Not Hungry After a Workout: How To Properly Fuel Your Training

You’ve just finished a killer workout: You showed up, gave it your all, and now you’re spent. As in, you can “barely take off your sports bra” spent. Given your effort, you should be ravenously hungry … but the last thing you want is to eat. If you’re not hungry after a workout, there may be a good reason food isn’t appealing. While exercising, your body depends on stored fuel to get through each rep or mile. That fuel comes from the food you eat. Your post-workout meal replenishes your energy stores so you power through your next workout. Simply put: Eat. Workout. Repeat. So why doesn’t your appetite always follow suit? Ahead, sports dietitians tell us how exercise impacts appetite. Turns out it’s pretty normal, and here’s what you can do about it.

Why you’re not hungry after a workout

First, let’s talk about why you don’t feel hungry. Non-existent hunger after a workout is a thing—it’s quite normal and even cited in research as “exercise-induced appetite suppression.” Appetite regulation is highly complex and there are several factors at play.

Appetite hormones

According to Angie Asche MS, RD, CSSD, sports dietitian and owner of Eleat Sports Nutrition, exercise impacts our hunger hormones. “When we exercise, we experience a decrease in ghrelin, the hormone that makes us feel hungry, and an increase in peptide YY, the hormone responsible for suppressing the appetite and making us feel satiated,” she says.

Exercise intensity

The harder you grind, the more likely you’ll suppress your appetite—a walk, while it has a ton of benefits, may not elicit a hunger-blocking effect, says sports dietitian and certified strength and conditioning specialist Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS.

Meal timing

The timing of your pre-workout meal may make a difference too, according to research: If you eat a whole meal before your workout, you may be less hungry afterward. That’s not to say you should skip the pre-workout fuel. It’s just a potential cause of your diminished appetite, because your body is attempting to keep energy intake and output balanced.

What happens when you don’t eat?

In an ideal world, you could just pay attention to your hunger cues and eat accordingly. But when it comes to exercise-induced appetite suppression, if you wait until you feel hungry, you may be missing an opportunity to fuel your body.

Tips for eating when you’re not hungry

While skipping the occasional post-workout meal isn’t the end of the world, you want to make sure you’re eating nutrient-rich foods that will help you perform better. Asche suggests whipping up a quick post-workout smoothie when you’re not feeling really hungry. “I think smoothies are always a great option, so you can sip on it and not feel overwhelmed sitting at a large plate of food,” she says.

Another way to get in those much-needed nutrients is to keep your snack small and nutrient-dense. “Almonds make a great post-workout food, providing 6 grams of protein, 20 percent your daily value of magnesium, and 50 percent of your daily vitamin E in just 23 almonds,” says Asche.

Finally, keep it simple. Have a small bowl of oatmeal or Greek yogurt with some dried fruit. Eat a slice of toast with avocado and cottage cheese. A recovery drink is easy to consume when you’re not in the mood for food. Likewise, a glass of milk can be downed while the shower heats up, and it’s a great source of carbs and protein.