5 Reasons to Stop Using Meal Replacements and Gainers

Whether you’re trying to add muscle mass to your frame or drop some stubborn and unwanted body fat, you may have read or been told that you should implement or try meal replacements and gainers. While these individuals mean well, their advice may not be ideal.

While supplements are exactly that (a supplement), using meal replacements and gainers can actually cause the opposite effect from what you’re looking to achieve.

Below in this article, I’m going to break down some of the reasons why you should skip meal replacements and gainers.

Note: I’m not saying ALL meal replacements and gainers are bad. However, the majority of what’s available on the market is not ideal or something I would consider a “healthy option.”

That being said, let’s get into the reasons!

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.

Why Should You Stop Drinking Meal Replacements and Gainers?

Why Should You Stop Drinking Meal Replacements and Gainers?

Below are five reasons you should stop drinking meal replacements and gainers:

1. You Can’t Control the Calories in Meal Replacements

If you were to look at meal replacements and gainers, you would see that many of them are loaded with calories. Obviously, a meal replacement is generally used to replace one of your meals, while a gainer is sometimes slammed with upwards of 1,000 calories or more.

Saying you can’t control the calories is somewhat untrue, as you can cut the serving size in half or even a quarter, but that’s not the intention of why a particular brand wants you to use their product.

The fact of the matter is, unless you have the time to change how much powder you are using to hit the calories you are looking for, you’re somewhat handcuffed into going with whatever the label states.

Here’s something else to consider, not all of the calories in these products are necessarily “clean” calories. It all depends on the macronutrient profile of the product you are using or looking to use. This leads us nicely into our next reason.

2. The Carbohydrate Content Tends to Be High

Some people don’t have any issues using maltodextrin as their carbohydrate source, while others tend to stay away from it — it all comes down to personal preference. However, again, unless you plan on manipulating how much powder you use in your meal replacements or gainers, you’re stuck using what the profile provides you.

Related Article: Weight Gainers Are Junk! Stop Buying Them!

Also, you need to understand the source of carbohydrates, how your body reacts to it, is it something you actually need or is it merely added in as a placeholder to pad the calorie count and fill out the macronutrients. After all, most people are looking for protein, carbs, and fat in these types of products.

To improve the profile, you could add some of your own ingredients, but then you end up jacking the calories up, which you may not want to do (especially if your goal is weight loss).

3. The Main Focus of Meal Replacements Isn’t on Protein

One of the most important macronutrients needed to help you either lose weight or build muscle is protein. Preserving and building lean muscle mass is the catalyst for achieving various goals through health and fitness.

Meal replacements and gainers tend to have a moderate amount of protein in the profile, which tends to be less than an ideal amount. Each product varies, but for the most part, meal replacements and gainers can have anywhere from 10g to 30g of protein (30g being more where you’d like to see the protein content falling around).

4. It’s Better to Make Your Own

Here’s my opinion on the topic… make your own. You can make your own meal replacements and gainers, and while it’s not as convenient as scooping a powder and mixing it up, the total calories and macronutrient breakdown are much better.

In order to make your own meal replacements and gainers, your base should be a quality whey protein powder. This can be a concentrate if you’re on a budget or an isolate if you have a little extra money and want a higher-quality protein source. The nice thing with a protein powder versus meal replacements and gainers is that they tend to be low in both carbs and fat, which gives you the flexibility to add in whatever sources you want to fulfill those macros versus being stuck with whatever is in the supplement’s profile.

From there, add in your preferred source of carbs and fat.

For carbohydrates, you can consider items like fruit (strawberries, bananas, blueberries, etc.), vegetables (kale, spinach, wheatgrass, etc.), oats, and even a squirt of honey to add some sweetness and more antioxidants if you wish. However, if you’re looking for added sweetness without the calories, you can always use a zero-calorie sugar substitute such as Splenda or Stevia.

When looking for healthy fats to toss into your homemade meal replacements and gainers, look for items like nuts or nut butters, such as peanuts or peanut butter, almonds or almond butter, cashews or cashew butter, etc. You could even utilize a powdered peanut butter if you were worried about the calorie count from nuts or the nut butters being too high.

By making your own meal replacements and gainers, not only can you get a better profile and a better-tasting shake, but you can also save money in the process — which can allow you to have more money to put towards grocery shopping and picking up healthy items that align with your goals.

5. Your Focus Should Be on Real Food

Last but certainly not least, we’re going in a totally different direction, and that is skipping the meal replacements and gainers altogether. Do you need these products? No. Are they convenient? Yes. But your main focus should be on wholesome, real food options that contain their natural micronutrient content so that you can get the most out of your meals.

If you are serious about achieving your desired results, meal prep is a must. There’s no getting away from it. What you put in your body will make or break your success. Fill it with junk, and you’ll look like junk. Fill it with healthy and nutrient-dense foods and watch your skin health improve, your body fat decrease, your muscle mass increase, and even an enhancement in your immune system.

Plan out your meals for the week and prepare all your items in bulk. You can put them all in separate Tupperware containers or make up actual meal containers that are simple grab-and-go items without having to think about what you’re going to eat.

In the end, if you realize it’s impossible (for whatever reason) to get in all of your meals through real food sources, then I’d highly recommend going the route of creating your own meal replacements and gainers using a protein powder and combining your favorite healthy carbs and fat.

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