We assume you are already familiar with what weight-gain powders are, what is their main purpose, as well as being familiar with their drawbacks. Otherwise, read our article on this type of dietary supplement. The main purpose of this article is to provide some helpful tips for choosing a weight gainer supplement.
Weight gainers (mass gainers) should be requirement only for people who are really very skinny. Only people who have extremely high energy needs and just can’t seem to eat enough food necessary to gain weight (underweight “hardgainers”) should consider using this product, provided they have previously tried healthy ways of gaining weight.
A typical protein powder usually contains around 150-200 calories per scoop while one serving of a gainer provides a whopping 1200-1400 calories. On the other side, if your goal is to become an athlete, have a lean physique, or to improve your sport performance and want to stay healthy, you should definitely tick a box of whey protein and try to strictly avoid variety of gainers. Even though you might gain weight and bulk up while drinking these weight gainer shakes, the majority of that weight will be accumulated body fat versus lean muscle tissue.
Tips for choosing a weight gainer supplement
You must be careful when choosing a weight gainer however, as they are all not created equally. When choosing a weight gainer, consider the following 7 points:
- Price vs. Quality. A weight gainer is no different than a protein powder. Low cost often means a lower quality of ingredients, poor manufacturing standards, a protein that isn’t as easily digested, and the possibility of inaccurate label claims. Look for a weight gainer manufactured by a reputable supplement company.
- Taste. What good is a quality weight gainer if it tastes horrible? If possible, check product reviews before purchasing. The last thing you want to do is spend money on a weight gainer that is chalky, lumpy, grainy, and ill-tasting.
- Protein. Look for a good protein range per serving. You want at least 40 grams of protein per weight gainer shake. Eating more protein first thing in the morning, or post-workout is also a good idea. A weight gainer with 50 to 60 grams of protein per serving is perfect for these times of the day.
- Protein and Carb Ratio. A weight gainer should be proving you a good amount of calories from carbs. Look for a carb to protein ratio of 2 to 1 per serving.
- Sugar. Watch the sugar content per serving. Some weight gainers are barely more than sugar mixed with flavoring and protein powder. Look for a weight gainer that has under 30 grams of sugars per serving. Many quality weight gainers have fewer than 10 grams of sugars per serving.
- Cholesterol. Look for a weight gainer that has fewer than 100 mg of cholesterol per serving.
- Saturated Fats. Saturated fats are bad fats. Most quality weight gainers keep the saturated fat content per serving at 5 to 10 grams. Some weight gainers have as much as 20 grams of saturated fats per serving.
All these factors need consideration when choosing weight gainer supplements for your goals.
Closing thoughts
Characterized by their extremely high carbohydrate content, weight gainers were very popular back in the 90;s but their popularity has died mainly because many people do not have a metabolism of a hardgainer, and a high carbohydrate diet leads quickly to fat gains rather than muscle mass gains.
Most weight gainers have extremely high levels of refined sugars (high level of “empty calories” ) which cause massive spikes to your insulin levels and will make you gain unwanted body fat versus lean muscle tissue.
There are many things to consider when choosing a weight gainer with the most important ones given in this article. These tip are important since these products can range tremendously in terms of total calorie content, total protein, cholesterol, saturated fat, and sugar content, etc.
You may also want to give some consideration to making your own homemade weight gainer. This is a nice option as it will give you total control over the taste, total calorie content, and types of carbohydrates and fats that go into it.
