Weekend Q&A: How Much Added Sugar Is "Unhealthy" If Your Goal Is Body Composition?

How does relatively high sugar affect your health, training, and gains? We're dissecting the sweet debate on how sugar influences body composition and its role in bulking and strength training. With a magnifying glass on the complexities of carbohydrates, from added sugars to whole foods, I'll guide you through the murky waters of muscle building and fat storage. The question we're answering is: "Intuition and general knowledge says it’s not the “healthiest” choice to fill your diet with a bunch of chocolate, sugar, and other treats. But, I’d like to understand more about WHY that’s the case, especially when I have 320 carbs and almost 3,000 calories allotted to me on weekends. What does that do for my body composition? Given that I’m bulking, strength training, and eating protein at optimal levels, can my carb choice make me fatter or create different results than if I ate mostly whole food or unprocessed carbs? For example, for breakfast lunch and dinner I will generally eat oats, rice, and potatoes, and occasionally wheat hamburger buns. For mid day snacks I will eat fruits or rice cakes. Over Christmas I got a LOT of candy. I generally have ~120g of sugar per day, including 34g of added sugars. I understand it’s OK in moderation especially when I’m hitting all the other targets. But, given I hit my carb target every day: how is relatively high sugar intake affecting my training and gains?" Get the answer in today's Weekend Q&A bonus episode. --- This is a special Weekend Q&A edition of the Wits & Weights podcast, where we supercharge your Saturdays with an answer to one burning question so YOU can put it into action this weekend. These questions are taken from the weekly #AskPhilip thread in our free Wits & Weights Facebook community . If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the endless amount of information and, let’s be honest, MISinformation online and just want a straight up answer without the jargon, that’s what this free service is for. With the weekly #AskPhilip thread, you can post a specific question relevant to your unique, individual situation that week and have it answered live by me on Friday. If you’d like to experience it yourself, I invite you to use the link in the show notes to join the Wits & Weights Facebook group . It’s totally free and you’ll quickly find out what a positive and supportive community it is. Join our FREE community here to get access to the #AskPhilip thread! Support the show 📱 Get Fitness Lab - Philip’s science-based AI app for fat loss, muscle building, and strength training for people over 40. It adapts to your nutrition, recovery, and training to improve body composition without guesswork. 🎓 Try Physique University - Evidence-based nutrition coaching and strength training to help you lose fat, build muscle, and master your metabolism with support and accountability (free custom nutrition plan with code FREEPLAN ). 👥 Join our Facebook community - Free fat loss, muscle building, and body recomposition strategies for adults over 40 who want practical, science-backed fitness guidance. 👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram