Nutritional Drinks To Gain Weight

If you walk into a fitness club and ask people about their fitness goals, you will generally get two answers: weight gain or weight loss. Both of these goals include workouts, but weight gain involves consuming additional calories beyond the normal daily caloric requirements. Nutritional drinks have been developed to provide the additional calories and nutrients to promote weight gain. As a result, weight gain is achieved by increasing muscle mass, fat deposits or retaining body fluids.

Types

Nutritional drinks for weight gain are available in commercial ready-to-drink supplements but can also be made following homemade recipes. Commercial nutritional drinks such as Boost or Ensure contain a significant amount of calories from a balanced distribution of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Homemade recipes give you the flexibility to personalize the nutritional drink based on your weight-gain goals by adding certain ingredients such as weight-gainer protein powder, whole milk or other high-calorie foods such as peanut butter.

Time Frame

Weight gain needs to occur over a gradual time frame for healthy, long-term results. According to Intense-Workout.com, consuming additional calories is the first step to successful weight gain. Consume an additional 300 to 500 calories per day. For example, if you need 2,500 calories per day, increase your total caloric intake to about 2,800 to 3,000. The ideal rate for weight gain is about 0.5 to 1 lb. per week. Adjust the daily caloric intake accordingly based on the rate of weight gain. For teenagers, the Center for Young Women's Health recommends no more than 1 to 2 lbs. per week.

Size

Nutritional drinks for weight gain can commonly contain a large amount of calories from protein powders, sugar and fat. Protein is the basic building block for muscle and should provide a significant amount of calories in the drink. Most weight-gainer drinks will provide about 50 to 60 g of protein per serving. With 5 to 15 g of total fat and 100 to 200 g of carbohydrates, most weight-gainer drinks will contain around 1,000 calories per serving.

Features

Extra ingredients, vitamins and minerals will be added to the nutritional drinks for added nutrition and improved weight-gain results. Nutritional drinks designed specifically for athletes or bodybuilders may contain creatine for increased power and strength along with nitric oxide or growth hormone for added muscle mass. Other nutrients include vitamin C for the prevention of free radical damage, iron for cardiovascular maintenance and glutamine for improved recovery between workouts.

Considerations

Always consult a physician before using nutritional drinks for weight gain or starting a new fitness program. After consulting a physician, a registered dietitian can assist you in determining your caloric and nutritional requirements, and a certified personal trainer can assist in the development of a strength training program.