Exercising after a high sugar/carb day SUCKS

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PezAzul
PezAzul Posts: 42
in Fitness and Exercise
So I've been noticing that the day after a day I make poor choices in foods (high sugar and carbs), I feel like crap during exercising. I have been brisk walking 3-4 miles every other day or so and most days I barely feel a burn and really enjoy it. But the days after I eat crappy foods I feel like I'm going to die. Every muscle and joint hurts and I just want to give up. Today I felt like I was going to pass out after the first quarter mile.

Is it just me, or does this happen to most everyone? What's the reasoning behind this?

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Don't know the reason.

    I feel like crap when exercising after a high sugar or high alcohol die. I want to crawl in a hole and die.
  • edack72
    edack72 Posts: 173 Member
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    Not just you i struggle with that at times too
  • fluffykitsune
    fluffykitsune Posts: 236 Member
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    An excess of carbs cause inflammation in your joints and is probably why you experience discomfort afterwards.
  • kjoy_
    kjoy_ Posts: 316 Member
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    I'm not sure why that would be considering a lot of endurance athletes load up on carbs the day before a race. If you had alcohol yesterday or usually do during the days you make poor food choices, that could be it. Dehydration plus residual feelings of being hungover is usually what kills me
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
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    Too much is just as bad as too little, I guess. Last week I ran after a particularly protein-heavy lunch with very little carb mixed in, and I almost couldn't reach my target. My lifting suffered too afterward.
  • drusilla126
    drusilla126 Posts: 478 Member
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    I noticed this too after my chocolate binge experiment. Definitely not doing that again any time soon.
  • Sophiad16
    Sophiad16 Posts: 23
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    I absolutely feel this way after making poor food choices. Well, not really when I make poor food choices, but when I eat too much. I wake up feeling overly full and sluggish, and it definitely affects my ability to work out to my limits. I think it may be partly psychological but definitely also physiological- like maybe all the *kitten* I ate didn't fully digest yet.:sick:
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Some of my best workouts have come when I had a half gallon of ice cream the night before.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I think this is unusual...most people perform better after carb loading. I can move mountains the day after I've carb loaded...without regularly loading up, I bonk in the weight room big time. I eat a lot of slow carbs though when I load up...grains, pasta, potato, etc.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I think this is unusual...most people perform better after carb loading. I can move mountains the day after I've carb loaded...without regularly loading up, I bonk in the weight room big time.

    Agreed.

    I will say that my motivation seems to drop after a high food day, but my performance is almost always significantly better.
  • PezAzul
    PezAzul Posts: 42
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    I'm not sure why that would be considering a lot of endurance athletes load up on carbs the day before a race. If you had alcohol yesterday or usually do during the days you make poor food choices, that could be it. Dehydration plus residual feelings of being hungover is usually what kills me

    I don't drink alcohol so it wouldn't be that. Definitely not hungover. Guess I'm unusual.
  • Franacious
    Franacious Posts: 54 Member
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    It could be the kind of carbs or overall calorie intake. I don't know if this carb heavy day made you go over calories as well, but I know that when I eat like crap, I feel like crap. Period, whether working out or not.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
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    An excess of carbs cause inflammation in your joints and is probably why you experience discomfort afterwards.

    You have a source for this?
  • Tw1zzler
    Tw1zzler Posts: 583
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    I swear I get food hangovers... mainly if I eat processed foods or foods I don't normally eat. I'm guessing it's just that you have less carbs for energy. I had gestational diabetes and I do better when I eat lower carb but I do have a day or two adjusting after a splurge.

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