When Is the Best Time to Take Protein Powder For Weight Gain?

Updated on September 30th, 2020
How To Use Protein Powder For Weight Gain

Whether you’re attempting to pack on muscle or recovering from an illness, protein powders are convenient to get extra calories and protein. Using protein powder to gain weight fast is healthy if you choose protein powders containing high-quality ingredients from whole foods [1].

What is Protein Powder?

Protein powder is one of the body developing supplements that may help lose weight, replace meals, build body muscles, or help enhance weight gain. There are 3 types of protein powders – soy, whey, and casein protein.

These powders are available at multiple prices in the markets. You can purchase them at any chemist or nutrition store near you.

Adding Calories for Weight Gain

Gaining weight can be as tricky as shedding weight. Individuals who have naturally fast metabolisms or thin frames may find it particularly challenging. The primary strategy for putting on weight is to increase your calorie consumption above your calorie expenditure.

A caloric surplus means your body has additional energy and raw materials that it can use to support other physiological functions and build muscle [2].

However, a caloric surplus can also result in a fat gain if you’re not attentive. To prevent this, you have to gradually increase your caloric intake, choose the relevant foods, and engage in the proper exercise regimen. Ideally, an increase of 250 to 500 calories per day is a great place to begin.

After some weeks, assess your results and see if you need to increase your calorie intake further.

[Also Read: High Protein Breakfast Recipes for Weight Loss]

More Protein to Gain Weight

Out of the 3 macronutrients — protein, fat, and carbohydrate-protein are most critical for gaining weight in the lean muscle mass form. Our body uses the amino acids in protein to build and maintain new muscle tissue. Protein also supports healing and the immune system after injury or illness.

So, how much protein powder do you require? That depends on several factors, including your gender, weight, and activity level.

The DRI (dietary reference intake) determined to be appropriate for the general population by the FNB (Food and Nutrition Board) of the NAM (National Academies of Medicine) is 56 grams of protein each day for men and 46 grams of protein daily for women.

The dietary reference intake is based on an average amount of .8 grams of protein per KG (kilogram) of body weight. For instance, a 150-person would require 54 grams of protein every day. Moreover, someone who weighs more than that will need more protein than DRI.

[Also Read: Top Protein Sources for Vegans]

A 195-pound person would require around 70 grams of protein each day, for instance.

Dietary reference intake is presented not only as a static number but as a percentage of calories. This is called the AMDR (acceptable macronutrient distribution range) and considers that women and men of different activity levels, ages, and weights have different calorie needs and varying protein requirements.

The acceptable macronutrient distribution range for protein is 10 to 30 percent of daily calories. If your calorie requirements are 2,800 per day, then you need to get 70 to 210 grams of protein, since one gram of protein has four calories, according to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture).

The percentage of our diet that protein must comprise depends primarily on our activity level. If we’re not exercising, we don’t require as much protein as someone who is active—the more intense our activity, the more stress we put on our muscles. Our protein requirements increase as our body’s recovery demands increase.

[Also Read: Why do you need a low Protein Diet]

Healthy individuals who engage in frequent strength-training activity should aim for 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per KG (kilogram) of body weight each day, according to an article published in the Journal of the ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition by the International Society of Sports Nutrition)June 2017 issue.

That means a 195-pound person would need 124 to 177 grams of protein, and a 150-pound person would require between 95 and 136 grams of protein.

Protein powder is an excellent tool to use to put on weight.  Protein powder offers several benefits to help people gain weight.

First, protein powder tastes well.  Protein powder like milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate, egg white protein, and micellar casein is excellent for making a weight gainer.  It is always recommended to buy unflavored protein powder, like unflavored whey protein. 

[Also Read: Benefits of Protein Bars]

When you purchase unflavored whey protein, it makes it very easy to prepare a protein shake.  If you purchase a chocolate whey protein, then your flavor options are minimal. 

Here is what is recommended when a person attempts to make a weight gainer shake with unflavored protein powder.

  1. Use unflavored protein powder
  2. 16 oz of juice or water 
  3. 1 tsp of creatine monohydrate
  4. Vegetable juice. Juice up lots of greens like spinach and kale,  then juice up carrots, beets, and ginger
  5. Add 3 tbsp of hemp oil and 3 tbsp of flax oil. Each tablespoon of hemp oil or flax oil is around 130 calories.

 

Therefore, by putting 6 tbsp of oil in your weight gainer shake, you will add around 800 calories to incorporate the unflavored protein powder that will add extra 120 calories. 

In the end, when your weight gainer is finished, you will have about a 1,000 calories drink that will not give you bloating and gas like most of the inferior-quality weight gainers being sold today.

Bottom Line

So now you know how to gain your weight with protein powder. However, if you have a hectic schedule, you could always try out other forms of foods that contain a high amount of proteins such as protein bars (which has an unrequired amount of carbohydrates and sugars), eggs, grilled chicken, and milk.

You can also try drinking protein shakes. You can now stop worrying about feeling isolated and being skinny. There’s always a way out to a healthier and better lifestyle.

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