These products cancel out your gym workouts

# Six Food Categories That Are Killing Your Athletic Progress **The path to an ideal body doesn't only lie through grueling workouts. Sports medicine physician Elizaveta Gomenyuk revealed to "Gazeta.Ru" the main dietary pitfalls capable of negating all your efforts in the gym.** The specialist compiled a list of saboteur foods that slow metabolism, disrupt hormonal balance, and prevent muscles from recovering. **Sugar and sugary drinks** topped the blacklist. Excess fructose literally overloads the liver, triggering the accumulation of dangerous visceral fat and provoking hidden inflammation. Blood glucose spikes rob athletes of energy at the most critical moment of their workout. **Trans fats**, lurking in fast food, store-bought baked goods, and margarine, make blood thick and viscous. The result—muscles don't receive adequate nutrition, recovery is delayed, and injury risk increases. **Alcohol** acts as an emergency brake for the entire body. While the liver fights the toxin, fat burning stops, protein synthesis is blocked, and the production of key growth hormones is disrupted. **Ultra-processed foods**—ready meals and convenience products—provide nothing valuable to the body, yet provoke overeating and deficiencies in important micronutrients. **High glycemic index foods** are only appropriate immediately after exercise. The rest of the time, they turn into fat stores. **"Junk" protein**—hot dogs, cheap patties, and pseudo-sports bars—doesn't build muscle but overloads the kidneys with preservatives. For creating a personalized diet plan, doctors recommend consulting an endocrinologist, nutritionist, or sports medicine specialist.