Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by
Have you ever wondered how those lean and muscular fitness freaks can eat just a few times a day to maintain their physique? It’s not by chance. They’re using their nutritional knowledge to calculate out every single macro and micro nutrient needed to make sure their muscles have enough energy to grow, and that there’s no extra fat.
Liquid meal replacement weight gain shakes are a much easier way to add calories into your daily diet than many people realize. The best liquid meal replacement for weight gain is a great addition to any muscle building routine. If you want to know more about Liquid Meal Replacement For Weight Gain, make sure you read this article.
Liquid Meal Replacement For Weight Gain
When we think of weight gain, we tend to think of protein powders which are designed to bulk you up and build muscle, whilst meal replacement shakes are usually associated with weight loss, although the market is now more focused on the nutritional content of meal replacements, and ensuring that they replicate (as much as they can) the nutrient profile of a complete meal.
This means that meal replacements can be great for those who are looking to boost their nutritional intake, supplement to meet their dietary goals, or want a convenient and flexible alternative to a traditional meal, be that breakfast, lunch or dinner. We don’t have to immediately jump to thoughts of very restrictive diets and the occasional bowl of cabbage soup anymore; there are healthier ways to achieve your goals.
Given their lower calories and carbs and the way they’re usually marketed, we don’t usually associate a meal replacement shake with weight gain. However, there is one very simple thing to remember when it comes to weight management. If you are looking to lose weight, you need to expend more calories than you consume, and the opposite for weight gain. It makes sense, therefore, that meal replacement shakes can indeed be used for weight gain. As ever, there are certainly things to be aware of before you implement any major changes to your routine or begin to incorporate meal replacement shakes into your diet.
What should you look for to gain weight with meal replacements?
If you are looking to gain weight, having a meal replacement shake as a snack in addition to your regular diet will help to increase your calorie yield over the course of the day. However, you should also take into account any artificial sweeteners, flavourings, and other ingredients, as these may have adverse effects on your health. You can find out more about some of the artificial ingredients you might see in meal replacement shakes in this guide. Try to find a brand which offers third party testing of its powders, like Vivo Life, as this is a great way to ensure that your shakes do not contain pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals such as mercury.
You’ll also want a meal replacement product which is high in protein, and low in sugars, as your body will use the proteins for muscle protein synthesis, whereas the sugars are much more likely to be used in immediate energy. As men usually require around 2,500 calories a day, and around 2,000 for women, looking to increase this calorie requirement with a shake can help with weight gain. Vivo Life’s nutritional shake, WHOLE, contains 21g of protein and 25 essential vitamins and minerals – having this as a mid afternoon snack will not only help with the increase in calories, it’ll give you a good boost of plant-based nutrition. Plus, it tastes good!
I’ve previously looked into the benefits of nutritional shakes for elderly people, and how they can help with weight gain and maintenance. Much of this information is also beneficial to younger people, as there is no ‘one size fits all’ meal replacement shake for weight gain. It is, of course, possible to make your own meal replacement shake, or to add ingredients to a shake to better tailor it to your needs.
For example, healthy fats like avocado, are a great way to gain weight and they can also add a wonderful creamy texture to a shake. Peanut butter is another excellent addition to a shake to add more calories. If you’re already using a plant-based protein powder or meal replacement shake then there are a number of things you can add to those to boost your calorie intake – plus, you can tailor how your shakes taste every day!
Meal replacement shakes can also help you to gain weight in a healthy and controlled way. Having a nutrient dense option available can help to prevent you from reaching for the snack drawer and the empty calories associated with many convenience foods.
A note on your exercise routine
If your exercise routine is maintained during the time you are using more calories, or adding a meal replacement shake into your routine, then you will likely gain weight. If you are looking to bulk up, then adding a high protein meal replacement and upping your strength exercises will help to build lean muscle. As always, a healthcare professional should be consulted before any major changes to your diet, especially if you have a long term or chronic illness which may affect weight gain.
Well, if you eat more calories than you expend throughout the day you will gain weight. Complementing a whole foods diet with a meal replacement shake as a snack or as a breakfast on the go can benefit any desire to gain weight in a healthy way.
Best Meal Replacement For Weight Gain
Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer
One problem with meal replacements is the use of low-quality ingredients. Often, they’ll be filled with maltodextrin, a simple carbohydrate, to increase the calorie count. Maltodextrin has its purpose, for example providing a quick, easy to digest energy source to fuel hard workouts.
However, as a meal replacement, fast digesting carbohydrates isn’t ideal. We want to feel satisfied for a few hours and not be instantly hungry. This is where the Mass Gainer by Crazy Nutrition has it right as the best meal replacement for weight gain.
Instead of loading their meal replacement with cheap simple sugars, they’ve used natural food sources so you also get vitamins and minerals from these foods. Here’s a list of the main ingredients:
- Gluten free oat flour
- Pea starch
- Whey protein blend of whey isolate and concentrate
- Sweet potato flour
- Creatine monohydrate
- Flaxseed powder
The hidden benefit behind these ingredients is the incredibly low sugar content. Out of 100 g of carbohydrates per serving, only 6 g come from sugar. The rest are slower digesting complex carbohydrates. Here’s a breakdown of the macronutrients:
| Macro | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 695 |
| Protein | 51 g |
| Carbohydrates | 100 g (6 g sugar) |
| Fat | 8.8 g |
For some, this could be considered two meals! Which is fine as you can use ½ a serving and still have 350 calories with 25 g of protein. Nothing to scoff at. The people behind Crazy Nutrition have done their homework with their mass gainer as a common problem is bloating and indigestion with meal replacements.
They’ve added digestive enzymes to their Mass Gainer so you can easily assimilate the protein and carbohydrates without gas or bloating. Further, the addition of flaxseed powder provides omega 3 fatty acids.
A unique marketing feature by Crazy Nutrition is their 60-day money back guarantee. No supplement company offers a money back guarantee on their products except Crazy Nutrition. It goes to show how much they back their supplements.
See my full Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer review here.
Pros
- Carbohydrates from natural food sources, not simple carbohydrate fillers.
- Very high in protein increasing satiety forming a true meal replacement.
- Large serving size perfect for larger individuals. Easily halve the serving size for smaller individuals.
Cons
- Only two flavors currently. Vanilla and chocolate. If you’re not a fan of those, you are out of luck.
Best Meal Replacement For Weight Gain – Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer
Best Vegan Meal Replacement For Weight Gain
PhenQ Meal Replacement Shake
Gaining weight as a vegan can be difficult. Your food choices are limited and getting adequate protein each day becomes a challenging task. There’s only so many cans of chickpeas you can eat in a day.
Which is why I recommend the PhenQ Meal Replacement Shake as the best vegan meal replacement for gaining weight. Here is the calorie and macronutrient breakdown per serving:
| Macro | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 270 |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
These macronutrients make up coconut oil, pea protein, and linseed flour, also known as flaxseed flour. Coconut oil has been purported as the superfood of oils. While I won’t go as far as to say it’s the magical oil that cures all, an interesting study found 2-weeks of ingesting a meal consisting of 6 g coconut oil increased exercise time to exhaustion and attenuated the increase in blood lactate
How does this relate to weight gain? If you’re trying to gain weight, you are likely trying to gain muscle mass, not fat mass. By potentially reducing the rise in blood lactate when lifting weights, you may be able to perform more reps within a set before fatiguing, leading to more significant muscle growth.
Pea protein is an excellent protein powder alternative for those that are vegan or don’t digest whey protein well. While it may not be as effective as whey protein for spiking muscle protein synthesis (the building of new muscle mass), it seems that total daily protein intake may be more important
Finally, flaxseed flour is high in healthy omega-three fatty acids, which is often why flaxseed is added to smoothies. Interestingly, PhenQ has added Ashwagandha to their meal replacement shake, a traditional Indian medicinal herb. While Ashwagandha will not provide physical performance, weight gain, or weight loss benefits, it has unique properties affecting the brain.
Ashwagandha is known as a nootropic. Or brain drug. These nootropics enhance cognitive function and can help with anything from memory to focus. In fact, if you did not know, caffeine is classed as a nootropic. But I digress.
The benefits of Ashwagandha are most notable for reducing anxiety and stress in healthy humans
Further, 300 mg of Ashwagandha taken every day for ten weeks has improved sleep quality, sleep efficiency and anxiety in healthy adults
These benefits alone take the PhenQ Meal Replacement Shake above their competition. Suppose you are looking for a meal replacement that is keto-friendly or vegan. PhenQ also has your back with a complete vegan formulation with keto lovers in mind. This means there is no added sugar, filler content, or artificial sweeteners.
You also have a 60-day money-back guarantee so you can try it for yourself, risk-free. While their sales page is directed at weight loss (it’s the largest industry in fitness, so it makes sense), it doesn’t mean PhenQ Meal Replacement Shakes are solely for weight loss. Weight loss is a derivative of a caloric deficit.
To gain weight, you need to consume enough calories to be in a caloric surplus. So, this is how I would recommend using the PhenQ Meal Replacement shake for weight gain. Continue eating your regular daily meals.
But with one meal per day, sip on one serving of the PhenQ Meal Replacement. This way, you know for sure you are getting excess calories that you need. You’re on the right track if you see the scale moving up. If your weight starts to plateau, you can either increase the size of your meals or add a second PhenQ Meal Replacement, so you have two meals per day that have an additional shake.
Pros
- Vegan formulated and keto-friendly.
- No sugar fillers or artificial sweeteners.
- It contains Ashwagandha to improve cognitive function.
Cons
- Active males may need to double the serving size to add adequate calories.
Best Vegan Meal Replacement For Weight Gain – PhenQ Meal Replacement
Best Natural Meal Replacement For Weight Gain
Paleo Pro Carnivore Complete
Paleo Pro’s Carnivore Complete is an epic natural meal replacement for weight gain. There’s a reason I chose this as the best weight gain supplement for skinny women. It contains high-quality beef organs sourced from New Zealand cows, my home country.
We have some of the strictest animal welfare laws in the world. Just take a 30-minute drive out of the city in any direction, and you’ll see paddocks filled with cows free-roaming and feeding on grass. Add the fact protein is added from egg whites, and there is no wheat, gluten, grains, dairy, soy, fillers, or added sugars; you’ve got the most natural meal replacement on the market.
Here are the calories and macronutrient breakdown per serving:
| Macro | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 180 |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 2 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
Suppose you follow a keto diet or have a dairy intolerance. In that case, the Paleo Pro Carnivore Complete will fit perfectly in your pantry. Considering 75% of the world’s population loses its ability to digest lactose as they reach adulthood makes Carnivore Complete even more enticing [5].
The Ancient Cacao is my favorite flavor. However, drinking it on its own can leave a slight beefy after taste. It is made from beef, after all. But you get used to it quickly. You can easily mask the taste if you mix it with a smoothie.
Pros
- Sourced from New Zealand grass-fed cows.
- Contains beef organs for vital nutrients.
- Perfect for keto lovers and those who want fewer carbohydrates.
Cons
- It can have a slight beef aftertaste.
Best Tasting Meal Replacement For Weight Gain
Transparent Labs Protein Series Mass Gainer
Suppose taste is your most important quality to judge a meal replacement shake. In that case, Transparent Labs Protein Series Mass Gainer is probably your go-to choice. Unlike the other meal replacement shakes in this article, it is very high in simple carbohydrates. It is likely why it tastes so good!
The shake is sweet, smooth, and mixes well, providing a milkshake-like drink. But this shake packs a serious punch to your caloric intake. Check out the calories and macronutrient ratios per serving:
| Macro | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 790 |
| Protein | 53 g |
| Carbohydrates | 114 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
I would highly advise you to start with one serving, one scoop instead of two. One scoop will still give you roughly 400 calories which is more than enough in excess calories to pack on muscle mass and gain weight.
There are no artificial colors, sweeteners, or preservatives. It is gluten-free (except for cookies and cream flavor) for those allergic to gluten.
Be aware that while they state they use oat and sweet potato powder, there is only 1 g of each in a serving. So the bulk of the carbohydrates comes from a simple source, maltodextrin, which doesn’t provide much in the way of vitamins and minerals.
Pros
- Very high in calories for hard gainers to gain weight (due to the size of the serving).
- Great tasting due to the higher carbohydrate count.
- No artificial ingredients.
Cons
- Serving sizes are very large, which can be a struggle for some to get down.