Because of the focus on weight-loss supplements in the marketplace, finding products to help you gain weight can be tricky. To make things worse, most weight gain products are marketed toward men and are formulated to boost testosterone and address other male-only concerns. Still, there are supplements that can help women gain weight to maximize athletic performance or simply reach your ideal body weight.
Protein-Based Powders
When you're gaining weight, you want to make sure as much of it as possible is lean body mass, not fat. One way to limit fat gain and encourage muscle development is by keeping your protein intake high. Because of this, there are many powdered supplements that prioritize protein over carbohydrates and fat. These can be easily mixed with water or milk to help you gain weight. Here are a few of the best.
SAN Infusion: This low-carbohydrate supplement is formulated to increase lean mass and reduce body fat and packs 47 grams of protein into each 330-calorie serving. The blend of proteins includes fast and slow-digesting sources, meaning it will encourage lean mass building all day. In addition, the product contains CLA and Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), which are special fatty acids that encourage fat-burning. Infusion also includes Essential Fatty Acids and Fiber for overall health. Infusion comes in four flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Oatmeal, Vanilla Caramel and Wildberry Yogurt.
Cytosport Muscle Milk: This well-known supplement is the industry standard, packing in 300-350 high-quality calories per serving (when mixed with water; milk will increase the calorie count). Despite the name, Muscle Milk is lactose-free, but contains 32 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 16 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Like SAN Infusion, Muscle Milk contains MCTs and a blend of sustained-release proteins to ensure that the weight you gain isn't fat. Muscle Milk comes in more than 20 flavors, from Cake Batter to Strawberry Banana.
BSN Syntha-6: This supplement is known for its delicious, dessert-like taste, but it does a lot to help you gain lean mass as well. Syntha-6 supplies just 200 calories per serving, so you may want to mix it with milk or take multiple scoops at one time. There are 22 grams of protein, 15 grams of carbohydrates (five grams of fiber) and six grams of fat per serving. The blend also includes MCTs and digestive enzymes to battle feelings of fullness or bloating, meaning you'll still have an appetite to consume more calories.
Carbohydrate-Based Powders
When you compare carbohydrate-based powders to protein-based powders, you'll notice that those prioritizing carbohydrates tend to be much higher in calories. If you're afraid of gaining too much weight too fast, you can split servings in half or simply save the supplement for days during which you're too busy to eat very much. The following are your best bets for carb-heavy gainer supplements.
AllMax Nutrition QuickMass: As the name implies, this product is designed to help you put on weight quickly. And with 1,010 calories per serving, it will. Each four-scoop serving of this powder offers 108 grams of carbohydrates, some which are absorbed quickly for an instant burst of energy, and some that are digested more slowly, providing sustained fuel for long workouts or your entire day's worth of activities. Each serving also contains 57 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat, including CLA, MCTs and EFAs. Try the Cookies and Cream or Chocolate flavors for a treat.
Cytosport Cytogainer: The makers of Muscle Milk also make this 570-calorie per serving weight gain product. It contains significantly fewer carbohydrates than QuickMass--75 grams--but still has 54 grams of protein per serving. What's most impressive, though, is that the product contains just seven grams of sugar and has a lot of complex carbohydrates, so you won't be subject to a quick surge of energy followed by a crash. The best flavors are Banana Cream and Chocolate Mint Shake.
Optimum Serious Mass: Unless you have an extremely hard time gaining weight, you probably won't need a full serving of Serious Mass, as it has 1,250 calories mixed with just water. With 252 grams of carbohydrates, your body will have plenty of fuel for sports and growth, and the 50 grams of protein will help build lean mass, not fat. This is probably the lowest-fat gainer on the market, with just 4.5 grams per serving. Still, Optimum managed to find room for MCTs to initiate fat-burning and 25 vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition Bars
If you'd rather eat your calories than drink them, you're in luck. Among the many diet-friendly bars on the market are quite a few meal-replacement bars, which pack in an entire meal's worth of calories into a convenient, delicious bar. These are an excellent way to gain weight, as the rich flavor and portability leave no excuses for missing meals.
VPX Zero Impact Bars: Meet the Mercedes-Benz of meal-replacement bars. ZI Bars have the highest-quality formulation on the market, with no artificial sweeteners, trans-fats, sugar alcohols or insulin-spiking sugars. What do they contain? Thirty grams of high-quality protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats (including CLA), plenty of fiber and between 400-484 calories per bar depending on flavor. Zero Impact Bars offer a meal's worth of calories but are much easier to eat than a meal, so you won't have a problem reaching your calorie goals. Try the Pumpkin Supreme flavor or Peanut Butter and Jelly for a dessert-like taste.
Detour Oatmeal Bars: As the name indicates, these bars contain oatmeal as their main carbohydrate source, which means you'll have sustained energy for hours and no blood sugar spike. These contain 440-460 calories per bar, 30 grams of protein and eight grams of fiber. These are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and are only edged out by VPX's bars due to the lack of CLA. Detour Oatmeal Bars come in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Banana and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip flavors.
Supreme Protein Bars: If your main concern is decadent flavor, Supreme Bars can't be beat. Flavors such as Rocky Road Brownie, Caramel Nut Chocolate and Cookies 'N' Cream taste as good, if not better than candy bars, yet contain 30 grams of high-quality protein and just six grams of sugar. Supreme Bars contain between 390 and 440 calories, so they'll help you gain weight, especially because you'll want to eat a few at a time!
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