Dietitians usually recommend gaining weight for underweight people or who consistently experience unintentional weight loss, which can cause many problems. Some athletes or bodybuilders may also wish to gain weight by gaining and building muscles.
While gaining weight can be a struggle, following a good diet plan may help. A good diet plan for weight gain can also be beneficial for increasing muscle and boosting overall health. It's better for those whose gaining weight to build muscle. It's significantly healthier to gain most of your weight as muscle rather than fat.
While diet is the most crucial factor for gaining weight, weight gain supplements may also aid in providing calories, protein, some vitamins, and minerals or increase your appetite.
But it is important to find appropriate weight gain supplements for anybody, to avoid imbalanced nutrition, digestive problems, or unintended weight loss.
Keep in your mind if you want to gain muscles, besides a good weight gain diet plan, you need to exercise regularly.
Here are the best weight gain supplements that may help you gain weight and build muscle:
Carbohydrates are your body's primary energy source and play a significant role in your diet and make you gain weight. When you eat carbs, they go into your liver, and your body converts them into glucose, supplying your body with energy.
Scientists recommend that 45-65% of your calories intake should come from carbohydrates.
Carbs don't make you gain weight; consuming extra calories causes weight gain. Since carbohydrates are the main energy source in your body, eating more of them makes you gain weight.
But the problem is that many people can't eat a lot of carbohydrates in a meal, and they feel full.
The solution is a carb supplement. Carb supplement is the perfect choice for those having trouble eating foods and gaining weight. Although there is some protein in carb supplements, most ingredients are carbohydrates. So it provides a lot of calories for you.
Carbs supplement provides you with about 500-1000 calories per serving. It's equal to a complete meal.
It's equal to a complete meal. Adding 500 calories to your weight gain diet can give you 1 pound in a week.
You can add the carb supplement to milk or fruit juice to get more calories and nutrients.
Protein is one of the most important parts of a weight gain diet. Most adults should eat at least 0.8 grams/kg of protein each day so that the body can work well. For example, an 80 kg man should eat at least 64 grams of protein daily.
While you are eating more protein, the excess amount in a weight gain diet contributes to extra calories and can cause weight gain. The important thing about protein is that if protein intake is combined with exercise, it can help you build muscle for you, and as a result, you will gain weight and have a better shape.
Note that adding too much protein to your weight gain diet doesn't promote muscle growth. If you do not eat enough protein in your diet, you will not gain muscle, but if you overeat protein, the excess is excreted from the body.
Since it may be difficult for you to add extra protein, you can use protein supplements.
Protein supplements are a great source of protein. Also, they have some nutrients and benefits for gaining weight.
Using protein supplements after a workout would be helpful to gain muscle. If you want to increase your calorie intake to gain more weight, you can blend protein powder with juice or milk. Considering smoothies for weight gain is another choice.
Creatine is one of the most popular supplements among athletes and bodybuilders; it helps to improve muscle strength and mass also speed. In the short term, creatine causes weight gain by water retention in muscle cells, and it helps increase muscle mass in the long term.
Creatine is naturally found in animal proteins foods like meat, poultry, fish, etc. But you can also use creatine supplements to gain weight.
If you are an athlete, taking creatine can do a lot for your exercise and the best results.
Using creatine to gain weight has two phases, the first is a loading phase, and the second is the maintenance phase. For the most remarkable achievement, start the loading phase by using creatine supplements of about 0.3 g/kg of body weight four times a day for the first week. And continue the maintenance phase by taking about 3-5 grams per day.
For most people, creatine is safe and causes few side effects. However, there are concerns about damaging the liver, kidney, or heart in high doses.
If you have any health problems, consult your dietitian or doctor before taking creatine supplements.
HMB or beta hydroxy beta methyl butyrate is another popular supplement among bodybuilders. They use HMB to increase power and muscle strength.
HMB helps to reduce muscle wasting during the inactivity period. In one study about HMB, older adults were confined to bed for ten days and did nothing. Well, half of them were taking 3g of HMB a day. Interestingly, those who weren't supplemented with HMB lost 2kg of muscle mass over the ten days, while the HMB group clung to their weight, losing only 0.17kg.
Please note that if you think you can build muscle just by taking HMB or any other supplements without training, forget about it.
The dosage of HMB is based on your body weight. The recommended amount is 38 mg/kg of body weight. It means a 70 kg man should take about 2.5-3g HBM per day to see the results.
BCAA or branched-chain amino acids are a group of essential amino acids, including leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAAs are commonly taken to increase muscle growth and enhance muscle performance. Like all other amino acids, BCAAs are used to build the blocks your body uses to make proteins. BCAAs are essential because your body cannot make them, and you should get BCAAs through a diet. BCAAs are necessary to gain muscle and prevent muscle loss. While you can get BCAAs from your diet, taking a supplement will help to ensure you get what you need entirely.
If you are looking to gain weight, you can try BCAAs besides exercise. The best time to take BCAAs supplements is before and after your workout. But it is better to follow the supplement fact label for instructions.
Sometimes some micronutrient deficiencies lead to loss of appetite and weight. So, taking some vitamins, minerals, or herbs can help increase your appetite and weight. Among them are:
Zinc is one of the minerals that its deficiency in the body causes dysgeusia and loss of appetite. Therefore taking a zinc supplement may help increase your appetite and gain weight. You can take a zinc supplement or a multivitamin that contains zinc.
Consult a dietitian if you have questions also before taking any supplements.
Thiamine or vitamin B1 deficiency can reduce your appetite and eventually causes weight loss.
The best food sources of thiamine are fish, meat, and whole grain. But if you want to take more, you can use a thiamine supplement.
The recommended dietary allowance of thiamin or vitamin B1 for adult men is 1.2 milligrams and for adult women is 1.1 milligrams.
Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin, and if taken in overdose, the excess amount will be excreted in the urine; yet, consult a nutritionist before taking a thiamine supplement.
Iron deficiency can lead to iron deficiency anemia, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Therefore, taking iron supplements in people with iron deficiency can help them gain weight.
Make sure to take iron supplements under the supervision of a dietitian or physician, as too much iron can lead to heart attack or stroke.
People who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet may be at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 is only found in animals food like dairy, meat, fish, and poultry. If you're not getting enough vitamin B12, your appetite will decrease.
Adults need 2.4 to 2.8 micrograms of vitamin B12 per day. You can do a blood test to assess for a deficiency. If you have a B12 deficiency, supplementation under the supervision of a dietician is an excellent way to restore your levels of vitamin B12.
Most people do not meet their daily needs for the mineral, including the magnesium found in almonds, beans, nuts, whole cereals, and milk. Poor magnesium intake can lead to loss of appetite and fatigue, nausea, and muscle crump.
Recommended dietary allowance of magnesium is from 310 to 420 milligrams per day for adult men and women.
If you don't get enough magnesium from foods, take the supplement under the supervision of a dietitian.
Fish oil supplements are rich in essential amino acids like omega-3, which are necessary for your body to grow and develop, brain health, and the fight against inflammation. Based on research, supplementation with fish oil improves appetite and helps you gain weight.
Fish oil is typically considered safe for adults who don't have fish allergies. It's important to consult with a physician or dietitian before giving supplements to very young children.
Try our online diet for weight gain. We prepare you an online diet plan with essential supplements (if necessary).