Ways to Curb Your Appetite Post-Workout

Strategies to satiate yourself after activity—without ruining your results.  When working out seems to only work up a bigger appetite, learn how to strike the right balance between the calories you take in and those you b.

Your body is trying to replenish its fuel stores, and if you’re not careful, you could negate your entire exercise session in one postworkout binge. Luckily, there are smarter ways to take the edge off hunger. Use these strategies (including steering clear of these fitness foods that make you fat) and, with any luck, your workout will lead to a flatter, not flabbier, belly.

1.  Ease up a bit
Vigorous workouts can rev up your appetite, finds a University of Ottawa study. Thirteen women consumed enough to replace nearly all the calories they burned during high-intensity exercise. When they did lower-intensity walking, they had healthy appetites but still netted a 177-calorie deficit for the day. (Not to mention high-intensity traning can also imporve your thinker. Check it out!)

2.  Sip more
It’s possible to mistake thirst for hunger, so drink before you eat. People who drink about 7 cups of water a day eat nearly 200 fewer calories than those who get less than a glass a day, reports a recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

3.  Eat within 30 minutes
Research suggests that working out just before a meal may help curb appetite. In studies where meals were served 15 to 30 minutes after exercise, participants were less likely to eat back the calories they’d just burned than those who had to wait an hour or more to eat.

4.  Refuel wisely
Can’t have a real meal right away? Skip the energy bar and eat a carb-and-protein snack instead, such as a 6-ounce fat-free yogurt with ½ cup of strawberries for just 97 calories.

Your All-Day Diet Plan:  
The biggest piece of the hunger puzzle is knowing what, when, and how much to eat to stoke your body’s engine 24-7. It’s the peaks and dips in energy levels, set off by inconsistent eating habits, that send cravings into overdrive. To keep things on track, follow this around-the-clock advice.

1.  In the morning…
Make your digestive system work. “If you put sugary cereal in your mouth, it literally dissolves. With shredded wheat, you have to work to chew it,” says Sonneville. “The same thing happens in your stomach; it has to churn away to digest high-fiber foods, making you feel fuller longer.” Aim for 25 grams of fiber a day.

2.  At lunch..
Be a meal splitter. If your good in�tentions in attending that noontime boot-camp class are regularly squandered because you’re too hungry to push yourself through it, give your efforts an extra edge by eating lunch twice — half at 11 a.m., the other half when you get back from the gym. Look for a mix of three carbs to one protein; banana and peanut butter on whole wheat is a good option.

Have half the sandwich an hour before you exercise, the other half immediately after your workout. You’ll be amazed at how much more energy you have during your session, without the hunger pangs afterward.

3.  For a snack…
Do the apple test. “Ask yourself, ‘Does eating an apple sound good right now?'” Blatner says. An apple is a stomach-filling food, so if it is appealing, you probably are hungry and should break for a healthy snack. If an apple isn’t calling your name, you may be turning to food for other reasons, like boredom or stress. Drink water instead.

4.  At night…
Turn in earlier. A recent study found that participants ate significantly more calories from sugary carbs after five and a half hours of slumber than they did after eight and a half hours. Experts aren’t sure why, but some suspect that less sleep causes ghrelin, the appetite-stimulating hormone, to spike. You already know that more sleep equals a better workout, so hit the sack an hour earlier tonight.

Ultimately you’ve got to approach hunger the way you do your workout: methodically and consistently. “People who manage hunger well are those who eat mindfully,” Sonneville says. “You do yourself a disservice if you just count calories. You’ve got to pay attention to how you feel and how your workout is being affected, too.” Don’t snack excessively before or after exercise; many active people don’t need additional calories to fuel their daily 30 to 45 minutes.

Hydrate during your workout, and when you feel hungry, drink water first. At mealtimes, eat slowly, and with every few bites, ask yourself if you feel full. “After a while, you may not even be tasting or enjoying the food. Many people just eat until the food is gone,” Sonneville notes.

“Pay attention to your body’s cues.” And remember, if your workout makes you hungry, don’t skip the gym so you can stick to your diet. A small increase in calories before exercising will power you through your cardio session and reap you far greater rewards than no workout at all.

Source: healthdigezt.com