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Prolabs N Large 2 is a very
popular weight gainer which when combined with creatine is
supposed to guarantee weight gain. For the uninitiated,
creatine monohydrate is a nutrient naturally found in our
bodies and is a combination of the amino acids arginine,
glycine and methionine. Creatine provides energy to our
muscles for movements and our body gets this from food or
supplements. The amount of creatine in our body depends on our
body weight and muscle mass and an average human being uses
about 2 grams a creatine a day. It is found in cod, tuna,
salmon, beef and pork. Though these meats contain creatine, it
it would be unwise to eat too much on meat most of the meats
like red meat which as everyone knows contain high levels of
saturated fat and cholesterol. Vegetarians tend to have less
of creatine in their bodies. The idea is to get concentrated
source of creatine in our diet without eating too much of that
high cholesterol meat. So, people look at the supplement
creatine monohydrate, the most popular brand being the value
for money American creatine.
Another popular weight gain
supplement is SupliMed® which targets those suffering from
weight loss due cancers, irritable bowel syndrome, anorexia,
AIDS etc though healthy persons can also benefit from this. It
claims to be completely natural and FDA approved.
In the natural order of things, the way to gain weight is to
eat a certain amount of calories everyday. Basically, what you
require is some common sense and a lot of patience. But, in
this day and age a lot a people do not have a lot of patience
– everything has to materialize in an instant. So, here come
in the supplements.
What is recommended when scouting for a weight gainer is that
each serving provide more than the usual 250 to 300 calories
per serving provided by the regular meal replacement powders,
the product be low in simple sugars, high in proteins like
whey, casein and egg. Fat content is important too because
added fat helps to increase the calories of each shake.
Prolab Nutrition's N-Large2 claims to contain cross flow,
micro filtered, cold processed ion exchanged whey. This
protein has a superior amino acid profile bioavailability, is
low in lactose. Some other popular supplements which are
recommended are protein powders, amino acids, creatine,
vanadyl sulfate, boron and , beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl butyrate
(HMB).
Also recommended are superior quality multivitamin and mineral
supplements, exercise, resistance training like lifting
weights which increases muscle mass ( more effective than
aerobics which burns fat ). Extra amino acid formulas have
been shown to improve muscle mass in some quarters. Strictly
avoid junk foods, sugary or greasy foods, steroids or
questionable supplements. Experts do not recommend high
calorie crash weight gain formulas loaded with simple
carbohydrates and fats but those which are moderately high
calorie, high protein formulas. These are generally around 600
calories, 50g protein per serving, high carb and and can be
mixed with water or skimmed milk. These weight gain formulas
are more suited to those who struggle to eat enough food and
put on quality weight and those with a fast metabolism and
have too busy a lifestyle to add some quality calories. These
weight gain formulas should not be seen as a substitute for
good food but as something to add those extra quality
calories.
Generaly weight gain supplements are based o milk proteins
such as casein, sodium caseinate, lactoalbumin or whey powder,
egg protein ( albumin ) or soy protein ( soy isolates ). Sugar
is added for flavouring in the form of sucrose, maltodextrin,
maltose, dextrose or corn syrup.
Some other names in the market are Sustagen hospital formula,
Sustagen gold, weight gainer, Endura opti, massive and huge.
Some common nutritional supplements are Ensure, ensure plus,
Isocal and Fortisip.
Since a lot of these weight gain formulas are extremely
expensive, one could try the following recipe at home.
One kilogram milk or skimmed milk powder
One cup sugar
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