The more we exercise, the more we feel like eating, says study –

Have you ever felt that hunger huge after training that you couldn’t seem to control? Calm down, it’s not just you: in a survey published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in early June, researchers from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center pointed out that the more we exercise, the more the need to eat may appear. With that, many people can exaggerate in food and get fat.

The study was conducted with 171 sedentary men and women, overweight and aged between 18 and 65 years. They were divided into three groups: one of them continued with their normal lives; the second did a supervised exercise program on treadmills and bicycles three times a week (with a caloric expenditure of approximately 700 calories); while the third increased the physical activity routine to an expenditure of up to 1760 calories per week. All groups maintained habits for six months, and they could eat whatever they wanted.

To everyone’s surprise, few participants lost a few pounds, and most of those who lost weight were part of the shorter training. 90% of those in the more intense activity group did not reach the expected goal. Everyone compensated for the extra burn by eating more.

Conclusion? “It is possible to say that the practice of physical exercises, combined with nutritional monitoring, can bring more satisfactory results. After all, we need to replenish energy, but not with a slice of chocolate cake”, says endocrinologist Francisco Tostes, specialist in weight loss, physical activity and sports medicine, and partner at Nutrindo Ideals, in São Paulo.

But after all, does working out really make you hungry?

“Yes, it can increase the appetite, since exercise is an extra energy expense during the day, and that will determine a different demand. In addition to adapting the body to the stimulus, which involves, for example, the synthesis of muscle protein, which occurs with the help of food”, says nutrologist Kaue Kranholdt, with a focus on sports performance, weight loss and vegetarianism, from São Paulo.

But that doesn’t mean that hunger should always appear after training. “This is a very individual characteristic and many people experience exactly the opposite: they don’t feel like eating at times or at the time right after exercise, especially high-intensity ones”, explains the nutrologist.

According to the endocrinologist, the factors that cause the lion’s appetite that you may be having when you return from the gym are the duration of the activity, intensity and quality of the food routine. “It is also worth noting whether it is time for a meal. In this case, in addition to replacing nutrients, the body asks for the amount it is used to receiving”, says Francisco.

What to eat to feel satisfied without gaining weight?

According to the two experts, the question does not have a single answer. That’s because what you’re going to include on the menu depends on which sport you’ve decided to practice. “Aerobic activities, like pedaling hard, for two hours, for example, generate the loss of liquid, mineral salts and carbohydrates, so we must replace these nutrients”, explains Francisco. The secret, then, is not to overdo it. “So-called healthy foods such as whole fruits, nuts, complex carbohydrates are good options for this purpose, but if the portions are larger than necessary, they can lead to weight gain”, adds Kaue.

To dribble this problem, the ideal is that you drink a good amount of water. Our hypothalamus, the region of the brain responsible for indicating the need to eat or not, often confuses us. Or bet on a protein shake supplement after spending calories. “It contains the amino acid leucine, which signals satiety to the brain. This allows a “gain of time” for the next solid meal”, says the nutrologist.

And it’s no use eating like a lioness before the gym, see? Our energy reserves are replenished 3 hours after eating food. “This means that the most important meal for training was eaten in that 3 hour period before training (or dinner the night before training when eaten first thing in the morning)”, explains Kaue. Before training it may be better to choose something lighter or even liquid.