question about "mass gainers"

[Dgr8wun]

I'm 32yrs old 5'8 and started working out Jan this year, I was 175lbs then dropped to about 150lbs. Now I'm at 162lbs and really want to gain more mass but not look too bulky. My goal is to get back to 175-180 but with less body fat. My diet is mostly grilled chicken, fruits and protein shakes but I calculate it to be around if not less than 2500 calories a day. I'm thinking about getting more calories with a "mass gainer" type protein shake but I'm worried that my body will just turn the extra calories into fat. I lift weights about 3-4 times a week with some mild cardio on off days. If I start taking the gainer supplement will I have to drink it everyday or just on workout days? will I have to stop taking the other protein shake? and will I have to do a cutting phase? or should I just stick with what I'm doing until I don't see anymore changes. I just feel that I'm not getting enough from my diet. are my expectations not realistic? I'm a total new'b and need some guidance. thanks!

[ispoody1243]

I'm 32yrs old 5'8 and started working out Jan this year, I was 175lbs then dropped to about 150lbs. Now I'm at 162lbs and really want to gain more mass but not look too bulky. My goal is to get back to 175-180 but with less body fat. My diet is mostly grilled chicken, fruits and protein shakes but I calculate it to be around if not less than 2500 calories a day. I'm thinking about getting more calories with a "mass gainer" type protein shake but I'm worried that my body will just turn the extra calories into fat. I lift weights about 3-4 times a week with some mild cardio on off days. If I start taking the gainer supplement will I have to drink it everyday or just on workout days? will I have to stop taking the other protein shake? and will I have to do a cutting phase? or should I just stick with what I'm doing until I don't see anymore changes. I just feel that I'm not getting enough from my diet. are my expectations not realistic? I'm a total new'b and need some guidance. thanks!

only take weight gainers if you have trouble eating enough calories to gain weight normally
even then you can just eat more cal dense food

[SOJA]

Unless you have the body and energy levels of a rambunctious 16 year old whose frame resembles that of a starvation victim, don't bother spending money on protein and filler. Read the stickies and assemble something that makes sense.

[Struecker]

Unless you have the body and energy levels of a rambunctious 16 year old whose frame resembles that of a starvation victim, don't bother spending money on protein and filler.

This comment made my day, reps for making me lol hard.

[Dgr8wun]

thanks.

[krete77]

I'm 32yrs old 5'8 and started working out Jan this year, I was 175lbs then dropped to about 150lbs. Now I'm at 162lbs and really want to gain more mass but not look too bulky. My goal is to get back to 175-180 but with less body fat. My diet is mostly grilled chicken, fruits and protein shakes but I calculate it to be around if not less than 2500 calories a day. I'm thinking about getting more calories with a "mass gainer" type protein shake but I'm worried that my body will just turn the extra calories into fat. I lift weights about 3-4 times a week with some mild cardio on off days. If I start taking the gainer supplement will I have to drink it everyday or just on workout days? will I have to stop taking the other protein shake? and will I have to do a cutting phase? or should I just stick with what I'm doing until I don't see anymore changes. I just feel that I'm not getting enough from my diet. are my expectations not realistic? I'm a total new'b and need some guidance. thanks!

This post is confusing. What are you goals? You mention cutting, you mention trying to gain weight, you guesstimate your maintenance around 2500, you don't know if you can take your mass gain shake with another protein shake, etc..

You should really read the stickies on this forum. Educate yourself a little bit about nutrition and how it is related to you. Start out by finding out your maintenance level with all the formulas that are given. Then try it out for a few weeks, and if you stay at the same weight, bingo, you've found your maintenance. If you gain or lose weight, just adjust accordingly by adding/subtracting calories (maybe 2-300, but this is just my opinion).

Now me personally, if I was you, I would give up on those mass gain shakes. If you've already gone ahead and bought it, then use it up. But you'll be better off getting way more bang for your buck if you just do a little research on calorie dense foods, and pick them up. A few examples are peanut butter, whole milk, rice (brown or white), oats, etc. I'm having great success with these foods. In fact they are what I use to make up for lost calories while I'm bulking.

Put together a diet plan that works for you, and you only. You want to be able to enjoy the foods you eat, right? From there, it's just paying a little attention to your diet, and making sure your meeting your macro/nutrient needs.

Good luck and hope this clears things up a bit for you.

[Dgr8wun]

This post is confusing. What are you goals? You mention cutting, you mention trying to gain weight, you guesstimate your maintenance around 2500, you don't know if you can take your mass gain shake with another protein shake, etc..

You should really read the stickies on this forum. Educate yourself a little bit about nutrition and how it is related to you. Start out by finding out your maintenance level with all the formulas that are given. Then try it out for a few weeks, and if you stay at the same weight, bingo, you've found your maintenance. If you gain or lose weight, just adjust accordingly by adding/subtracting calories (maybe 2-300, but this is just my opinion).

Now me personally, if I was you, I would give up on those mass gain shakes. If you've already gone ahead and bought it, then use it up. But you'll be better off getting way more bang for your buck if you just do a little research on calorie dense foods, and pick them up. A few examples are peanut butter, whole milk, rice (brown or white), oats, etc. I'm having great success with these foods. In fact they are what I use to make up for lost calories while I'm bulking.

Put together a diet plan that works for you, and you only. You want to be able to enjoy the foods you eat, right? From there, it's just paying a little attention to your diet, and making sure your meeting your macro/nutrient needs.

Good luck and hope this clears things up a bit for you.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I am currently going through the stickies. I've not gotten any weight gainer shakes and don't plan on getting it anymore. I guess what I was trying to say in my original post is if it was possible to bulk up with the shake without to go through a cutting phase. I was concerned that I wasn't getting enough nutrition/results with my current plan. I will try to get more educated with this whole nutrition thing, its a lot to process...