The 5,000 calorie a day diet

Imagine being stick thin, the “perfect” model body, AND being able to eat copious amounts of anything and everything you could stuff in your mouth. This is called the CF Diet. High fat, high calorie, no limitations.

stick man It sounds like a dream to some. But for me, it is a nightmare. Since my digestive system is compromised because of complications from Cystic Fibrosis, I must eat at least 5,000 calories a day just to maintain my tiny 106 pounds on my 5′4″ frame. My non-”normal” system does not absorb nutrients as well as it should.

What does 5,000 calories look like? Each of these items equals about 5,000 calories.

56 Cans of Progresso Soup
30 Taco Bell Crunchy Tacos
8 Burger King Whoppers
11 Good Times Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches
6 Qdoba Chicken Burritos
64 Hard-boiled Eggs
70 Plain Bagels
70 Medium Sized Apples
17 Slices of Pepperoni Pizza
35 Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cones
56 Bags of Microwave Popcorn

That is a LOT of food!!! There is only so much volume that my little stomach can handle.

Eating has turned into a job, a very boring job. Usually I don’t even feel like eating at all because it is so much work. Then on top of it, I need to eat more? It is tough. I try to combat it by eating a wide variety of tasty creations. I stay away from dairy because of an allergy that makes me cough. Dairy (butter, cheese, whole milk) is the easiest way to add extra calories to my diet, but I just can’t eat them. My body craves foods like vegetables and fruits which are all super great for me (I need the vitamins and minerals), but also not very calorie dense. Eating fast foods like Big Macs and french fries make my tummy ache.

I am learning to cook, but am having a hard time finding really great recipes that are nutrient rich and tasty. I would LOVE for you to send me your favorite recipes. Maybe you have a favorite comfort food recipe. From quick and easy, snacks, to full fledged sit down dinners. I would love to gather a bunch of recipes to share with other people with CF who have the same issues finding healthy and tasty recipes. Variety is the spice of my life!
Send me your recipes!! Put it in a comment, shoot me an email, I can’t wait to hear from you!

If you liked my post, feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds

Money Making Options

12 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

Well, I have a problem gaining weight, but I don’t know why. I’ve weighed 97 lbs for the past year and then 4 years before that I couldn’t get over 90 lbs. But, what I found that works is to drink those ensures/pediasures.. they have a ton of calories. Oh.. and those protein bars called Luna bars that are great for gaining weight because of all the protein. I think theres like 300 calories per bar. They are really good tasting too! I also drink those carnation instant breakfast.. You can get it at costco. It’s a powder and you mix it in milk.. But, i’m sure you could just mix it in your soy milk.

1. karra on March 20th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
A few hamburgers and orders of fries. Plus two drinks. Whoever could eat it the fastest.

2. L on January 27th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I’ve thought about entering an eating contest. What food was it, L?

3. Jesse Petersen on January 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I just tell myself that those people who make comments are jealous. Which really is the case. They probably feel bad about their bodies in some way so they then make comments about us being skinny. It does get annoying though. I won an eating contest in college. (I used my powers for good! haha) You should have heard the comments/stories after that one!

4. L on January 24th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Aspen, Diana didn’t understand that you can’t have whipping cream, butter, or cheese - darn! That leaves you with your fav - Broccoli! Sounds like a great recipe for CF’ers who can tolerate the dairy.

My high calorie treat that I love but is too much for me is good crusty bread with a super good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil - or as Rachel says, EVOO! With a bit of cracked pepper in the oil, I love it! (Seems like we should have some Italian in our blood since I could bath in the stuff!) Go for the greenest oil you can find for the best flavor. — Love ya — Ant D.

5. Donlyn on January 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Here is a recipe for a creamy chicken fettuccine,. A serving size is 2 1/2 cups with 842 calories! It’s something I can only dream of eating (but I am on a 1400 calorie a day diet) so it’s out of the question for me. Hope it helps.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 (10.75 oz.) can broccoli cheese soup
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. whole milk
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
3 (6 oz.) cooked chicken breasts, diced
6 oz. cooked fettuccine
1 1/2 c. steamed broccoli

Directions:

1. In a hot skillet, melt butter and sauté garlic for 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir constantly to avoid burning the garlic.
2. Stir in soup, heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and Parmesan cheese.
3. Heat sauce mixture until it boils.
4. Add cooked chicken to sauce mixture.
5. Reduce heat to low and cover.
6. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
7. Toss with fettuccine and steamed broccoli.
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serves: 3

Serving size: 2 1/2 to 3 cups

Nutritional analysis (per serving):

842 calories
69 g protein
32 g fat
268 mg calcium
1064 mg sodium

6. Diana Winkelmann on January 24th, 2008 at 8:13 am
That reminds me, kids used to count my vertebrae in gym class when we’d sit indian-style and my bones stuck out like a stegosaurus.

Oh, the pain of childhood!

7. Jesse Petersen on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:55 am
LOL Apparently three ribs. But I think two were my collar bones! My office has south facing windows (which I can’t see), so in the afternoon it gets blasted hot in here!

8. aspen on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 am
You sure don’t need a “friend” like that any more than a fat person wants you to take them to an all-you-can-eat buffet because you need to eat a lot.

By the way, how many ribs do you expose at work? It’s winter!

9. Jesse Petersen on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:43 am
So, yesterday a coworker “friend” of mine decided to count my ribs that she could see. I felt so low. Here I fight every day just to get enough nutrition to stay the same weight, gaining is next to impossible, and here I have a “friend” still making fun of me. I feel horrible.

10. aspen on January 23rd, 2008 at 8:52 am
Thanks Jesse!
If the “I’d trade you” people only had the slightest clue of what we have to deal with on a daily basis… Bet if we had a dollar for every time any CFer heard that we would probably have enough money to find a cure for CF! LOL

I can use soy milk instead of regular cow’s milk. I hear there are some decent soy cheeses too, but my grocery store, here in cow country, doesn’t sell any. I am lucky they even sell soy milk! But I am happy to have a “replacement”.

11. aspen on January 23rd, 2008 at 8:51 am
AMEN!!!

I’m not very fond of hearing from people, “I’d trade you,” myself. Sure, people would like to eat like that, but having to eat when you’d rather just sit and relax is a pain.

I can’t imagine trying to do it without dairy, though. I fill up on homemade Mac’n'cheese, Boost Plus drinks, and various dips with the healthy things you crave, all of which have dairy.

We’ll come up with something from our recipe box and get it up here for you.

12. Jesse Petersen on January 22nd, 2008 at 6:32 am