Let’s talk about how I gained 13 pounds in 8 weeks using shakes. I’ll provide you with the recipes for my daily weight gain shakes, BUT FIRST…STORY TIME!!
I’ve been underweight my ENTIREEEEE life. I literally weighed about 80-85 pounds at the beginning of college. And, that Freshman-15 they talk about in Freshman year was more like Undergrad-15 for me, because I gained about 10-15 pounds throughout my entire 4-years of college…graduating at barely 100 pounds.
Now there’s a plethora of reasons why some people find it hard to gain weight, one of those being a raveningly high metabolic rate. Pair that with a very bad relationship with eating consistently and you have…ME! For some odd reason, beyond my understanding, eating consistently to meet or exceed my daily caloric intake is a task I find cumbersome! However, taking my calories through a straw has never been a problem…EASY-PEASY!
So, I decided when I embarked on my weight gain journey I would create shakes with a high caloric content (400+ calories) to compensate for the meals I either skipped or didn’t have appetite for….AAAND those shakes had to be YUMMY…and SIMPLE (all you have to do is throw the ingredients into a blender)!! I’m gonna share some of my Weight Gain Shakes aka Phat Shakes with you, but before I do, here’s my disclaimer:
These are called “Phat” Shakes for a reason! I gained 13 pounds in 8 weeks by drinking 2-3 of these shakes in addition to my meals. Sometimes, I used them as meal replacement shakes. I would recommend you enroll in a workout plan while indulging in these shakes and possibly increase the shakes’ protein content by adding high protein foods like nut butters, yogurt, whey powder etc.
PLUS, I’ll share some of my LACTOSE-FREE WEIGHT GAIN SHAKES that you’ll LOOOOOVE below…regardless of whether you’re lactose-free or not!
You can also find videos on how to make the regular and lactose free shakes BELOW:
Table of Contents
How I gained 13 Pounds in 8 Weeks: Regular Weight Gain Shakes
Coffee Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake
This is a great breakfast shake especially for those of us who hate eating in the mornings. This shake goes down easily and it’s DELISH!
- 1 Medium-Large Banana
- 1 cup Vanilla Ice-Cream
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 1/3 cup Starbucks Cold Brew(unsweetened)
- 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Chocolate Powder
- 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
- Optional: Cinnamon
Calories: 770+
Mango Lassi Shake
I LOVE LOVE LOVE… LOOOOVVVVEEE…mangoes! Mangoes are my favorite fruit! But, I guess that makes sense, since I am a Caribbean girl. Now, if you’ve never heard of a Mango Lassi, you’re either a picky eater or you you don’t like to explore new cuisines, and if you are either of those things, this might not be the shake for you. However, a mango lassi is an Indian drink made with mangoes and yogurt…and it’s ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! So, this shake is my spin on a mango lassi.
- 1/2 cup Very Ripe Mango
- 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Ice-Cream
- 1 cup Whole Milk
Calories: 490+
Tip: Make sure to use an really ripe or overripe mango to get that good sweet mango flavor into this drink and circumvent the need for honey/additional sugars.
Peanut Butter Spinach Shake
Now, I know spinach and peanut butter sounds a bit gross, especially if you’re not a fan of spinach…or peanut butter. But, this shake is FREAKING DELICIOUS! Trust me! Try it and thank me later!
- 1 large Banana
- 1 cup Spinach
- 2 tbsp Peanut Butter
- 1 cup Ice-Cream
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
Calories: 620+
Tip: Blend in the spinach with a small amount of the measured whole milk before adding the other ingredients. This will make your make for a smoother shake and less spinach chunks.
Avocado Banana Shake
If you don’t like avocados, you will NOT like this shake! For me on the other hand, I LOVE avocados! I’ll take them sliced, mashed, shaked or baked…well maybe not baked, but you get my point. If you like avocados, like I do, TRY OUT THIS SHAKE!
- 1 Large Banana
- 1 Medium Avocado
- 1/2 cup Vanilla Ice-Cream
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- Optional: Honey
Calories: 690+
Tip: Blend the avocado with a small amount of the measured milk. This will create less chunks and provide a smoother texture to the shake.
If you’re lactose intolerant I got you! I’m also lactose-intolerant, but I take pills for that. If you don’t like the idea of taking pills for your lactose intolerance you can choose to substitute the dairy products in the recipes above for lactose-free milk, ice cream and/or yogurt. But, I have a few lactose-free recipes just for you.
How I gained 13 Pounds in 8 Weeks: Lactose-Free Weight Gain Shakes
Piña Colada Shake
No, this Pina Colada Shake does not have alcohol, but it’s just as good and refreshing as the alcoholic drink.
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
- 1-2 cups Pineapple (not canned)
- 1 cup OATLY Lactose-free Vanilla Ice-cream
Calories: 750+
Tip 1: Use a VERY ripe pineapple to ensure the necessary sweetness for this drink.
Tip 2: Blend the pineapple with a small amount of the measured milk before adding the ice-cream. This will create a smoother shake with less pineapple chunks.
Cookies and Cream Coffee Shake
If you love cookies & cream ice-cream and coffee….aaaand you’re lactose-intolerant, this is the shake for you! This is a great breakfast shake for the coffee-maniacs and the cookies and cream ice-cream lovers.
- 1/4 cup STARBUCKS Cold Brew (unsweetened)
- 1 cup REBEL Cookies and Cream Ice-cream
- 1 cup LACTAID lactose-free Whole Milk
Calories: 490+
Tip: The cookies from the ice-cream will make this drink very gritty, so strain after blending.
Salted Caramel Coffee Shake
This is another simple breakfast shake for my coffee drinkers and salted caramel lovers. I love salted caramel! Mix it with coffee and you’re speaking my morning language! This combo is just DELISH!
- 1/3 cup STARBUCKS Cold Brew (unsweetened)
- 1 cup SO DELICIOUS Dairy-free Salted Caramel Ice-Cream
- 1 cup Lactose-free Whole Milk
Calories: 550+
Tip: The lactose free ice cream used is cashew based; thus, there will be cashew bits in the shake after blending. Strain the shake before drinking.
Lactose Free Mango Lassi
If you love mangoes, and better yet Mango Lassi’s, here’s my lactose-free recipe.
- 1 cup Mango chunks
- 1/2 cup SO DELICIOUS Dairy-free vanilla yogurt
- 1/2 cup OATLY Dairy-free Ice-cream
- 1 cup LACTAID Lactose-free Milk
Calories: 500+
Tip: Vanilla flavored dairy-free yogurt or yogurt substitutes can have an overpowering flavor, try an unsweetened/unflavored yogurt substitute.
I will be posting more of my Weight Gain “Phat” Shake recipes in future blog posts, so look out for those. But for now, see you in the next blog post!
Video Recipes
Lactose-Free Video Recipes
