If you think that you can eat anything you want when you are working out all of the time then think again. Unless you are a teenager with a really high metabolism, yours is not going to keep up with all of the cravings you are giving into. Foods that are high in fat and sugar will lead to consequences, such as unwanted weight gain. If you want that beach body you are after, then you simply can't out-train a bad diet.
The amount of exercise you would need to do to balance out a bad diet is more than is practically possible. Unless you are involved in high-performance sports, like cyclists who need to get through 100 miles without breaking down, you are not going to be burning enough calories to counteract a poor diet. With that being said, here are all of the reasons why you simply can't out-train a bad diet:
Bad Diet = Low Energy
Getting your body fit will require you to give it plenty of nourishment and muscle-building foods. Exercising will be taxing on your body, and eating pizza and crisps every day is not going to deliver all of the nutrients it needs.
To enjoy the endurance that is needed when you’re training, you should stay away from foods high in fat and sugar content and get healthy sources of protein and carbs into your diet. Post-workout recovery should involve not only giving your body a rest but also giving it the healthy calories and nutrition it needs.
Instead of loading up on carbs and fiber, while neglecting everything else, have a more balanced diet. This could mean having around 30% of your diet be protein, another 30% be fat, and 40% be carbohydrates. Load up on healthy proteins, like wild sockeye salmon, and eat plenty of dark leafy greens. Also, using extra virgin olive oil will be much healthier than opting for vegetable oils.
Eating too little food is just as detrimental to your workout goals as eating too much is for you. That could mean something like having a diet that has a good amount of protein and fat but not enough carbs. In fact, what could end up happening is your muscle mass starts getting eaten by your body for energy. This is obviously the opposite of what you want to happen!
Skimping out on the right fats will also become detrimental. Essential fatty acids like omega-3s are vital to build muscle and generate energy. These healthy fats also boost your insulin and testosterone levels, which are key to developing more muscle. You will also want to make sure you are receiving enough fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin A and vitamin D.
In tandem with a bad diet leading to low energy, it will also make it more challenging to lift weights due to having fewer skeletal muscles. Even walking on a treadmill requires these muscles, so make sure you are eating well.
You Will Lack Motivation to Exercise
Not following a healthy diet routine will lead you to lack the motivation to exercise! Whether you are eating way too many fatty foods or now enough healthy nutrient-dense food, you are going to feel sluggish. The last thing you will want to do is work out! Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. The better you eat, the more motivated you will become to exercise. You will also notice that the more you work out, the greater the pull will be for you to eat healthier.
You Will Be Unable to Get Toned
Most people want to chisel their bodies and get more toned. However, getting those ripped abs or firmer glutes will require you to keep on top of your diet. Even if you are doing as many exercises to strengthen and tone your abs as possible, they will get covered by a layer of fat if you're not eating properly.
This is important to know because doing those kinds of exercises is not going to lead to chiseled abs by themselves. You should also be burning more calories than you are eating, and healthy ones at that. It would be great if we could all just eat anything we want whenever we want and still have the body we desire. Unfortunately, that is not how it works, so pay attention to what you are eating.
Bad Diets Lead to Sickness and Injuries
When you are eating the typical bad diet that is a combination of a lot of fat and very little carbs, you are not going to get enough brain food. This leads to you feeling mentally fatigued, which directly impacts your workout performance. Additionally, your heart is going to become negatively affected. Eating this sort of diet for an extended period of time will result in you becoming deficient in key micronutrients that your body needs to ward off inflammation.
The more inflamed your body becomes, the more prone to injuries and sickness you get. When your body is only getting fed unhealthy fats, it is far more likely that you will suffer from injuries while working out. Your body is remarkably great at preventing stress fractures and other types of injuries, but only if you have a healthy diet. Besides, you owe it to yourself to give your body what it naturally is yearning for.
You can satisfy some cravings here and there. However, make sure you are getting enough healthy fats, lean protein, dark leafy greens, and nutrient-dense foods overall.
Conclusion
If you let your “cheat meal” become too frequent of an occurrence, you will shift into having a poor diet. At that point, you won’t be able to out-train it and will not see the results you are after. Now that you know that you can’t out-train a bad diet, make sure you switch over to having a healthy diet that supports muscle growth and avoids giving you unwanted weight in all of the wrong areas.