Feeling Hungry After Exercise

It is a feeling that many people experience at one time or another; hunger after exercise. Personally, there are days when I feel like a baseless pit after exercising. The second time I lose my appetite and I don't feel hungry even after exercise. When I eat a lot, do I lose the heat I exercise these days? Am I suffering from "rewards syndrome" where I feel like I can eat more after exercising because I have burned more calories than usual? These are common questions that I will try to address.

Hungry after cardio

If you're doing steady state cardio where you jump on your favorite exercise machine and go from low to moderate intensity for 30+ minutes, chances are you're hungry after workout. You are burning calories and your body's natural instinct is to replace that lost energy. Are you wasting your whole workout by eating more than usual? According to a study by the Journal of Endocrinology, you don't. Although it was a small sample size, the researchers found that although people who did moderate-intensity cardio ate more than those who exercised, they did not exercise much more than the calories they ate. In other words, while your appetite may increase after performing traditional cardio, you are still creating a net heat loss which is the ultimate goal of weight loss.

Hungry after intense exercise


While you may feel hungry after cardio, do you feel the same hunger after strenuous exercise? Personally, I'm tired of feeling like eating after a hard workout routine. This is also a common phenomenon for most people. What happens in this scenario is that your body produces acid which causes nausea. Because most people do not enjoy food when they feel nauseous, the body's natural instinct is to suppress appetite. Eventually, when this feeling subsides, you may feel hungry because your body eventually wants to replace the lost energy. Feelings can easily be delayed and at this point you may want to eat a smaller size.

Reward yourself after exercise

Although it is normal to feel hungry after exercise, it is important to differentiate between increasing appetite and benefiting yourself. If you're just eating big meals and going out a lot because of exercise, don't be surprised if you find that you lose weight; or if you start gaining weight Should be done. When you are hungry, stay away from food and be well aware of how much you are eating. Reward will appear when you step on the scale.

Bottom line

Anyone else hungry after exercising? If so, try strenuous exercise to see if it suppresses your appetite. Otherwise, make sure you stay hydrated and avoid overeating or over-benefiting yourself. Don't use an increase in appetite as an excuse not to work. Surprisingly, you will be better off exercising and eating because you create an overall heat loss. Ideally, if you exercise hard, you will usually get the best of both worlds by burning calories without feeling hungry after exercise.