Why don't you feel like eating during training? Why do you feel uncontrollably hungry after cardio training?

07.09.202027.05.2017

There are two important nuances at the heart of any weight loss method. The first is proper nutrition, the second is intense exercise. But it must be remembered that fat is a reserve of additional energy for the body. Everyone noticed that it was not so easy to get rid of it. Probably, the body itself simply does not want to part with it. Based on this statement, we can conclude: in order for fat to disappear, you need to create conditions in which the body will need energy.

Most best way– this is a sport. If eaten in unlimited and large doses, excess weight won't go away, and sports won't help either. In some cases, it is possible to achieve a certain result, but it will be short-term. Therefore, the question of nutrition after training is always relevant. So, it's time to study this aspect in more detail.

Pre-workout nutrition for weight loss

As mentioned above, fats are one of the possible sources of energy for the body. When an energy deficit occurs, then active consumption of fat begins. Therefore, eating before and after the workout is not recommended.

You need to force the body to expend its energy reserves, and not replenish them with food. Not eating for too long is also harmful, since normal training takes place in conditions where there must be carbohydrates. The best option is eating 1.5-2 hours before training. Experienced athletes do this. This way they can control the volume muscle mass. However, beginners have to learn this.

Fans of sports in the morning should know that food should enter the body about an hour before training. In this case, a salad of vegetables or fruits would be a good food. If you use vegetables, exclude potatoes; if you use fruits, exclude bananas and grapes. This is very important nuance, which few people pay attention to and do incorrectly.

If you don’t have enough time, literally 20 minutes before training, try to drink a glass of kefir, a cup of green tea, juice or compote.

Why can’t you wait 2 hours before training in the morning? The fact is that the body has already spent all its carbohydrate reserves overnight. After this, fats will be burned more efficiently and you will be able to lose weight faster.

What foods are good to eat before a workout?

Before playing any sport you can eat:

Oatmeal, rice or buckwheat porridge are perfect.
Fruits are especially beneficial, except those that have high level Sahara. We are talking about grapes and bananas.

Can't you eat them before training? They are not suitable for people who are trying to lose weight. Having a lot of carbohydrates in its composition, after entering the body, they slow down the process of fat consumption. If you eat a banana or grapes before training, there can be no talk of losing weight. First, the body will consume the energy that has just arrived and only after that will it go to its reserves.

In general, this statement applies to any food. The only difference is their calorie content. This is why there is no result after intense training. To lose weight faster, you should watch what you eat. After all, everything you eat will soon be reflected in your figure, whether you like it or not.

Post-workout nutrition for weight loss

If the workout went at a good pace, then the body will still feel better after it. continues to burn calories. After 1.5-2 hours you can start eating. But the products must be high in protein. They allow you to restore very quickly muscle tissue. These products include:

Diet is a must diversify with a salad of any vegetables:

tomatoes;
cabbage;
radish;
cucumbers;
bell pepper, greens.

Season the prepared dish with a small amount of olive or vegetable oil. Pickled vegetables can also be eaten.

Vegetables can be cooked over an open fire; it is not only tasty, but also healthy.

If your workout takes place late at night and you plan to go to bed in an hour, be sure to drink a cup of kefir. Consider sensitivity to dairy products. Kefir is a post-workout food that will help replenish protein reserves and normalize intestinal function. Kefir is used for combustion excess weight and health improvements. After it, your stomach feels light.

Many people, due to their busy work schedules, often simply do not have extra time to take care of themselves. Some allow you to allocate a couple of extra minutes in the morning, others are free only in the evening. Regardless of the case, these rules should not be changed under any circumstances. After training the body needs a break from nutrition. This will help force the body to continue burning fat.

Now readers know how to eat properly before and after training to burn fat. Proper nutrition should also be followed on days when there are no workouts. How much and what can you eat? How to eat properly between workouts?

Of course, you shouldn’t eat in unlimited quantities. Excessive consumption of salty, fatty, spicy and sweet foods - and you will forever give up your dreams of ideal figure. Basic nutrition tips should always be followed, regardless of whether you have a workout today or not:

Observe fractional meals. It is better to eat small meals as often as possible than large meals twice a day. This should be rule #1.
Eat some sweets, such as chocolate or baked goods, only on special occasions. The body needs glucose.
The basis of nutrition is low-fat foods. Give preference to lean meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, eggs and herbs.
Try to eat bananas and grapes in small quantities.
Potatoes contain a lot of carbohydrates, which interfere with weight loss. Eliminate this vegetable from your diet and you will be surprised at the results.
Protein products restore the human body. You need to eat them more than others.
If you eat meat, remove the skin and excess fat.
You can drink liquid in unlimited quantities. How many healthy drinks can you think of: compotes, fruit drinks, tea, cocoa. But honey and sugar are not added to them. Nutrients occupy the main place in their composition. Such drinks give vigor and stamina. Undoubtedly, honey is beneficial for the body. In this regard, nutritionists continue to argue to this day about its use. But in terms of training for the purpose of losing weight, it is better to exclude it from your diet.
And one more important nuance. The last meal must occur at least 2 hours before bedtime. This applies to those people who do not want to gain excess weight.

What to do if you really want to eat after training

There are times when after playing sports you really want to eat. The hunger is just crazy. What does it mean? No need to be scared, this completely normal. You have come after a workout that you spent a lot of time on and now you are hungry. The body is trying to tell you that it urgently needs to replenish its energy reserves. Is it possible to deceive the body in any way? After all, you are supposed to eat not immediately, but after 1.5-2 hours. Try the following:

Results

The issue of nutrition after and before training was discussed in detail. Losing weight is an important step that not many people dare to take. After all, a person wants to eat after and before training, and he cannot help himself. But to have a beautiful and slim figure, you need to pull yourself together and not give up. Eating the right food after sports is good for the body. If you do not follow these recommendations, then you should not even start.

In any case it is necessary adhere to a proper diet. There is no need to eat everything, including crackers, sweets, etc. You also need to lead an active lifestyle at all times. Try to do at least something to achieve your dream figure. Perhaps in the future you will like it, and you will no longer stray from this path.

Each of us, coming home after physical activity, may experience a strong feeling of hunger, but what to do if after training you don’t feel like eating at all? Is this normal?

Most likely, the problem lies in an incorrect and unbalanced diet under conditions of physical activity. You May Be Eating Significantly Before Workout more calories than your body loses in one exercise session. In this mode, you will never be able to get rid of excess weight.

Nutrition depends on two factors:

Time spent training.
Type of training (aerobic or strength training).

For weight loss, exercising on an empty stomach early in the morning will be effective. IN given time During the day, the body has the least amount of glycogen, so it will receive all its energy by breaking down fat.

If you play sports to build muscles, then you need to eat a hearty meal an hour before starting your workout. It is best if these are complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, rice or pasta).

After class, you should not immediately pounce on food if you want to lose excess weight. You feel hungry because during physical exercise you have launched the fat burning mechanism. Now you need to wait an hour or an hour and a half until it is most active. Afterwards you can have a light snack.

Avoid fats and caffeine after exercise. These substances prevent proteins from entering the blood. Therefore, if you feel hungry after a workout, then wait a little time and eat light food (fresh vegetable salad, fruit, cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt).

People who are losing weight ask why they want to eat after training. Although, this is logical - we waste energy and must make up for the deficit, which the body clearly hints to us through the feeling of hunger. But not everyone is happy about this - some go straight to fast food, while others destroy a triple portion of healthy and wholesome food. That’s why we don’t lose weight, as they say. In fact, an increase in appetite after a workout is normal, it is not normal if you cannot stick to your diet plan because of it. This means something is wrong with your recovery, nutrition, or the training itself.

Oh sport! You are an unbearable burden

A couple of years ago, a viral article circulated on the Internet in which yet another British scientist, based on statistics, proved that a card to a fitness club is more likely to promote weight gain than weight loss. The arguments were ironclad:

visiting the gym, we become overtired;
the loads of most people in the gym are unbearable, and are intended for “lumberjacks”, not “ballerinas”. Accordingly, instead of losing weight, girls start carrying all sorts of heavy weights, and then before you know it, your life is over, you get a cat, and New Year you meet with a laptop;
training only increases appetite, and we eat much more than we need to lose weight. And the average amateur doesn’t grow any muscles, only the fat layer.

It is clear that such a set of diverse horror stories simply convinces us that training is the enemy of diet. And since restrictive nutrition is the main weapon of harmony and beauty, then we shouldn’t even try to go to some gym.

"Female version" of the previous horror story

And for girls who want to be fit, they specially invented dancing, light fitness such as Pilates, swimming and all sorts of aerobics. According to legend, they make you not want to eat. Of course, especially if you consider that everything listed above, just like the despicable “metal”, consumes “carbohydrate fuel”, that is, you don’t want to. Maybe chew some candy or a small cake. Considering that this is “light food” in the understanding quite large quantities people, and the fact that a chocolate bar has the same calories as a small portion of buckwheat with a steamed chicken cutlet doesn’t really bother anyone.

So is it necessary to eat if you want to eat?

For girls, again, a myth has also been invented that everything that we eat after a workout, from protein products, will immediately be used for the needs of “muscle building.” Therefore, especially ardent fans of thinness do not eat these same protein foods for half a day. In fact, there are enough free amino acids circulating in the body to begin protein synthesis. But...you won't get big if you eat in a calorie deficit.

Therefore, two-hour breaks between the gym and eating “for weight loss” do not make sense. It is worth eating right away, and if you want to recover normally - proteins and carbohydrates without adding fats, and a little later - a large meal, which will also include fats.

You can also come across the opinion that carbohydrates have no place in the diet of someone losing weight when it comes to post-workout meals. In fact, no one forces you to load yourself with 120 g of carbohydrates at a time, but if you eat about 30 g there will be no problem. But protein synthesis in damaged muscles will be “more fun.” This means that we will end up burning more calories than if we simply abstained from eating after exercise.

Unbearable hunger and its consequences

As they say, everyone would have such desires. Many people who are losing weight really lose control of themselves after a hard workout, and eat much more than what their nutrition plan provides. There may be several reasons.

Unbalanced diet

This happens to comrades who misunderstand calorie counting and nutritional supplements. Many people really only try to “get into calories”, completely ignoring the need to eat a certain amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats. It turns out that such people eat only the most delicious things for themselves - sweets, some fruits, cheese, nuts or pasta made from them, but not meat, fish, eggs and cereals. A diet of “sweets” is not filling, since such food can be absorbed quite quickly, especially if we are talking about sweets. Therefore, after each session of “wasting calories,” the body simply screams about the need to replenish them.

What to do: start eating fiber. Yes, it's quite simple - you can “slow down” the absorption of any simple carbohydrates, if fiber is added to the dish. That’s why a homemade cake with whole grain flour is much better than a store-bought one. But this does not exempt you from counting the amount of macronutrients.

Too many simple carbohydrates

Theoretically, a healthy person cannot suffer if he gets most of his carbohydrates from “simple” sources. But in practice it turns out differently. Someone safely eats 100 g of honey a day and feels normal, but someone starts eating sweets with salty, sour, and “something else”, and then does not lose weight.

There are also real deviations in health, when after each serving a sweet person experiences a loss of strength and a desire to eat again. This is due to a violation of insulin metabolism, and should be a reason to consult a doctor.

In order to maintain normal metabolism on a diet, we are recommended to have no more than 10-20% sweet carbohydrates in the diet. That is, we can eat one serving of sweets, but “exchanging” all the buckwheat for sweets makes no sense.

Too little fat

This is the “legacy of the dark past” of modern dietetics. Just 10 years ago, it was considered an acceptable and desirable strategy to lose 40 grams of fat per day. And nothing that's yours own weight- far from 40-50 kg. Today, consuming enough fat is associated with optimal metabolic rate and normal functioning of the hormonal system. And a sufficient amount of fat means a high index of satiety of food, and no problems with satiety.

Training plan and its nature

Let's just say that when losing weight, we can set different training goals:

promotion strength endurance. Then we do so-called metabolic training (circuit, giant sets, interval training) in a relatively high-repetition mode, but with medium rather than light weights;
increase in strength indicators. For beginners, it is quite possible to grow and progress in strength while optimizing their physique, so many whose priority goal is strength training power plans without forgetting about the diet, and achieve success;
figure correction. Here, if we are talking about a calorie deficit, we can only “play” with muscle tone, but not by increasing volume

Not all training goals map perfectly to a low-calorie diet. More precisely, only bodybuilding-style figure correction correlates with it - 8-12 repetitions, a lot of isolation exercises, low-intensity cardio at the end. But everything else requires average calories and a fairly high amount of carbohydrates. Yes, you may be hungry because you're doing "metabolic" style circuits with fairly heavy bases, running sprints, and trying to munch on 30g of oatmeal as your only source of carbohydrates.

So remember that the deficit should be small and the weight loss should be slow.

Meal frequency

Many people, with a relatively optimal “matrix” of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, have a rather uneven distribution of food throughout their active day. Let's say a girl goes to the gym after work. She had lunch at one o'clock in the afternoon, and it was relatively full. Before training, she drinks a thin protein drink in water, or chews a bar “with fiber and protein.” It is not surprising that after training her feeling of hunger reaches cosmic proportions. Of course, the snacks and main meals theory is good if you don't have a special physical activity, but not too much if your goal is to train effectively. Try to make the 4 meals after breakfast approximately equal in time intervals, calorie content, and macronutrient composition.

And yes, the worst decision - eating carbohydrates in the evening - can save, and not “destroy” your waistline. Mixed foods, according to most sources, are the most optimal for anyone who strives for a longer feeling of fullness. Therefore, perhaps the “protein-complex carbohydrates-fats” scheme is more suitable for you, rather than the “protein-fiber” scheme for all meals.

Sports nutrition and post-workout hunger

Many people prefer to drink protein immediately after exercise, and then take a full meal, say, consisting of fiber and carbohydrates, or add fats too, especially if about an hour and a half has passed since taking the protein.

But you need to understand that cocktails are not a filling thing. Progressive humanity adds psyllium seeds to protein, and gets a cocktail that is thicker and takes longer to digest. You can also add regular bran, dietary fiber, or even a bunch of greens if you can tolerate such combinations.

Find out why you feel hungry after a workout, whether you should eat after the gym, and how carbohydrates affect your body.

Why do you feel hungry after training?

This problem is especially relevant for novice athletes. Many of them say that the lesson has not yet ended, and they are already hungry. Most people prefer to endure it because they are sure that eating food immediately after training reduces its effectiveness. One of the main reasons for hunger after exercise is an improperly adjusted diet.

Most often, people, having decided to get rid of excess weight or pump up, purchase a gym membership and start doing a lot of exercises. As a result, they return home exhausted and it is quite obvious that the desire for a snack in this case is simply enormous. Such a system will not bring you the success you desire. In order not to feel hungry after training, you need to eat well two hours before the start of the training. As a result, you will have the desire to eat about 40 minutes after training.

First we need to find out who is doing the fasted training:

those who decide to train in the morning;
if you need to attend classes after work;
losing weight, confident in the effectiveness of this approach.

However, you must remember that this approach to organization training process Not only is it unable to bring positive results, but it can even harm the body. Let's look at two situations.

The first example would be morning jog. The man did not eat until about eight or nine o'clock, and there is no doubt that he will have a strong appetite upon returning home. In addition, people often wake up with a strong feeling of hunger. If in such a situation you do not have breakfast and immediately go for a run, then hunger after training cannot be avoided.

In the second case, a person goes to the gym immediately after a working day. This suggests that between four and six o'clock in the evening he did not eat. We will not focus on those processes that are activated in the body during training. Let us only note the fact that already at the twentieth minute of training there are no glucose reserves left in the body and at the end of the training the body requires them to be replenished in a short time. The most dangerous thing about feeling hungry after exercise is not the appetite itself, but the fact that you can eat unhealthy foods.

How to get rid of hunger after exercise?

As we have already said, first of all you should eat before the start of the training:

If the class is held in the morning, then it’s worth at least drinking a glass of juice (freshly squeezed). The body will quickly process it and increase its glucose reserves.
When you go to the gym after work, at the end of the working day you should eat foods containing complex carbohydrates, such as porridge. Fruits will also work.

Exercising in relatively cold temperatures can also lead to post-workout hunger. This is possible at that moment if you train in temperatures less than 15 degrees. The situation is similar with exercises in the pool. The body must expend energy not only to perform movements, but also to maintain body temperature.

If you have swum in the pool, then you know that after training you really want to eat something, preferably with a high energy value. If you prefer to train on fresh air, then you should take a responsible approach to choosing clothes. When you plan to swim, don't spend more than 30 minutes in the pool.

Severe hunger may appear after high intensity workout. The reason for what is happening is quite obvious - high glycogen consumption. The more active you train, the more energy your body has to expend. To avoid hunger after a high-intensity workout, you need to find a compromise. When playing sports, it is important to have a sense of proportion, for example, train for 30 minutes, do not use high intensity, take fruit or cottage cheese with you.

What to do if you feel hungry after training?

Let's see what you should do if you really want to eat after training. Let's start with the fact that your activity should not be the point after which you need to deny yourself food. Moreover, it is even necessary to have a snack. When the body receives nutrients after physical activity, regenerative processes accelerate. Glycogen reserves are quickly restored, and after this, the restoration of microdamage to muscle tissue begins.

To get rid of the feeling of hunger after training, we recommend doing the following:

chicken breast (boiled);
egg white omelette without adding yolks;
low-fat cottage cheese;
squid (boiled or steamed);
vegetable salads seasoned with olive oil, but in small quantities.

Of course, proper organization of nutrition in general and after training in particular has a lot of nuances. We should not forget about the individuality of each person’s body. For some, the norm is to drink a glass of kefir after exercise, while another athlete says that at this time fermented milk products are not absorbed in his body.

Some people compare hunger with thirst, arguing that if you drink enough water throughout the day, you won’t drink more than your body needs. We can definitely say that after training, water is necessary, but hunger may not immediately disappear. We can recommend that you conduct an experiment and determine what is best for you.

Fasting and exercise

Today there is a lot of talk about the system of intermittent fasting. If you analyze the reviews about it, you get the impression of fairly high efficiency. Let's try to figure out how sports can be connected with fasting.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Athletes

Let's start with the advantages that fans of this technique talk about:

Insulin sensitivity increases, and the body responds better to carbohydrates from food.
Research has found significant improvements in health, affecting all systems of our body.
Metabolic processes are accelerated.
The body synthesizes norepinephrine more intensively, which leads to an increase in energy reserves.
The production of somatotropin accelerates, which leads to a restructuring of energy metabolism to use fat, and protein compounds are used exclusively to solve plastic problems.
Appetite decreases, although many are sure of the opposite. If you fast properly, your appetite will not increase.
Convenient from a practical point of view, because there is no need to carry containers of food with you.

Quite often you can hear complaints from athletes that split meals do not allow them to reduce their appetite and everything happens exactly the opposite. Not every person can be satisfied with small portions of food and it may be better to eat less often, but eat a lot of foods at once. Only one thing is obvious in this matter - each person must find the optimal diet for himself.

Is it necessary to exclude carbohydrates from the diet?

The effect of hunger on human performance is directly related to evolution. Our ancestors did not have the opportunity to refuel with carbohydrates before hunting or collecting plants. They were forced to alternate periods of fasting with times when food was plentiful.

However, even on an empty stomach it is necessary to look for food, because otherwise it is impossible to survive. Scientists are confident that our genetics have not changed since the time of the caveman. major changes. This allows us to assume that even today we can perform a large amount of work without additional carbohydrate fuel.

To obtain energy, the body is able to use not only carbohydrates, but also fats. In the average person's body, the carbo reserve is about 500 calories, but the fat reserve can be much higher. For example, your weight is 75 kilos and a quarter of this weight is fat. Thus, the energy reserve in the body will exceed 160 thousand calories.

Aerobic exercise activates the processes of utilization of adipose tissue and fats are burned first. The body is able to adapt to physical activity and a person becomes stronger, faster and more beautiful. When you fast and train against this background, the body begins to use its existing fat reserves more efficiently. We again come to the logical conclusion that exercise combined with a carbohydrate deficit can help you lose fat. The situation is similar with the intermittent fasting system.

The body creates glycogen reserves from carbohydrates supplied with food. Moreover, they are stored not only in the muscles, but also in the liver. If muscle glycogen is needed only to provide muscle energy, then the substance located in the liver is used to nourish the brain.

There are a lot of studies, the results of which prove the importance of consuming sources of carbohydrates before the start, during and after completing the exercise. It is important to consume enough carbohydrates during high-intensity training. In this mode of operation, the body primarily uses carbohydrates. Fats become the main source of energy only if leisurely movements are made.

When is it carried out? intense workout lasting more than an hour, scientists recommend taking 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates every 60 minutes. One of the main reasons for the lack of progress when losing weight is the high frequency of replenishing carbohydrate stores. Say, to burn all the calories contained in a regular bottle sports drink, you may need about 30 minutes of leisurely work on an exercise bike or treadmill. If you eat immediately after training, you may well gain weight.

If you have heard about the intermittent fasting system, then you probably know its basic principle - you fast for 16 hours, and during the remaining 8 you eat three times. It should be noted that this technique is actively used not only for weight loss, but also for gaining muscle mass. If you do not trust the reviews that are on the official website of the intermittent fasting system, then there are the results of a scientific experiment. It was conducted by British scientists and confirms the fact that during fasting, growth factors are activated and it is easier for an athlete to gain muscle mass.

Those who are actively involved in sports or fitness know that after you've worked hard on the machines, you don't feel like eating for a very long time. Obviously, after exercise, some mechanism is activated that suppresses appetite and hunger. But what kind of mechanism is this?

Jae-hoon Jonggu (Jae Hoon Jeong) and his colleagues from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine came up with the idea that it’s all about an increase in body temperature - after all, we warm up quite a lot due to physical activity.

Thermoregulation, like appetite, depends on the hypothalamus, a small region in the brain that controls a wide variety of physiological processes. For each process there is its own group of nerve cells, but perhaps the hypothalamic neurons that regulate feeding behavior also sense temperature?

Cells that suppress appetite are found in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus; their peculiarity is that they are able to directly sense hormones and other substances that float in the blood (the brain, as we know, is protected from direct contact with the blood by the blood-brain barrier).

To see if these neurons could respond to heat, the researchers treated them with the alkaloid capsaicin, which is found in hot peppers and which specifically targets heat receptors (which is why we feel peppers burn). An article in PLoS Biology states that two-thirds of the cells in the arcuate nucleus sensed capsaicin - that is, they have heat receptors and are active.

From experiments with cells we moved on to experiments on mice. When animals were injected with a burning substance directly into the hypothalamus, in the area of these same neurons, the mice lost their appetite for 12 hours - they continued to eat, but ate noticeably less than usual. If heat receptors on neurons were blocked, then capsaicin did not suppress appetite.

When mice were run on a treadmill for 40 minutes, their temperature rose rapidly (including in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus) and remained elevated for an hour - and the mice after “fitness” also ate half as much as mice that did not exercise. But if mice with thermal receptors on their neurons turned off ran on a treadmill, then they did not have any changes in appetite - physical exercise did not affect their appetite.

That is, the hypothesis was confirmed: brain cells that suppress appetite actually respond to heat. (You can explain why this is necessary, for example, like this: large physical activity happens when you have to run away from someone, and the desire to eat a hearty meal would be inappropriate here.)

Most likely, the same mechanism remains with us, and here we can come up with different options for how to use it for weight loss. Although what can you come up with here - you just need to go to the gym.

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