no appitite after working out? I dont get it

lindainprogress
lindainprogress Posts: 129 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all, I ended up doing a 8.5 mile hike today, kinda unexpected, so didn't have any snacks with me. I was not hungry at all after. only ate dinner cause I felt like I should get some protein in. Breakfast was 2 eggs, a small tortilla and 1/2 oz of swiss cheese. generally going 4 hours without eating anything would kick in the hunger monster. Is this the norm after kicking up your level of activity? Should I be concerned? should I eat anyway or just roll with the no interest in food? Not wanting to eat is brand new to me, and very weird. I had plenty of water with me, so I am not dehydrated and feel great in general so I don't think I am coming down with anything.
thanks for the feedback.

Replies

  • KWKY
    KWKY Posts: 110 Member
    I'm exactly the same and have been wondering about the same thing..

    I just bank up the deficit until the next day when my appetite decides to come back aggressively
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I experience this too to some extent, although I never miss a main meal. I am just trying to at least hit 1200-1500 calories on days in which I am very active. I'm curious to see what others have to say about this.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    i'm generally ravenous the next day, but not right after a hard workout. but since i have hard workouts most days, i'm usually starving every day of the week.

    that's my story and i'm sticking to it.
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    It's actually pretty common to have decreased appetite on workout days if you've been meeting your nutritional needs.

    Personally, if I do a 30-60 min intense workout, I won't be hungry for hours after; but typically if I do a longer workout, like today where I chose to do a 16k walk so that I could check out some trails, I'm starving.

    If it really concerns you, look at your weekly average this week and try to eat back some of the calories you're missing over other days.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Post workouts meals are important for my goals. That is the only reason why I consume something.
  • alydar42
    alydar42 Posts: 9 Member
    I think it's a fairly common experience. I'm not hungry after hard workouts either when I'm meeting all my basic nutritional needs. I usually let my body take the lead on that -- unless I'm trying to gain -- then I would try to eat back the calories a bit with light protein-rich foods like greek yogurt.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    The more active I am, the less hungry I am afterwards. That part seems normal.

    HOWEVER, I get really bad post workout hypoglycemia (if I do a hard workout like running as opposed to just being active by walking or something), and end up becoming so nauseous from the low blood sugar that I can't eat. If you have something like that you definitely need to worry. But, if you're just not feeling that hungry, eat something small and use up the calories at another time.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,988 Member
    I'm not hungry for an hour or two after my workout. Here's what I don't get. I go to the gym right from work and often start my workout with some carby starchy cravings. After workout they turn into meaty protein cravings.
  • SarahxApple
    SarahxApple Posts: 166 Member
    I think you should just follow your body's cues, don't get hung up on what you 'should' or 'shouldn't' do. I workout mostly in the morning fasted so I am nearly always hungry afterwards however, that is not always the case. I often found when I was training for my HM that after long runs (I would eat breakfast before hand), I only replenished sugar and salt and ate normally all day, the following day my appetite would kick up a gear.

    Again I want to stress the follow your body thing again as unless you have a medical issue or you are looking to do something specific e.g. gain muscle or perform to a certain standard or are following a specific diet then your body will tell you if it needs nourishment.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    Sometimes exercise can suppress hunger despite burning calories. Of course, it's important to eat a healthy post-workout meal/snack regardless and not to go too far below calorie goals.
  • lindainprogress
    lindainprogress Posts: 129 Member
    thank you all for your input. good to know it a normal part of this whole process

Categories