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Exercise and appetite

Hi all, 36F here. I am wondering if anyone noticed they were able to fast longer when they didn’t exercise? When I say that I don’t mean you didn’t move at all during the day but that you just didn’t do any structured exercise. For years I’ve been aiming for 10k+ steps a day and now I’ve added in Peloton cycling a few times a week. But I’ve noticed it’s made me suuuuuper hungry and I’ve noticed some weight gain like I’m overeating to make up for the hard workouts I added in. I love exercise but I think I’m over doing it a bit.

Answer

Look into Peter Attia, Mark Sisson, Phil Maffetone and Zone 2 exercise. Many folks overdo HIIT like Peloton style workouts and it’s not helpful for longevity, weight loss or aerobic efficiency. You end up spending too much time in the black hole between going hard and going easy, and you wear down your body with too much intensity. Go really easy (jog, walk, easy cycle) 80% of the time and really hard 20% of the time—eg if you work out five days a week, four are easy and one is a hard interval workout. This is best for all the things I listed above. And fasted Zone 2 is a fat burner. ✌🏼Those guys are great, have fun digging in.

Edit- sure this isn’t the best if you’re training to be a competitive athlete, but if you’re just trying to live longer, be healthier, get in better shape or lose weight, this is best.

Edit 2- and after a fasted zone 2 exercise session you don’t feel like you need to eat the entire kitchen

Answer

Something to remember is that we don’t actually expend that many calories exercising. The body is very efficient, and most of the number on smart watches or exercise machines are overestimated.

Maybe set up a little food reward for yourself on days with a heavier workout, something 100-200 calories that you enjoy. See if framing that gives you a little something to break from eating back all the calories expended.

Answer

IM (total non expert) O…. Keep exercising. If you are truly exercising, the benefits will far outweigh a few lbs of weight gain. Next step would be to look at those calories and make sure they aren’t junk calories. And play around with what you eat on days when you feel extra hungry. Maybe make your first meal a very heavy protein meal. See if that helps with your desire to eat. And/or eat a huge bowl of greens/salad. Trick your body into thinking it’s full.

Answer

I noticed the same thing when I started exercising last year when OMAD weight loss started to level off. doing 45-60 min on the bike and I get hangry earlier and more likely to have an after dinner snack. Didn’t start gaining weight, but didn’t lose any more either. I prefer to exercise just for general health reasons.

Answer

Cardio always makes me hungry, so i decided to cut it out and instead put my full attention on my diet (one of the best decisions i have ever made) and try to get my “cardio’ by just moving throughout the day and increasing my NEAT

And weight lifting surprisingly makes me less hungry

Answer

I started training for a half marathon in August after about eight months of maintaining a 30 pound weight loss through fasting. Within a month I’d gained back like 15 pounds. When I tried to fast again, I found it damn near impossible. After the race and a week or two of lighter training, I tried again and it was still hard, but I noticed that in the first 24 hours, about 7 pounds of water came off. Now I just realize that if I’m gonna exercise, which I should, then my body is going to add muscle and hold onto more water and that’s what it’s supposed to do. If I want to be leaner, then that’s a question of how to use the fasts or eating healthier along with the training.

Answer

Hey! I was in the same boat as you . I was doing 10k steps a day with coworkers and cardio. I was exhausted, sore and hungry . I have a feeling I was dealing with a lot of inflammation. What helped me was taking a break from the cardio at the gym and doing If with keto. Pretty quickly I dropped thirty pounds and felt much better. It may be something to try for a short period of time ? I am sure I lost some muscle mass but I feel a lot better now. I am doing If and losing very slowly but I do notice with the reduced calories I get really hungry and cranky lol as my husband would say .

Answer

Maybe initial water weight if your exercising more and drinking more ? Or muscle weight as you get stronger ? Not to pry but is the weight gain on scales or in how your clothes are fitting so more like inches weight gain