How to stop hunger after exercise?!

Drink a lot of water and have a snack. Somebody more experienced can probably suggest exactly what *kind* of snack you should be looking for, but... maybe a big salad, because you can eat a LOT of veggies for fairly few calories? Or a shake?

I exercise a moderate amount, an hour 3-5 times a week. This is mainly cardio that i do.

However I'm faced with a problem, each day that I exercise I get extremely hungry, its not just after the exercise but the entire remainder of the day as-well and i struggle to maintain my calories. (I eat about half an hour before I go to the gym)

Does anyone have any advice?

You might need to drink more water. People often confuse hunger and dehydration.

Also, your protein intake is very low. Yesterday you only ate 48 g of protein. You should aim for around 100 g per day. Make sure you're getting enough fiber as well as that will help keep you full.

I'd also suggest eating something after. Some protein and a complex carb maybe. I like egg whites and sweet potatoes or spaghetti squash after. Sometimes spinach and mushrooms, then I eat an actual breakfast (I work out first thing in the am) a few hours later. A protein shake or bar could work, too.

I exercise a moderate amount, an hour 3-5 times a week. This is mainly cardio that i do.

However I'm faced with a problem, each day that I exercise I get extremely hungry, its not just after the exercise but the entire remainder of the day as-well and i struggle to maintain my calories. (I eat about half an hour before I go to the gym)

Does anyone have any advice?

Do you workout in the morning? unless you do vigorous cardio such as training for a marathon, you don't need to eat before the exercise, and can save those calories for after the workout and during the day.

It is natural to be hungry after the workout, your body is asking for fuel and that's alright. Are you eating your exercise calories back? If not, you should if you're on MFP system, so to reach your NET calories.

What do you eat post workout? It has been proven that unless you do workouts that exhaust your glycogen stores more than once in 24 hours, you don't need carbs immediately after the workout. Your glycogen stores will replenish naturally during the next 24 hours, so you can eat something more filling with protein and fat. I have a protein shake with fresh fruit after workout, holds me for another 2 hours until my early lunch. If I have 6 egg whites and 2 whole eggs, it gives me a similar amount of protein, but it holds me for the next 4-5 hours, thanks to the fat in the yolks.

So experiment with protein and fat in your post workout meal, that's the recommendation I can give you from my experience.

Oops, I see Perth, WA is Western Australia. :blushing:

I would say make sure that your after-exercise snack is a good balance of protein, fat, and carbs. Green yogurt and some almonds is a good option. Or a protein bar like Power Bar or Clif Bars.

Make sure you are getting plenty of water; sometimes we interpret thirst as hunger. You should probably get about 1 pint of water for every 30 minutes of cardio exercise (drink as you workout if you can, or take quick water breaks for a few swallows every so often). This is in addition to what you drink the rest of the day.

Maybe try playing with your timing of your workouts. If you are working out early, try putting it later, so you have less of the day feeling like you need to "catch up" on your eating. Or, maybe work out earlier in the day, so you have more time to recover and have more calories left after your workout. Find what works for you. Play with your calories, too. It looks like your net calorie goal is 1300; that's pretty low, so maybe you can change your settings to lose 1 pound or 1/2 pound a week to start, it'll give you some more calories. I'm guessing you don't have very much to lose (just from your profile picture, it may be fooling me ) so that is ideal any way. Some times we make too many changes at once and it's harder to adjust. Get used to the regular exercise with a few more calories available to eat, then consider changing the calories if you need to. And, for now, don't feel bad eating back your exercise calories (I peeked at your diary, and you're only over a little bit on the days I say, once you take exercise calories into account). Once you get the hang of it all, you can see what needs to happen with your calories.