Is it normal to be really hungry after working out?

happybrain090
happybrain090 Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
After working out, I get really, really hungry. Is it normal? Should I eat? Any suggestions on what I should eat?
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Replies

  • Mavickdamonster
    Mavickdamonster Posts: 5 Member
    For me It is, and You should have Protein and a Complex Carb, SO I would eat something your body could use like Chicken Breast and a Sweet Potato
  • Pandabug93
    Pandabug93 Posts: 130 Member
    After you workout within 45 minutes is the best time to eat because your body needs to refuel and use proteins to repair muscle. I was told that by a nutritionist/personal trainer.
  • jewel22887
    jewel22887 Posts: 72
    Yes it is normal. Eat food. Congrats on working out :)
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    I get hungry after strength training, but not after a moderate cardio session.
  • bodiva88
    bodiva88 Posts: 308 Member
    I'm usually not hungry immediately, but within an hour or so, especially if it was a long or hard workout. And yes, eat protein in particular. If you don't refuel, you risk a binge later. Learn to listen to the REAL hunger symptoms (not boredom, not habit, real hunger).
  • Chelz2013
    Chelz2013 Posts: 176 Member
    Yes, absolutely!

    When are you working out? I ask since you asked if you "should" eat.

    I always have some protein within 15-45 minutes. If its mealtime, then absolutely a good meal with lots of protein and some veggies. Sweet potato & chicken suggestion is perfect! And tons of water! Hydrate!

    If its not mealtime, but I need the fuel, I may have a protein bar or protein drink.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    After you workout within 45 minutes is the best time to eat because your body needs to refuel and use proteins to repair muscle. I was told that by a nutritionist/personal trainer.

    Broscience. FYI.
  • RedheadedSlattern
    RedheadedSlattern Posts: 3
    Weirdly I find my appetite is reduced after I've exercised. However, the day *after* weights?? Er yer I'll eat anything and everything if you put it in front of me.
  • bobbystrongarm
    bobbystrongarm Posts: 72

    Broscience. FYI.

    Nope.
    http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TFPostProtein.html

    It has its place.
  • alehundrah
    alehundrah Posts: 156 Member
    I always get hungry after exercising. I think most people do. Sometimes I d nt eat but most of the time I give in and end up eating something
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I seem to have something of an inverted condition. No matter what I do, I don't really feel hungry after working out. Thirsty, yes. But not hungry. It's not that I can't eat. Often, I do eat shortly afterwards because of my schedule. But my friends seem to think I'm crazy for being able to work out for an hour and not eat absolutely everything in sight afterwards.

    This morning, for example, I did a cardio workout that involved a quarter mile warm up walk, then two miles of pushing myself hard for a minute and walking for a minute (23 minutes for that part, today), followed by a quarter mile cool down walk. I finished that workout two hours ago. But all I've consumed in the intervening time is a Gatorade recovery shake and a 20oz bottle of water. While I'm about to go grab my "breakfast", it's not because I feel like I'm starving.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member

    Broscience. FYI.

    Nope.
    http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TFPostProtein.html

    It has its place.

    According to this guy...John Hussman Ph. D who himself says (quote from his own site)

    I'm not a self-proclaimed "expert" or a "fitness guru"..it is one econmists opinion....and yes that's what his Ph D is in..economy.

    to the OP if you are hungry eat...just stay within your calorie/macro goals.

    I personally am typically not hungry after my workout...that could change tho when I start lifting.
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    After you workout within 45 minutes is the best time to eat because your body needs to refuel and use proteins to repair muscle. I was told that by a nutritionist/personal trainer.
    Yes, if you are lifting/strength training, you should have a high protein meal shortly after. If that is not possible, a protein bar can suffice.
  • gigglybeth
    gigglybeth Posts: 365 Member
    Cardio seems to make me not hungry at all, but when I do weights, OMG I can't stop eating the next day. Having high protein foods seems to help- eggs, meat, beans, etc.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member

    Broscience. FYI.

    Nope.
    http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TFPostProtein.html

    It has its place.

    12 weeks, 13 participants. Is it science, or reality tv? :-)
  • gargoylekitty
    gargoylekitty Posts: 8
    I'm almost always hungry after a workout* and typically take some fruit or a protein bar with me when I go to the gym/PT/a race to munch on while driving home.

    * depends on what you define as a workout though. Like, running 2 miles won't make me hungry, but 6 or more will tend to do it. 15 minutes of just about anything won't make me hungry, but 40+ will.
  • Telcontar97
    Telcontar97 Posts: 1 Member
    Oddly enough I was going to ask the exact opposite...
    I'm almost never hungry after exercise, but I do try to eat of course, I know my body needs it.
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
    I'm the same - weight lifting I am STARVING...cardio not so much. I always have a protein shake after my workout and an Aussie Bite :)
  • Pinkranger626
    Pinkranger626 Posts: 460 Member
    usually after my workouts I'm hungry, except on my long run days... 8+ miles and I'm usually not very interested in eating. Gatorade or Nuun and a banana after that and I'm good for a while. Start with water first, it could be that you just need water, but if it's been a couple hours, and you've replenished fluids then by all means eat. Just make sure that you're not over-eating (super easy to do when you're training hard, espeically heavy weights or endurance)
  • j75j75
    j75j75 Posts: 854 Member
    After lifting I get absolutely ravenous...
  • angelanicolelove
    angelanicolelove Posts: 6
    When I'm done at the gym, I'm always hungry. I usually eat a salad or a smoothie :D
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I'm usually pretty hungry after, but I usually wait until dinner which is only about 2 hours later. If it's really bad, I'll make a protein smoothie.
  • shining_light
    shining_light Posts: 384 Member
    I just finished my run. Pre-workout, I had greek yogurt with an apple, flaxseed, and cinnamon. Came back and had 1 oz. walnuts, 1 oz. almonds, a cup of soy milk(not my first choice, btw. I like almond milk more, but it was sold out), and will dig into raw veggies with hummus shortly.

    First real meal after my workout will be shrimp with steamed green vegetables(spinach, kale, and swiss chard).

    I know when I'm typically hungry and structure my meals accordingly around my exercise.
  • blackcloud13
    blackcloud13 Posts: 654 Member
    Not sure whether hunger is the right word, but when I go for a long run early in the day, I typically feel like I need to re-fuel (i.e. a bit weak; but not classic stomach rumbling hunger)
  • sunglasses_and_ocean_waves
    sunglasses_and_ocean_waves Posts: 2,757 Member
    Weirdly I find my appetite is reduced after I've exercised. However, the day *after* weights?? Er yer I'll eat anything and everything if you put it in front of me.

    Same.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member

    Broscience. FYI.

    Nope.
    http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TFPostProtein.html

    It has its place.

    12 weeks, 13 participants. Is it science, or reality tv? :-)

    That's a small population but that doesn't necessarily rule it out.

    It's an opinion piece with selective quoting and a little "broscience" of its own.

    The studies are not named, only referenced.

    There's one quote but there's no context (talking about the first paragraph).

    And the statement "to maximize fat burning" is very concerning because, to the best of my knowledge, elevated post-exercise calorie consumption occurs only after sustained exercise at high VO2 rates (70% VO2 Max) (I use software that tracks EPOC so I've had a little exposure to that metric).
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    After working out, I get really, really hungry. Is it normal? Should I eat? Any suggestions on what I should eat?

    "normal" - absolutely. It's also very "normal" to have zero hunger and to not be thirsty (yours truly).

    I try to follow a standard post run routine - a couple of hundred calories of carb and protein in a blueberry and yogurt smoothy. CW calls for 3:1 or 4:1 to "maximize replenishment" of glycogen stores but Noakes illustrates that, even after a glycogen-depleting activity such as a marathon, the body will restore CHO levels within 24-36 hours. That sounds like a long time but folks should understand that includes running 26.2 miles where there's almost no glycogen left - vastly different from a "mere" half marathon (13.1 miles) or, much, further down the scale, 45 minutes of weight lifting.

    Protein? I get protein from the yogurt in my blueberry smoothie and I'll often add in a Lindora Ready to Drink (15gm protein IIRC).

    This isn't a "do or die" thing so, if you don't refuel for 60 minutes or a couple of hours, the impact is that you're not getting "optimal" recovery from exercise. We're still getting a lot of benefit because we're exercising our body, clearing our head, and doing something we love. Can't beat that!
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    For me, it depends. Endurance exercise often leaves me not very hungry; on bike rides longer than 4 hours I often have to force myself to eat in the later parts of the ride and afterwards. But not always.

    This Saturday I had a bagel and cream cheese at 8:45 am and set out at 9 on a ride. I had a bottle of Gatorade in the morning (plus plenty of water) and was fairly hungry when I arrived at lunch around 12:45. I ate a turkey sandwich and a small bag of chips, and set off again around 1:15. I got to the finish line around 4:20 pm, having had half a bottle of Gatorade and two pickles in the afternoon. About 45 minutes later I had a small plate of BBQ pork, a biscuit, some salad, and a beer. I was eager for the beer; the rest of the food tasted good, but I was eating primarily out of duty. I figured that I had burned about 3200 calories on the ride (very hilly), and had eaten about 1400 by the time the ride ended, including breakfast. At home I got moderately hungry and ate a little bit of sausage and cheese before bed.

    The next morning I was ravenous.

    Sometimes, though, I can be seriously hungry after a ride. The one time I rode 200K, I inhaled a pizza when I got home.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    ...CW calls for 3:1 or 4:1 to "maximize replenishment" of glycogen stores but Noakes illustrates that, even after a glycogen-depleting activity such as a marathon, the body will restore CHO levels within 24-36 hours. That sounds like a long time but folks should understand that includes running 26.2 miles where there's almost no glycogen left....

    This isn't a "do or die" thing so, if you don't refuel for 60 minutes or a couple of hours, the impact is that you're not getting "optimal" recovery from exercise. We're still getting a lot of benefit because we're exercising our body, clearing our head, and doing something we love. Can't beat that!

    ^This is spot on. Noakes (Tim Noakes, a South African sports physiologist) is a reliable source, and the takeaway at the end is important. If you're an athlete hoping to get the best performance, recovery meals are significant, and timing them can be important. For the rest of us, not so much.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member

    Broscience. FYI.

    Nope.
    http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TFPostProtein.html

    It has its place.

    12 weeks, 13 participants. Is it science, or reality tv? :-)

    That's a small population but that doesn't necessarily rule it out.

    It's an opinion piece with selective quoting and a little "broscience" of its own.

    The studies are not named, only referenced.

    There's one quote but there's no context (talking about the first paragraph).

    And the statement "to maximize fat burning" is very concerning because, to the best of my knowledge, elevated post-exercise calorie consumption occurs only after sustained exercise at high VO2 rates (70% VO2 Max) (I use software that tracks EPOC so I've had a little exposure to that metric).

    That's a small *sample*. I think you'll find the population is quite big. :-)

    Unfortunately, I do think that a study relying on statistical calculation of difference is prone to errors. This is because reliability is compromised by the small sample. Small sample = low statistical power. This increases the likelihood of falsely detecting significant differences.
    Much sport science relies on tiny samples, and unfortunately simply accruing more and more of them doesn't actually fix the problem of statistical power - indeed, if it is simply a meta review, then accruing more studies will likely compound rather than fix the problem.

    And yes, I agree. The site uses research in a very unhelpful way.

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