Most mass gainers are just expensive sugar. Here's what actually works.

Walk into any supplement store and you'll see them. Giant tubs. Ridiculous serving sizes. Claims like "1,200 CALORIES PER SERVING!" in huge letters on the front.

Mass gainers.

And most of them are absolute garbage.

I'm going to tell you exactly why, and then I'll tell you what to look for if you actually want to gain weight without just getting fat and bloated.

The problem with most mass gainers

Look at the label on most mass gainers. Really look at it.

You'll see something like this:

• 1,200 calories
• 50g protein
• 250g carbs

Sounds great, right? Wrong.

Now look at the ingredient list. What's the first ingredient? Usually maltodextrin. Sometimes dextrose. Occasionally "waxy maize starch."

You know what all those are? Sugar. Just fancy names for sugar.

That 250 grams of carbs? It's basically 250 grams of sugar with some food coloring and artificial flavoring.

You might as well blend up a protein shake with a bag of gummy bears. Same thing. Cheaper too.

Why this matters

Your body can only process so much sugar at once.

When you slam 250 grams of sugar in one shake, here's what happens:

Your blood sugar spikes through the roof. Your pancreas freaks out and dumps a massive amount of insulin into your bloodstream. That insulin tries to shuttle all that sugar somewhere.

Some goes to your muscles. Most goes to your fat cells.

Then your blood sugar crashes. You feel like shit. You're hungry again in an hour.

And you wonder why you're gaining weight but it's all going to your gut instead of your arms.

The "just eat more food" argument

Yeah, I know. Someone in the comments is already typing "just eat real food, bro."

They're not wrong. Eating actual food is always better than drinking your calories.

But here's reality: some people can't eat enough food.

If you're 150 pounds trying to get to 180, you need to eat 3,500+ calories per day. That's a lot of chicken and rice. That's a lot of chewing. That's a lot of meal prep.

Some people don't have the appetite. Some people don't have the time. Some people try and just can't force down that much solid food.

That's where a mass gainer makes sense. IF you buy the right one.

What makes a good mass gainer

A good mass gainer should have:

Multiple protein sources

Not just cheap whey concentrate. You want a blend of fast, medium, and slow-digesting proteins. Whey isolate, whey concentrate, casein, egg protein. This gives you sustained amino acid delivery instead of one big spike.

Real food carbs

Oats. Not just maltodextrin. Actual whole grain oats. They digest slower, keep your blood sugar stable, and don't make you feel like garbage.

The right protein-to-carb ratio

Most mass gainers are like 10:1 carbs to protein. That's too much. You want something closer to 2:1. That means for every 50g of protein, you're getting 100g of carbs. Not 250g.

Reasonable serving size

If the serving size is 4-5 scoops, that's a red flag. You shouldn't need half the tub for one shake.

What we actually recommend

PROTEIN GAI7NER SYNTHESIS by Vitasport is what we stock at the store.

Here's why it's different:

Seven protein sources. Whey concentrate, whey isolate, hydrolyzed whey, hydrolyzed casein, potassium caseinate, micellar casein, and egg albumin. You're getting fast, medium, and slow proteins all in one serving.

2:1 carb-to-protein ratio. 54 grams of protein to 108 grams of carbs. Reasonable. Not insane.

Includes whole grain oats. Not just maltodextrin and dextrose. Actual oats mixed in with the fast carbs. This slows digestion and keeps you full longer.

700 calories per serving. Not 1,200. You can actually drink this without wanting to die. And if you need more calories, you can add another scoop or mix it with milk. Start reasonable, add more if needed.

You're getting quality ingredients. Not just cheap sugar dressed up with marketing.

How to actually use a mass gainer

Most people screw this up.

They think "more is better" and start slamming 1,500-calorie shakes twice a day. Then they wonder why they gained 15 pounds in a month and look soft as hell.

Here's how to do it right:

Use it to fill gaps, not replace meals

A mass gainer shake should supplement your food, not replace it. You should still be eating real meals. The shake fills in the gaps when you can't eat enough solid food.

Start with one shake per day

Don't jump straight to three shakes. Start with one. See how your body responds. Are you gaining weight? Good. Keep it there. Not gaining? Add more food or another shake.

Time it right

Best times for a mass gainer shake:

• Post-workout (when your body can actually use those carbs)
• Between meals (when you need calories but don't have time to eat)
• Before bed (if you're using a slower-digesting formula)

Worst time: First thing in the morning on an empty stomach. You'll feel like garbage.

Track your weight

Weigh yourself once a week. Same day, same time, same conditions.

Gaining 1-2 pounds per week? Perfect.

Gaining 3-4+ pounds per week? You're eating too much. Probably getting fat.

Not gaining at all? Add more calories.

The truth about "hardgainers"

"I can't gain weight no matter what I eat."

Yeah, you can. You're just not eating as much as you think you are.

Track your calories for three days. Actually measure everything. You'll probably find you're eating way less than you thought.

Most "hardgainers" are eating 2,000-2,500 calories and wondering why they're not growing. You need 3,500+ if you're training hard and trying to bulk.

A mass gainer shake makes hitting that number way easier. But you still have to eat actual food too.

What about cheaper options?

"Can't I just buy maltodextrin powder and add it to protein shakes?"

Sure. It's way cheaper. You'll save money.

But you'll feel terrible. Your blood sugar will be all over the place. You'll be hungry all the time. And you'll probably gain more fat than muscle.

Is it worth saving $20 to feel terrible and get worse results?

Your call.

Red flags in mass gainers

Don't buy a mass gainer if you see:

Proprietary blends - If they won't tell you exactly what's in it and how much, they're hiding something. Usually that they're using cheap ingredients.

"Extreme" in the name - MEGA MASS 5000! EXTREME GAINER ULTRA! These are marketing to teenagers. They're usually the worst offenders for sugar content.

More than 300g of carbs per serving - Nobody needs 300 grams of carbs in one shake. That's just irresponsible.

First ingredient is maltodextrin - If the very first ingredient is maltodextrin or dextrose, it's a sugar bomb. Pass.

The bottom line

Most mass gainers are overpriced sugar with some protein powder mixed in.

If you're going to use one, get something with multiple protein sources, whole food carbs like oats, and a reasonable serving size.

PROTEIN GAI7NER SYNTHESIS checks all those boxes. 700 calories, 54g of protein from seven sources, includes oats, 2:1 ratio. 

Could you save money buying cheap maltodextrin powder? Yeah. Will you get better results with quality ingredients? Also yeah.

And for the love of everything, stop buying those 3,000-calorie sugar bombs at the big box stores. You're just making yourself fat and broke.