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Appetite and cardio v weights?

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Lark13
Lark13 Posts: 21 Member
in Debate Club
I lift three days a week and run two (different) days. I've noticed I consistently find it more difficult to stay within my calorie allocation on my running days than on my lifting days, even though I am working out much more aggressively on lifting days (my runs are mainly for relaxation and some movement on non-lifting days). Is this typical?

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  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    Yes, I see the same effect. Even relatively slow runs I'm famished soon after. One thing I have noticed is that my faster, sprint interval have a similar effect to lifting - they don't ramp up my appetite as much as a slow steady run does.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,389 MFP Moderator
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    When I lift heavy, I am always hungry the day after. When I do HIIT, it's not so much the problem.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I find that weights and swimming increase my appetite more than running (which really doesn't unless it's a really long run).

    Is this actually a debate topic or more suited for fitness and exercise?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Lark13 wrote: »
    even though I am working out much more aggressively on lifting days

    How do you know that?

    I did a bike ride a couple weeks ago, over Loup Loup Pass. I treated it like a recreational ride, I was in it for the scenery and to be outdoors somewhere new. But I was a bit pressed for time, so took a slightly (I thought) faster pace than I'd normal choose. The numbers from my power meter and heart rate monitor say it was a brutally hard ride. Didn't feel that way at the time, but it took me a few days to recover, which is much longer than usual. Anyway, what I'm saying is that you might be getting into the zone when you run, and working much harder than you think even if it feels relaxing at the time.

    That said, I find that high intensity cardio (zone 4+) creates a lot of hunger, usually starting several hours later or the next day. Moderate intensity (zone 2) does not. Both of them usually suppress my appetite while I'm exercising. It makes sense because at moderate intensity you're mostly burning fat and at higher intensity you're using a lot of glycogen, which is limited and must be replenished. It's the need to replenish the glycogen you used up that makes you hungry. A lot of people know this as "runger."
  • jhnbwh
    jhnbwh Posts: 30 Member
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    THE HARDER I WORK SEEMS THE HUNGRIER I AM

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