When my fitness trainer handed me a supplement called Mass Gainer, I immediately handed it back to her. “I’m not looking to gain mass,” I said with a shake of my head. And of course, like she often does, she kind of laughed at me. She was about to say something when I interrupted her with a rant about how, sure, I wanted to gain muscle mass but I also wanted to lose weight. I was looking to tone up, not bulk up, and I was not taking any product that was intentionally designed to make me gain mass. I would be sticking to the supplements that I was already taking, thank you very much.

When I was done with my rant, my trainer smiled and said, “Okay. But you do know that those supplements that you’ve been taking are loaded with sugar right?” I really hate feeling sheepish, and I don’t particularly love admitting when I might be wrong about something but I can swallow my pride long enough to get some information that might be good for me. So I listened to what she had to say about Mass Gainer, a supplement which is known for not being as high in sugar as the other supplements that are on the market today. “Suit yourself,” my trainer said at the end of her explanation. “But I wouldn’t go loading up on sugar supplements if you’re really looking to avoid weight gain.” So, sheepish but still a little bit stubborn, I took the Mass Gainer from her and went home to learn more about the product before I would agree to taking it. Supposedly, the mass that I would gain from using the product would all be lean mass, which would mean that I’d get the toned look that I was looking for without actually bulking up like I was afraid of. And since I would be cutting down on my sugar intake, I’d probably lose a little bit of weight naturally. And apparently Mass Gainer has other ingredients that could help the workout – like amino acids that are great for recovery time after workouts. So I could use the product to get my energy back, allowing me to work out on a more convenient schedule since I wouldn’t be all wiped out (and crashing from the sugar of the old supplements) like before. After I realized that this Mass Gainer product was probably better for me than what I’d been taking, I decided that I’d try it. But I was sure that I wasn’t going to like it. It’s in the form of a protein shake and I was fairly convinced that a protein shake should have some sugar in it. I guess that’s been my indulgence during this whole diet and exercise things I’ve got going on; consuming sugar in my shakes and getting away with it because they’re “healthy shakes”. Learn how Mass Gainer doesn't necessarily mean getting big at Body Building. So the thought of having to cut that out for this Mass Gainer product didn’t particularly thrill me. Lo and behold – the shake didn’t taste half bad. Begrudgingly, I took myself back into the gym with payment for the Mass Gainer in hand. Luckily, my trainer isn’t really one to say “I told you so”. Which protein powder is right for you?