Uncontrollable hunger from running

2

Replies

  • southerndream24
    southerndream24 Posts: 303 Member
    Im also kind of opposite. Running supresses my appetite. I try not to eat before a run, sometimes if i get up late or im slow to get out i end up feeling starving. After a 30min run those hunger pangs are gone!

    I'm exactly the same: I've just come back from an 18 mile run and I couldn't dream of eating anything (I just struggled to get through half a graze box), which has left my calorie count stupidly low for the day.

    Running for me switches off any snack-attacks I get, and I really have to pre-plan long-run days as if I had my way I'd eat nothing at all for the rest of the day. But, it's not all bad, it's quite handy on days where we have a more calorie dense tea: a good 10k prior to that, and I tend to feel a heck of a lot more satisfied from a smaller amount of food.

    I'm just like you. When the mileage gets high I struggle to eat enough. I do my long training runs early Saturday mornings and a lot of those days I'm still in the red for calories at 8pm. I have to force feed myself or eat peanut butter by the spoonful. Which isn't so bad.
  • DavidMartinez2
    DavidMartinez2 Posts: 840 Member
    As you can tell from the response here this is very common amongst runners. The best thing to do is to track all your food you are eating and figure out how many calories you can eat back and maintain. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good snacks for when you are hungry because they fill you up without adding tons of calories. You also need to watch your nutritional intake, running that much you are going to need to get a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
  • nikamar
    nikamar Posts: 83 Member
    I'm pretty sure the poster meant to pick from that list of post run snacks, not eat them all.

    Yes, thank you. I thought it was obvious, but I'll remember for the next time that some people require "or" between each listing. :tongue:
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    Im also kind of opposite. Running supresses my appetite. I try not to eat before a run, sometimes if i get up late or im slow to get out i end up feeling starving. After a 30min run those hunger pangs are gone!

    I'm exactly the same: I've just come back from an 18 mile run and I couldn't dream of eating anything (I just struggled to get through half a graze box), which has left my calorie count stupidly low for the day.

    Running for me switches off any snack-attacks I get, and I really have to pre-plan long-run days as if I had my way I'd eat nothing at all for the rest of the day. But, it's not all bad, it's quite handy on days where we have a more calorie dense tea: a good 10k prior to that, and I tend to feel a heck of a lot more satisfied from a smaller amount of food.

    I'm just like you. When the mileage gets high I struggle to eat enough. I do my long training runs early Saturday mornings and a lot of those days I'm still in the red for calories at 8pm. I have to force feed myself or eat peanut butter by the spoonful. Which isn't so bad.

    Same exact issue here. I find that when I'm putting in a nice amount of miles I need to start doing tricks like peanut butter on a spoon just to make calories. I eat a ton but it's not matching what I'm using running so calorie dense foods come in handy.

    You'll need to match your calorie intake with your energy expenditure no matter what because days you don't run you don't need quite as much. One other approach is to just estimate your need and average it out across all days of the week. That lets you eat more on rest days too and perhaps it won't feel like you're force feeding yourself.
  • guessrs
    guessrs Posts: 358 Member
    I find eating a banana after run makes me feel full, also porridge, whole wheat bagel or yogurt. I've had to use self talk, telling myself running is not a licence to eat more. If I lose 1000 cals and then eat 2000 then what's the point? It makes you want to make good choices. I also wait after run, go for a swim etc just to teach my body it's not about stuffing myself after.
  • peanut7butter
    peanut7butter Posts: 45
    Your diary is not open so its hard to tell exactly. My guess would be you are eating somewhere around 1200 calories and by adding in cardio (which burns calories) you have pushed your deficit even further. As a result your hunger is increasing.

    No, I eat about 1800 to 2000 a day
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    One of the reasons studies have found that it's diet, not exercise, that makes us lose weight is exactly what you're talking about. We eat a lot when we exercise because we're hungry.

    I assume you're eating back your running calories.

    You might try eating a bit before you run - not immediately before, but before - just so you have some reserves. I've found after I lost most of my pudge that I have fewer reserves and need to keep my blood sugar up.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    This thread made me think of.......

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

    (it'll take a few minutes but runners will get it)
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    I have started running most days for up to an hour, and now find that I need to eat more calories than before. Well, I am also even hungrier now, and find myself over eating for the past couple days! It's all healthy stuff, I just find that I get so ravenous. Also, I think it might be in my mind sometimes, because I see that I have more calories and go a little crazy with my new freedom. Any tips?

    You are burning more calories than you are consuming and no, you will not go into starvation mode.

    Just ensure you eat good nutritious food.

    Unfortunately, if you are trying to lose weight (ie not maintaining), even if you do tons of running, you still cannot just eat and eat and eat, you would still need to be in a deficit, this is how weightloss works.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    This thread made me think of.......

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

    (it'll take a few minutes but runners will get it)

    :laugh: I just read that, it is excellent!
  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
    Some of the posting on this Topic is a tad mental!!

    lets not get confused between cause and effect!

    running burns calories= Fact

    Food is calories= fact

    if you burn more then you eat you will lose weight= Fact

    finding some middle ground between the amount you run and eat? well thats just self control in my opinion

    i run 5km ever day, burning roughly 3500-4500 calories per week,

    factor that into your weekly calorie target, you cant go wrong?

    Running can not make you fatter, only eating can make you fatter
  • Montarosa456
    Montarosa456 Posts: 133
    Eat back your calories (but try and avoid eating back with empty calories)
    Drink plenty - So you don't confuse hunger with dehydration
    Eat as much protein as you can with your macros (or what feels good) as this fills you up and helps recover those muscles.
  • minnesota
    minnesota Posts: 204 Member
    Been there! I drink protien shakes after I'm done, which is about 210 calories and 26 grams of protien to keep me full. It works like a charm!
  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    I get like this too when I interval and walk more than 2 miles a day. I just can't stop shoving food in my mouth.

    My trick currently is to drink a lot of water before and after. Some times it helps. Some times, it doesn't.
  • ozofeliz
    ozofeliz Posts: 20 Member
    The problem of eat the burned calories after exercise is that you don't know exactly the amount of calories burned. My rule is, if possible, don't eat the calories. If the effort was great ( 4 hours of hikking ) i eat 1/3 of "theorical" calories burned. Ah, don't forget the BCAA.

    Sorry for my english.

    P.S. I'm on betablockers and the control of calories via HRM is impossible and i've an additional problem http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1429255/pdf/brjclinpharm00296-0032.pdf
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Are you fueling yourself properly before your runs? That might be an issue as well. And I am not meaning just counting the calories. Since you are running so much, have you adjusted your macros to reflect the amount of carbs you need to fuel your runs? If not, your body could be screaming at you to feed it because it doesn't feel like it is getting any of the right nutrients it needs.
  • Judysiguaw
    Judysiguaw Posts: 12 Member
    I read an article recently that described how over-exercising actually leads to uncontrollable hunger, resulting in binging which completely offsets the calories burned. You might try reducing your running to just 30 minutes and see what happens. I have found short, intense exercises have worked for me. They seem to actually decrease my appetite, so I have lost 40 lbs. I use the workouts at www.dailyhiit.com (note that hiit has two "i"s for High Intensity). I am sure there are many other such free programs on the Internet as well. At important rule of thumb to keep in mind is "90% nutrition, 10% exercise," meaning your focus should be on what you put into your mouth and exercise should just be supplemental.
  • StefPayne
    StefPayne Posts: 126 Member
    bump for later
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
    Been there! I drink protien shakes after I'm done, which is about 210 calories and 26 grams of protien to keep me full. It works like a charm!

    Me too, Protein, banana, spoon of almond butter, ice.

    When I have a crushing Crossfit with my buddies, we are all starving mid day. I just make better choices now than I used too and drink water before I make any food decisions
  • psuhorseshoe
    psuhorseshoe Posts: 29 Member
    I don't know if this would work for your running schedule, but this is what I tend to do.
    During the week I tend to run at night, after I feel like I have digested my dinner enough to run. By the time I get back, it is almost bed time. So I reward myself with a little snack and lots of water and get ready for bed. By that time I am more tired then hungry. Usually if I plan my day well, I don't dig too much into those excersise calories. During the weekends, I will run in the morning or afternoon and plan on eating back those work out calories to enjoy a drink and dinner out.
  • workout_junkee
    workout_junkee Posts: 473 Member
    Your diary is not open so its hard to tell exactly. My guess would be you are eating somewhere around 1200 calories and by adding in cardio (which burns calories) you have pushed your deficit even further. As a result your hunger is increasing.

    No, I eat about 1800 to 2000 a day

    My guess... You need to eat more. Your profile shows 19 years so your metabolism is still high.m run your TDEE. I eat at 2100 per day to maintain and I am almost twice you age... So a slower metabolism unfortunately.

    Also, try a high protein diet. I noticed a huge difference in hunger when I upped my protein to 100g a day. I stay much fuller now.
  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
    def eat more protein.

    I'm doing whole30 atm (paleo) and I find I don't need to snack after a long hard run, but I am only eating 3 highly calorie dense meals each day.
  • klhessling
    klhessling Posts: 48 Member
    Yes, you are "rungry"!! :) I love running and think you've gotten lots of good advice
  • vegamy
    vegamy Posts: 204 Member
    I have started running most days for up to an hour, and now find that I need to eat more calories than before... Any tips?

    I try to eat some high protein (or sometimes, high fiber) snacks and drink some extra water and that seems to help. But with any kind of intense activity, I find that I am hungrier.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member


    I also try to throw lettuce into everything to "trick" my brain into thinking I'm eating more. Spaghetti? Nah, spaghetti and lettuce. Turkey sandwich? Nah, turkey and double lettuce sandwich. etc ;)

    This is not always a successful plan, so I am open to suggestions/advice, as well! :)

    Spaghetti and lettuce??? OH please don't do that, it's just so wrong
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I have started running most days for up to an hour, and now find that I need to eat more calories than before. Well, I am also even hungrier now, and find myself over eating for the past couple days! It's all healthy stuff, I just find that I get so ravenous. Also, I think it might be in my mind sometimes, because I see that I have more calories and go a little crazy with my new freedom. Any tips?

    Try setting your MFP calories to what you should be eating every day and don't record the exercise calories. For example, if you're eating TDEE - 20%, and that number is 1800 calories, set your MFP calories to 1800. You can log the exercise but just enter it as 1 calorie burned. That way you're not seeing the difference the exercise makes but you're still eating a sufficient amount of calories to sustain the energy burned.
  • littlecumbercookie
    littlecumbercookie Posts: 7
    I have the exact same problem! and it is not even like I run too much; I run about 15 minutes at a stretch, and that is all I can do as of now. I run early mornings, and the entire day I am constantly hungry. If I've had lunch at 1, I get hungry again by 3. As a result I end up eating all the time and I'm sure I've gained some weight instead of losing it! I'm apprehensive about actually checking my weight now!
  • littlecumbercookie
    littlecumbercookie Posts: 7
    Also, quick question...I run early mornings, on an empty stomach. Is that a good practice? Or should I eat something before I run?

    I literally wake up, get dressed and go off for a run...so I guess cooking up something to eat is not really my thing, but if it helps my running, I'm open to it.

    Do let me know, please!

    Thanks!
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
    I always eat before I run in the morning, but I have to leave at least 30 minutes between eating and running. Generally, it's better practice to eat at least a little something prior to running. And, within 30 minutes of your run, eat something that has carbs and protein for muscle recovery. It helps fight the inflammation that causes those legs to be sore afterwards. Maybe try a breakfast bar or string cheese if you're not up for cooking. Something quick to give your body fuel. A car can't run on empty - neither can we!
  • GoRun2
    GoRun2 Posts: 478 Member
    bump for later - rungry

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