When I was in my late teens, I must have gulped down gallons of protein powder mixes.
Months worth of allowances and part-time work went into buying gain weight products.
Fact of the matter was that most of the products did not do a gosh darn thing for me.
Most of the formulas with powdered milk, powdered soybeans and sugar just gave me gas and acne.
Some of the powders were actually designed as meal replacements to help people LOSE weight.
Like most underweight guys, I always believed that more was better and force fed myself more than I needed.
The problem with many protein powders and meal replacements is that they do not work for many people.
First of all, some of the cheaper protein powders don't even mix very well with water or milk.
They require a blender and even then, the powders taste like chalk dust.
These powders will tend to coat the large intestine and give you constipation.
You might be better off just flushing them down the toilet.
Second, if you have milk or egg allergies or intolerances, your body will reject the powders made from milk, eggs and sugars.
Third, your body can only absorb so much protein at a time.
The average person can only absorb 20 to 30 grams of protein at a time.
So, the guys knocking back 300-400 grams of protein a day are over working their kidneys for nothing.
Do not get me wrong.
There are some good protein powders on the market.
I have used some at work or while in the bush.
They are a good pick-me-up, but not meant to be a meal replacement.
If you have some protein powder, ensure there is some fat in it.
This can be milk fat, coconut oil, etc.
Some labels boast of now containing triglycerides.
Well, triglyceride is a scientific name for fat or oil.
Without fat, one can actually poison oneself with too much protein.
So, before you spend a good chunk of your pay check or allowance on protein powders, try just eating something light immediately after your workout.
I found something as cheap and simple as some cooked brown rice, cooked peas and cheese or a chicken sandwich, gave me better recovery and muscle gain than guzzling protein shakes.
Call me cheap, but I just felt better as well.
Even a simple kiwi helped me recover while instructing 3 cardio kick-boxing classes in a row.
The fruit replaced the muscle glycogen (body's sugar) and spared the muscle from breaking down to energy.
So even complex carbohydrates can assist your weight gain.
Note: buy some cheap tupperware and keep the snacks with you.
Try the following plan: BREAKFAST (yes get up 20 minutes early and have a good breakfast) Eggs and oatmeal.
Water or tea.
Ignore the processed breakfast cereals.
Mid-morning break (If you still cannot eat breakfast or if you are hungry) Half a beef, chicken, egg or fish sandwich.
(Skip the chips and chocolate bars) LUNCH Beef or chicken stir fry or salmon salad.
Brown rice.
SUPPER Beef, poultry, fish.
Vegetables (steamed, stir fried) Baked potato.
EVENING SNACK Oat muffin, oatmeal, soup.
NO SUGAR 1.
5 hours prior to bed time.
While a radio operator in the army, I even gained weight following a simpler eating plan: BREAKFAST Juice or water.
Maybe eggs and oatmeal if I was going to perform heavy labour that day.
LUNCH Meat, salad and steamed vegetables (followed by a 20 minute nap).
SUPPER Meat, vegetables, salads and maybe a small desert.
(In bed by 10 p.
m.
) Having a sensitive stomach, I found that TWO good sit down meals per day brought me faster gains than force feeding myself 6 small meals a day.
More is not better.
I was also running at least 2 miles 5 days a week and lifting weights twice a week.
Much of my success from going from 120 pounds (54 kg.
) to 155 pounds (70 kg) was not so much what I ate, but what I did NOT eat.
Feel free to send me feedback or your own success stories.