When it comes to your health, nothing has to be compromised. With the modern lifestyle filled with hustle and bustle these days, not many find time to take care of their health and dietary needs. In the process, they either end up losing too much weight or gaining more weight.
While a lot of them speak about the benefits of whey protein supplements and mass gainers, not many know the hidden facts and secrets that the brands hide to keep the consumers in oblivion.
Therefore, we decided to reveal the hidden truths by listing the 4 most important things you need to know before buying a mass gainer.
What Are Mass Gainers?
Mass gainers are health supplements containing a high number of calories along with varied levels of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. These additionally also contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other supplements that people don’t acquire from their regular diet.
Though it may not match up to the levels of proteins that are present in whey supplements, it contains a high amount of carbohydrates and fats that add up to the caloric content.
Pro Tip: The ideal mass gainer is one that has a smaller number of calories coming from fat and sugars and more calories coming from complex carbohydrates.
You must research well about mass gainers and consult your trainer or nutritionist before purchasing one. Since these contain varied calories coming from different sources, it is necessary to analyze the number of calories you are getting from your regular food and then choose a mass gaining supplement accordingly.
Important Tip: Remember to opt for a mass gainer only when you are not getting an adequate number of calories from your diet to reach the total targeted calories needed in a day.
4 Things to Know About Mass Gainers Before Buying
Here are 4 myth busters and factual tips about mass gainers before you plan to make a heavy investment for your health.
1. Should I Really Buy A Mass Gainer?
Mass gainers are not to be taken instead of meals. Instead, they are to be considered only when you do not meet your daily caloric requirements. Ask yourself this, can I increase the portion size of my meals, can I add two to three more high calorie foods like nuts, seeds, meat, etc. in my meals? Appetite stimuants like apetamin syrup can greately help you if you feel your appetite is the main problem.
Do I have the time, energy, and convenience to prepare or get these meals? If the answer to these questions is a no, only then do you need a mass gainer. Check out these reviews on the best mass gainers supplements by makeachoice.in, You need to be in a caloric surplus to gain weight. Whole foods are always preferable as they are reliable and more natural.
Whereas, when you are not being able to fulfill your caloric requirements by consuming whole foods in portions, then you can consume a mass gainer to make it up for the total calorific value.
2. Mass gainers contain a chunk of calories
You heard that right! If your daily calorie intake should be 2000 to 2500 as per your body weight and requirements, half of it is obtained from mass gainers. Since each mass gainer has varying amounts of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, most of them use fat and maltodextrin which is the cheapest form of carbohydrate to maintain the total calorific value.
Maltodextrin is nothing but complex sugars and when broken down in your body, it will only add to the total sugar content that results in the accumulation of fats around your waist.
Unless you don’t indulge in a balanced diet and high intensity or moderate workout, the calories will do no good and only add to the total fat in your body. If you do not have enough amount of activity in your day to day life to shed those calories, where would they all accumulate? The answer is quite obvious.
Pro Tip: Check for supplements that have complex carbohydrate sources and gives you the most calories from carbohydrates and proteins.
3. Mass gaining is No Magic!!
It requires months of dedication, with an adequate diet, and workout regimen to get the body that you desire. If a mass gainer markets itself as a hard gainer, please remember that no mass gainer is capable of giving instant results and make you feel bulky from lean.
The results start showing over a month. This is only evident when the number of calories and macronutrients is balanced over the day along with intense workout and activity levels and finally resorting to mass gaining supplements.
If you do not understand what your mass gaining supplement offers to you, jump straight to the nutrition label and check the sources from where the calories and nutrients are coming.
If most of it looks like empty calories from fat-based ingredients, then skip the product and look for alternative protein and carbohydrate sources.
Do not let the proteins and calories coming from it go wasted. Remember that a high amount of proteins can cause protein wasting which can cause muscle loss more than recovery.
Some people may even have allergies from proteins and do not contain the enzymes to metabolize them in the body. Hence, before buying a supplement, considering these factors is a matter of concern.
4. Understand Your Mass Gainer
Now, this is the toughest part, doing the math. It is advisable to check the nutrient label each time to count the number of calories that are coming from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Ideally, you must look out for a mass gaining supplement that provides around 40-50 grams of protein per serving and is a blend of isolate, whey concentrate, and casein to maximize protein synthesis and nitrogen balance.
When it comes to gaining weight from these supplements, fats form a very essential part and especially, 1 gram of fat has to give you about 9 calories. The amount of fat present in the mass gaining supplement can greatly vary but understanding the quality of fat and the sources are important.
Fats that are derived from Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s), Medium Chain Triglycerides, and saturated fats are important for our body’s hormonal production and regulation. An increase in consumption of these fats helps in obtaining greater gains and higher testosterone levels which aid in lean muscle development.
Most weight gain supplements focus on the carbohydrate to protein ratio but unless you indulge in heavy exercise, you need to have a source to burn these calories obtained from both. Else the calories from carbohydrates are pure sugars.
Pro tip: Choose a product that has a selected blend of carbohydrates to add to the calorific value and also includes the essential fatty acids to add to the total caloric content as they have a lot of hidden health benefits.
Final Note
It requires a blend of proper exercise, nutrition, and diet and ultimately fitting a mass gainer into your lifestyles. You do not want to gain some unhealthy weight by opting for a brand that offers only empty calories in the name of mass.
