Weight gain supplements:Is there any point whatsoever?

singloud

Is there any point at all in weight gain supplements?

I'm just curious whether they do any good or are there any times when they could do something a balanced diet could not.

Khannie

I call BS on them. I think whey + decent food would be better. I bought one by mistake in H&B once and looked at the nutritional breakdown. Carbs (around 60%) + protein (the bulk of the rest).

NotMe

singloud wrote: »

Is there any point at all in weight gain supplements?

Yes - weight gain.

I'm just curious whether they do any good or are there any times when they could do something a balanced diet could not.

No they don't do anything normal food can't... just that it's much easier and quicker to drink a gainer shake and get 600+ calories and loads of protein than it is to eat a big meal sometimes.

Khannie wrote: »

Carbs (around 60%) + protein (the bulk of the rest).

What more could you want?

Don't think of it as a magic powder than will automatically make you gain weight but just an easier/ handier way to get the amount of calories you need per day. If you're eating enough proper food you don't need supplements.

Gillo

Isn't there a difference between weight gain supplements and protein supplements though.

My understanding, am I'm happy to be corrected if I am wrong (in a constructive manner). Protein supplement contain protein to help increase muscle mass, weight gain supplements also contain carbs so you'll put on weight as in "fat", they are for people who want to bulk up- boxing and rugby both being sports where mass and not just strength help and it's area's like this where weight gainers are useful.

Hanley

Khannie wrote: »

I call BS on them. I think whey + decent food would be better. I bought one by mistake in H&B once and looked at the nutritional breakdown. Carbs (around 60%) + protein (the bulk of the rest).

You call BS on them...?

The first problem is you were looking at them in H&B.

The second problem is they're meant to have carbs and protein in them. They're weigh gainers. The idea is to provide extra kcals. Hence that addition of carbs.

The crap ones, and the ones that need to be watched out for are the ones where the majority of the carb content comes from sugar sources.

singloud

Hanley wrote: »

You call BS on them...?

The first problem is you were looking at them in H&B.

The second problem is they're meant to have carbs and protein in them. They're weigh gainers. The idea is to provide extra kcals. Hence that addition of carbs.

The crap ones, and the ones that need to be watched out for are the ones where the majority of the carb content comes from sugar sources.

Is there any reccomendation you would give?

Jimmy Bottlehead

I had (and am still having) great success with ProLab N-Large 2. Its true that you can get the essential calories from proper food, and it is a lot better for you I'd safely say. But the shakes are extremely handy. I'm about to try Nutrition X MassX so I can let you know what its like.

Hanley

singloud wrote: »

Is there any reccomendation you would give?

MassX or Twin Labs Super Gainer Fuel would probably be the two I'd recommended based purely on reputation as I've never used a weight gainer. I have a nice big tub of super gainer's fuel waiting to be used when the time's right tho!

Dragan

Serious Mass by ON is pretty decent as well!

Khannie

Hanley wrote: »

You call BS on them...?

Yeah...I call BS on them. I'm not saying that you couldn't gain weight with them. Not at all. I think that whey + food would be better / healthier / probably cheaper.

Hanley

Khannie wrote: »

Yeah...I call BS on them. I'm not saying that you couldn't gain weight with them. Not at all. I think that whey + food would be better / healthier / probably cheaper.

Hmm I thought you mean "BS" as in they didn't work??

I can't understand why you recommend whey, but not a weight gainer.

What makes it healthier to use real food? Or better?

Sorry, I'm just in one of those moods

I honestly have no idea if it's cheaper or not, but I would guess the quality of the macro's in a good weight gainer would be better than in food of an equivalent price. Think about it, good gainers have whey in them. Pretty much the best protein you'll get, where as food might one have 50-70% of the protein content actually useable if that makes sense?

Also, with the carbs, the majority of "cheap" carbs you see are generally sugar's or startchy, which probably aren't that "healthy". Assuming you've a good gainer that shouldn't be the case.

The above is based off a college student who eats 2x a day in college and doesn't want to, or can't afford to spend €7-10 a meal on decent food and would be eating some sort of Chicken fillet roll out of Spar if he wasn't using the gainer.

Tbh I think theses arguments are pretty irrelevant when it comes to what a persons results will be like 2 or 3 years down the road, but I do think it's an interesting topic. Plus it gives me the chance to defend supplements seen as most people always rally against them!!!

Bu11et_Proof

Just from my own experience I have found it hard to put on weight but I used nutrabolics isogainer for a week its only 13 servings in the tub, one for breakfast and one after training or on off days one before bed. I was eating well during the week plenty of meat, pasta, rice, peanut butter etc. Started off I was 150 pounds on the Saturday I started and 7 days later I was 156 I was happy enough.

I finished it that Saturday have been eating well this week, head cold hit me yesterday so don't have a great appetite. Will weigh my self tomorrow and see what I am. I have to say they are very handy if your finding it hard getting 5 - 6 meals in a day, next time tho I think I will just buy whey in bulk and make my own. The tub I got was 55 euro and I couldn't justify buying it every week.

skibbers

singloud wrote: »

Is there any point at all in weight gain supplements?

I'm just curious whether they do any good or are there any times when they could do something a balanced diet could not.

My own Xperience - As im working in construction which sometomes involves more damage to muscle and joints than fitness and workouts. A while ago I simply couldnt find time for a balanced diet. A roll doesnt count as a meal balanced meal, right? At the moment I workout at least every second day to be able to handle it. Before supplements i was totally and constantly tired, couldnt work out was losing mass more than gaining. Im using creatine and whey now... life doesnt hurt so much anymore and less fatigue + I being a skinny fella start getting some serious muscle .

I aint mad at these supps cos theyve been good to me

hardtrainer

If you're skinny, or carry very little body fat naturally and are having a tough time gaining weight, a quality mass gainer will be your best friend (Serious Mass, by ON is great). If, on the other hand, you just want to get some extra calories in, a quick answer to that 5th or 6th meal that you are having trouble finding time to fit in and/or you want to increase your calories without the fat gain that some mass gainers can lead to, use a gainer with a higher protein:carb ratio and a less calories per serving (Pro Complex, by ON).

Expect to pay around 2 euro per serving.
Alternatively, you can make your own with your choice of flavoured whey and some macroom oatmeal (nice slow carbs).

kazzer

Think about it, good gainers have whey in them. Pretty much the best protein you'll get

But is it? Is it superior to tuna, steak, chicken, eggs? I honestly don't know but I always thought that natural whole foods high in protein were better than any supplement.

but I would guess the quality of the macro's in a good weight gainer would be better than in food of an equivalent price.

I would doubt that. A meal of chicken, potatoes and fresh veg is nutritionally inferior to a shake? Come on foods not that expensive.


I think a supplement should be just that - something to supplement your diet not replace proper nutritious whole food meals, other than occassional use

rubadub

kazzer wrote: »

B A meal of chicken, potatoes and fresh veg is nutritionally inferior to a shake? Come on foods not that expensive.

Some will take it for convenience, it might have ratios that are supposedly optimal. How many people do you think are calculating their ratios of fat/protein etc. I mean most people are not even weighing their food at all, and have no idea of their calorie intake, let alone ratios.

I know a girl that took weight gainer powders to just gain any weight. She did not spout BS about fast metabolism, she just did not like eating. It is an easy way to get a load of calories down you.

I am the total opposite, I like eating, so savour my calories. I am not going to chug down 600kcal of bland lumpy stuff, when I could be eating a load of chicken stir fry. After a workout I am not going to drink glucose and water, I will eat simple carbs that I enjoy for a treat. The glucose might give a slightly better result, doesnt bother me, I enjoy the food more than the tiny benefit the glucose might give me over my other carbs.

Hanley

kazzer wrote: »

But is it? Is it superior to tuna, steak, chicken, eggs? I honestly don't know but I always thought that natural whole foods high in protein were better than any supplement.



I would doubt that. A meal of chicken, potatoes and fresh veg is nutritionally inferior to a shake? Come on foods not that expensive.


I think a supplement should be just that - something to supplement your diet not replace proper nutritious whole food meals, other than occassional use

You've just chosen to pick certain parts of my post and quote them to try and prove me wrong instead of looking at the overall idea of what I was trying to say.

Incidentally, you're wrong. Chicken has a BV rating of around 80 I believe, whereas whey is up around 100+. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the scale but basically the higher the BV (biological value), the more protein that can be used by the body. So whey IS better. Would I live off it? No. But that wasn't what I was suggesting.

I NEVER said that chicken, potatos and veg are nutritionally inferior to a shake, so again, don't misquote me. I stated that given the option of eating a chicken fillet roll or some other similar crap from Spar or one of the deli counters, the shake would be superior to that. And it is something I stand by.

Remeber, I also specifically referred to students in my previous post. How is a guy in collge from 9 am til 5pm supposed to chow down on chicken, potato and veg 2x a day? Assuming most students stretch their budget quite tightl, it would be prohibatively expensive. An average cost per serving for most weight gainers is probably around €2 a go, so once again, better value and cheaper.

Degsy

In my experience gainers are somethingto be used sparingly.I used to use one that said take three times daily with milk,this was on top of my normal diet as everybody wants to grown fast,right?The problem was most of the calories come from some form of sugar so it will work up to a point and then you'll very rapidly find yourself storing fat.There's a product by Weider called Crash Weight Gain which is literally half sugar by weight,Mamoth 2500 also contains a massive amount of sugar.You're getting the calories,sure,but they come from a very crappy source in many cases.

Lockstep

THat MassX stuff, anyone have any experience with that?

I'm a student and food in between lectures is both expensive and time consuming.

I tried Maximuscle Progain once, Vanilla, vile stuff.

Made me wanna puke.

How do Vanilla and Strawberry Massx taste?

Hanley

Degsy wrote: »

In my experience gainers are somethingto be used sparingly.I used to use one that said take three times daily with milk,this was on top of my normal diet as everybody wants to grown fast,right?The problem was most of the calories come from some form of sugar so it will work up to a point and then you'll very rapidly find yourself storing fat.There's a product by Weider called Crash Weight Gain which is literally half sugar by weight,Mamoth 2500 also contains a massive amount of sugar.You're getting the calories,sure,but they come from a very crappy source in many cases.

This is another problem that regularly crops up with gainers. People are so used to seeing the highly marketed inferior quality ones that are packed with sugar that they become skeptical of the idea as a whole.

MassX has 100g of carbs per 171g serving and < 9g of the carbs is in the form of sugar. That's pretty good quality right there like. However I personally wouldn't go near a serving size that large since I can get alot of my kcals thru food, but for a skinny guy looking to bulk up quick, and doesn't mind putting on some fat, MassX would be a great choice.

hardtrainer

I think in general people misinterpret the word supplement and assume that supplements are unnatural and bad, when obviously this isn't the case.

With respect to weight gainers, just one thing people should be mindful of is that the principal carbohydrate in all weight gainers commercially available, is maltodextrin, which while not strictly sugar, is a polysaccaride and is absorbed by the body at about the same rate as glucose. It is also rapidly broken down to form glucose. It has many benefits and is a great source of energy if used appropriately, but it's not a slow release carbohydrate, which is why I'd advocate making your own mass gainer shake if you have a little time to prepare it in advance.

Lockstep

I went ahead and got me some of that there MassX.
Vanilla.


Tastes grand in water.



I was just wondering how often I should take it/what time of the day.


Also, the box says it can be mixed with milk, water or fruit juice.
Would squash be allrighty?

tribulus

kickoutthejams wrote: »

I went ahead and got me some of that there MassX.
Vanilla.


Tastes grand in water.



I was just wondering how often I should take it/what time of the day.


Also, the box says it can be mixed with milk, water or fruit juice.
Would squash be allrighty?

It doesn't make a difference really when you take it, don't take it at night if you're watching carbs, other than that knock yourself out.

Mix it with juice at your peril, eeeuuuh! Milk should be grand.

ramfan5

Where is a good place to buy nutrition x products if any other than the online?

Thakns

colmconn

ramfan5 wrote: »

Where is a good place to buy nutrition x products if any other than the online?

Thakns

the supplement store on camden st or Jon's pronutrition shop in phibsboro.

ramfan5

Cheers Colm

Lockstep

tribulus wrote: »

It doesn't make a difference really when you take it, don't take it at night if you're watching carbs, other than that knock yourself out.

Mix it with juice at your peril, eeeuuuh! Milk should be grand.

Thanks mate, I mixed it with blackcurrant squash and it tasted like ice cream.

Just wondering if that's Hunky Dory

TerrorFirmer

I actually bought a gainer one time recently, it was maxi muscle but I can't remember what it was called - 400 odd kcal per shake compared to the 100kcal I was used to. But I still used it anyway - gained a **** load of weight. Had been a 32" for about a year but went to a 34" pretty damn quickly and now can't shift the weight!

Out of interest, I bought the dirt cheap stuff you can get in Argos - really cheap, about 29.99 for the equivilent of RAM - or so it seems. The carbs are actually 100% sugar (and when mixed it tastes like liquidized sugar), and the whey protein tub as well is only 18g protein for 30g scoop, compared to 25-28g with most semi decent brands, even the cheap USN stuff that costs about 3 euro more. And a serving size is 90G for the all in one! I don't know who the hell would use that stuff regularly...

Absolute crap. Also, when mixing, it...well it just didn't mix. Clumps together, like throwing tar into a cup of milk.

Not that I ever thought it'd be anyway decent, but I was interested to see exactly what it was like.

Lockstep

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I actually bought a gainer one time recently, it was maxi muscle but I can't remember what it was called - 400 odd kcal per shake compared to the 100kcal I was used to. But I still used it anyway - gained a **** load of weight. Had been a 32" for about a year but went to a 34" pretty damn quickly and now can't shift the weight!

Out of interest, I bought the dirt cheap stuff you can get in Argos - really cheap, about 29.99 for the equivilent of RAM - or so it seems. The carbs are actually 100% sugar (and when mixed it tastes like liquidized sugar), and the whey protein tub as well is only 18g protein for 30g scoop, compared to 25-28g with most semi decent brands, even the cheap USN stuff that costs about 3 euro more. And a serving size is 90G for the all in one! I don't know who the hell would use that stuff regularly...

Absolute crap. Also, when mixing, it...well it just didn't mix. Clumps together, like throwing tar into a cup of milk.

Not that I ever thought it'd be anyway decent, but I was interested to see exactly what it was like.

Maximuscle stuff seems to taste atrocious based on my own experience and reading other people's.


I nearly bought that Argos stuff.

Thank God I didn't
Hanley suggested MassX, NutritionX tastes pretty decent in my experience.

ramfan5

Just a wild card, but is the supplement store on camden street open today by any chance?

jj1310

Book written by consultant to NFL,NBA, and top body builders. She is one of the leading authorities on sports nutrition in the USA and worldwide. Read the book

Power eating
by
Susan M Klein

Seven of them for sale second hand on amazon for under€1 plus postage

Might help
Found it excellent and I constantly am getting people to read it