If you've always had trouble putting on weight, or if you want to bulk up quickly, a weight gainer supplement may be the answer for you. These supplements are often very high in calories, making it virtually impossible for your body to burn more calories than you consume.
Weight Gainer Basics
Weight gainers are similar to protein powders in that they supplement your diet with added nutrition. However, while protein powders aim to include as much pure protein powder as possible, weight gainers purpose is to enhance your calorie intake. Despite the fact that weight gainers contain high-volume servings, they also provide well-rounded nutrition.
Calories
Since weight occurs when the number of calories you consume is less than the amount of calories you burn, the most prominent role of a weight gainer is to increase your caloric intake. Some weight gainers contain about 600 calories, while others clock in at 2,000 calories or more. You can increase or decrease the serving size however you'd like in order to meet your nutritional needs.
Fat
The more fat included the higher the calorie content but many weight gainers have very reasonable amounts of fat, especially considering how many calories are present. For example, Serious Mass by Optimum Nutrition contains 1,250 calories per serving, but just 4 grams of fat.
Carbohydrates
Just because your weight gainer is low in fat doesn't mean it's entirely healthy. Those extra calories have to come from somewhere, and carbs and sugars are likely sources. The Giant Mega Mass 4000 weight gainer has 312 grams of carbohydrates, with 132 of those grams consisting of sugar. The website BodyBuilding.com suggests you aim for 30 to 60 grams per serving in your weight gainer of choice. This will help you to maintain a level of nutrition in your diet, along with avoiding a potential insulin spike that may convince your body to store sugars as fat.
Protein
It may come as a surprise that protein is somewhat of an afterthought when it comes to weight gainers. In many cases, the amount of protein in weight gainers isn't much more than the protein you'd get from your post-workout whey protein shake; most weight gainers contain anywhere from 40-60 grams of protein. The Russian Bear 5000 by Vitol is by far the most protein-packed weight gainer, with 184 grams of protein to go with its 2,600 calories.
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