What will happen if I switch from mass gainers, to a meal plan?

[daltoo1]

So for the last couple months I have changed my lifestyle in and out of the gym to try to gain some serious lean muscle mass. I calculated my maintenance calories to be around 2500 daily, so I figured consuming 3000 calories a day would be enough surplus to accomplish my goal. I was getting 2000 calories a day from a mass gainer and my protein shake alone filling the remaining calories with one large, or two smaller meals. I started gaining weight pretty quickly, but also a lot of fat. I wanted the mass I was gaining to be leaner, so I cut the mass gainer, and switched to a meal plan I found. I’m getting all of my calories from real food now, except for my post workout shake. The foods include eggs, cottage cheese, veggies, rice, chicken, fish, avocado, fruit, wheat bread, and natural peanut butter, broken into six separate meals a day. Basically what I want to know is will there be any benefit to this change in diet? How will this effect me? What will it effect?

[paulinkansas]

Drop those mass gainers, in my opinion. The main ingredient is sugar (if I remember correctly). This is advice from someone that had frozen pipes and had to get water for pre-workout coffee from his toilet.

The toilet thing is an example of how every day of mine goes.

[EliKoehn]

It will be far and away better to eat real food. If you take mass gainer immediately before or after your workout (and I mean, within 30 minutes with all the protein you'll need as well) it will probably help you add quality mass, but it's less certain than simply eating real food containing the appropriate nutrients.

In my own experience, I did gain quality mass using it, but it was a protein powder variant and I drank it immediately before a legitimate workout. I can see no advantage over an actual meal containing the same macros and would not recommend anyone use this type of product unless it is right before or after a workout, in which case actual food is still better.

EDIT: I personally have never had problems with nausea from eating directly before lifting, so my own anecdotal experience and recommendation carries that with it.

[AdamWW]

Getting 2/3 of your calories from a gainer is a horrible idea

[Ghawk21]

Assuming calories and protein stay equal you'll continue gaining weight at the same rate as before and if that was making you fat it still will. Probably will feel better though and won't be deficient in as many vits and minerals. If you were gaining weight too quickly then cut back on the calories, maybe go for 2800 instead.

[desslok]

So you’re asking what the effect will be of something you already did? You tell us.

[Mrpb]

I’m getting all of my calories from real food now, except for my post workout shake. The foods include eggs, cottage cheese, veggies, rice, chicken, fish, avocado, fruit, wheat bread, and natural peanut butter, broken into six separate meals a day. Basically what I want to know is will there be any benefit to this change in diet? How will this effect me? What will it effect?

Yes it will be far better for your health.

However, the amount of fat you gain is more a result of the size of your surplus and the quality of your training.

[air2fakie]

There's a whole world of food and eating habits out there between getting 2/3 of your cals from mass gainer or 6 meals/day of the specific foods you name.