A 3,000-calorie diet is considered typical and covers most people’s nutritional needs.
However, depending on your level of exercise, body size, and objectives, you may require more.
This article covers all you need to know about a 3,000-calorie diet, including why you should do it, which foods to consume and which to avoid and an example meal plan.
Who should follow a 3,000-calorie diet?
Various variables, including determining your daily calorie requirements
- Gender. Women, on average, burn 5-10% fewer calories at rest than males of the same height (1).
- Age. The number of calories you burn at rest decreases as you get older (2).
- Height. The more calories you require to maintain weight, the taller you are.
- Activity. Exercise and hobbies such as yard labor and fidgeting raise calorie requirements (3).
Adult women’s daily calorie needs range from 1,600-2,400 calories per day, while adult men’s daily calorie needs range from 2,000-3,000 calories, with the low end of the content for sedentary persons and the high end for active ones (4).
These estimations are based on formulae that use an adult woman’s and man’s average height and weight. The reference lady stands at 5’4″ (163 cm) and weighs 126 pounds (57.3 kg), whereas the reference guy stands at 5’10” (178 cm) and weighs 154 pounds (70 kg).
Depending on your body size and amount of exercise, you may need 3,000 calories or more each day to maintain your body weight.
Though athletes have greater calorie demands than the average population, others who engage in physically demanding occupations, such as farm laborers and construction workers, may also require many calories to maintain weight.
Conversely, if you engage in moderate exercise a few days per week with little activity in between, you probably don’t require as many calories as most people believe because exercise burns significantly fewer calories than most people think (5, 6, 7)
Can help you gain weight
While many individuals want to lose weight, others want to gain it.
You acquire weight when you consume more calories than you burn each day. 3,000 calories may be more than your current calorie demands, leading you to gain weight, depending on your activity level and body size (8).
Why you may want to gain weight
There are various reasons why you would wish to acquire weight.
If your body mass index (BMI) indicates that you are underweight, your healthcare practitioner or qualified dietitian may advise you to gain weight.
Alternatively, if you’re an athlete, you may desire to acquire weight — preferably in muscle mass — to improve your performance.
Similarly, if you’re a bodybuilder or powerlifter, you might want to gain weight to enhance muscle growth and strength.
In other cases, you may have a medical condition that raises your calorie requirements, such as cancer or illness, or you may recover from significant surgery (9, 10).
A safe rate of weight gain
While research on the subject is limited, an appropriate rate of weight increase is 0.5-2 pounds (0.2-0.9 kg) each week (11).
Weight gain of roughly 4.4 pounds (2 kg) per week has been successfully achieved in persons with severe malnutrition (12).
Rapid weight gain can cause unpleasant side effects such as bloating, gastrointestinal discomfort, and fluid retention. If you are an athlete, these side effects might impair your performance by interfering with your training or sessions (13).
Furthermore, rapid weight gain might elevate triglyceride levels, increasing your risk of heart disease (14 ,15).
The rate at which you acquire weight is determined by the number of calories required to maintain weight.
If you maintain your weight on 2,000 calories per day, a 3,000-calorie diet will cause you to gain weight far faster than a 2,500-calorie diet.
For example, in one 8-week trial, 25 healthy participants acquired an average of 11.7 pounds (5.3 kg) — 7.7 pounds (3.5 kg) of which was fat — by eating an additional 950 calories over their weight-maintenance calorie needs (16).
Those same people would likely acquire significantly less weight if they merely ate 500 calories beyond their maintenance calorie needs for the same time.
How to follow a healthy 3,000-calorie diet
Your calories originate from three macronutrients: carbs, fat, and protein.
Protein and carbohydrates have four calories per gram, but fat has nine.
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies’ Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs) suggest that persons consume (17):
- 45–65% of their calories from carbs
- 20–35% of their calories from fat
- 10–35% of their calories from protein
These percentages are applied to a 3,000-calorie diet in the chart below:
- Calories 3,000
- Carbs 338–488 grams
- Fat 67–117 grams
- Protein 75–263 grams
Protein intakes at the higher end of the AMDR have been demonstrated to minimize body fat growth owing to excess calorie consumption and improve muscle mass when paired with resistance training (18, 19, 20).
On a high-calorie diet, resistance exercise can encourage muscle development rather than fat accumulation (21).
Consume protein before and after exercises and at regular daily intervals to improve muscle repair and development (22, 23).
Foods to eat, foods to avoid
It might be challenging to consume 3,000 calories daily from whole, unprocessed, or minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean meats.
This is because these meals are high in nutrients yet low in calories, requiring you to consume a substantially more significant amount of food.
Conversely, because highly processed refined foods like bacon, potato chips, candies, cookies, sweetened cereals, and sugary drinks are incredibly delicious and heavy in calories, it would be relatively easy to consume 3,000 calories from them.
However, because these junk foods lack essential nutrients for health, it is critical to receive the majority of your calories from healthy whole meals, such as:
- Animal-based proteins: Salmon, chicken, turkey, bison, whole eggs, and lean beef cuts like flank or sirloin steak
- Plant-based proteins: edamame, tofu, tempeh, peas, and chickpeas
- Grains include oats, rice, bread, pasta, and quinoa.
- Dairy: Milk, cottage cheese, kefir, and Greek yogurt are all options.
- Fats and oils: almonds, walnuts, flax seeds, olive oil, and natural peanut and almond butter
- Fruits: Avocados, berries, apples, bananas, pears, oranges, grapes, and other fruits and vegetables
- Vegetables: Squash, sweet potatoes, peas, kale, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, and other similar vegetables
Furthermore, protein powders such as whey, casein, and plant-based powders such as rice, soy, or pea can be mixed into smoothies for a nutrient- and calorie-dense snack.
Finally, mass gainer pills, which typically deliver 1,000 calories per serving, are a convenient choice, but it’s essential to satisfy your calorie and nutritional demands through food first.
On a 3,000-calorie diet, avoid or restrict highly processed, nutrient-deficient foods such as:
- Fried foods include French fries, onion rings, doughnuts, chicken strips, and cheese sticks, among other things.
- Tacos, burgers, pizza, hot dogs, and other fast food items
- Soda, candies, sports drinks, sugary baked goods, sweetened tea, ice cream, sweet coffee drinks, and other sugary foods and drinks
- Cookies, chips, sweet cereals, pastries, and other refined carbs
You may indulge in your favorite sweets in moderation if you consume primarily complete, nutrient-dense meals.
Sample menu
Here’s how five days on a 3,000-calorie diet would look.
Monday
- 1 cup (80 g) oats with 1 cup (240 mL) dairy or plant-based milk, one sliced banana, and two tablespoons (33 g) peanut butter for breakfast
- Snack: 1 cup (80 grams) dry cereal, 1/4 cup (30 grams) granola, 1/4 cup (34 grams) dried fruit, and 20 almonds
- 1 cup (100 g) spaghetti with 3/4 cup (183 g) tomato sauce and 4 ounces (112 g) cooked mince beef for lunch, plus one medium breadstick with one tablespoon (14 g) butter
- 1 cup (226 g) cottage cheese and 1/2 cup (70 g) blueberries as a snack
- 4 ounces (110 grams) salmon, 1 cup (100 grams) brown rice, and five asparagus spears for dinner
Tuesday
- Smoothie made with 2 cups (480 mL) dairy or plant-based milk, 1 cup (227 g) yogurt, 1 cup (140 g) blueberries, and two tablespoons (33 g) almond butter for breakfast.
- Snack: 1 granola bar, one piece of fruit, and two string cheese slices
- Lunch: 12-inch sub sandwich with meat, cheese, and veggies on the side, plus 3 ounces (85 grams) of baby carrots, two tablespoons (28 grams) of hummus, and apple slices
- One scoop of whey protein powder combined with 1 cup (240 mL) dairy or plant-based milk as a snack
- Dinner: 4 ounces (113 g) sirloin steak, one medium-sized (173 g) baked potato with one tablespoon (14 g) butter, and 1 cup (85 g) broccoli
Wednesday
- Three whole-wheat waffles with two tablespoons (33 grams) peanut butter, one orange, and 2 cups (480 mL) dairy or plant-based milk for breakfast
- Snack: 1 granola bar with nuts and 1 ounce (28 grams) of almonds
- Lunch: 6 oz (170-gram) 90 percent lean burger on whole-wheat bread with one tomato slice and lettuce leaf, plus 1 1/2 cup (86 grams) homemade sweet potato fries fried in olive oil
- 1 cup (227 g) Greek yogurt and 1 cup (140 g) strawberries as a snack
- Dinner: 4 oz (112 g) chicken breast, 1/2 cup (84 g) quinoa, and 1 1/3 cup (85 g) sugar snap peas
Thursday
- Breakfast: a 3-egg omelet with sliced onions, red and green bell peppers, and 1/4 cup (28 grams) shredded cheese, served with 2 cups (480 ml) dairy or plant-based milk.
- Snack: 1 banana and two tablespoons (33 grams) of peanut butter on one slice of whole-wheat bread
- Lunch: 8 ounces (226 g) tilapia fillets, 1/4 cup (32 g) lentils, and a salad topped with 1/4 cup (30 g) walnuts
- Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced, on top of a mixed green salad
- Dinner: turkey chili cooked with a 4-ounce (114-gram) turkey breast, chopped onions, garlic, celery, and sweet peppers, 1/2 cup (123 grams) canned, diced tomatoes, and 1/2 cup (120 grams) cannellini beans, and 1/4 cup (28 grams) shredded cheese. Season with oregano, bay leaves, chili powder, and cumin to taste.
Friday
- Three whole eggs, one apple, and 1 cup (80 grams) oats cooked with 1 cup (240 ml) dairy or plant-based milk for breakfast
- 1 cup (226 g) plain yogurt with 1/4 cup (30 g) granola and 1/2 cup (70 g) raspberries as a snack
- Lunch: 6 ounces (168 grams) chicken breast, one medium sweet potato (151 grams), 3/4 cup (85 grams) green beans, and 1 ounce (28 grams) almonds
- Snack: 1/2 cup (130 g) chickpeas on top of greens
- Dinner: 6 ounces (170 gram) chopped sirloin steak, 1/2 cup (130 gram) black beans, 1/2 cup (90 gram) brown rice, 1 cup (35 gram) shredded lettuce and spinach, and two tablespoons (16 gram) salsa
The bottom line
A 3,000-calorie diet may help you maintain or gain weight depending on factors such as your exercise level and body size.
Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean meats should make up your diet’s majority — if not the entire —.
On the other hand, high-processed refined foods such as bacon, potato chips, sweets, cookies, sweetened cereals, and sugary beverages should be avoided.
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