After fitness, I want to eat for a reason. Why do you want to eat after a workout? Why training ends with a strong appetite

If you go to the gym, then one way or another you are more attentive to your diet. The body just makes you think about what to eat before a workout and what to do when you really want to eat after a workout ...

I managed to ask a question about why it is so strong, one of the best nutritionists in Ukraine - Svetlana Viktorovna Fus. Now she is participating in the filming of the new season, and she also helps women lose weight in the unique project Slimmer and Younger.

Svetlana Fus spoke about the main reasons for an attack of very strong hunger after a workout (after all, what you want to eat is normal, the problem is that you want to eat MUCH, VERY MUCH).

So. Svetlana Fus named two main reasons:

  1. insufficient or improper nutrition before training;

I know that my load is quite adequate (45-55 minutes of step), so I asked about what dietary mistakes lead to this terrible hunger after a workout.

It turned out that the problem was in my desire to limit the amount of carbohydrates. And before training (1.5-2 hours) for people like me (who really want to eat after fitness) - you just need to eat a portion of porridge with boiled turkey or chicken.

I've been doing this for a week now and I've noticed that it really helps. Not only is there no feeling of hunger after a workout, but the session itself is much easier. Lighter than after cheese, cottage cheese or a piece of boiled meat, which I used to eat before training, trying to limit the amount of carbohydrates. Need carbs!

If you do not have a similar problem after training, you still need to eat before class. So training will be more effective and digestion will be just perfect. Carbohydrates can be different: porridge, fresh juice, vegetable salad. Beets, carrots, pumpkin - these are the products that will give energy to the body.

Salad with radish and egg

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of radishes with fresh leaves, 1 egg, 50 g of cheese, dill, 3 green onions, 1 tbsp. tablespoon olive oil, salt

COOKING:

Wash the radishes, let them soak in water for 30 minutes, free them from the tails and cut into slices, radish leaves into strips, cheese into cubes. Finely chop the hard-boiled egg, onion and dill. Mix all the ingredients, add small pieces of cheese, salt, season with olive oil.

After training, very active processes in the body begin. And if you want fitness to rejuvenate you and make you healthier, you need to give the body the amino acids that are found in proteins. What to eat after a workout? It can be a light protein, which is found in cottage cheese, rennet cheeses ("Adyghe", "Mozzarella"). You can have dinner with boiled fish, turkey, eggs (if the goal is to lose weight, then only protein).

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

Most The best way is a sport. If eaten in unlimited and large doses, excess weight won't go anywhere and sports won't help either. In some cases, you can achieve some 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 there is an energy deficit, then the active consumption of fats begins. Therefore, eating before and after training is not recommended.

It is necessary to force the body to expend its energy reserves, and not to replenish them with food. Not eating for too long is also bad, because normal training takes place in conditions where carbohydrates must be present. The best option - eating 1.5-2 hours before training. Experienced athletes do just that. So they can control the volume muscle mass. However, beginners have to learn this.

Fans of sports in the morning should know that the body should receive food before training in about an hour. In this case, a salad of vegetables or fruits will serve as a good food. If you are using vegetables, omit potatoes; if fruit, bananas and grapes. This is a very important nuance that few people pay attention to and do it wrong.

If there is not enough time, literally 20 minutes before training, try to drink a glass of kefir, a cup of green tea, juice or compote.

Why is it impossible to withstand 2 hours before training in the morning? The fact is that the body has already managed to spend all the reserves of carbohydrates during the night. After that, fats will be burned more efficiently and it will be possible to lose weight faster.

What foods are good to eat before a workout

Before playing any sport, you can eat:

  1. Oatmeal, rice or buckwheat porridge is perfect.
  2. Fruits are of particular benefit, except for those that have high level Sahara. We are talking about grapes and bananas.

Shouldn't they be eaten before a workout? They are not suitable for people who are trying to lose weight. Having in its composition a lot of carbohydrates, after entering the body, they slow down the process of spending fats. If you eat a banana or grapes before a workout, there can be no question of losing weight. First, the body will spend the energy that has just arrived, and only after that it will 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 a hard workout. To lose weight faster, you need to watch what you eat. After all, everything you eat will soon be reflected in the figure, whether you like it or not.

Post workout nutrition for weight loss

If the training went at a good pace, then the body even after it continues to burn calories. After 1.5-2 hours, you can start eating. But foods should be high in protein. They allow you to quickly restore muscle tissue. These products include:

Ration is mandatory diversify with a salad of any vegetables:

  • tomatoes;
  • cabbage;
  • radish;
  • cucumbers;
  • bell pepper, herbs.

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

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

If training takes place late at night, and you plan to go to bed in an hour, be sure to drink a glass of yogurt. Consider sensitivity to dairy products. Kefir is a post-workout meal that will help replenish protein reserves and normalize bowel function. Kefir is used to burn excess weight and improve health. After it, the stomach feels light.

Many people, due to a busy work schedule, 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 in any case. After workout body needs a break. This will help to force the body to continue to burn fat.

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

Eat in unlimited quantities, of course, should not. Excessive consumption of salty, fatty, spicy and sweet foods - and you will forever part with dreams of perfect figure. The basic nutritional advice you should always follow, regardless of whether you have a workout today or not:

  1. Observe fractional nutrition. It is better to eat as often as possible in small portions than twice a day in large quantities. This should be rule #1.
  2. Some sweets, such as chocolate or flour products, eat only in special occasions. The body needs glucose.
  3. The basis of nutrition is low-fat foods. Give preference to lean meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, eggs and greens.
  4. Try to eat bananas and grapes in small quantities.
  5. Potatoes contain a lot of carbohydrates that interfere with weight loss. Eliminate this vegetable from your diet, and you will be surprised at the results.
  6. Protein products restore human body. They need to eat more than others.
  7. If you eat meat, remove the skin and excess fat from it.
  8. You can drink liquid in unlimited quantities. How many healthy drinks you can 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 energy and endurance. 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 in order to lose weight, it is better to exclude their diet.
  9. And one more important nuance. The last meal of the day must be at least 2 hours before bedtime. This applies to those people who do not want to gain weight.

What to do if you really want to eat after a workout

There are times when after playing sports you really want to eat. The hunger is just crazy. What does it mean? Don't be scared, it's absolutely normal phenomenon . You came after a workout that you spent a lot of time on and now you want to eat. The body is trying to tell you that it urgently needs to replenish its energy reserves. Is it possible to deceive the body in some way? After all, it is supposed to eat not immediately, but after 1.5-2 hours. Try doing the following:

Results

The issue of nutrition after and before training was considered in detail. Losing weight is an important step that not many dare to take. After all, a person wants to eat after and before training, and he cannot help himself. But in order to have a beautiful and slim figure You have to pull yourself together and don't 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 stick to a proper diet. No need to eat everything, including crackers, sweets and more. Also, you need to lead an active lifestyle all the time. Try to try to do at least something to get the figure of your dreams. Perhaps in the future you will like it, and you will no longer go astray.

The appetite-regulating neurons in the brain sense body temperature.

Those who are actively involved in sports or fitness know that after you give your best on the simulators, you don’t want to eat for a very long time. Obviously after exercise some mechanism is activated that suppresses appetite and hunger. But what is this mechanism?

Jay-hoon Jong ( Jae Hoon Jeong) and his colleagues at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine came up with the idea that it was all about an increase in body temperature - we warm up quite a lot due to physical activity.

Thermoregulation, like appetite, depends on the hypothalamus, a small area in the brain that controls a variety of physiological processes. Each process has its own group of nerve cells, but maybe the hypothalamic neurons that regulate eating 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 feel the 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 find out if these neurons can respond to heat, the researchers treated them with the alkaloid capsaicin, which is found in hot peppers and which acts on heat receptors (which is why we feel how the pepper burns). In an article in PLoS Biology it is said that two-thirds of the cells of the arcuate nucleus felt capsaicin - that is, they have heat receptors and they are active.

From experiments with cells, they moved on to experiments on mice. When the animals were injected with a burning substance directly into the hypothalamus, into the region of these very 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 zone of 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 ran on a treadmill with disabled thermal receptors on neurons, then they did not have any changes in their appetite - physical education did not affect their appetite.

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

Most likely, the same mechanism has remained with us, and here you can come up with different options for how to use it to reduce weight. Although what is there to come up with - you just need to go to the gym.

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

Why does hunger appear after a workout?


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

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

First we need to find out who is training on an empty stomach:

  • 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 not able to bring positive results, but it can even harm the body. Let's look at two situations.

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

In the second case, a person immediately after the working day goes to the gym. 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. We only note the fact that already at the twentieth minute of training there are no reserves of glucose in the body and at the end of the training the body requires to replenish them in short time. The most dangerous thing about feeling hungry after a workout is not the appetite itself, but the fact that you can eat harmful foods.

How to get rid of hunger after a workout?


As we have said, first of all, you should eat before the start of the training:
  1. If the lesson is held in the morning, then it is worth at least drinking a glass of juice (freshly squeezed). The body will quickly process it and increase its glucose stores.
  2. When you visit the gym after work, at the end of the working day, you should eat products containing complex carbohydrates, for example, porridge. Also suitable are fruits.
Exercising at relatively low temperatures can also lead to post-workout hunger. This is possible at that moment if you train at a temperature of less than 15 degrees. Similarly, the situation is with classes in the pool. The body must spend energy not only to perform movements, but also to maintain body temperature.

If you swam in the pool, then you know that after a workout you really want to eat something, and preferably with a high energy value. If you prefer to train outdoors, then you should responsibly approach the choice of clothing. When you plan to swim, don't spend more than 30 minutes in the pool.

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

What to do if you feel hungry after a workout?


Let's see what to do if after the training you really want to eat. Let's start with the fact that your occupation should not be the line after which you must deny yourself food. Moreover, it is even necessary to have a snack. When the body after physical activity receives nutrients, the regenerative processes are accelerated. Glycogen stores are quickly restored, and after that, the restoration of microdamages in muscle tissues begins.

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

  • chicken breast (boiled);
  • egg white omelet without adding yolks;
  • low-fat cottage cheese;
  • squid (boiled or steamed);
  • vegetable salads dressed with olive oil, but in small quantities.
Of course, proper catering in general and after training in particular has a lot of nuances. Do not forget about the individuality of the body of each person. For some, the norm is to use a glass of kefir after class, and another athlete says that at this time, fermented milk products are not absorbed in his body.

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

Fasting and sports


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

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting for Athletes

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

  1. Insulin sensitivity increases, and the body responds better to carbohydrates from food.
  2. Studies have found significant improvements in health, affecting all systems of our body.
  3. Metabolic processes are accelerated.
  4. The body more intensively synthesizes norepinephrine, which leads to an increase in energy reserves.
  5. The production of somatotropin is accelerated, which leads to a restructuring of energy metabolism for the use of fats, and protein compounds are used exclusively to solve plastic problems.
  6. Appetite drops, although many are sure of the opposite. If you are fasting correctly, then your appetite will not increase.
  7. Convenient from a practical point of view, because there is no need to carry food containers with you.
Quite often you can hear the complaints of athletes that fractional nutrition does 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 food at once. Obviously, there is only one thing in this matter - each person must find the optimal diet for himself.

Should carbohydrates be eliminated from the diet?


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

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

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

Aerobic exercise activates the processes of utilization of adipose tissues and, first of all, it is fats that are burned. The body is able to adapt to physical stress and a person becomes stronger, faster and more beautiful. When you starve and exercise against this background, the body begins to more rationally use the fat reserves it has. We again come to the logical conclusion that exercising, combined with a carbohydrate deficiency, can help you lose fat. The situation is similar with the intermittent fasting system.

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

There are plenty of studies showing the importance of eating carbohydrate sources before, during, and after exercise. In this case, it is necessary 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 unhurried movements are made.

When is it held intense training 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 in losing weight is the high frequency of carbohydrate replenishment. For example, to burn all the calories contained in a regular bottle of sports drink, you may need about 30 minutes of leisurely work on a stationary bike or treadmill. If after the training you immediately eat, then you may well gain weight.

If you have heard of the intermittent fasting system, then you probably know its basic principle - for 16 hours you fast, and for 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.

Each of us, having come home after physical exertion, may experience a strong feeling of hunger, but what if we don’t feel like eating at all after a workout? Is this normal?

Most likely, the problem lies in improper and unbalanced nutrition under conditions of physical exertion. You may be eating significantly more calories before your workout 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:

  1. Time spent exercising.
  2. Type of training (aerobic or strength).

For weight loss will effective lessons early in the morning on an empty stomach. At this time of day, the body has the least glycogen, so it will receive all the energy by breaking down fat.

If you play sports to build muscle, then you need to eat a solid meal an hour before the start of the workout. It is best if these are complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, rice or pasta).

After class, do not immediately pounce on food if you want to lose weight. You have a feeling of hunger, because during exercise you 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.

Refrain from consuming fats and caffeine after sports. These substances prevent the entry of proteins into the blood. Therefore, if after a workout you feel hungry, then wait a little time and eat light food (fresh vegetable salad, fruits, cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt).