Insatiable hunger after exericing!
 

How do you all deal with this?

I try to pack in high fiber, nutrient dense foods and lots of water. I avoid low content carbs (like potatoes, breads, etc) as much as possible (but I get epic fail points most of the time). But I'm ALWAYS SO HUNGRY AFTER I EXERCISE!!!!

Today, I had a slice of cheese on a few crackers for a snack (we were out of fruit or, really, anything else). I will also cop to eating a leftover cupcake (I'M SO SORRY HIPS!!).

We walked to get hubby at the train today. It's 2.8 miles round trip. When we got back, we were all famished.

We sat down for dinner. I had about 4-5 oz of pork roast, a little potato (one of those "new red potatoes"), and a cup or two of carrots and sugar snap peas. I skipped the milk/juice and opted for water to not waste the calories. Nothing was cooked in butter or oil or anything, because I wanted to save calories there.

I've been downing water like crazy. I must have drunk at least a gallon today.

This was 1.5 hours ago. I'm starving again. Literally. My stomach is gnawing at itself. The feeling of hunger isn't much of a problem (I could hold out until morning if that was the only problem), it's the impending drop in blood sugar.

Someone PLEASE identify my problem with dinner (and leave the cupcake out of it, I've already had a sit down chat with the other six that are sitting in the fridge. They've been punished enough! :dizzy:).

I have the same problem when my meal is grilled chicken and veggies. What I've done is upped my protein and healthy fats a bit. They keep me full longer. I also drink some psyllium husks in water, and that keeps me full.

I don't know if this helps at all, but my discovery of the day is oatmeal. Like the kind from a big container (i think they are rolled oats) I always used them to make oatmeal cookies (haha!) but today i was low on food and had just read an article about how oatmeal is really good for you and has the highest satiety of any food. 1/2 cup dry makes a LOT and it's around 150 calories, 5 grams protein, 4 grams fiber plus it's really filling and you can't scarf it down. it takes a while to eat it. it's a little bland if you don't add anything but it's still a good item to fulfill those intense hunger feelings. (plus i think the article mentioned it's supposedly good for removing belly fat or something so added perk)

My guess is that you're not getting enough carbs. When we exercise, our bodies use primarily carbs as energy. If you don't replenish your carbs, this is one potential reason for being famished. I know that when I don't eat enough carbs I feel constantly hungry.

A lot of people of this board stress protein, but I'm a big advocate of healthy carbs. Whole wheat bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes (potatoes are good for you, as long as they're not french-fried!). Carbs keep you full, and they are our most basic food group going all the way back for thousands of years of human history.

Hey Atari, how many calories do you eat in a day? Do you skimp during the day and then eat a big dinner?

Try having a snack half an hour before you exercise--a snack that includes protein along with the other food groups. This may help. It's OK to eat after exercise, too--as long as you plan it in advance and limit the calories. In other words, no blindside hit by a cupcake. ;)

Jay

I don't potatoes are as bad as many people believe. I would have had more than just a single potato with that roast. You can try to replace the regular potato with a sweet potato, as it has a lower glycemic index.

I eat roughly 1800-2000 calories most days. Sometimes I'm up at 2300, other days I'm down at 1500. I try to keep it consistent, but there are just times that I can't stand the idea of food, and other when I can't stop eating.

I don't skimp during the day. I try to make lunch my "biggest" meal because I've never been a morning eater and I sleep better if my stomach is relatively empty. Breakfast is usually 300-400 calories, lunch is 500-600 calories, dinner is 400-500, with two 100-200 calories snacks.

I think I'm going to pick up some bananas today. I hate the way they taste, but they seem to keep m "full".

I'm with Jay - plan some snacks, make sure you're not "saving up" your calories for dinner, and eat regularly throughout the entire day. It should help. Otherwise, are you sure you shouldn't be eating just a bit more? Whenever I get truly, insatiably hungry for more than a few days at a time, my body is saying "um, we need some more food. Work on that".

I think that it was the "slips" that gave you such hunger issues in the evening yesterday, exercise or no.

When we eat a mass of sugary, refined carb (I love my cupcakes, but they definitely land in that category), our bodies release a HUGE surge of insulin to deal with the extra carb load. Once the cupcake has been processed, though, we may still have some extra insulin, the result of our bodies seeing the ton of sugar and releasing it all in a flood, which takes our blood sugar LOWER than it should be. Adding exercise on top of that can lower your blood sugar to a point where it's going to be hard to get un-hungry.

So yesterday may have been a combination of the two. In general, though, if this is happening all the time, take a look at your total calories and nutrient ratios, and whether or not you are spreading your cals evenly over the day.