When do you feel the need to eat after a run?! - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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When do you feel the need to eat after a run?!

Craftywomble profile image
4 Replies

Sitting chatting with the bookclub group I attend we also happen to all run to some degree. We were chatting away and got on to the topic of feeling hungry - it seems that some of them are starving right after a run and others, myself included, are not at all hungry on the day of the run but are starving the next day. I am not sure why this hasn't occurred to me as we are all different after all! I have to actually make myself eat after a run, for my own good, and alas as I react very badly to bananas have had to find alternatives. What about everyone else out there?

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Craftywomble profile image
Craftywomble
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4 Replies
Curlygurly2 profile image
Curlygurly2Graduate

I'm even weirder - after a long run I am not hungry until the next day, after intervals even over a short distance I am starving with a couple of hours. I never force myself to eat though, I think my body knows what it wants. However, my weight is stable and I'm not trying to lose any. How about dates if you don't like nanas?

Craftywomble profile image
Craftywomble in reply to Curlygurly2

Hmmm, dates are an interesting option. I actually love bananas but after having my son my body developed an extreme reaction whenever I eat them 😕. At the moment slices of apple with peanut butter on do the trick!

Realfoodieclub profile image
RealfoodieclubGraduate

The longer and harder the run for me the less of an appetite I have. I do make sure I refuel even if it's smoothies. As time has gone on the long hard runs extreme reactions have got less as my body has adjusted to the run. I now use that as a rule of thumb, I don't increase my distance until my body feels more relaxed at the new distance and my hunger pangs are normal for that day. It seems to work for me.

Rignold profile image
Rignold

I am seldom hungry after exercise, but have found that my recovery time is much improved if I refuel immediately after. There is a 'Window of Gainz' for about half an hour after finishing in which to replenish protein and (if you must) carbs. However it is usually impractical for me, to say nothing of unpalatable to scarf down a couple of steamed chicken breasts and boiled eggs or a steak and sweet potato while trying to get my hear rate back to somewehere within normal range, so my goto post-workout elixir is a smoothie of cottage cheese, couple of scoops of whey, a scoop of BCAAs, some blueberries and possibly a small banana, topped up with milk.

Whilst my general diet is higher fat, very low carb, I ry to avoid fats in this 'meal' as much as possible so they dont slow absorption.

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