Ever since I started training seriously about a year ago, I run into trouble anytime I try to increase my training volume beyond 7-9 hours a week. The problem seems to lie in simply not taking in enough calories. Right now, if I REALLY try, I can consume maybe 3000-3500 a day. Even at that level, I'm forcing myself to eat and I don't enjoy meals. Eating is a constant task.

I've gone to see a sports medicine specialist who said I should be consuming far more (in the neighborhood of 6000/day), and also simply not training more than 7-9 hours a week. He said I should eat whatever foods I need to in order to get the calories, even suggesting a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream before bed every night.

While I'm not concerned about overeating (I have never been able to gain weight, and putting on fat is not at all a concern), eating unhealthy just doesn't seem a wise option. Eventually, I'll probably see a Nutritionist, but that's expensive, so I thought I'd check the forums to see if anyone here has had a similar issue and what they did to combat it.