5 Real Food Weight Gain Shakes (Paleo & SCD)

“How do I get more calories?” is a common asked question on this site. Eating more meat and more fat containing foods high in calories is the first step. The second easy change to make is to eat more meals each day; start eating 4, 5 or 6 meals if you are already eating 3. And yes, it’s likely you’ll eat the same meal several times each day. But the point is to get more calories and gaining weight.

When you’re losing mass, the first thing to do is to halt it and begin to reverse it is to eat more calories. Taste should be the last thing you consider. Many times, people are fighting to stay out of the hospital or to avoid public embarrassment. So, while these 3 steps might be uncomfortable they are better than the alternative.

When you reach the point of not being able to chew any more food, the next step is to go to liquid calories. Trust me, focus on steps 1 and 2 first because step 3 might sound easy but has its own learning curves and pain. The rewards, however, can be amazing.

In one summer I gained 20 lbs of mass. I would chug down a 1600 calorie real food weight gainer shake every day. At first it was fun, but then it quickly got old. But I needed to get the calories.

Shakes Are Used When You Need More Calories

I hear it all the time from personal clients. I can’t eat any more food! After they’ve tried squeezing in 5 or more meals a day and tried some of my other tricks, inevitably we get to a conversation that comes down to this problem.

The easiest solution, which is used in hospitals around the world, is to create a liquid caloric load. Most of the time, I hear stories about well-meaning doctors encouraging the use of chemically-laced, sugar-bomb loads like the drink Ensure. Just look at these ingredients for the chocolate kind:

“Water, Sugar, Corn Maltodextrin, Milk Protein Concentrate, Soy Oil, Soy Protein Isolate, Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali), Pea Protein Concentrate, Canola Oil. Less than 0.5% of the Following: Corn Oil, Magnesium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Potassium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Salt, Cellulose Gum, Monoglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Carrageenan, Potassium Hydroxide, Ferric Orthophosphate, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Zinc Sulfate, Niacinamide, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Sodium Molybdate, Sodium Selenate, Potassium Iodide, Phylloquinone, Cyanocobalamin, and Vitamin D3.
Contains milk and soy ingredients.;  Contains Milk Ingredients;  Contains Soy Ingredients;  Gluten-Free;  Halal;  Kosher Dairy;  Low-Residue;  Not for patients with galactosemia;  Suitable for Lactose Intolerance; “

I would never put this in my body. And would hope you don’t consider it an option either.

Real Food-Based Weight Gainer Shakes

Let’s create some real food-based options for those who want more calories but seem to be out of ideas.

Before we begin, I must add a couple of important notes:

• The easiest way to get more calories is to consume more fat – as it is 9 calories per gram – vs carbohydrate and protein, which are 4 calories per gram
• If you’re dealing with fat malabsorption, try the avocado-based or starch-based shake first
• Understand the risks of eating raw eggs (read this). It’s not for everyone but if you do choose to eat them, get them from pasture-raised chickens, wash them, and supplement.
• Start by first drinking half of one of these shakes for 4 days, then begin drinking the whole amount
• Don’t sip on these shakes all day. Drink them as fast as possible. We don’t want the eggs, dairy or other ingredients beginning to ferment or spoil
• Feel free to add things like vanilla extract, almond extract and cinnamon to all of these to help with flavoring

Okay, let’s get started. Now, this seems simple but we need to cover it. First, I give you permission to change these recipes to suit your kitchen or health. These will work by themselves but are meant to also give you a base of ideas so you can create something that works for you. Second, if you don’t eat a certain ingredient don’t eat it because I put it in the recipes below. Instead, just pull out the offending food category and try to think of a substitute.

Simple and Easy SCD Weight Gainer Shake

1 Medium to Large Avocado (Approx. 1 Cup) = 384 Calories, 35g Fat, 20g Carb, 5g Protein

2 Medium Ripe Bananas = 205 Calories, 54g Carb, 2g Protein

4 Large Raw Eggs = 284 Calories, 20g Fat, 24g Protein

1 Cup of SCD Yogurt From Whole Milk = 149 Calories, 8g Fat, 11g Carb, 9g Protein

Totals = 1022 Calories, 63g Fat, 85g Carb, 40g Protein

Blend everything up in a blender and add ice or water as needed to form the consistency you’d like to drink. Also, feel free to add vanilla extract or other natural SCD legal spices for flavoring.

If you wanted even more calories and could handle it, add more eggs, yogurt and/or avocado.

No Dairy SCD Mass Gain Shake

1 Cup of Coconut Milk – 445 Calories, 48g Fat, 6g Carb, 5g Protein

2 Medium Ripe Bananas – 205 Calories, 54g Carb, 2g Protein

1 Cup Frozen Blueberries – 71 Calories, 19g Carb

4 Large Raw Eggs – 284 Calories, 20g Fat, 24g Protein

Totals = 1005 Calories, 68g Fat, 79g Carb, 31g Protein

Not everyone can handle dairy, whether it’s due to a lactose or casein problems, so I wanted to show you how to use coconut milk as a base for these shakes. Please choose one that doesn’t contain added Gums. The brands I often use are Aroy-D and Chaokoh.

Paleo Autoimmune Mass Gain Shake

1 Medium to Large Avocado (Approx. 1 Cup) = 384 Calories, 35g Fat, 20g Carb, 5g Protein

1 Cup of Coconut Milk = 445 Calories, 48g Fat, 6g Carb, 5g Protein

2 Medium Ripe Bananas – 205 Calories, 54g Carb, 2g Protein

1 Cup Sweet Potato Cooked – 249 Calories, 58g Carb, 4g Protein

Totals = 1283 Calories, 83g Fat, 138g Carb, 16g Protein

Lots of people are following a Dairy-, Nut-, Egg-Free SCD diet. The Paleo Autoimmune protocol also takes out nightshades as well. For those who are very reactive and need some calorie help, try this shake first.

Fat Malabsorption Mass Gainer Shake

1 Cup Sweet Potato Cooked – 249 Calories, 58g Carb, 4g Protein

3 Tablespoons Honey – 192 Calories, 51g Carb

6 Tablespoons of Whey Protein -180 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 3g Carb, 30g Protein

4 Large Raw Eggs – 284 Calories, 20g Fat, 24g Protein

Totals = 905 Calories, 24.5g Fat, 112g Carb, 58g Protein

Some of you are struggling with fat malabsorption, so until you make some progress healing and can handle fats better this shake is your best option. Yes, it contains sweet potato, which is not SCD legal. But sometimes we need to make compromises to heal.

The Mother Lode Mass Gain Shake

1 Cup of SCD Yogurt From Whole Milk = 149 Calories, 8g Fat, 11g Carb, 9g Protein

1 Cup of Coconut Milk – 445 Calories, 48g Fat, 6g Carb, 5g Protein

6 Tablespoons of Whey Protein -180 Calories, 4.5g Fat, 3g Carb 30g Protein

3 Tablespoons Honey – 192 Calories, 51g Carb

1 Cup Frozen Blueberries – 71 Calories, 19g Carb

6 Raw Eggs – 538 Calories, 30g Fat, 36g Protein

2 Teaspoons Vanilla

Totals = 1575 Calories, 90.5g Fat, 90g Carb, 80g Protein

This has the most balanced macronutrient profile of all the shakes. It’s the highest calorie load and would be a great addition to someone’s daily life if they wanted to add lots of calories fast.

Note: All calorie info was taken from nutritiondata.com.

Are You Still Struggling to Gain Weight?

Start with calories using the three steps outlined in this post. Don’t forget to reduce stress as much as possible and improve your sleep.

Do you have a favorite high calorie shake?   

If so, help those who read this article and post the recipe in the comments section below.

Your feedback and the community we build here will help people around the world for years to come.

– Steve

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