Newsletter Archives: Weight Gain Shake If your goal is to gain healthy, lean body weight you will need a few basics: Intense weight training A focus on the major, compound exercises such as weighted dips, squats, deadlifts, weighted chin-ups, and military presses Increased calories, but done with reason and discipline.  You simply cannot eat everything that is not nailed down!  At least 5 quality meals per day  Adequate amounts of water  Recovery methods such as adequate sleep, massage, and rehabilitating any pre-existing injuries   Today's lesson will focus on the increased calories.  Many people who wish to gain weight can change their lifestyles to include 2 snacks in addition to the "regular three meals a day."  They have problems, however, when it comes to increasing their overall calories to the point that their bodies are fueling growth.  In addition, many people do not know which supplements to buy in order to gain muscle weight due to the sheer amount of confusion and constant bombardment of advertising.  If this describes you then you now can take it easy!  Here are some ideas for a healthy, easy-to-make weight gain shake which does not require a lot of time to prepare.  You can make your weight gain shake into two halves and drink each half as one of your "snacks" between your main meals.   ** NOTE:  These are just recommendations and you MUST talk with your doctor BEFORE making any changes to your diet and nutrition.  Definitely talk with your doctor BEFORE trying out a supplement as some people have adverse reactions directly with the supplement or with the "recommended dosage" that the company states on the label.   Remember to keep everything balanced.  If you require 3000 calories a day to gain weight (without putting on too much fat) and, realistically, you can eat 5 times a day then consider making each of your meals/snacks as close to 600 calories as possible.  If you can't tolerate lots of food at night, you can "front-load" your calories; this means that you eat more of your calories earlier in the day and then eat fewer as the evening approaches.  Adjust your weight gain shake's calories accordingly.   Your weight gain shake should have some basic components to it: A healthy protein source  A healthy carbohydrate source  A healthy fat source if you want to increase the calories   Note that the carbohydrate source can be a "simple carbohydrate" like fruit, especially if you consume one your weight gain shakes right after a workout.  Of course, be careful with too many simple carbohydrates as many people are very sensitive to carbohydrates even after a workout.  If you notice that you are adding too much body fat relative to the amount of muscle you are gaining, lower the amount of simple carbs (or eliminate them) and increase your cardio and conditioning training.   As for adding protein sources to your weight gain shake, it depends on whether you will have access to a blender and a refrigerator.  If so, you can use milk (if you tolerate it well), cottage cheese, yogurt (be careful of the amounts of sugars), protein powder, or another source of protein you like.  If you do not, consider protein powder or even powdered milk (if you can tolerate milk).   As for adding carbohydrates to your weight gain shake, you can include fruits such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, or other fruits you like which mix well with the protein source.  Some people make their workout shakes more like a milk shake, so instead of using fruit they add ice cream, chocolate powder, or other sugary items.  Be careful of this strategy because of the concern for too many simple carbohydrates (which tend to add body fat to most people) and the chemicals included in the "sugar free" items.  If you must have the sugary carbohydrates in your shake (instead of fruit), go with the most natural source you can find and just use less of it.   As for adding healthy fats to your weight gain shake, you can add raw and unsalted nuts, natural peanut butter, natural almond butter, flax seed oil, and olive oil.  You may not want to include a particular oil with your shake for flavor and consistency reasons; if so that's fine!  You can still take a tablespoon of olive oil a few minutes later, assuming you can tolerate the taste.    If you choose to add extra calories to your weight gain shake with oils like olive oil, GRADUALLY increase your intake.  First, your body may need to get used to the additional oils.  Second, you want to make sure that you do not add too much body fat in the process.  If you even begin to notice an increase in your body fat levels, remove the extra oils and focus on your nutrition, cardio, and be sure that you are drinking adequate water.   We hope that these suggestions help those of you who want to gain weight reach your goals faster.  Again, always talk with your doctor first!   If you want a quick, inexpensive source to get recipe ideas for your shakes, consider checking out this source for smoothies Click Here For More Smoothies Ideas   While its focus is on weight loss, not weight gain, you will get some ideas for combinations of ingredients to make a delicious smoothie.  You can simply add healthy oils, nuts, or more protein - or just simply more of the ingredients (!) - to increase the calories and make it into a weight gain shake for your purposes.