Does it even make sense to go to the gym if you don't have a healthy diet?

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  • AEC50
    AEC50 Posts: 124 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    Hey guys, the title basically says it all and is meant for discussion on whether it is worth investing money into going to the gym if you have let's say an unhealthy or partially unhealthy (meaning you, for example, eat enough protein, but too much sugar) diet?

    Umm...I'm pretty sure I get plenty out of going to the gym while eating a "partially unhealthy" diet. It's part of the reason I can eat that way. I have fantastic HDL numbers in large part to the amount of exercise I do. I have muscles that allow me to do day to day activities. I have mobility and balance that allows me to do things like get off the ground unassisted and as I get older, not fall. When my foot fracture heals, I hope to be able to not get eaten first in the event of a zombie apocalypse. So, in short...Yes.

    YES! I eat within (ish) my calories for bulking or cutting, but tend to ignore macros for weeks at a time. I am in the gym five days a week, though and it shows. Could I tweak my diet and perfect my physique? Yes. Does that appeal to me right now? Nope. Am I maintaining healthy stats and numbers (BP, BMI, etc)? You bet.

    Your goals drive your actions. Once you decide your goals, work toward them - whatever that means for you.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    One doesn’t have to do with the other. Just because you don’t eat “healthy” doesn’t mean you have to just resign to being unhealthy in every other aspect of your life. Exercise has many benefits. And I also would think your definition of “unhealthy” may need to be re-evaluated. I eat ice cream and cookies and chips and I would consider my overall diet pretty healthy and I go to the gym.

    I didn't mean exercise in general, I meant as in lifting weights. Should have formed it differently I guess.

    Oh. Well, as an example, my brother in law eats zero vegetables, not a single one ever. Or fruit. And he lifts weights and he’s ginormous. He looks like a football player.
  • Icy_Fox
    Icy_Fox Posts: 90 Member
    edited June 2018
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    So why do they say you should not eat sugar lifting weights? Is it any different when trying to gain muscles with body weight?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    So why do they say you should not eat sugar lifting weights?

    Who??? There are people who say the earth is flat and cancer is a government conspiracy. There are people selling supplements for medical conditions that don't exist. There are lots of people saying lots of things, doesn't make them right. And lots of people who think that just because they did something extra and succeeded, that means the something extra is necessary to succeed, when it was just a coincidence.

    And FYI, many trainers are not certified or qualified to give nutrition advice. They don't necessarily have any education in that area.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    So why do they say you should not eat sugar lifting weights? Is it any different when trying to gain muscles with body weight?

    I've never heard this either. I eat candy before and during every lifting session.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    sardelsa wrote: »
    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    So why do they say you should not eat sugar lifting weights? Is it any different when trying to gain muscles with body weight?

    I've never heard this either. I eat candy before and during every lifting session.

    I have Sour Patch Kids in my gym bag at all times.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    So why do they say you should not eat sugar lifting weights? Is it any different when trying to gain muscles with body weight?

    Dunno. If I had to guess, I'd say they were trying to sell you some low-sugar diet plan/book.
  • Icy_Fox
    Icy_Fox Posts: 90 Member
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    I guess this is a big missconception then, but between my friends thaz DO go to the gym, I always hear them talking how they can't eat sugar, but they have one "cheat day" a week where they eat anything they want
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    One doesn’t have to do with the other. Just because you don’t eat “healthy” doesn’t mean you have to just resign to being unhealthy in every other aspect of your life. Exercise has many benefits. And I also would think your definition of “unhealthy” may need to be re-evaluated. I eat ice cream and cookies and chips and I would consider my overall diet pretty healthy and I go to the gym.

    I didn't mean exercise in general, I meant as in lifting weights. Should have formed it differently I guess.

    What's the difference?

    You build strength and fitness in the gym, and weight loss in the kitchen. As long as you get "enough" protein, the rest doesn't matter -- and I'd argue that even "enough" varies by person to person. And even if you don't, it's not like you're lifting just for *kitten* and giggles.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    Icy_Fox wrote: »
    I guess this is a big missconception then, but between my friends thaz DO go to the gym, I always hear them talking how they can't eat sugar, but they have one "cheat day" a week where they eat anything they want

    Because broscience. Do your friends who go to the gym have any background in nutrition, or do they just parrot what they've heard other bros say?
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    These are such nebulous terms you need to be specific with the diet and goals. I'm off a cut and focusing on endurance and gaining muscle, so eating in surplus and eating what would generally be considered "unhealthy". I keep a bag of Skittles in my pocket to stay fueled on long runs. I eat a bag of chips afterwards to get loaded on carbs and sodium. I'm midseason in obstacle course races and need the energy to perform.

    If these people are anti-sugar then this is an un-related element and one not founded in objective evidence. Woo, bro-science, whatever is being peddled now.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    Here's the Broscience guy on meal prep. (Language is NSFW)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn-KDTxTWqI
  • kbmnurse1
    kbmnurse1 Posts: 316 Member
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    Why bother? Continue on your journey. Let us know how that works for you down the road.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Carmen060 wrote: »
    Definitely yes. There are health benefits to exercise that are independent of weight loss!!

    These benefits don’t only happen in a gym either. There are looks of ways to exercise in the great outdoors.