Sugar Binges while trying to gain muscle

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TayTayDrenDren
TayTayDrenDren Posts: 65 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok so for the past few days I've been having a bit of trouble with eating way to much sugar. I've been coming home from work and just digging in to everything sweet that I can find. Now I've seen many threads about this and I know that I should just forgive myself, move on, and get back on track the next day. However, to all of my friends who are trying to gain muscle, how do you deal with situations like this?

Thanks!
Taylor Drennan

Replies

  • hennesseyjodi
    hennesseyjodi Posts: 1 Member
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    I eat a snack pack of almonds or a protein shake after hitting the gym. The protein makes me too full to want sugar.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
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    I'm mostly looking to lose weight, but haven't had any issues with eating sugar and gaining strength. If you are eating so many carbs you don't have room for protein and fats in your budget that could be a problem. In that case eat something sweet with protein in it like a protein bar, shake, meat with a sweet sauce, or tuna salad.
  • TayTayDrenDren
    TayTayDrenDren Posts: 65 Member
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    I realize that I have this problem whenever I try to plan my meals and something goes wrong or when I don't have anything to make something healthy. I'm a routine kind of person so when my plan goes out of whack so does my eating habits and I hate that!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,510 Member
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    Well if you're trying to put on muscle, then eat some protein with that sugar since you still need carbs to ensure muscle growth. Ketogenic diets aren't efficient for putting on significant muscle size.

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  • Ronnvee
    Ronnvee Posts: 18 Member
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    Sometimes not eating enough protein can result in sugar cravings. I try to stash emergency 'kits' of food - small tins of tuna, prepackaged cheese with crackers, protein bars etc at work, in my car/handbag and at home so if plans change I have options at hand which will usually tide me over and stop me from making poor choices.....usually. :)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    Do you have any idea what is triggering these binges? Have you set certain food off limits?
    Maybe until you get it under control, keep the foods hidden, or in the freezer if possible. Of if that doesn't work, you may need to stop buying them and keep them out of the house for now.
    I myself am bulking.. however I don't have binging tendencies. I guess to prevent myself from overdoing it, I keep most of my treat foods in my basement cellar or freezer.. if I want something I have to go all the way downstairs or defrost it. Kind of a pain.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    TayTayDrenDren wrote: »
    I realize that I have this problem whenever I try to plan my meals and something goes wrong or when I don't have anything to make something healthy. I'm a routine kind of person so when my plan goes out of whack so does my eating habits and I hate that!

    I can relate - I have something of an "all or nothing" mentality (and a sweet tooth!!).

    I tend to set my protein and fats at a similar level whether I'm cutting, bulking or maintaining so I can afford more carbs when maintaining and even more when bulking. So, I plan in a sweet treat (Monday was 2 mars bars) before the gym and a protein and carb hit pretty soon after (same day my this was my evening meal which contained 200g chicken breast and 250g potato). This helps me immensely.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Carbs are king, over protein when it comes to gaining, provided you are in a caloric surplus, so since sugar is a carb, it should help you reach higher carb intake
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    If anything it, it should benefit you from a mass gaining standpoint, especially if you are eating adequate protein and following a progressive overload lifting program. Carbs are anticatabolic which inhibits protein breakdown. They also restore glycogen and can improve recovery. So kind of a win win. It's also why my high carb days are my lifting days.

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