Gaining Weight

[melteye]

Ok. I recently started trying to gain weight, I bought a large bucket of GNC Weight Gainer 1850 (overpriced) and started taking that three times a day, as well as eating normal food in between.

I know powders aren't a replacement for food but eating enough IS a serious problem for me... I'm trying to fix that atm.

I do weight training 3-4 times a week and light cardio every day.

I am just looking for something that works, even with my strange eating habits... Thus I need a drink with a high caloric value... Was looking at Prolab N-Large 2 and Creatine. Any suggestions?

[ebon00]

Quality protein is the key. When it comes to gaining weight there are two times that are especially important: post-workout and before bed. Post-workout your muscles are pretty much starved and your body is primed to replace lost energy substrate. So, almost all the calories you eat in the 2 hours following your workout will be used well and not towards increasing fat stores. That means that you should get as much nutrients as you can in this time. Why is important to load up on protein before bed? You're basically going into a fast when you sleep and in order for your body not to start using too much of the protein in muscles (going catabolic) you need some good, slow digesting protein to minimize the damage.

In the end gaining weight is fairly uncomplicated:

1) Eat a lot in the 2 hours post-workout. Try to make the calories fairly clean and shoot for a carb-to-protein ratio of 2:1. Fats will take care of themselves.

2) Take a protein-only shake with some EFA's (if possible) before bed (about an hour before so you don't have trouble getting to sleep).

I'm not a big fan of weight gain products as they're mostly glorified containers of mostly sugar. You'd be better off spending your money on good protein-only supps and adding other carbs that are less expensive.

[Brewsky]

Try eating fast foods. Lots of pizza and stuff. I know it isn't the best way to bulk up but it should help you put on some weight.

[Jock]

WTF????

I HOPE YOU ARE KIDDING!

[ralex5]

Jock, seriously, I understand what Brewsky is saying about eating fast food. I definitely wouldn't eat it for every meal, but when I was trying to gain weight I would eat at mcdonald's for lunch everyday. I had eggs and toast for breakfast and for dinner ate a huge home cooked meal like chicken or hamburgers with a box of augratin potatoes. It helped me put on alot of weight, not just the fast food though I think it helped but my entire diet, you just got to watch yourself or you'll be carrying around alot of fat in no time. I'm not ripped anymore, but I'm far from fat and like my build now. It's pretty solid. If you're looking to get heavier, nothing wrong with a little fast food, if you're trying to look like a body builder, don't even think about fast food.
Just my opinion

[ralex5]

And I agree with Jock that the weight gain powders are a waist of money. They never worked for me.

[melteye]

I forgot to mention that eating a normal amount of food is a problem for me at the moment, so I was wondering if a MRP would provide me with the correct type of carbo and take a protein shake after workouts.

I weigh 138. If unhelped (no drinks) my daily caloric rate is 1500 or less... Sometimes more.

[ebon00]

Try to increase your daily caloric intake slowly. You won't be able to eat a lot more just like that. If you have one egg, add an egg white to that for a week or two. Then have two eggs for a while. You can't shock your body by suddenly throwing a much larger amount of calories at it if you're not used to eating that much. You'll only feel stuffed the entire time. MRP's would probably work since it's much easier to drink calories than to eat them. Go with a reputable company.