt your thing, a banana (Schwarzenegger-style).

You may like to kill two birds with one stone by removing the burger (skipping the saturated fats therein) and adding a Peanut butter (PB)/turkey breast/wholegrain sandwich or equivalent.

Pb & wholegrain bread are relatively calorie dense foods so be careful with portions (especiall with the PB), conversely they will help you achieve your caloric goals.

Importantly, the good fats in the PB are likely going to serve you better than the fats in the burger.

Have a read of the many articles on this site with regards to meal frequency. My opinion, based on those articles, is that 6-7 meals per day is optimal, however, you will find people who are achieving their goals without it.

If you would like further help, especially from the more experienced people on the site, I suggest that you provide further information on your diet. Specifically: calories/protein/fat/carbs for each meal, meal times, and describe your goals.