Exercise and our Appetite (April 2010)

Does exercise increase our appetite significantly that post-workout binge eating quickly replaces the burned off calories? Not necessarily, as a study finds that exercise can make people hungry, but meals after a trip to the gym are more satisfying which leads to eating less. Overweight and obese participants exercised for 12 weeks in a laboratory setting, with a goal of expending 2,500 calories per week. After each session, breakfast was served. While participants reported their overall hunger increased as they shed pounds, they felt more satisfied after a meal than they had by the same sized meals at the study’s start, no matter how much weight they lost. This may be just one more way exercise helps people lose weight and keep it off: by making the bodies feel full with less. Researchers speculate that exercise may intensify the body’s natural system of regulating appetite and lead to the increased sense of fulfillment.

Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2009