Weight Gain Shakes for Women

Weight gain shakes are a great way to add more protein and calories to your diet, and this is no exception for women. If you find it difficult getting the necessary calorie and protein intake necessary for weight gain and building muscle, an excellent choice is drinking weight gain protein shakes as a way to include protein in the post-workout meal – the time of the day when your body is most receptive to nutrient intake and needs the protein for recovery and growth.

In addition to drinking weight gain shakes in the post-workout meal, it would be a good idea to drink a protein shake early in the morning or late in the evening. By drinking one early in the morning it won’t make you feel full later in the day, so it won’t affect your appetite during the day – otherwise just before bed.

Typically, a basic protein shake should include fresh fruit, low-fat milk, and protein powder. Whey is regarded as one of the best protein sources, it contains an excellent amino acid profile and also has one of the highest Biological Values (BV) among protein sources (the rate at which the body can utilize the nutrient.) When protein is consumed as a liquid meal during the anabolic window right after working out, the fast digesting protein is utilized by the body at a rapid rate.

Decide on how many calories you want the weight gain shake to be. If you are looking for a protein-rich meal, all you really need is the ingredients discussed above: fruit, milk, protein powder. However, it can be convenient to include carbs and fats to the protein shake so you consume all the nutrients you need in one meal. Including carbs and fats in the weight gain shake will also add extra calories for weight gain purposes, which always helps. Also, it’s beneficial to combine carbs with protein for a few reasons. The carbs in the weight gain shake will help replenish the glycogen storage which has been depleted while working out, and the protein will help to repair and build muscle tissue.

What are good sources of carbs and fats? Oats is an excellent choice for complex carbs, and you can add a few tablespoons of olive oil or flax seed oil for healthy fat content. Uncooked oats tend to have a hard texture so its a good idea to cook them in boiling water before adding them to the blender with the other ingredients. Otherwise you may have a difficult time getting all the shake down.

Although its possible to purchase weight gainers for women directly off the supermarket shelves, and some even having a huge number of calories, I would advise against this and instead make up your own weight gain shakes. The problem with most commercial weight gainer products is they are packed with simple sugars and carbs. You will gain weight with these high calorie weight gainers, but the weight you will gain will mostly be fat. Instead, take the healthier option and make them yourself. It’s really not that difficult if you have the ingredients.