Yo yo,
It’s another great day today. I hope you’ve been well and that you’ve been approaching life with courage. If you haven’t, that’s okay. Everyday is a new opportunity to better one’s self. Remember this.
Alright, the agenda for today are “alternatives to mass gainers”. To be quick, they are: Protein powder, high calorie food options, specific recipes and the practice of eating more.
Many people don’t really understand mass gainers and sometimes confuse them with protein powders. It’s understandable though, most people are just focused on getting their protein in and realise that both of these supplements have a high amount of protein.
(If you would like to know what exactly a mass gainer is, you can check it out here: mass gainers)
However, if you’re reading this, it’s likely that you have a sound understanding of what a mass gainer actually is, but have decided that alternatives might be more preferable. You may decide on alternatives for a number of reasons. It may be because you don’t like the ingredients within the mass gainer, you may prefer whole foods, you can’t afford mass gainers and many other reasons.
Whatever it may be, there are alternatives, good ones in fact. Let’s get into it.
Protein Powder
Protein powder is probably the most standard alternative. There are many different types, and it has a similar amount of protein. The only downside is that is has a lower amount of calories than mass gainers.
Now this is only a downside if you’re bulking, but other than that, most people would prefer protein powders over mass gainers.
To make up for the lack of calories in comparison to mass gainers, you could use whole milk, add in peanut butter or make a smoothie.
Protein powder is probably the best alternative to mass gainers. In fact in most situations, I would probably recommend protein powders over mass gainers.
Protein powders are an excellent alternative because they are still high protein, assist in a caloric surplus (although the calories are lower), may have cleaner ingredients, may be cheaper and can still be consumed in a liquid form.
Make sense?
On top of this, if you want to increase calories, you could simply just add in more of the protein powder. Sure, the same amount of protein powder will not give you the same amount of calories that mass gainers does for the same amount, but it is certainly something to bear in mind.
(What I mean is this: 40g of protein powder may give you 155 calories. However, 40g of mass gainer could give you 165 calories. One has more calories per gram of powder. However, the difference in calories depending on what specific product you’re comparing)
Alright let’s move on
High Calorie Foods
I know this seems quite straightforward, but just bear with me for a moment.
Ask yourself, “why do you want I want to have a mass gainer?”
Is it because of the calories? Is it because of the protein? Is it because someone recommended it to you? Is it because you saw some dirty bulkers using it? Is it because of the name of the product. Do the words ‘mass gainer’ just appeal to you?
It’s a serious thing to ask.
At it’s core, the purpose of a mass gainer is to provide extra calories and protein that you may be currently struggling to have in your regular diet. Agreed?
Then if you’re looking for alternatives, the next option is to choose foods that are high in calories and protein. Quite frankly it appears we’re going in the reverse order.
Whether bulking or cutting, you should first make a genuine attempt to gain all of your calories from whole foods. Then if it’s becoming a struggle, look at supplements such as protein powders and mass gainers.
Therefore I’m going to ask you something.
Have you made a genuine attempt to eat all of your calories from whole foods?
Alright, if you have and you’re looking at mass gainers, but unfortunately cannot get this product, here are some high-calorie foods and high protein foods.
– Chicken thighs. We are going with chicken thighs instead of the breasts because of the caloric amount in the thighs. As a result of the fat on thicken thighs, it has a higher amount of calories, whilst having basically the same amount of protein. (160g of chicken thighs provides about 200 calories, 32g protein and 7g fat)
– Olive oil. Naturally it’s not in high protein, but it’s a great option to use for calories. Just one tablespoon of olive oil will give you 120 calories. Instead of using butter to cook, you could choose olive oil instead, which is very high in calories. That one tablespoon will also give you 13.5g of fat, however they’re healthy fats. Don’t be afraid.
– A porterhouse steak. 180g serving gives you 290 calories, 37g protein and 14g fat. A great option here. High in both calories and protein. Keeps you full and has many nutrients. You may not have this often, but it’s good to keep this in the back of your mind.
– Eggs. 2 eggs gives you about 140 calories, 13g protein and 10g fat. A staple for bulking or cutting. High in nutrients, calories and protein. Also, they’re very easy to get down.
– Whole milk. 1 cup (or about 220ml) is about 136 calories, 7g protein and 7g fat. A very good asset for bulking. You can have it on it’s own, or add it to smoothies and milkhakes. It’s a good thing to add to those kinds of options for calories.
Recipes
Let’s now dive into some recipes, instead of foods just on their own. We’re bringing it all together now. Today isn’t primarily focused on the specific of recipes, but rather, just the idea of alternatives to mass gainers. So here are some ideas you could look into.
– Bulking shakes. Can go up to 700 calories with 55g protein (E.g. Protein powder, banana, peanut butter, milk, some oats)
– Spaghetti bolognese. Protein can easily go up to 50g, with about 25g fat depending on the fat content of the mince (E.g. Spaghetti, Beef mince that is about 10% fat, half a tablespoon of olive oil, some past sauce)
– Basic egg sandwich, Can go up to 34 g protein. (2 eggs, grated cheese, two slices of bread and ham)
Very basic, I’m aware, but they get the job
If you would like some more ideas beyond the recipes listed (which are more fancy), I would recommend checking out some here.
Eat more
A boring answer right?
However, I’m sure you knew this was a simple, yet required answer
“I can’t gain weight”
Eat more.
You must be willing to eat more food. Eating more food consequently means more calories consumed, which promotes a caloric surplus.
I know it can be hard. Truly.
But it takes time, and often the hardest things are the most beneficial things for us. Work your way up to eating more food. Drink your calories.
Just be prepared to eat more food since this is an alternative to mass gainers. I could’ve left this point out, but I really wanted to emphasise this point.
There we have it
And there you have it guys. The alternatives are protein powder, high-calorie whole foods, recipes and eating more.
I hope this helps you. Remember to train hard and rest well.
I’ll see you next time. Until we meet again
