For the past few months I’ve been addicted to making my own beef burgers. The beef is 100% pure, Australian beef, it’s absolutely delicious and since it’s from Aldi, the burgers end up costing less than $2 each all up. Certainly worth it.
At first I’d eat about one burger at a time. This wasn’t anything substantial; probably smaller than the average burger at McDonalds. Recently however I’ve started eating two burgers at a time, and I was amazed at how many calories I was able to consume in a single meal.
Previously, the idea of eating 2500+ calories per day (the amount I need to eat at the moment to gain weight) seemed like an impossible milestone but now I could consume over 1000 effortlessly in under 10 minutes.
Here’s a breakdown of these very easy to make beef burgers:
- Beef patty: 278 calories
- Hamburger roll: 233 calories
- Melted cheese: 97 calories
(Yeah, I like my burgers plain.)
That was just for one burger, so make two of them and you’ve got 1216 calories, nearly HALF of my required daily calorie intake in a single meal. Add a glass of milk to this and that’s another easy 100 calories too.
What can you learn from this experience?
- It takes time. Putting two burgers in front of me 3 months ago would’ve likely had made me want to throw up rather than eat them. While I haven’t gained a ton of weight over this time it’s definitely getting easier to eat higher quantities of food. Find your way past the tipping point.
- Bread does a helluva lot. Looks like I won’t be adopting the primal lifestyle too soon after all. Just by picking the right bread I’m almost able to match the amount of calories in the meat itself.
- Make it yourself. There’s something about the smell of fresh food and the process of cooking that makes me increasingly eager to ingest my creation. Even simple meals will seem more appealing when they’re from your own hard work.
- The little things matter. Two slices of cheese add up to nearly 200 calories. How much effort does it take to eat a piece of cheese? Nothing at all. When it’s melted on the beef I don’t even realize it’s there. Not all calorie-boosters are big and obvious. Be creative.
- What works for you. I could add more to my burger and I’d probably be able to still eat it, but the thing is: I love the burgers I make now. Adding lettuce and pineapple is fine (I just don’t always have it in the house) but anymore than that and I’d start detesting meal time. Sacrifice effectiveness for sustainability.
In the early days correcting your diet for weight gain is difficult, but stick with it. I still stumble at times, but I can assure you: it gets easier. Mix food, creativity, and the glass of milk habit and you’ll be on your way to not being underweight in no time.
