If you are a man or woman who needs to gain weight, you are on the opposite side of the coin from most people out there who are looking to shift their weight with supplements. In fact, most people have probably commented that you are "lucky" to have such a problem. If you are too lean, however, it can affect you in more ways than just your looks.

If you are a woman who needs to gain weight, it is imperative that you do so for a host of reasons. If you are too thin, your bones can become more and more brittle over time and you run the risk of suffering from osteoporosis later in life. In the present, you can find yourself with dry, brittle hair that breaks off or falls out easily, and it can start to lack shine. You may see it in your skin as well; the loss of that rosy glow will be replaced with an overall pallid skin tone. As disturbing as these ideas may be, they are the least of your worries if you need to gain weight in order to be healthy. A woman who is significantly underweight will likely not menstruate, and can have problems bearing children. If you are in this category, consider speaking to your doctor, for you could definitely benefit from a weight gainer supplement.

Weight gainer supplements are usually in the form of a powder that you mix into a shake. People that need to gain weight usually are not eating enough; however, it is not usually something inherently wrong in their system that makes them fail to gain enough healthy weight. Rather, they are simply not hungry enough to consume sufficient calories for their body. With a weight gain shake, you can make up these missing calories in one quick drink and it is generally quite tasty.

The difference between a weight gainer and a protein powder is usually the amount of calories found in the weight gainer. Certainly, there will be more protein also, but the calorie content can run anywhere from four hundred to one thousand calories per serving, whereas your standard serving for a protein shake will be between ninety and one hundred and fifty calories per serving. Some people will only need to drink one weight gainer shake per day, while others may need to consume two or three depending on how many calories are being burned during the day, and how much weight they need to gain.

If you are a man who needs to gain weight, it can be particularly tricky. For better or worse, women tend to hold onto weight more easily than men. Some men can eat like there is nothing stopping them and still have a very difficult time packing on the pounds.

If you are one of these men, you definitely want to consider checking out a weight gainer drink or supplement.

You can easily find weight gaining supplements in a vitamin or health food store, and they are generally included in the bodybuilding aisle. Certainly, if you are trying to gain weight for this purpose, this is your fastest and best bet to gain mass. Nobody wants to mess with illegal steroid use to gain weight, and natural is always better for your health. These weight gainer supplements generally come in the form of natural whey proteins, egg proteins, and/or soy.

The protein content is quite high in these supplements, as is the amino acid profile. Especially important in the amino acid profile is glutamine and creatine. Glutamine is found naturally in all of the weight gainer type of foods that you would anticipate finding it in, such as beef, eggs and milk. As previously mentioned, because it is difficult for many people to eat enough beef, eggs, milk and other highly dense foods in order to gain the weight they wish or need to gain, a weight gainer shake can help tremendously. Creatine, also usually included in these weight gain supplements, is actually an acid that helps protein synthesis by helping along some of the other amino acids. It is often used by bodybuilders as a supplement to help them gain muscle mass and preserve lean muscle tissue after a workout.

Other than branch chain amino acids, or BCAA’s, weight gainer supplements will often include nitric oxide, a chemical compound that acts as a messenger in the body, and also helps many of the important amino acids to do their job in developing and preserving lean muscle tissue. This, in turn, will help you gain the desired weight.

Whatever your reason for supplementing with a weight gainer, be sure to choose one with a reputable name and high-quality ingredients. Be leery of any that contain a lot of sugars or starches. You want to gain your weight in a smart way and make sure you gain lean muscle as opposed to fat. You can accomplish this by making a smart, healthy and tasty choice with a weight gainer shake.