In my log I said I was considering buying 2 bags of weight gainer. Genz replied:
This sounds great, and will save me a lot of money if it's true. Do you have any links to back this up Genz? Does anyone else agree with this? Would 3 teaspoons or tablespoons of table sugar per drink be effective (3 times per day)? How effective is just table sugar compared to a mixture of table sugar, dextrose, and maltose? Where can I get dextrose and maltose?

I know that is a lot of questions, but this will be a gold mine for me if it is true.

Alan Aragon has recipes and ballpark suggestions. Even though I'm very sure I read about the general amounts in one of the publicly available articles, I cannot find it anymore. They are def. in the review. But I can't post them on the interwebs. The fact that weight gainers are protein powders plus carbs is probably even in the FAQ...

The fact that all weight gainers are protein + sugar, yeah it's pretty accurate

Though I prob wouldn't go nuts with the sugar and would add some peanut butter, since it can be added to anything to make it delicious, nutritious, and you can easily add 500 cals

I found the public ballpark recommendation. It's in the comments to an article:

Link: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...an-aragon.html, his 2nd comment.

http://pogue972.blogspot.com/2006/04...beginners.html

Insuline spikes are overrated. That's def. in the free issue of the AARR. And it's not elevated "all the time" when you have a pre- and post-workout drink with simple carbs in them. Fruits etc. are def. better, but not totally necessary. Just saying. Don't worry too much.

Okay, I am 5'10" 150 lbs. If my target weight is 180 then getting 45g of protein from protein powder and 90g of carbs from table sugar pre- and post-workout would be the correct method according to Alan Aragon's ballpark recommendation, right?

If I were to use protein powder, various fruits, olive or flax oil, and some ground oats, as Shieler suggested, then what amounts should I use?

I wouldn't exclusively use table sugar. Use cocoa powder / chocolate milk. Add some dextrose if you want. Maltose is good too.

The 90g carbs pre- and post is correct if you can be "liberal" with carbs, i.e. are very skinny. But you have to think about the following: if you mix it in 300ml of milk, this stuff is going to be very, very sweet. So you'll need to use at least 500ml. And that will fill you up quite a lot. I don't know if it's so great before a workout. Depends on how easily you throw up. I'd stick to 25% carbs pre and 50% post. Calculate the carbs and the protein of the milk and the protein powder you use. Then fill up with chocolate and dextrose/sucrose/maltose/honey/fruits/oat flakes w/e.

When you use fruits etc. you need to do quite a few calculations if you want to hit the recommendations. You obv. have to do this only a few times to get a feeling. I personally don't like shakes with solid pieces in it, esp. oat flakes etc. even when you use a blender. That's a matter of taste.

Will I be good using any combination for carbs as long as I use a little variety? Also, are carbs and protein the only two variables I should be concerned about when making a weight gainer cocktail, or should I also have a goal number of calories, or think about some other variable?

you obviously need to hit your kcal goal for the day. I think a lot can be said for a use of certain sugars. AFAIK you want to keep the fructose level low. But I don't know the details. They are pretty complicated. Alan Aragon has quite a lot of decent stuff about this. Some of it is free. For the rest you need to subscribe to his service for $10 per month for at least one month. You get tons of info for the subscription though. Check out his page. http://www.alanaragon.com.

In a nutshell, using chocolate milk as the carb provider and filling the protein up with decent whey (not pea) protein, should be the best way to go. Read this: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/mus...-recovery.html

wtf guys

OP,

A weight-gainer is only effective so far as it fills in the components of your total required daily calories and macros. Obsessing over 2:1 ratios of C:P for your pwo shake does nothing to address this.

+frozen berries=tasty

+1

I just read an article in the FAQs that said skinny people like me need calories more than we need exact super-health-type foods. I am a pretty strict vegetarian who doesn't eat meat or eggs. Thus, I would like to drink as much protein and as many calories as I can. What if I made a healthy shake using whole milk, protein powder, berries, other fruit, olive oil, peanut butter, oat flakes, honey, or any of the other ingredients that have been suggested itt, and drank enough of these per day to meet my daily kcal and g/protein goals when combined with my relatively low protein/low calorie vegetarian diet? Would the calories and protein still be effective if the bulk of them come from shakes instead of food, or would this be a bad attempt at a shortcut? It seems like it would work to me, but what do I know . . .

That is about right, with the "meet my daily kcal and g/protein goals" being the key part.

Milk, protein powder, fruit, pb, etc are all fine within the context of the above. Liquid calories just as effective. While giving primacy to calories and macros over "healthy-foods" is fine, don't ignore them completely.

Its all about getting a great blender.... with one, there are no solid pieces, be it fruit, oat flakes, nuts, etc

It's all about not being a ****ing pussy.

Here are the ingredients that have been suggested so far to make a protein shake high in calories/add carbs/add protein (#s according to fitday.com):

sugar: 1 tbsp = 48 cal, 12g carbs, 0 protein
peanut butter: 1 tbsp = 94 cal, 3g carbs, 4g protein
olive oil: 1 tbsp = 119 cal, 0g carbs, 0g protein
cocoa powder (hot chocolate): 1 tbsp = 113 cal, 24g carbs, 2g protein
flaxseed oil: 1 tbsp = 120 cal, 0g carbs, 0g protein
oats: 1 tbsp = 38 cal, 6g carbs, 2g protein
(frozen raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries all are low in calories and protein, so I assume they are just for the 3-4g carbs/tbsp and flavor)

Based on these numbers it looks like peanut butter, olive oil, cocoa powder, and flaxseed oil are good options for calories; sugar and cocoa powder for carbs (oats for complex carbs); and peanut butter for protein. Cocoa powder and oats offer a good mix of all 3.

One article in the FAQs says that skinny people like me need to get 3500-4000 calories/day to gain weight. The very first section in the FAQs says to get 1-1.5g protein per 1 lb lean body mass. I weight 150 lbs, so that's 150-225g. So I have calories and protein figured out.

What about carbs/day? What ratio of simple and complex? Are there any other variables I should be considering when constructing a daily intake plan to gain weight besides calories, protein, and carbs?

Banana is also good in a shake. Frozen berries give a good texture/consistency too. Too little and its a little runny and the oats/heavy stuff will sink. They prop that **** up like a good pushup bra.

You can go 2X gm carbs/pound bodyweight or so.

why do you drink milk but not eat eggs? eat eggs. also if you are struggling with cals fruit and nut mix.

once again, the ultimate weight gainer contains peanut butter, really hard to find something that tastes as good, mixes in a blender, and packs as many calories in a small package.

I'd go:

-milk
-banana
-2-3 heaping spoonfuls of PB
-maybe whey, but you probably don't need it

How's this look:

24 oz whole milk = 450 cal, 36g carbs, 24g protein
1 scoop chocolate whey protein = 120 cal, 3g carbs, 24g protein
3 tbsp peanut butter = 282 cal, 9g carbs, 12g protein
3 tbsp oats = 114 cal, 18g carbs, 6g protein
3 tbsp sugar = 144 cal, 36g carbs
3 tbsp olive oil = 357 cal

total for shake = 1467 cal, 120g carbs, 66g protein

x2 shakes/day = 2934 cal, 240g carbs, 134g protein

that thing seems huge, I don't get all the **** you're putting in it either. It doesn't need to be 1400 calories, something like ~750 will do, once or twice a day. Have you tried it, my guess is that would taste like ****.