Why 'Eat More' Isn't Enough Advice

"Just eat more" is probably the most common piece of advice given to anyone struggling to gain weight, and it's also one of the least useful, because it gives no actual target to work toward.

Why vague advice produces vague results

Without a specific number to aim for, "eating more" tends to translate into small, inconsistent additions, an extra snack here, a slightly bigger portion there, that feel like meaningful effort but often don't add up to an actual calorie surplus once calculated against a real maintenance number. This isn't a lack of effort, it's simply the natural result of trying to hit an undefined target.

I've worked with people who genuinely believed they were eating significantly more than usual, only to find through tracking that their actual daily intake had increased by less than 100 calories, nowhere near enough to produce consistent weight gain.

What specific guidance actually looks like

Instead of "eat more," a useful target sounds like this: calculate your maintenance calories using an accurate formula based on your age, weight, height, and activity level, then eat 300 to 500 calories above that number every day, tracked and verified rather than estimated. This gives you an actual number to hit, a way to check whether you're hitting it, and a clear signal, through consistent tracking and weekly weigh ins, of whether it's working.

Why a real target changes behavior

When you have a specific calorie number to hit each day, decisions become concrete rather than vague. Instead of wondering whether you've eaten "enough" today, you can check your tracked intake against your target and know definitively whether you're on track, ahead, or behind, and adjust your next meal or snack accordingly.

This structure removes the guesswork that vague advice leaves in place, and it's a big part of why people who start tracking accurately tend to see much more consistent progress than people relying on a general sense of eating more.

Protein deserves the same specific treatment

The same principle applies to protein intake, not just total calories. "Eat more protein" is just as vague as "eat more" in general. A specific target, roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight based on sports nutrition research, gives you something concrete to track and hit consistently, rather than a general intention that's easy to under deliver on without noticing.

How to build this into a sustainable habit

Once you have your specific calorie and protein targets, build a repeatable eating structure around them, a consistent set of go to meals and snacks that you know hit your numbers, rather than trying to freshly calculate and decide what to eat from scratch every day. This removes decision fatigue and makes hitting your targets a matter of following a known structure rather than a fresh daily effort.

The takeaway

Vague advice produces vague, inconsistent results. Replace "eat more" with a real, calculated number, and track your actual intake against it consistently. Use the free calculator to get your specific calorie and protein targets, then build your meals around hitting those numbers directly, rather than relying on a general sense of trying harder.

A worked example

A client told to simply "eat more" by well meaning friends added a banana and a handful of nuts to his day, an extra 250 calories or so, and considered that a meaningful change. His actual calculated gap from maintenance was closer to 600 calories. Once given a specific number to hit, rather than a vague instruction, he was able to close the real gap within a week using a bigger breakfast and an evening shake, both easy, repeatable additions once the target was clear.

Frequently asked questions

How specific does my calorie target need to be? Precise to within about 100 to 150 calories is a reasonable level of accuracy for most people, more precision than that generally isn't necessary given natural daily fluctuations anyway.

What if I don't want to track calories long term? Track closely for two to three weeks to learn a reliable set of meals that hit your targets, then repeat those meals with less frequent tracking check ins going forward.

Is a protein target really necessary, or is a calorie target enough? Both matter. A calorie surplus without adequate protein can still result in muscle gain, but tends to produce a less favorable ratio of muscle to fat compared to hitting both targets together.

What to do this week

Calculate both your specific calorie and protein targets this week rather than relying on a general sense of eating more. Track your actual intake against both numbers for seven days to see how close your current habits already come.