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Gummy Bears Post-Workout: A Justifiable Ritual?

Richardbrown

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Carbs. You love them but the dieting industry tells you to hate them. Especially simple, fast absorbing sugars like candy. But what if I told you that there is a movement now to promote having candy? Especially after a workout. Right now, there is a fad encouraging people to have candy such as gummy bears and Pixi Stix immediately after a workout. But doesn’t sugar make you fat?
Sugar can make you fat, in excess. By that I mean in excess calories. It goes beyond that though. It’s a common misconception that sugar is “bad”, but let’s not demonize foods. Let’s focus on the gummy bears for now.

Glycemic Index

Not all carbs or sugars are created equal. Different carbs and sugars can raise your blood sugar at varying levels. This is known as the Glycemic Index, a measurement that ranks food on a scale from 0-100. The foods with a higher index value raise blood sugar faster than foods with lower glycemic index values do.
The food with a high glycemic index are quickly absorbed and digested, causing blood sugar to rise faster than low glycemic foods. Usually foods rich in fiber, protein, or fat are low glycemic foods. For example, low-fat yogurt has a glycemic index (or GI) of 14, while your average ice cream has a GI of 61. Alternatively, from the starch/grain foods, whole wheat bread ranks in at 71, while white bread has a GI of 100.
The glycemic index is not perfect though. A food’s glycemic index ranking is only accurate when it is consumed on an empty stomach and is not eaten with any other type of food. So, while ice cream has a GI of 61, if you eat a lean protein, salad, and broccoli right beforehand, the glycemic index of the meal will be lower than if you ate the ice cream alone.
An alternative to glycemic index is the glycemic load (or GL). Glycemic load is a formula that accounts for misleading glycemic index. This helps when you have high density foods, take watermelon for example. The glycemic index for watermelon is 80 (a high GI), but per serving (100 grams), a glycemic load is only 5. The carb content of the actual serving is multiplied by the glycemic index, and that number is then divided by 100.
For reference, a glycemic load of 10 or less is considered low, between 11 and 19 is moderate, and a glycemic load of higher than 20 is considered high.
Your beloved gummy bears come in with a glycemic index of 94, for reference. So on a scale of 0-100, it ranks pretty high. Gummy bears are sweetened with ingredients like dextrose and corn syrup, both which have a high glycemic index, more so than fructose (found naturally in fruits, honey, etc.). Fructose is almost exclusively broken down by the liver, where it is converted into energy or stored as glycogen.

Glycogen Stores

Ok, so you understand what glycemic index is, and the GI of gummy bears. You’re probably asking yourself: what does that have to do with my workouts?
Glycogen is stored in the muscles, and is the fuel source you utilize during workouts, especially in aerobic exercise. Your workouts are fueled by glycogen (the storage form of glucose) to give energy during the toughest parts of your workouts. Post workout, it is important to replenish these stores to help your muscles recover and avoid cannibalizing themselves. Replenishing glycogen preserves muscles and accelerates recovery.
The best time to replenish glycogen is within 2 hours post workout. Depending on the length of exercise and which muscle fibers are involved, it can take between 22 hours- 4 days to completely restore your glycogen supply. The best way to maximize your muscle glycogen replenishment is to consume simple carbs as soon after exercise as possible, preferably within an hour. Hence, gummy bears!

Other Supplements

Along with replenishing the glycogen you used during your workout, high glycemic carbs like gummy bears also quickly increase your insulin levels. When your insulin level increases, other nutrients like amino acids, creatine, and protein are better aided in entering directly into the bloodstream. Research done by the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends taking protein, creatine, and BCAAs after your workouts, so giving your body the extra boost to help utilize them only makes sense!

Wellness

Eating gummy bears after every workout is not for everyone. People who retain fat in their midsection may want to avoid spiking insulin levels, and rather try to have balanced levels throughout the day by eating low-moderate glycemic index foods.
And let’s be honest. Some of us cannot control ourselves. While some may be able to eat a handful of those delicious gummies after every workout, for some it can lead down a bad path of all around eating junk. If you can stick to a relatively balanced diet and still consume those gummies, go for it! But if you are the type of person always searching for different excuses to eat nutritionally sparse foods, or always seeking diet hacks, this may not be the right option for you.
In general, having a balanced diet is key to achieving your long-term health and fitness goals. While having your daily dose of gummy bears sounds ideal, you should keep in mind where you will be getting your other “treats” from, and how they will affect you in the long run. And don’t forget to account for the calories in those gummy bears (if you’re not an intuitive eater, that is), because they quickly add up, and can take a good portion of your daily intake calories away from other nutrient dense foods that you could be consuming.
 
the issue becomes in the USA we get more sugar in 1 week then a human is supposed to get in 1 year. sugar is a magnet to disease. many of us also grew up on cereal/milk every morning before school cause it was cheap and our parents worked so couldn't give us proper nutrition. so we grew up throwing tons of sugar at our bodies early in the day. it is best to avoid all refined sugars entirely. if you have a sweet tooth there are natural cookies and things like fruit that you can chow on. also plain coconut water is sweet too
 
When I was into power lifting, our gym always had huge bags of candy laying around. After a hard training session a lot of guys had a handful of gummy bears, sour patch kids, etc.

I don't have a sweet tooth and when I do have a craving ice cream is my thing so I wasn't in to the candy much. Didn't seem to impact those guys negatively at all though
 
bro only poosies eat candy if you over 11 years old. if i catch son with gummy bears that reason to bring out double leather belt

Carry on with that line and I'll get one so big I'll be able to whip your butt across the ocean... with one flick lol

However, the very idea that we need some crap form of protein and glucose right after a workout... it's BS. Arguably a small amount (for energy) BEFORE makes more sense to either those competing in a weight class or those on a diet. After... real food. And if not a protein shake
 
Carry on with that line and I'll get one so big I'll be able to whip your butt across the ocean... with one flick lol

However, the very idea that we need some crap form of protein and glucose right after a workout... it's BS. Arguably a small amount (for energy) BEFORE makes more sense to either those competing in a weight class or those on a diet. After... real food. And if not a protein shake

mobster is absolutely right. our bodies have stored up glycogen to use up in the short term and will utilize your fat stores thereafter.
a lot of this post workout nutrition bro science started in the 80's when joe weider was trying to sell people post workout supplements by scaring them into thinking their workout was a waste unless they

also the reason you see bodybuilders eating candy after a workout is cause they are slamming insulin so that is how that started, and of course people want to be like pros so they start copy catting that as well.

our bodies can go months with no food, but we cannot survive long with no water (2-3 days) and will die within minutes if exposed to the elements, also with no sleep your body with not be able to function within a few days and you will start hallucinating and other problems. so best thing you can do post workout is hydrate, take a nice hot shower, and sleep well. food is literally the last thing you need to worry about and ironically eating the wrong thing post workout (like candy or other junk food) will put additional stress on your body which will interfere with the recovery process :eek: if you want to eat quick after a workout the easiest foods to digest are watery fruits like melon or tropical fruits then when you do eat a meal eat a healthy meal free of refined oils. a simple chicken with rice with veggies dinner plain works great
 
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mobster is absolutely right. our bodies have stored up glycogen to use up in the short term and will utilize your fat stores thereafter.
a lot of this post workout nutrition bro science started in the 80's when joe weider was trying to sell people post workout supplements by scaring them into thinking their workout was a waste unless they

also the reason you see bodybuilders eating candy after a workout is cause they are slamming insulin so that is how that started, and of course people want to be like pros so they start copy catting that as well.

our bodies can go months with no food, but we cannot survive long with no water (2-3 days) and will die within minutes if exposed to the elements, also with no sleep your body with not be able to function within a few days and you will start hallucinating and other problems. so best thing you can do post workout is hydrate, take a nice hot shower, and sleep well. food is literally the last thing you need to worry about and ironically eating the wrong thing post workout (like candy or other junk food) will put additional stress on your body which will interfere with the recovery process :eek: if you want to eat quick after a workout the easiest foods to digest are watery fruits like melon or tropical fruits then when you do eat a meal eat a healthy meal free of refined oils. a simple chicken with rice with veggies dinner plain works great

See if I was a weight class restricted lifter (say lightweight) I MIGHT need to diet to get down to that weight. Or I'd need to limit my daily total intake. It almost make sense then to have a few (and I mean a FEW) gummie bear type products for energy. And then only cos you pretty much know the amount of calories and cos you can keep them in a pocket. But you would also make a shake with glucose in. The protein (collagen) is piss poor as a source. I KNOW of strength athletes who have done this (ate Haribo). My preference is for a handful of sultanas or raisins (or half a very ripe banana) between events. I cannot stomach some of the food laid on in a break as there's no way I'd eat normally then, with a full belly, do my best on the platform. After... show me some steak!!

But as a way of recovering from a workout? No. A baggy with rice and chicken breast zapped in the microwave (you can also eat it cold) is better. For little more than convenience I have a protein shake. Today, by way of example, I started at 9am, finished training around 10-1015am and had a shake. Lunch was about 2pm. I scaled, at the gym, 321lbs today (bit of stomach bloat from something which upset it a few days ago)
 
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I can see the reasoning behind it but I wouldn’t make it a habit.
 
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