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As in, you could barely take off your sports bra spent.
Given your effort, you should be ravenously hungry … but the last thing you want is to eat.
If youre not hungry after a workout, there may be a good reason food isnt appealing.
registered dietitian and founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition
That fuel comes from the food you eat.
Your post-workout meal replenishes your energy stores so you power through your next workout.
Simply put: Eat.
So why doesnt your appetite always follow suit?
Ahead, sports dietitians tell us how exercise impacts appetite.
Turns out its pretty normal, and heres what you’ve got the option to do about it.
Why youre not hungry after a workout
First, lets talk about why you dont feel hungry.
Non-existent hunger after a workout is a thingits quite normal and even cited in research as exercise-induced appetite suppression.
Appetite regulation is highly complex and there are several factors at play.
registered dietitian and founder of Eleat Sports Nutrition
This change in appetite hormones may be related tolactate1.
When you work out, your muscles demand energy.
That energy comes from glucose, ideally broken down in the presence of plentiful oxygen.
That waste product is lactate.
It can build up and cause fatigue, and potentially leave you uninterested in food.
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Thats not to say you should skip thepre-workout fuel.
While balance is good, it can make proper fueling tricky.
What happens when you dont eat?
In an ideal world, you could justpay attention to your hunger cuesand eat accordingly.
Your body uses glucose as a primary fuel during a workout.
If youre exercising for over 30 or 45 minutes, youll be tapping into your stored glucose or glycogen.
That glycogen is there from the last meal (or meals) you ate.
But in the 30 to 40 minutes after you work out, your body isprimed4to rapidly synthesize glycogen.
Likewise, isnt there an urgent need to eat protein after you lift to build muscle?
So do you should probably stress about eating immediately after a workout?
Your glycogen will eventually be replenished, even if you miss that window.
Your overall nutrient intake isfar more important6than the timing.
You benefit most from immediate refueling if you are exercising in a fasted state.
Stillit never harms your performance to prioritize post-workout nutrition.
Asche suggests whipping up a quickpost-workout smoothiewhen youre not feeling really hungry.
It also helps to rehydrate you at the same time.
Another way to get in those much-needed nutrients is to keep your snack small and nutrient-dense.
Finally, keep it simple.
Have a small bowl of oatmeal or Greek yogurt with some dried fruit.
Eat a slice oftoastwith avocado and cottage cheese.
Arecovery drinkis easy to consume when youre not in the mood for food.
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Murray B, Rosenbloom C. Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes.Nutr Rev.
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