Does exercise increase your appetite?

After a tough workout, you don’t always come home ravenous. Sometimes it’s the other way round: your appetite is reduced for a few hours, and the next day you suddenly find yourself constantly wanting to eat. It turns out that breakfast isn’t enough. Between meals, some force keeps pushing you towards snacks, and in the evening you end up eating a bigger dinner than you’d planned. This doesn’t necessarily mean you lack willpower. A greater appetite may be your body’s natural response to an increased energy requirement. The intensity and duration of your training, your diet, sleep and your body’s overall workload all play a part.

women – strength training

What happens to your appetite immediately after a workout?
The cost of training does not end when you switch off your watch
Energy deficit versus hunger
What else should you bear in mind?
What can you do to avoid ending the day ravenous?
Not every increase in appetite is a problem
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to your appetite immediately after a workout?

As I’ve already mentioned, immediately after intense exercise, your appetite may actually be even lower than usual. Studies have observed temporary changes in the hormones involved in regulating appetite. The active form of ghrelin may decrease, whilst the levels of hormones associated with feelings of fullness, such as PYY and GLP-1, may increase. Therefore, after a tough run, interval training or a demanding strength session, you may not feel like a large meal for a while, but this does not mean at all that your body does not need one. This suppression of appetite is usually short-lived, and later on, some people experience a more pronounced feeling of hunger.

The cost of training does not end when you switch off your watch

Intense training increases energy expenditure, but the body must also carry out the work involved in recovery. It replenishes energy stores, repairs tissues and adapts to the next workout. Glycogen stores – the form in which carbohydrates are stored in the muscles and liver – are particularly important. Long or intense exercise can significantly deplete them. If you eat less than you need after a workout, replenishing these stores does not end with your last meal. Your energy requirements may still be felt the following day, which is why you might find that your appetite strikes at unusual times. The body simply does not calculate the energy expended solely within the hours immediately surrounding the workout.

Energy deficit versus hunger

woman – healthy eating

It is not just the workout itself that matters, but also the amount of energy consumed throughout the day. Someone who eats a nutritious meal and stays properly hydrated after a demanding session may not feel a strong need to eat the following day. Someone who, after the same workout, cuts back on their evening meal, skips a meal or starts cutting calories even further may feel much hungrier later on. The problem often arises when high levels of physical activity are combined with weight loss. The workout is treated as a way to increase the calorie deficit, and food intake afterwards is deliberately restricted. It is only the following day that a greater appetite and snacking set in, which can put a person’s willpower to the test.

After a demanding workout, carbohydrates are essential as they help replenish glycogen stores. Sources of these include potatoes, rice, groats, bread, porridge, pasta, fruit and pulses. It is also worth including a source of protein in your post-workout meal, as this is needed, amongst other things, to maintain and repair tissues.

What else should you bear in mind?

If you sleep for less time or less well after a strenuous workout, your appetite the following day may be harder to control. Sleep plays a part in regulating eating behaviour, and tiredness can further increase your craving for foods that are readily available and very tasty. You shouldn’t assume that your body has a precise calorie counter and automatically ‘makes up for’ a specific number of calories the next day. Appetite regulation is more complex. Eating is influenced by, amongst other things, signals from the digestive tract, energy availability, previous meals, sleep, stress and habits.

After a strenuous workout, you may notice:

greater hunger between meals
less satisfaction from a normal portion
a stronger craving for energy-dense foods
thinking about food more often

What can you do to avoid ending the day ravenous?

woman – protein shake

The best solution is usually not to restrict your food intake even further the following day. If you notice a recurring pattern, it’s worth taking a look at the whole period surrounding your training session.

The following may help:

eating a normal meal before your workout, rather than starting a demanding session after many hours without food (before your workout, but of course early enough so that you don’t feel any discomfort whilst exercising)
planning a post-workout meal containing a source of carbohydrates and protein
drinking water regularly and replenishing fluids according to your body’s needs
ensuring you get enough sleep and time to recover
monitoring your appetite over several days, rather than judging it based on a single evening.

When losing weight, it is particularly important to take a sensible approach to creating an energy deficit. Very high levels of physical activity combined with severe food restriction can be difficult to sustain.

Not every increase in appetite is a problem

An increased appetite after a hard workout does not automatically mean that the workout was too intense or that you are eating too much. The body of an active person has different needs to that of someone who spends most of the day sitting down. An increased appetite can be a natural part of the body’s response to a higher energy requirement. It’s worth taking a broader view of the situation if a high volume of training is accompanied by constant tiredness, poorer recovery, a drop in fitness, sleep problems or a constant preoccupation with food. Intense training can therefore affect your appetite for longer than the exercise itself lasts. This isn’t evidence of a lack of discipline, nor is it a reason to fight hunger at all costs.

"If, after an intense workout, you regularly find yourself noticeably hungrier the following day, check whether your training, meals, hydration and sleep are well balanced. A greater appetite the day after a hard workout may be a natural response to the body’s increased energy requirements. This is particularly true if you were unable to eat or rest properly after the workout. Not everyone experiences this effect, but when it does occur, it’s worth prioritising recovery and regular meals rather than trying to ignore your hunger.” Anna Zięba – Dietitian

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t I feel hungry straight after a workout, but have a big appetite the next day?

Intense exercise can temporarily reduce your appetite. This is linked, amongst other things, to changes in the levels of ghrelin – a hormone involved in regulating hunger – and satiety hormones such as PYY and GLP-1. When this effect wears off and your body still needs energy to recover, you may feel hungrier. However, this reaction does not occur in everyone.

Does a greater appetite after a workout mean that the body needs more calories?

It may indicate this, as intense training increases energy expenditure. However, appetite is not an accurate measure of calorie requirements. It is also influenced by sleep, stress, previous meals and individual bodily responses.

Can strength training increase hunger the next day?

Yes. A demanding strength training session also involves energy expenditure and the need for muscle recovery. Some people may experience a greater appetite afterwards, particularly if the session was long, intense or if their meals did not meet the body’s needs.

Do I need to eat after a workout, even if I don’t feel hungry?

A lack of appetite immediately after exercise does not mean that your body does not need nutrients. It is worth ensuring you have a meal containing a source of protein and carbohydrates. However, you do not need to force yourself to eat a large portion immediately after finishing your workout. You can tailor your meal to how you feel and your daily schedule.

What’s the best thing to eat after a tough workout?

A good choice is a simple, nutritious meal containing carbohydrates and protein. This could be, for example, rice with vegetables and tofu, egg sandwiches, or yoghurt with porridge and fruit. Carbohydrates help replenish glycogen stores, whilst protein supports tissue recovery.

Can a lack of sleep increase your appetite after a workout?

Yes. Too little sleep or poor-quality sleep can affect appetite regulation and increase the urge to eat. If a demanding workout is combined with a lack of sleep, you may feel hungrier the next day.

Does feeling hungrier after a workout mean the session was too intense?

Not always. An increased appetite in itself does not necessarily indicate that the exercise was too intense. However, it is worth reviewing your training load if it is accompanied by chronic fatigue, a decline in performance, sleep problems or difficulties with recovery.

How can you avoid feeling extremely hungry the day after a workout?

It helps to eat regularly, including a meal before and after a demanding workout, to stay properly hydrated, and to get enough sleep. It’s also worth noting whether a greater appetite occurs after specific types of training. It’s not about suppressing hunger, but about providing the body with the energy it needs for exercise and recovery.

Source:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3761859/