Hunger and Exercise

I broke my ankle 2.5 months ago. For the first month and a half all I could do was stomp around on my crutches.. I did lift some weights for upper body but not too much. After 6 weeks I could start riding a stationary bike and eventually got off the crutches, out of the boot and walking. The fascinating thing is that prior to the fracture I was a diehard exerciser - ran 4 miles every other day, did weights on my nonrunning days (kettlebell workouts) and was generally very active - hiking, golf, lots of outdoor activities.

Now I am building up my endurance again and while I can't run yet, I do ride my stationary bike or my "real" bike for 45 minutes each day and then walk a mile or so in the evenings. While I was recuperating, I was never very hungry, at all. I didn't gain any weight (although I know I lost muscle) and I just felt normal about eating - if I was hungry I ate and in between meals I really wasn't snacking because I didn't have the urge. Now that I am back to exercising regularly, I am starving! I want to eat all the time! I find it very frustrating because I do want to get back to my weight loss/muscle building regime but I have never appreciated the impact that exercise can have on your appetite.

I am curious if others have had similar experiences, and if so, how do you handle the hunger? While it is frustrating to have the hunger back like this (I used to just think it was in my head until I had a month and half long hiatus from exercise) it is also very interesting to me. Look forward to your comments!

Heather