High Calorie Protein Shakes for Weight Gain
High calorie protein shakes can be beneficial for anyone looking to gain weight. These shakes are just as they sound: high in calories and high in protein.
But are there certain protein shakes that are better than others? How many calories and grams of protein does it take to make a shake a high calorie protein shake?
Let’s learn more below about who needs these kinds of shakes, the provided health benefits, and how to make them at home.
Who Needs High Calorie Protein Shakes?
High calorie protein shakes are commonly recommended for individuals experiencing unintended weight loss, or those who are not eating enough to maintain their current weight.
Gaining Weight
Gaining weight can be a long road. One of the main goals is to consistently eat more calories than your body needs. This will put you in a calorie surplus, which leads to added pounds.
As a general guide, consuming an extra 3500 calories per week can lead to a one-pound gain per week. Let’s break this down further.
If you want to gain one pound a week (for about 4 pounds gained in one month), then divide 3500 calories by 7 days. This equals 500 calories per day. To gain those pounds, break up the 500 extra calories throughout the day.
To be consistent, and not get overwhelmed, try to increase your calories at different times throughout the day. This means not to force all your extra calories into one meal or snack, but instead divide the extra calories and add them to each meal and snack.
For example, add an extra 100 calories to 3 meals and 2 snacks each day (100 calories x 5 meals & snacks = 500 calories).
An example schedule adding 100 calories to each meal and snack looks like:
- 7:30 am – Breakfast, add 1 tablespoon of butter to your oatmeal or eggs (100 calories)
- 9:30 am – Morning snack, enjoy 1 cup of whole milk with your snack (100 calories)
- 12:00 pm – Lunch, add 1 whole grain roll to your meal (100 calories)
- 2:30 pm – Afternoon snack, add 1 banana to your smoothie (100 calories)
- 5:30 pm – Dinner, how about a chocolate chip cookie for dessert? (100 calories)
Adding 100 calories to the five meals listed above will bring you to an extra 500 calories for the day. Keep this up, and you’ll be on your way to an additional 3500 calories by the end of the week!
Building Muscle
High calorie protein shakes can also be beneficial for lean muscle growth. Increasing your overall protein intake can lead to an increase in muscle.
This is because protein is broken down into amino acids. These amino acids are a necessary tool that your body needs when building muscle.
Increasing protein is even more important for older adults. New research has shown that instead of 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight, that older adults may need closer to 1.0-1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. (1)
For example, if you are an older adult and weight 120 pounds, you will need about 55–76 grams of protein per day.
120 pounds / 2.2 kilograms = 54.5 kg
54.5 kg x 1 grams of protein = about 55 grams of protein
54.5 kg x 1.4 grams of protein = about 76 grams of protein
Splitting up your protein throughout the day is an easy way to make sure that you are getting as much as your body needs.
Injury Recovery
Recovering from an illness or injury makes your body work even harder. A way to help you recover faster is to nourish your body with enough calories and protein to fuel the healing process.
If your body doesn’t get enough calories and protein, then it may resort to breaking down your muscles as a way to nourish itself and meet its needs. We definitely don’t want to lose muscle mass, especially while recovering.
To make sure you are getting enough calories and protein during recovery, try to include foods such as:
- Beans and legumes (bonus of added fiber!)
- Nuts and seeds
- Meat
- Eggs
- Fish
- Full-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.)
- High calorie protein shakes
Please note that your health care team can advise you on foods to eat and foods and to avoid, depending on your current health condition and your recovery journey.
Benefits of High Calorie Protein Shakes
Protein is one of three macronutrients that make up all foods. We all need protein, and a great and easy way to consume protein is with high calorie protein shakes. Let’s learn more about benefits from these shakes!
Gain Weight, Gain Muscle Mass, and Increase Quality of Life
High calorie protein shakes are a great tool for weight gain and increasing your muscle mass. Your muscles need protein to maintain and grow.
Eating enough protein for your body and lifestyle gives your muscles the tools they need for growth – especially when combined with exercise.
As we age, our bone health declines and can lead to fragility and a higher risk of fractures, slips, and falls. Incorporating high calorie protein shakes in your diet can help to keep up your strength and supply your muscles with the fuel they need to help with your balance.
These shakes can also be helpful at increasing your quality of life. Being able to do more and take care of your daily needs independently is a huge part of quality of life. That is, having the strength and energy for these tasks requires enough calories, protein, and nutrients.
Recovery and Healing from Illness and Injury
High calories and high protein can help with recovery and healing as well. Amino acids, which make up protein, are considered “the building blocks” of your body.
When you eat enough calories and protein, it gives your body the necessary nutrients in order to recover and heal itself.
When these nutrients are missing from your diet, your body is left floundering around because it can’t complete its tasks of repairing and healing. In essence, the tools aren’t available for your body to do what it’s designed to do.
Improve Overall Health & Prevent Malnutrition
High calorie protein shakes are a great way to provide you with added nutrients.
This is especially true when you compare these shakes to a low calorie/low protein option or no nutrition at all.
These shakes provide a concentrated form of nutrients that your body needs – protein, calories, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc.
Additionally, consuming a concentrated, nutrient-dense shake will not make you feel super full or unable to eat your next meal or snack.
This paves the way for healthy habits as you are taking care of your body by giving it what it needs, and preventing malnutrition.
How to Make High Calorie Protein Shakes
For your shake to be an official “high calorie protein shake,” it will need to have at least 400 calories per serving and at least 10 grams of protein per serving.
However, if you are unable to track the nutrients of the foods used to create your shakes, then aim for foods that are nutrient-dense (such as the lists below).
Now, let’s learn how to build a high calorie protein shake!
Step 1: Chose Your Ingredients
To create your shake, you’ll need to make sure you have all ingredients on hand before moving on to step #2.
Try adding some of these nutrient-dense foods to make your shake high in protein and calories. Note that these lists are not exhaustive, but rather are guides to help you get started.
PROTEIN
- Protein powder
- Greek yogurt
- Kefir
- Chia seeds
- Whole milk, chocolate milk, soy milk, etc.
- Powdered milk
- Weight Gain Milk
- Tofu
For more protein shake ideas, visit our article on Protein Shakes for Weight Gain!
CARBOHYDRATES
- Juice
- Fruits
- Veggies
- Honey
- Syrup (chocolate, caramel, strawberry, butterscotch, etc.)
- Oats
- Ice cream
FATS
- Avocado
- Nuts
- Nut butters
- Full-fat Greek yogurt
- Half-and-half
- Whipping cream
- Chia seeds
- Flaxseed
Step 2: Blend
*Note, this section includes an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
To make blending up your shake a breeze, we suggest cutting anything you can into smaller pieces – especially fruit. Additionally, pre-measuring ingredients can also make this step a simple one.
If you are on the hunt for a reliable and powerful blender, we recommend the Vitamix*. It’s professional-grade and self-cleaning, so you’ll be set for all of your blending needs!
Next? Get blending! We suggest adding your ingredients in this order:
- Liquid (such a milk, juice, etc.)
- Fine powders (protein powder, powdered milk, etc.)
- Fruits and veggies
- Creamy ingredients (yogurt, kefir, avocado, etc.)
- Frozen and/or hard ingredients (ice, nuts, seeds, etc.)
Adding the softer and finer ingredients first, and frozen and hard ingredients last, gives your blender the chance to start blending efficiently right away.
The finer ingredients will mix with the creamy ingredients, and then the hard ingredients will round out your shake and complete this step.
Step3: Taste Test and Enjoy!
Our favorite step! Yum!
Is your shake too thick? Try adding thinner liquids such as milk and juice. Is your shake too thin? Add thicker ingredients like nut butter, avocado, and yogurt. Is your shake too bland? This is the perfect time to add in calorie-boosters like honey, syrup, and ice cream!
Tips & Tricks for Making High Calorie Protein Shakes
We love rounding out our posts with tips and tricks! Here are some of our top helpful ideas:
- Choose whole milk instead of skim (this will provide more calories and fat)
- Add healthy fats such as avocado, nuts, nut butters
- Choose high calorie fruits like dried fruit, dates, raisins, figs, mango, pears, etc.
- Add sweetness and calories with a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup
- Use a blender for mixing ingredients
- Add ice to make a thicker (and colder) shake
- Experiment with ingredients! You never know which combinations will be your new favorite.
- Use as a snack or as meal replacement (especially if you are struggling to maintain or gain weight)
High Calorie Protein Shakes Conclusion
We’ve learned that high calorie protein shakes are a great way to maintain and gain weight, increase muscle mass, increase quality of life, help with injury and illness recovery, and boost your overall health.
If you are looking for easy, efficient, and versatile ways to increase your calories and protein, then these shakes are a great option.
For specific shake recipes, be sure to visit our sister site, High Calorie Recipes. You’re sure to find a few favorite shakes that you can add to your diet. Otherwise, experiment all you want to find your new favorite flavor!
Additional helpful resources:
- High Calorie Shakes Handout [FREE]
- High Calorie High Protein Diet [FREE]
- The King of Calories Shake for Gaining Weight [FREE]
- Protein Shakes for Weight Gain [FREE]
- 3 Delicious High Calorie Shakes [FREE]
- High Calorie SHAKES e-Cookbook [$19.99 for 25 recipes, individualized tips for each recipe, nutrient information, and more!]