Best weight Gain supplement, According to Dietitians
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Whether you're trying to increase your muscle mass or having difficulty maintaining your body weight, the most important factor for gaining weight is to increase your calorie consumption.
However, consuming enough Calories from foods alone can sometimes be difficult, especially if you don't have much of an appetite.
Supplement powders offer a convenient way to boost your calorie intake and support weight gain.
This article takes a closer look at the kinds of supplements that can be helpful for gaining weight, as well as our picks of the best ones to buy.
Can supplements help you gain weight?
Supplements can be effective for weight gain because they provide a concentrated source of calories and nutrients. However, they should be used only to supplement your diet-not as a replacement for whole, nutrient-rich foods.
"A weight gain supplement should not be the first point of attack when wanting to gain weight," said Laura Asbury, a registered dietitian and strength and conditioning coach. "Calories and nutrients must be in line in order to gain weight in a healthy and sustainable way."
Also keep in mind that while some supplements may more directly help you gain weight by providing a boost of calories, others may have a more indirect effect by supporting muscle gain
Supplements for weight gain
Several types of supplements -protein powders, mass gainers, creatine, and-workout-can help you gain weight if you use them in combination with a balanced diet.
In general, protein powders and mass gainers are your best if you're simply looking to boost your calorie intake.
On the other hand, if you're hoping to gain muscle mass through strength training, creatine powders and pre-workout are worth considering.
Here is a closer look at each type.
Protein powders
Who they're best for: those unable to meet daily protein needs via food and those looking for a convenient way to increase protein intake.
Potential side effects: Side effects very based on the ingredients. Those with lactose intolerance or a milk allergy should avoid protein supplements that contain those ingredients. Some protein supplements also include additives that may cause digestive distress in some people.
Protein plays an essential role in building and maintaining muscle mass. However, protein intake without a Calorie surplus and an appropriate resistance training program will not result in building lean muscle mass.
In fact research suggests that high protein diets may aid in weight loss because protein helps people feel full.
For this reason, if you use a protein supplement in a weight gain diet plan, it's important to mack sure you also maintain a Calorie surplus.
One way to find out whether you're eating enough Calories is to treck dite on a few typical days to determine whether you need to adjust your total Calorie intake. From there, you can also adjust your macronutrient intake as needed.
The recommended daily protein intake for active adults to build and maintain muscle is 0.6-0.9 grams per pound (1.4_2.0 g per kilogram) of body weight per day. This amount has been found to support muscle growth and maintenance.
Weight and mass gainer supplements
- Who they're best for: Those who cannot maintain a Calorie surplus through food alone.
- Potential side effects: Active ingredients can vary widely among products, and these ingredient difference can affect the potential side effects. Some products may also have additives, such as artificial sweeteners, that could cause digestive distress.
Sometimes called mass gainers, these supplements are often marketed a way to gain muscle mass. Their ingredients and nutrition content can vary widely.
In general, mass gainers are higher in calories, fat and carbs than traditional protein powders, thought some may contain only carbohydrates.
According to Asbury, these products generally contain 300 or more calories per serving.
Adding weight gainers to your diet can certainly increase the number of calories you're eating. However, some people find the taste and consistency of these products unpleasant.
Additionally, although these supplements can be convenient when you're on the go, another option is simply to eat more food, such as trail mix or smoothies, which would also provide other beneficial nutrients.
Creatine
- Who it's best for: people looking to build muscle and enhance athletic performance
- Prtential side effects: it may lead to water retention in some people, and larger doses may result in gastro
Creatine may have an indirect effect on lean muscle mass gains because of its potential to boost exercise performance.
When you tack creatine as a supplement, the creatine concentration in your muscles. This can lead to performance benefits and muscle gain over time. However, most creatine supplements are low in calories and need to be combined with other ingredients to provide enough Calories to support weight gain.
Creatine monohydrate is recognised as the most effective from of creatine and is the most common type used in creatine supplements.
The typical recommendation for creatine supplementation is to begin by taking a loading dose of approximately 20 g per day, split into 4 servings, for 5-7 days
After this initial period, a dose of approximately 3-5 g per day is recommended for maintaining creatine levels.
Some people may experience short-term Weight gain when starting creatine supplements,which can be attributed to changes in fluid balance.
"Total body water is increased with creatine supplements, which could increase body weight. However, once creatine supplementation is stopped, phosphocreatine stores diminished after 4-8 weeks, which may decrease body weight," explained Asbury.
Pre-workout
- Who they're best for: people looking to enhance athletic performance while gaining weight
- Potential side effects: Side effects vary based on the ingredients. For example, beta-alanine can cause harmless tingling sensations. Caffeine can cause a jittery feeling and may negatively affect blood pressure, sleep, and stress levels in some people
Exercise, especially resistance training, is a necessary component of most weight gain plans. Pre-workout supplements may enable you to work out longer and at a higher intensity, which may indirectly lead to weight gain by contributing to muscle mass gain.
However, don’t depend on most pre-workout supplements to boost your daily calorie intake.
“At the end of the day, for someone to gain weight, they must be in a caloric surplus (eating more calories than they are metabolically burning), and pre-workout supplements are typically little to no calories,” explained Asbury.
The most common ingredients in pre-workout supplements are caffeine, beta-alanine, nitrates, creatine, and citrulline malate, all of which may help boost exercise performance.
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