Weight gainer or no?!

[syssstem]

iv been workin out for a year, i started off at about 135 pounds and 10% bf, im currently at 150 pounds and around 5-6% bf.. all i take is protein, a multi, and creatine... if i switch my protein to a weight gainer will i get fat? will this extra weight i gain be only fat or would my muscle benefit from the added calories?

my current diet is roughly something like this

wake up take protein shake, multi, bowl of oatmeal
work out about an hour later take another protein shake and a banana
first meal is a chicken breast and 3 eggs and a large glass of milk with 2 pieces of toast with p/b
go to work eat a tuna sandwich and yoghurt for a snack
eat another tuna sandwich and yoghurt before work ends
come home eat 2 fish fillets patatoes and more milk
scoop of casein protein before bed

i train 5 days a week doing one muscle group a day getting about 8-10 hours of sleep a night

should i get the weight gainer or keep doin what im doin... my goal is to get as big as possible while still being defined and not looking fatty.

[syssstem]

anyone??

[coddleston]

Weight gainers definately help to get in a lot of extra calories, which is what you need if you're looking to gain muscle. In my opinion, though, you dont need it as long as you just eat, eat, eat! Make sure you really push yourself hard in the gym and that will maximize muscle gain and minimize fat gain.

[syssstem]

thats the thing i push my self to exhaustion every single time in the gym for the past year and im wondering if the extra calories from a weight gainer will benefit my muslce gains, or will i just gain fatty weight? should i keep doin what im doin or would i benefit adding a weight gainer to my diet before bed instead of the casein protein... my main concern is if i take a weight gainer my bf will go from 6 back up to like 10 and i wont look as defined as i am... or will i just put on even more muscle and stay at 6%?!

[Bandini]

Homemade weight gainers are the way to go if you are truly a skinny hardgainer looking to add muscle mass. I wouldn't buy the commercial stuff though...make your own for higher quality.
I was 125-130 lbs in high school at 6'1...as puny as you could possibly be! In addition to all of my regular meals it took an additional 2-3 homemade drinks of the following concoction to really start putting weight on:
8 oz Water + 3-4 ice cubes
2 scoops of protein powder (CFM Whey Isolate is best now)
2-3 oz of heavy cream (or more)
2-3 raw eggs
peanut butter or banana

[syssstem]

and when you did this did your bf go from like 5-15 and you lost all your hard earned definition? thats what im worried about.. or did you just pack on even more muscle

[Bandini]

I added a little bit of fat no doubt, but it was well worth it for the amount of muscle I gained. If you are truly working out hard the fat gain will not be bad at all...just make sure you are pushing yourself in the gym. If you are consuming a ton of calories and not training right then you WILL get fat.

Remember I did this because I was a super hard-gainer. I was training hard and eating, but not gaining. The homemade weight gainer drinks finally pushed me over the edge and allowed me to pack on some mass.

Some people gain a lot more easily and don't need all of the extra calories. But if you are anything like I was 15 years ago, then you need all of the help you can get.

[coddleston]

and when you did this did your bf go from like 5-15 and you lost all your hard earned definition? thats what im worried about.. or did you just pack on even more muscle

I second what Bandini said about making your own. How you react will depend on your body and how hard you push it in the gym. My bf actually lowered when i did a big bulk.

Dont worry to much about losing a little definition. When you cut afterwards, your gained muscle mass will make losing the fat that much easier.

[damnglass]

how about gradually upping the cals,no need to go up 1k in a dayevery week add 200 more calories,so your body has time to adjust to it.right now im just making loads of shakes(milk,oats,banana and muslcemilk) and my weight actually has gone down..

[Mansewerz]

do the weight gainers u guys made taste good?

[TinaHPU]

Bandini, is it possible to make the weight gainer without the cream and whey? Like upping the eggs and adding more peanut butter? I'm very sensitive to any dairy products.

[BaFtub]

Bandini, is it possible to make the weight gainer without the cream and whey? Like upping the eggs and adding more peanut butter? I'm very sensitive to any dairy products.

Yeah. Peanut butter is always the way to ago, along with eggs.

You seem to be a full extreme Ecto, take advantage of your low body fat % meng... you'll probly pack on mass easily with little to no fat gain.. (as youve already done.)

Got any pics eh?

[Bandini]

Bandini, is it possible to make the weight gainer without the cream and whey? Like upping the eggs and adding more peanut butter? I'm very sensitive to any dairy products.

Sure absolutely.
Cream and raw eggs is an old-school method of upping your natural testosterone, and they really make the drink very potent. But everybody is different, so if your body can't handle the dairy then you will have to experiment to find something that will work best for you.

Have you tried pure CFM Whey Isolate before to see if you can digest it? It doesn't have the lactose that whey concentrate has, so maybe you will be able to handle it. Stay away from the whey "blends" as well, as they typically list isolate as the first ingredient but usually are loaded with concentrate (the typical $25 5lb tub of whey). Digestive enzymes may help as well.

[BaFtub]

Question for Bandini (Not trying to jack the thread.)

What do you mean when you say "Cream" ? I noticed in Arnold's encylopedia he calls for cream in the form of creating your own homeaide weight gainer/shake, along with others posting on this forum, but I never really understood what they meant...is it like Creamer etc for Coffee? So I suppose I could get it at'a grocery store

And it's just fat right? No other macros?

[Bandini]

Question for Bandini (Not trying to jack the thread.)

What do you mean when you say "Cream" ? I noticed in Arnold's encylopedia he calls for cream in the form of creating your own homeaide weight gainer/shake, along with others posting on this forum, but I never really understood what they meant...is it like Creamer etc for Coffee? So I suppose I could get it at'a grocery store

And it's just fat right? No other macros?

Not the artificial creamer stuff for coffee, but the real heavy cream in the dairy section. You'll see it usually in smaller containers than the regular milk. Stay away from "ultra-pasteurized"...you want it as lightly processed as possible.

Arnold's drinks are really great, I highly recommend them. I think he adds honey and lecithin into his drinks as well (but can't remember for sure). Don't put too much cream into your drinks to start, just a few tablespoons in the beginning and watch for strength and weight gain. If you don't notice an improvement then up the eggs and cream content slowly.

[BaFtub]

Not the artificial creamer stuff for coffee, but the real heavy cream in the dairy section. You'll see it usually in smaller containers than the regular milk. Stay away from "ultra-pasteurized"...you want it as lightly processed as possible.

Arnold's drinks are really great, I highly recommend them. I think he adds honey and lecithin into his drinks as well (but can't remember for sure). Don't put too much cream into your drinks to start, just a few tablespoons in the beginning and watch for strength and weight gain. If you don't notice an improvement then up the eggs and cream content slowly.

Yeah, looking at the book..he breaks it down into 3 levels. I'll type them up for the OP for the hell of it.


Level 1

20 ounces milk or juice
4 ounces cream (or 1 ounce safflower oil and 3 ouncers water)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons LECITHINK granulines (yeppp you were right)
1/4 cup good quality milk and egg protein powder

(protein=approximately 50g)

Level 2

16 ounces milk or juice
6 ounces cream (or 2 ounces safflower oil & 5 ounces water)
4 eggs
4 teaspoons lecithink granules
1/2 cup milk-and-egg protein powder

(protein=approx. 72g)

Level 3

16 ounces milk or juice
8 ounces cream (or 3 ounces safflower oil & 6 ounces water)
6 eggs
6 teaspoons lecithink granules
3/4 cup milk and egg protein powder

(protein=aproxx 98 grams.)

And if the OP doesnt know what he means by milk & egg protein powder, it's just whey basically. Hope that helps =P

[syssstem]

what is wrong with me just buying a tub of muscle juice and drinking half a serving post work out with a banana(for the protein / carb source) and another serving before bed to act as the weight gainer for extra calories? will it actually be that much more beneficial making my own?

[The Solution]

most weight gainers are very high in sugars if thati s what ur looking for

A GREAT HOMEMADE RECIPE RIGHT HERE

8-16 oz of water/milk (ur preference)
1-2 scoops of whey protein
1-2 tablespoons Natty PB
1 banana
1/2 - 1 cup of Oats

Blend it up for 20-30 seconds and sip away at a great shake..

its a great afternoon meal replacement/weight gainer shake

try it out

[Bandini]

what is wrong with me just buying a tub of muscle juice and drinking half a serving post work out with a banana(for the protein / carb source) and another serving before bed to act as the weight gainer for extra calories? will it actually be that much more beneficial making my own?

Yes. Because you will be using your own natural ingredients and it will make for a more POTENT drink that will give you the effect you are looking for.

The commercial powders taste good and are more convenient, but I seriously doubt that they will deliver the same impact. But it's your money, so go for the powders if thats what you want.

[The Solution]

the powders can be expensive too.. look for good deals on weight gainers.. sometimes u can find a good deal with a 5lb jug for around 20-25 bucks.. make sure u read the labels tho.. some are tricky and filled with sugars

[syssstem]

what is so weight gainer about that? i could eat that for a snack before bed and probably not put on extra weight lol... my metabolisms mental i can eat mcdonalds once a week and im still at 5-6% bf.... i still am not liking this home made idea can somebody go here and take a look at this weight gainer and tell me what you think about it... yes it seems pretty high on sugars but isnt that very helpful post work out? http://www.nic************/muscle-juice-263060.htm

who can recomend me a good weight gainer im not 100% convinced by these home made ones yet they seem more like small snacks to me lol

[Bandini]

what is so weight gainer about that? i could eat that for a snack before bed and probably not put on extra weight lol... my metabolisms mental i can eat mcdonalds once a week and im still at 5-6% bf.... i still am not liking this home made idea can somebody go here and take a look at this weight gainer and tell me what you think about it... yes it seems pretty high on sugars but isnt that very helpful post work out? http://www.nic************/muscle-juice-263060.htm

who can recomend me a good weight gainer im not 100% convinced by these home made ones yet they seem more like small snacks to me lol

Dude look at the sugar level...why would you want to put that into your body? Just try my drink or one of Arnold's concoctions...I guarantee it will stick to your ribs and fill you up better than "Muscle Juice". Raw eggs and heavy cream pack quite the anabolic punch.

[syssstem]

ok ill try and give your level 1 arnold weight gainer a try... aside from that does it look like im eating right? im new to the nutrition forum and never really researched much about nutrition, now im reading around and iv read that suposivly i need about 75g of carbs in my post workout meal according to
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=272067
and this is what made me want to buy a weight gainer rather than bringing a whole kitchen to the gym with me id rather mix some powder in water to meet the 75g carb intake...... what else about my diet in my first post should i change? also is that really slow progress, going from 135 and 10% bf to 150 and 6% in a little under a year? this is also why i was interested in a weight gainer, maybe im not getting all the calories i need, i know its best to get it from food but i really dont want to haul my fridge to the gym wiht me for my pre and post work out meals

[dumac]

its kind of like protein powders. they aren't necessary but they are a huge convenance and they provide what you need in large quantities.

[Bandini]

ok ill try and give your level 1 arnold weight gainer a try... aside from that does it look like im eating right? im new to the nutrition forum and never really researched much about nutrition, now im reading around and iv read that suposivly i need about 75g of carbs in my post workout meal according to
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=272067
and this is what made me want to buy a weight gainer rather than bringing a whole kitchen to the gym with me id rather mix some powder in water to meet the 75g carb intake...... what else about my diet in my first post should i change? also is that really slow progress, going from 135 and 10% bf to 150 and 6% in a little under a year? this is also why i was interested in a weight gainer, maybe im not getting all the calories i need, i know its best to get it from food but i really dont want to haul my fridge to the gym wiht me for my pre and post work out meals

For your postworkout shake you can add plenty of fruit, like banana and strawberries to get those carbs.
I would add more veggies to your diet (broccoli, cauliflower, leafy green salad, etc.). Also cooking whole grain rice and potatoes are great sources of carbs for adding size. Vary your protein sources with lean meat, turkey, salmon, etc.
Hope this helps!

[syssstem]

if your talking about weight gainers... i second that and thats exactly why im tryin to get some advice on them... can someone reccomend a good one and respont to my previous post

ps thanks for the help everyone its greatly appriciated

[syssstem]

For your postworkout shake you can add plenty of fruit, like banana and strawberries to get those carbs.
I would add more veggies to your diet (broccoli, cauliflower, leafy green salad, etc.). Also cooking whole grain rice and potatoes are great sources of carbs for adding size. Vary your protein sources with lean meat, turkey, salmon, etc.
Hope this helps!

right now iv been varying my protein with chicken and tuna as my lean meat, eggs milk and p/b and my whey protein for fast absorbing protein in the morning and post work out.... what should i add to my post work out protein shake to get these extra carbs

so far its just a scoop of whey (27g protein) and a banana (not sure how many g carbs) how much extra fruit and vegetables should i add?

[dumac]

if your talking about weight gainers... i second that and thats exactly why im tryin to get some advice on them... can someone reccomend a good one and respont to my previous post

ps thanks for the help everyone its greatly appriciated

cyto gainer is high quality but it is very expensive. muscle juice is the exact opposite its very cheap but low quality.

[Mansewerz]

lol again, does it taste good?