Anthony, I really want to gain weight badly so I bought a weight gainer powder recommended by the supplement store salesperson. Do you recommend these?
Well, it's a little late to ask me since you've already bought it, but NO. I definitely do not recommend them. The idea of a higher calorie, easy to drink shake is great, unfortunately most weight gainer products are less than ideal. These products are remnants of the "high carb" 80's, back when everyone recommended eating carbs to gain muscle. Almost all weight gainers on the market contains tons of carbs in the form of sugar. That alone should be enough to make you avoid the product, but they also contain VERY LITTLE protein.
Think about these two points 1) Protein is what builds muscle, not carbs. 2) Excess sugar consumption typically leads to accelerated body fat storage.
When looking for a MRP, or even a weight gainer, look for products that have plenty of high quality protein (preferably whey), and low sugar content. Overall, the product should have much more protein than total carbs and very little sugar.
I really want to gain more muscle, but I'm afraid I will gain fat. I'm not your typical skinny guy. I'm thin, but I also have a large stomach and some love handles. I recently got my body fat measured and it's 28% Is it possible to be skinny and fat? What should I do?
Yes it is possible to be thin and still have high body fat levels. Being "slim" doesn't necessarily mean you have low body fat levels.
I have seen many results from many different types of people on high calorie diets. From my experience, individuals starting a high calorie diet with a high body fat level will tend to gain more fat than muscle. This could quite possibly be due to a sluggish "fat storer" metabolism. On the flipside, individuals starting a high calorie diet with already low body fat levels tend to gain more muscle than fat.
Since you have a fairly high body fat level, you should first go on a fat loss diet to lower your body fat. This will increase your chances of gaining more muscle than fat when you do start a higher calorie diet. It will also help you to keep your body fat levels in check. It is very easy to let your body fat levels get out of hand when trying to "bulk up". This is a mistake. The more body fat you have, the more difficult it becomes to remove later on.