Guide to Weight Gainers - What to Look for in Weight Gainers
10/12/06
Why Gain Weight?
Many of us may wonder why anyone would want to gain weight. Obesity in the US is at an all time high and is on the rise worldwide. Children also suffer from this unhealthy condition in never before heard of numbers. What we need to take into account that in most cases this excess weight comes from eating too much fat and so many of the wrong kind of carbs that all store as fat on the human body. So even if you're currently overweight, you'd be wise to lose the fat and gain lean muscle mass. Of course bodybuilders and other strength training and endurance athletes already have this goal and look for healthy weight gainers.
Various Weight Gaining Products
Most weight gainers come in powdered form and are stirred into water or milk to make a pleasant tasting drink. The powders often come in various flavors to make them more appealing to a variety of people. This is a great improvement over the original products, which were heavy and tasteless and often required a blender to mix them.
Goals and Benefits of Weight Gain Powders
Most of the people that use gainers are working at getting big. A good example of this group is bodybuilders. They generally eat many meals throughout the day and also increase their caloric intake through supplementation. It's difficult to eat enough protein in food alone, especially since being too full could interfere with a solid workout. Additionally if athletes carefully select their products they'll find good blends that offer greater benefits than diet alone. Weight gainer proteins should also contain large doses of vitamins and minerals.
Another important goal is to maintain the newly developing lean muscle mass. When a person is building up muscle it's referred to as "anabolic". It's just as important to slow and prevent as much as possible the catabolic, or breakdown effect. Using muscles, especially something as strenuous as heavy lifting, causes stress and breakdown. A slow digesting protein such as micellar casein stays in the tissues longer and minimizes some of these effects. It's a good idea to use a fast digesting (such as whey) protein weight gainer right before a strenuous workout and a slower processing one immediately after, as well as before periods of fasting... such as before retiring for the night.
If you're new to using weight gain powders and other protein supplements, you should consult your coach, trainer, doctor, or a nutritionist experienced in the field of extreme athletics. Not only do you want to remain healthy, you also want to use these products to maximum benefit.
Nutritional Values to Look for In a Gainer
Obviously to gain weight you need lots of calories, some of which will come from fat. Remember that unsaturated fat is not "Heart Healthy" so keep that at a minimum. Also if trans fat is listed on the label, look for a different product. These ingredients would defeat the purpose of working at gaining weight in a healthy manner. Most of the calories must come from protein with enough carbs to help break them down in the digestive system. Rather than coming from sugars, the carbs should be complex, such as those we get when we eat quality grains.
Keep in mind that proteins build lean muscle mass. Not only that but every bit of tissue, including skin, hair, finger and toe nails come from protein. An additional benefit in the war against body fat is that protein speeds up the metabolism to burn calories more efficiently. A continual infusion of protein during the day slows the absorption of carbs so that energy gets released all day.
Known potential negative aspects
Some products contain way too much sugar as a way to up the calorie count. Sugar gives us a nice burst of energy in many cases but it's usually followed by a "crash". Anyone that eats a donut or candy bar to wake up knows what we're talking about. After the initial high, they usually want to take a nap. Not only that but they may have a headache and feel out of sorts for no apparent reason. This isn't true for everyone, but it happens to enough to demonstrate that processed sugar isn't nutritionally valuable. Thirty grams or so for flavor in a weight gain powder is fine, but it's best to keep it at a minimum.
A side effect of simple carbohydrates such as sugar is a release of insulin. We need insulin to correctly process everything we eat or drink. Its job is to store carbs in muscles, but if there are too many of them to use, they get stored and used as fat. That's one reason there has been such a heavy emphasis on high protein, low carbohydrate diets in recent years. We now know that there are definitely good carbs, but we really need a good balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fat.
Digestibility
Digestibility is an important issue when looking at weight gaining…or any product you plan to consume. In order to take in as many calories as needed, it's easy to end up with an upset stomach or intestinal gastric distress. Any weight gaining supplement should be formulated to digest easily.
Cells are like little machines inside our bodies and they rely on chemical reactions to do their assigned jobs. Enzymes are what drive the chemistry and there are many different combinations that let them carry out their particular function. Certain enzymes promote the digestion of each fat, protein, and carb that a person eats. Some of the producers of weight gainers add the appropriate enzymes to their weight gaining powder to aid in smooth digestion.
The quality and type of protein will make a great deal of difference in how it's processed in the body. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Protein Corrected Amino Acid Scale (PCAAS) as the accepted method for rating protein supplements. The highest achievable score is 1.0. Egg, whey, soy, and micellar casein all rate at the top of the list.
Humans must get the eight essential amino acids from the protein in food or supplements as they can't synthesize them on their own. The reason the above proteins rank so high is that they all contain these amino acids. Many vegetable proteins score lower but when combined with other proteins they make the grade.
Another means of measuring protein is called the "Biological Value" (BV). Using this method is another way of telling how well bodies use each type of protein. If the BV is high then the nitrogen from it gets used and saved efficiently in order to gain lean muscle mass. Whey protein leads the pack with a rating of 104, with a whole egg rating a close second at 100. Egg whites or albumin have a BV of 88 and are essentially fat free. Micellar casein rates 77 and soy earns 74. Many weight gainers list both the PCAAS and BV of the protein, and whey is used in many of them because it scores so well in any measurement.
Other Things to Look for in Weight Gaining Products
We mentioned earlier the importance of amino acids since they are the building blocks of protein. One is creatine which is made from three amino acids: l-glycine, l-methionine, and l-arginine. The highest concentration of creatine is found in skeletal muscles, so it makes sense that a hard core athlete would need plenty of it. Since cooking destroys most of it found naturally in foods, you may want to see it included in your gainer or protein powder.
Glutamine (also known as L-glutamine) is very important to muscle maintenance. It's the amino acid that muscles use the most during intense workouts or even when someone diets and starts losing muscle mass rather than fat. It has a strong anti-catabolic effect because it preserves the glycogen in the muscle cells. Glycogen is what keeps those cells firm. Glycogen also helps protect the immune system. Anyone that does intense workouts needs their muscles to recover quickly.
Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) is another term you may see when looking for a good weight gainer. Supplementing with them is a way to take in good or unsaturated fat. We need some fat everyday but we want to make sure it's the healthiest possible. MCTs have the added advantage of letting the consumer feel full and satisfied and not crave unhealthy junk foods that are full of saturated fats.
Who Benefits from Weight Gainers?
We've referred frequently to bodybuilders. Obviously they need to gain all the healthy, lean muscle mass they can in order to perform well. Once they accumulate it they want to make sure they keep it. It doesn't help a bodybuilder if he or she gains a lot of muscle, only to burn it off quickly when the muscles are stressed.
Hardgainers are definitely good candidates for weight gaining proteins. The term "hardgainer" is a slang term in the world of bodybuilding that refers to someone that has a difficult time gaining muscle mass. Probably most of the people that practice this discipline suffer from the condition at one time or another. It isn't easy to build lean muscle; plus it always takes longer than anyone would like.
Other athletes that need strength can also use weight gainers effectively. Football players are an excellent example.
Another group that may want to use a weight gaining supplement are the people suffering from serious disease. There are many body wasting illnesses that are difficult to fight without enough nutrition and body bulk. These patients should definitely consult a specialist before trying any product.
The Right Gainer for You
There are numerous weight gaining powders for sale on the market. Each body has its own specific needs. In addition to getting advice from those that help you with your workout regimen; it's crucial to study various products on your own. It may take several tries before you find the one that's perfect for you. If you gather enough information before you buy a weight gainer, you're likely to save a lot of money by avoiding too much experimentation.
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