Most people assume that going to the gym often and eating fast food are two separate things that never, ever align or happen to the same person. Well, we will be the first to let you know that’s a giant misunderstanding. Even though most individuals who strive for a healthier lifestyle and train regularly also eat healthily, that doesn’t mean that they never, ever adjust their diet for a good old burger and fries.
With that said people who are just beginning their wellness journeys tend to treat fast food as poison. In their minds, having even just one burger or a few chicken nuggets means going back to their old ways and not eating like they should. There are also those who believe that having fast food, even just once a week, will set them back, and they won’t be able to achieve their goals.
Fortunately for all of us, all of those beliefs are not true, and in this article, we’re going to talk about why. We’re going to talk about how fast food affects your gym gains and whether it’s truly the big enemy of all those who strive for a healthy, aesthetic physique.
Does Junk Food Stop You From Gaining Muscles?
This question typically divides the fitness community into two groups – those who believe in the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) system and those who don’t. The idea behind the first logic is that you can eat whatever you want, as long as it fits in your daily calories – meaning if you want to gain muscle and you’re eating 2000 calories with 150 grams of protein, then you can eat all the junk food that you want, as long as you’re still hitting your goals at the end of the day. A lot of people easily achieve that by combining eating junk with supplements with lower carb content that have a ton of protein.
However, even though IIFYM is based on simple biology and it does work, the people who don’t support it usually point out that even if you’re gaining muscle or losing weight by following such a plan, you’re doing it in an unhealthy way. That’s because the kind of food you’re eating is generally unhealthy, too processed, and full of unnecessary calories. Additionally, some people who follow an IIFYM plan become too obsessed with weighing all their food and counting each bite they take, which can lead to all kinds of food-related disorders.
To put it simply, eating fast food won’t stop you from gaining muscle – as long as you’re eating the right amount of calories and hitting your protein targets. But not stopping you and actually being good for you are two different things.
Is Fast Food Good for Gaining Muscles?
If your goal is to gain as much muscle as you can and become healthier and more athletic, then the answer is a definite no. We all know that fast food is processed, full of oil and sugar, and calorie-dense. When you’re trying to make your body look and feel better, consuming foods like that will only make your journey harder and more difficult. There are several reasons for that:
- Our food receptors: When you’re constantly consuming food that’s too sweet, salty, full of oil, and made artificially to taste better, then you start to think all-natural food is bland and not tasty. For example, people who love eating ice cream, cakes, and all sorts of sugar-filled desserts typically say that fruit is just not sweet enough, compared to those who generally eat healthy and don’t eat a ton of sweets – for them, even a simple apple tastes sweet.
- Hunger: If you design a plan that includes eating fast foods, you’re setting yourself up for feeling hungry most of the day. That’s because fast food is really calorie-dense, and even a small burger has the same amount of calories as a whole chicken salad. And out of the two, you can guess which one is more filling.
- Feeling tired: Eat good to feel good is a saying we’ve all heard. And it’s a cliche because it’s true. If you’re consuming a ton of processed foods and prioritizing that over whole grains, fruits, and veggies, you will soon feel the effect on your body. Especially if you combine those eating habits with a demanding gym schedule that requires you to train multiple times a week.
In Conclusion
To summarize, we can only state the following: eating junk food won’t stop you from gaining muscles, but that doesn’t mean that it’s good for you. If you’re able to reach your protein and calorie goal, you will be able to achieve the results you’re looking for, but it will come at the cost of you feeling constantly tired, lethargic, and possibly hungry – all things that you can avoid by having the right diet.