I love to run. Period. During my first years of college the only place you could find me was at the track. I ran at the track, I ate at the track, I hung out at the track, I brought my bunny to the track, I skipped class to be at the track! I think its alright to assume that i was a junkie [Hey, it could be something way worse right?]
During breaks I didn't run nearly as much because I lived in a city. There were hardly any open tracks or parks nearby and I hated going to the gym. I felt a little more sluggish and i barely had the appetite to eat more than a few bites. Everybody always complained about how rail thin I was, and that i should just eat more.
It was different at school, even though I ran non-stop i was a healthy weight, my body fat was within the "lean" percentile, and i had a healthy appetite.
This observation led me to speculate on some reasons why, and the only thing that seemed to correlate directly was the time i spent running. It seemed that running is what gave me an appetite, and according to Registered dietitian Keri Glassman, I wasn't too far off.
"1. Exercise makes you hungrier, causing you to eat more.2. Exercise causes feelings of entitlement. You may want to reward yourself because you worked out so hard at the gym.3. Exercise does not burn that many calories. Couple that fact with being hungrier and you may eat more calories than you burned."
So should we stop Exercising? No. Like any exercise regime, nutrition plays a big role in how we loose weight, or stay fit. You cant do one without the other.
The point is too much of a good thing could be bad
-gigi
Check out the full article at CBS
It's actually more likely that you didn't eat because you broke your routine so drastically, whereas when you returned to school, you integrated yourself back into your routine and thus integrated meals back into your life. It's also very possible you suffered from an "exercise compulsion" (it does exist) and even became depressed when not exercising.
ReplyDeleteThe article in question is horribly bogus science. Exercise does not "make you hungrier." Your body, after a demanding workout, will expect you to refuel, just like any machine. It's the human fallibility that makes us go overboard, and thus our own fault if we overeat or make poor choices when choosing how to refuel. A single serving of chocolate milk or an apple is sufficient "refuel after even a demanding workout.
Like anything, if you buy into the hype of indulgence, then you can be convinced that your workout entitled you to that Big Mac. And if you're willing to buy into that, then your workout isn't helping you. But really, aren't you just using your workout as an excuse to have a Big Mac?
i totally agree with on on the part where breaking my routine broke my eating habits. But what you have to know about my family is that food is everywhere, I had the chance to eat as many times as i wanted. Im american, but my family isnt:) My dietitian said that i was most likely addicted to the "feel good" hormones that were being released during exercise, and since i wasnt getting any at home it was posssible that i was mildly depressed, therefore loss of appetite. However it is really hard for me to feel depressed at home because i LOVE my family, i cant wait to go down,but what i do know is that i still had no appetite.
ReplyDeleteAnd i dont think the article is too off by saying that after you eat your body is hungrier. WHen your body wants to refuel, it kinda means that your body is hungry and wants something to give it energy;food. And yea you and i know that a serving of food or liquid packed with lots of essentials is enough to refuel or bodies after a good workout, but what about those people who have problems with their weight? who dont even know what a serving size is, or how many calories is OK? who grow up in a culture where food is everything? Alot of people have a view that exercise entitles them to more food.
I think this is one of those situations that can be looked at by many different view points, so i wouldnt totally discredit it. But i do totally get what your saying.:)
-gigi