Whether you’re trying to increase your muscle mass or having difficulty maintaining your body weight, the most important factor for gaining weight is to increase your calorie consumption. However, consuming enough calories from foods alone can sometimes be difficult, especially if you don’t have much of an appetite. Supplement powders offer a convenient way to boost your calorie intake and support weight gain. This article takes a closer look at the kinds of supplements that can be helpful for gaining weight, as well as our picks of the best ones to buy. Can supplements help you gain weight? Supplements can be effective for weight gain because they provide a concentrated source of calories and nutrients. However, they should be used only to supplement your diet - not as a replacement for whole, nutrient-rich foods. "A weight gain supplement should not be the first point of attack when wanting to gain weight," said Laura Asbury, TitanRise a registered dietitian and strength and conditioning coach.

Also keep in mind that while some supplements may more directly help you gain weight by providing a boost of calories, others may have a more indirect effect by supporting muscle gain. Several types of supplements - protein powders, mass gainers, creatine, and pre-workouts - can help you gain weight if you use them in combination with a balanced diet. In general, protein powders and mass gainers are your best bets if you’re simply looking to boost your calorie intake. On the other hand, if you’re hoping to gain muscle mass through strength training, creatine powders and pre-workouts are worth considering. Here is a closer look at each type. Potential side effects: Side effects vary based on the ingredients. Those with lactose intolerance or a milk allergy should avoid protein supplements that contain those ingredients. Some protein supplements also include additives that may cause digestive distress in some people. Protein plays an essential role in building and maintaining muscle mass.

However, protein intake without a calorie surplus and an appropriate resistance training program will not result in building lean muscle mass. For this reason, if you use a protein supplement in a weight gain diet plan, it’s important to make sure you also maintain a calorie surplus. One way to find out whether you’re eating enough calories is to track your diet on a few typical days to determine whether you need to adjust your total calorie intake. From there, you can also adjust yotainly increase the number of calories you’re eating. However, some people find the taste and consistency of these products unpleasant. Additionally, although these supplements can be convenient when you’re on the go, another option is simply to eat more food, such as trail mix or smoothies, which would also provide other beneficial nutrients. Creatine may have an indirect effect on lean muscle mass gains because of its potential to boost exercise performance. When you take creatine as a supplement, the creatine concentration in your muscles increases.

This can lead to performance benefits and muscle gain over time. After this initial period, Titan Rise Review a dose of approximately 3-5 g per day is recommended for maintaining creatine levels. Some people may experience short-term weight gain when starting creatine supplements, which can be attributed to changes in fluid balance. "Total body water is increased with creatine supplementation, which could increase body weight. However, once creatine supplementation is stopped, phosphocreatine stores are diminished after 4-8 weeks, which may decrease body weight," explained Asbury. Potential side effects: Side effects vary based on the ingredients. For example, beta-alanine can cause harmless tingling sensations. Exercise, especially resistance training, is a necessary component of most weight gain plans. Pre-workout supplements may enable you to work out longer and at a higher intensity, which may indirectly lead to weight gain by contributing to muscle mass gain. However, don’t depend on most pre-workout supplements to boost your daily calorie intake. "At the end of the day, for someone to gain weight, they must be in a caloric surplus (eating more calories than they are metabolically burning), and pre-workout supplements are typically little to no calories," explained Asbury.