Increase in appetite: Not that my appetite was... - Couch to 5K

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Increase in appetite

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate
19 Replies

Not that my appetite was dormant before the running but I’ve noticed that it is increasingly exponentially with the amount of exercise I’m doing. Since weight loss and fitness are my twin aims, I’m finding this constant hunger a bit much! Having said that I remember a similar thing happening when I first started running on the treadmill. Anyone else got increased appetite?

I’ve also started taking Turmeric and black pepper pills as they are supposed to convert white fat cells into the more waistline friendly brown fat cells and speed up weight loss. I suspect it’s all nonsense but does anybody else know about this?

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Dodgylungs profile image
Dodgylungs
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19 Replies
misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

Eat real food, it’s sustainable 💪

Eat filling and healthy meals then you shouldn’t feel hungry. You don’t need extra food til you’re running for about an hour

Drink plenty of water!! 🙂

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply tomisswobble

I eat a lot of salads. What else would you suggest?

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate in reply toDodgylungs

Add some protein and healthy carbs to your salad 💪👍 Think of your food as fuel ⛽️ which you need to keep you from running out of gas 😃

Runners often have busy lives, so getting good food down you and plenty of sleep will help keep you on the road

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply tomisswobble

I’ve been eating salads, nuts and bananas for carbs and eggs, fish and chicken for protein. Anything else you’d suggest? I was thinking of adding protein powder.

Sleepyhead55 profile image
Sleepyhead55Graduate in reply toDodgylungs

Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter (make sure no added sugar), almonds for snacks

CherryCore profile image
CherryCoreGraduate

I did have a spell of increased appetite beginning to mid programme for a good couple of weeks. I've subsituted with drinking more water, fruits or some protein when first two didn't seem to settle. That period was over towards the endof the programme for me. Now, as I got more or less into the routine of exercise and am doing much more physical activity on average than a year ago, my appetite has actually decreased, but I still do an occasional extra fruit from time to time.

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply toCherryCore

Excellent, that was my experience when I was running regular 5Ks too. I’m expecting mine to settle down too.

CherryCore profile image
CherryCoreGraduate in reply toDodgylungs

Best of luck! 😊

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply toCherryCore

Thank you!

Sleepyhead55 profile image
Sleepyhead55Graduate

After my run at I think the beginning of W4 I was absolutely starving and didn't seem to be able to catch up with my hunger even after eating.

I think what maybe caused it was not having a snack after the run - I'd done my run about 11am and then got stuck back into work after my water/shower and didn't get to stop for lunch til nearly 2pm.

The next run I had a banana or something immediately afterwards and have been fine doing that since. Apparently a protein/carb snack is the ideal.

Agree that you should, within your calorie allowance if you're counting, make sure you're getting plenty fat/protein and not just carbs. Much more sustainably filling.

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply toSleepyhead55

Yes exactly. Apart from salad and veg I don’t really know what sustainable food is to be honest.

Sleepyhead55 profile image
Sleepyhead55Graduate in reply toDodgylungs

My go-to lunch at the moment is lots of salad leaves with half a packet (so 90g) of sliced chicken breast - or you could just roast a chicken breast and slice it yourself but I'm lazy. Add some salad dressing if you like - I make a really nice ginger & chilli one sometimes to fancy it up a bit.

Chicken is great because it's low fat and high protein so you feel like you're getting a lot of it, but you could always treat yourself with some thin sliced steak.

Also for gussying up a salad, cubes of feta and black olives with dressing of lemon & olive oil if you want.

Beans are also a good source of protein and healthy carbs. 3 bean salad, or bean chilli with wholemeal pita to scoop it up instead of rice is tasty.

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply toSleepyhead55

Thank you, great tips!

IannodaTruffe profile image
IannodaTruffeMentor

If you are eating because you feel hungry despite eating well, just drink a pint of water.

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate

Thank you, I will!

LottieMW profile image
LottieMWGraduate

I run or walk in the morning after a mug of tea. On my way home I drink 500mls water, then eat when I get in.

My usual breakfast is a large serving spoon of fresh fruit compote, full fat Greek yogurt, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, flaked almonds plus raspberries and blackberries from my allotment. I may add some extra cream 😊

( I’m low carb, high fat!)...or maybe once a week we have a full cooked breakfast...eggs, sausage, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes!

The fruit are my carbs, and the fat helps me feel full.

Over the day I aim to drink 3 litres. Lunch is protein (oily fish or cold meat) and salad, or cheese and nuts. Evening meal...whatever, just low in carbs.

The main difference I’ve noticed is that I now feel hungry on the way home 😄

Well done on reaching week btw 👍

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply toLottieMW

Thank you. Your breakfast sounds yummy. Did Week 5 R2 today. Managed to finish it so all on track so far!

MartinMX5 profile image
MartinMX5Graduate

I've been through phases of this and to be sure drinking plenty of water has helped. The other thing I'm trying now is using Huel (other meal replacement options are available) for just one meal a day as it seems to make me feel full for a good few hours. I've just about managed to cut out snacking between meals with this option.

According to my fitness tracking watch each run I take is burning about 300 calories (I'm on week 6r2) - or approximately 2/3 of a blueberry muffin, so running won't help me lose weight, only a good diet can do that. It's a shame, I love blueberry muffins.

Dodgylungs profile image
DodgylungsGraduate in reply toMartinMX5

When I was running 5Ks at the gym the weight stayed off but I was combining it with a healthy diet and weight training and also walking a lot during the days. I’ve been more sedentary in lockdown and not been as vigilant over my food. Even so, I am utterly shocked at the 3 stone weight gain so now that I’m running and watching my diet properly I would expect a significant weight drop. Time will tell.

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