If you’re regularly consuming foods like protein bars, sugar-free syrups, diet ice-cream, or “low-calorie” sauces during prep, and then experiencing bloating, gas, or inconsistent scale readings, it’s not a coincidence.
These foods often contain ingredients that your gut can’t fully digest, leading to discomfort and distorted progress. Below, we unpack the key culprits and how to manage them strategically.
Many competitors rely heavily on diet products like protein bars, sugar-free gum, diet jelly, and zero-calorie sauces to manage hunger. While these foods may fit your macros, they don’t always fit your digestion. Over time, the cumulative load of artificial sweeteners, gums, and bulking agents can overwhelm the gut, especially when fibre intake is already high and food volume is limited.
Even if calories and macros are on point, your gut’s response can indirectly affect how you look and feel.
“Prep-friendly” foods are often packed with ingredients that resist digestion, such as sugar alcohols, resistant fibres, or synthetic thickeners. These compounds can cause gas, distension, and constipation, all of which make assessing conditioning more difficult.
When your digestion slows and your abdomen feels tight or uncomfortable, it can mask true leanness and create false weight fluctuations. The issue isn’t only physical, it’s also psychological. When the scale doesn’t behave as expected, athletes often assume they’ve plateaued, increasing stress and frustration.
Sugar alcohols such as erythritol, maltitol, and sorbitol are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. They ferment in the large intestine, creating gas and drawing water into the bowel.
In prep, even small doses can lead to bloating, discomfort, and loose stools, which not only feel unpleasant but can visually distort your midsection. While these ingredients are technically low-calorie, their physiological cost can outweigh their calorie savings. Remember: your goal is to showcase muscle definition, not hide it under distension.
“Low-carb” and “high-fibre” products often include inulin, psyllium husk, oat fibre, or polydextrose to increase volume without adding calories. In moderation, these can support satiety, but during prep, fibre transit slows naturally. Excessive intake can worsen bloating, slow digestion, and even cause constipation.
When calories are low and digestion sluggish, more fibre isn’t better, it’s often worse. Focus on balanced fibre from vegetables, oats, and fruit rather than relying on synthetic bulking mixes or excessive baking experiments.
Ingredients like xanthan gum and guar gum are popular in protein puddings, shakes, and “Ninja Creami” recipes because they improve texture and volume. But these same compounds can alter how food moves through your gut, leading to distension, sluggishness, and erratic scale weight.
Excess use can also heighten food focus, you end up chasing mouthfeel instead of nourishment. During prep, simplicity and predictability in digestion should take priority over culinary creativity.
There’s a fine line between using “diet foods” as tools and over-relying on them as staples. When hunger rises and food volume drops, these foods can trigger a cycle of discomfort, food obsession, and unpredictable digestion.
We encourage competitors to base their prep nutrition on whole foods first, using these items sparingly. This keeps digestion predictable, reduces inflammation, and makes progress tracking more accurate. Your best results come from a combination of sound physiology and strong psychology, not from chasing artificial fullness.
If you’re experiencing bloating, irregular digestion, or unexplained scale fluctuations during prep, it’s worth auditing your food sources, not just your macros. Digestive comfort and consistency are underrated assets in achieving a refined, confident stage look.
At The Bodybuilding Dietitians, we specialise in evidence-based contest prep and long-term body composition management. Our coaches combine science, experience, and precision nutrition to help you look and feel your best, without compromising your health. Work with us to optimise your prep, digestion, and performance: