I accidentally bought a protein powder that gains weight by mistake, can I still use it to lose weight if I only consume small portions? Or is it completely useless now?

Children can drink a weight gainer shake for breakfast without much trouble or consequence and there are far too many that go to school hungry even when they do not have to. Even mixed into oatmeal or with cereal***, even an old style weight gainer can do wonders for a growing child. Even if you cannot use it, perhaps, a neighbor’s kid can make effective use of the product. Mixed in whole milk and whole milk ice cream (some products today are high protein ice cream and pack more protein than conventional milk) can make a great breakfast —that milk fat does wonders, no skim— though I would not recommend making it a dinner even if it was isocalorically equivalent to your (or the child’s) normal dinner. In this regard, most people eat a tiny breakfast and a huge dinner and it really should be the other way around. Given the right milk and ice cream, this would also go a long ways to improving on the western diet intake of magnesium and potassium. A similar process can be done with Icelandic Skyr (to me, a FAR superior product to Greek yogurt) provided that omega 3 EFAs are added because there is so little fat in the Skyr.

** If the pack has a padded back —adding some pieces of pool noodle will make this more viable— a beginner can use cans of dense foodstuffs (beans, lentils, that sort of thing) as resistance and, ironically, inexpensive boots that lack any cushioning (it would break down quickly indeed under the load) would be great for going up a flight of stairs every two minutes. You might only be able to go up once the first time and it might take weeks before you can go twice and that is OK even if a surprising amount of people would not think so.

In conventional terms, a weight gainer shake is loaded with carbs with the intent of rapidly replenishing glycogen stores in muscle. These carbs are great for someone lifting intensely and/or working out multiple times per day but they are awful for someone whose glucose metabolism is impaired, like someone with type 2 diabetes, regardless of the specific reason for the impairment. Some other products are intended for weight gain as well, however, the carbohydrates in them are different, they are rolled oats, barley, etc…. the “weight gainer” come in the outrageous serving size. Some weight gainers are simply lots of whey protein (not just isolate, concentrates, and hydrolysates as well) with added vitamins and minerals, as well as fats, and fiber. The first case is clearly useless for anyone other than the individuals described. The second case speaks for itself, even people who DO lift should probably use a smaller serving and a much smaller serving would be just as convenient, if not as flavorful or satisfying. The third case is more complicated: often, these shakes are made artificially nutrient dense but have ingredients —when other than those specified— that leave one shaking their head, sodium caseinate (more or less bad) is not even close to micellar casein (far better, particularly before bed) and amounts of sodium —often “or” but occasionally “and”— or potassium that are sufficiently large so as to alter what an appropriate dose of a medication intended to control blood pressure might be.

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* The pH scale is logarithmic so that the error in the measurement by titration by an analytical chemist is minuscule whereas the methods available to most people to measure pH have error factors that are orders of magnitude greater. Thus, work done by titration at a time when the precision of the artifacts was extraordinary —the people who made scientific glassware by hand were truly the unappreciated heroes of their time— is valid even today.

A lot of this depends on the actual product purchased and the ingredients. For instance, I would not consume a product that contained caffeine and creatine, even on purpose, because the research is clear, creatine and caffeine do not mix. That is before one considers the pH of the mixture and the rate at which creatine is converted into creatinine while you wait —this was worked out in the late 1920’s and early 30’s* so it isn’t like the company didn’t know. The ingredients that are added in ineffective quantities because people have heard of the ingredient and will buy the product because the ingredient is listed on the label are termed vanity ingredients with good reason. What that means to you is that there are a lot of reasons for throwing products away; comparatively few to keep them. Having said that, caffeine is the most common drug of abuse in the nation, often, every morning, by millions of Americans so keep the creatine in capsules and nowhere near the caffeine. Having said that, the shake can be fortified and made more flavorful with a pre workout product that is creatine free but loaded with caffeine. You might have to search for it and avoid the mountain of people saying either that it is ok or that you should just buy their product and try it. Given a vanilla weight gainer, a pre workout fruit punch will come through as something like strawberries. Caffeine generally makes whatever it is added to more bitter and adding straight glycine (neither L nor D nor R or S as there is no chiral carbon and a solution does not turn polarized light in either direction) to the mixture will help that without adding sugar or sugar alcohols or aspartame.

If someone needs to feel full and obtain the nutrients they need, when convenience is not an absolute factor, then a base of thoroughly liquified vegetables is a great idea (no fruits other than tomatoes —technically, that is what they are— as a base to add a powder. Given a modest amount of salt, it is unlikely that any flavor would really come through enough to be a bother, however, it might become an addiction, at tablespoons, the powder will last a long time indeed! A friend dumps avocado and green onions into his shake and blends in some nuts in the process and presto! health in an adult sippy cup! If liquified sufficiently, the liquefaction can be done the night before if you cannot make that kind of racket early in the morning.

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I wrote something a while back concerning exercise outside of a gym and it has gotten a few upvotes so it might be something worthwhile to consider reading. I offer this because, for a lot of people, the idea of going to a gym is difficult to stomach and I used to purchase a great weight gainer that had awesome ingredients, just a serving size that was next to unbelievable! If the flavor was fairly good —all the more so when mixed with some of the same company’s protein powder— there were still TEN POUNDS of it, at one time, A WEEK! And that was on top of the very large grocery bill; just imagine how much milk that meant after every workout! I wasn’t going to throw it away any more than I would throw the milk away if I ran out of shake; milk, though loaded with sugar, is a good and nutrient dense drink that when consumed in 32 oz servings makes for a healthy enough meal. I should mention that my bodyfat dropped 10% (down to 10%) and I gained about 30 lbs of fat free mass during the same period. The point is that it isn’t as simple as calories in and calories out, the timing of something, given some characteristics, is an important component of the decision to consume something and how to consume it. I would tell someone to eat two tomatoes or three before they consider one apple at 11 at night but why not have that apple at 11 am?

*** What passes for cereal at most homes has such a high glycemic index that one has to wonder why people are not in diabetic comas all the time! I mean something more substantial and raw. Compared to most cereals, instant oats have a lower glycemic index and that is very disturbing. I mean, mix with the milk in overnight oats if at all possible —still, add the key lime pie omega 3s, it truly cannot be beat! (there are other flavors, I just really love that one and the citrus sorbet flavors of the Barlean’s product).

Did I mention you could mix it with frozen blueberries or frozen raspberries and ice cream? Did I mention that some powders will even do well as an add-on to a base white sauce intended to be spiced up to sweet and savory? For a lot of recipes, if they can take almond or soy milk —generally vanilla flavored— then this can also be a place to throw in some of the powder as well. Of course, given something like instant mashed potatoes, it can also make something either better or much worse depending on the product.

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Far too often, some form of the lament “I don’t want to get too bulky” is heard, often, multiple times a day! The fact is that muscle is 9 times denser than fat; that is to say that it occupies a volume that is 9 times smaller than an equivalent amount of fat. Further, everyone that has ever heard the lament has, in their mind, wish that it was that easy to increase muscle mass and to build bone density —both are equally necessary, strong muscles cannot pull on weak bones and strong bone is lost with surprising rapidity to the absence of stimulus produced by weak muscles—, it truly is not an easy task. I said that to say this: I have no idea why everyone seems to think of “fitness” as including being lighter than before. Creatine has been used experimentally with considerable success as a hypoglycemic agent. In that regard, creatine works by increasing the translocation of GLUT-4 receptors; receptors that are mostly expressed on muscle cells, to the surface of the cell such that more glucose is absorbed. Creatine is NOT metformin and it is still an open question whether it can be used in conjunction with metformin and, currently, I would NOT recommend that use. Given that, someone that works out in some way can benefit from a weight gainer —as I said before, even people that lift might well need to reduce their dosages— such that the higher the glycemic index the closer to dropping the barbell on the final set of the day I would drink it; some things, I’d drink during the last quarter of your workout time.

The term “weight gainer” is generally thrown about by people seeking to sell a product, particularly, those that do not actually lift or throw. These powders have acquired, particularly when it comes to a belief that the product MUST be adulterated, a near mythical state —particularly, among healthcare providers who should know better— when all they are is convenient; they are neither magically good nor magically bad or filled with anabolic androgenic agents. I personally used to know someone who was quite large and did it entirely with food; he consumed FIVE chicken breasts a day! I feel tired just thinking about it! Is chicken a high quality protein?, absolutely; is chicken, therefore a “weight gainer”? If you saw this guy, you'd scream that it was! Ultimately, it is just chicken and I cannot imagine eating that much chicken in one day and then doing it again tomorrow. I say that to say this: given the right ingredients, your powder is as good as the flavor you can get and accept with a dose of say two tablespoons or four in milk —I would not recommend trying to mix it with water unless you also added a considerable amount of soluble fiber as a thickener —adding something like maltodextrin would be awful, that is a carbohydrate frequently found in cheap (read “steal your money”) shakes. So, this shake can represent an opportunity to increase your fiber and omega 3 EFA intake considerably while adding some deliciousness and some variety to your breakfasts. Mix some Barlean’s Omega 3 liquid in Key Lime Flavor with a vanilla shake and you will be in heaven! They also make a flaxseed liquid which I believe comes in blueberry. That matters because I do have a weight gainer that will not work given two tablespoons in 16 oz of milk, however, it is sinfully delicious given frozen blueberries and the standard serving size on the can —this is strictly an after workout treat that would probably kill three diabetics! Flavorful convenience if somewhat pricier than merely mixing in a couple of tablespoons of powder in whole milk and it means that you would not have to throw the powder away.