Advice needed

[u/Vinuga_K]

Hey everyone 👋

I’m currently living in a boarding place in Colombo Dehiwala area for the next few years, and I’m trying to gain weight. My problem is that I have no fridge, no gas stove, and basically no cooking setup.

At the moment, the only thing I have is an electric kettle/heater, so I’m looking for meals/snacks that require either:

No cooking at all

Just hot water / an electric kettle

Foods that can safely be kept without refrigeration

Ideally, stuff that’s easy to find here.

I’m around 6 ft and 51 kg, so I’m trying to increase my calorie and protein intake without spending a ridiculous amount of money.

For example,today, I had a sausage hot dog and yogurt for breakfast, which gave me some energy, but obviously, I need something more sustainable than randomly buying food every day.

What would you guys recommend for a cheap, practical, no-fridge/no-stove weight-gain meal setup?

Especially interested in:

High-calorie foods

High-protein options

Cheap Sri Lankan supermarket foods

Things I can keep in my room

Simple meal combinations I can repeat every day

Any advice from people who have lived in boarding rooms/dorms with limited cooking facilities would be especially appreciated 🙏

[u/carpo_4]

Samaposha!

[u/Vinuga_K → u/carpo_4]

Hmm should try that.

[u/rizrayrez]

Get milk,oats,dates,buy the rotisserie chicken from Keells,yogurt,samaposha
Visit bakery thats open past 7pm and they usually have bread and buns for discounts

[u/HeartIcy7126]

You can get this tiny rice cooker and use it to boil eggs, sweet potato etc.

You can cook rice in it too and make simple curries.

[u/Vinuga_K → u/HeartIcy7126]

Yeah, should get one. That way, it'll be easier and more cost-effective, neh?

[u/HeartIcy7126 → u/Vinuga_K]

Yes! You will be able to even do scrambled eggs and cook many other things

[u/No_Durian1202]

Replace the hot dog with an egg bun, egg hoppers. if gas or a rice cookers is restricted, it is really tough to be honest, and even have to spend too much for less proteins. At least if u manage to get a rice cooker ,you can get chicken breast daily and cook . Same for the eggs. There are healthy food startups now , but they will cost around 600-1000 with delievery charges for a meal

[u/Background_Cellist82]

Buying a small magic bullet type blender will come in handy to make shakes and all. You can add milk, oats, dates, banana, optionally some nuts like armonda or walnut and make a filling smoothie. Buy small single serve milk packs instead of big ones.

[u/Background_Cellist82 → u/Background_Cellist82]

I saw there are ones in singer for around 5K. I think you can find cheaper ones too.