HELP! Running makes me so ravenous, its a losing battle :(

I've recently returned to running after an injury and signed up for a Half Marathon this September as motivation to get fit. I've started off gentle, just a couple of runs a week 5-7k and sticking with my pilates class. I also cycle a few k to and from work every day, enough to get my body pumping. I've been doing pretty well with just dieting whislt resting my ankle, shedding 1-2 lbs a week that i put on when I initially stopped excercising, but since i started training again almost instantaneously I have become some freaky ravenous beast!

I know i need to increase my intake a bit when i'm getting more excercise - the same happened when I trained for a 10k earlier this year, but i'm finding it actually quite scary the power my hunger suddenly seems to have over me. For example, i have a bowl of cereal for breakfast about 9am and i get seriously cranky if i haven't had a snack by 11.30. Ditto in the afternoon between lunch and heading home.  Then when it comes to dinner everything goes out the window, paired with stupid justifications to myself that now i'm training again i'll burn it off. The weiredest thing I fine is the actual physical symptoms i get like cramps and a gurgling stomach and feeling slightly faint.

I do eat v healthily (I don't keep a log everyday) avoid processed food, limit my carbs, ensure I get healthy proteins and loads and loads of veg, but my portion sizes just don't seem to quell the hunger ache - a feeling really alien to me until recently. Ofh and i drink lots of water too, atleast 2-3 litres a day.

I love being fit, my body image goes through the roof when I get lots of it, but I'm finding this really really disheartening as I've been so looking forward to getting back into the groove :/ It seems like a Catch 22, how can i lose weight and feel good about myself without excercising? But when I do the excercise i love I stuff my face??

Does anyone else get this insationable hunger from running or other similar regular excercise? I really need some reassurance that i'm normal!

If you eat healthy, than you are stuffing your face on healthy food, right? How many calories are you actually eating? Are you eating 2000 calories in a day and running 7km? Because this is likely just your body telling you that you actually need this food to be as physical as you are, and you will likely still lose weight eating that much (depending on your stats, of course).  Or are you eating 3500 calories?  Check how much you are actually consuming before you assume that you are 'stuffing' yourself.

Breakfast at 9 and a snack at 11 doesn't seem at all strange, if I don't snack by 10.30 I get super punchy and will likely eat the first this I come across.  Same in the afternoon.  Having an appetite isn't a bad thing....

I think it's likely you just need the extra calories. 

And if you're just eating cereal at 9am and hungry by 11 -- I can totally see that.  Depending on what kind of cereal you're eating it could be all carbs. 

Make sure you are getting some protein in the AM and even some fat in order to keep you satisfied.  Some eggs, cheese or something to help feed your body. 

I get the hungries when I'm doing high rep (relatively speaking) weight lifting.  The 6 week program I am currently on makes me ravenous and I really have to watch my calories if I want to continue to lose. 

Thanks so much for all your advice and reassurance, I guess I'm overreacting a bit, just shocked at how much my appetites increased, i'm a human hoover at the best of times hehe! I'm a Bran Flakes addict and eat it every morning but they're not cutting it lately so i will take your advice Karozel and try a protein fix instead. I'm going to try and focus on the +ve more - that i am getting excercise!

YES YES YES!  

Learn to fuel yourself properly and you will be a more effective runner!  You sound like the perfect candidate for eating six times a day.  I do five, and my snacks are just enough calories to hold me over to my next meal.

Keep up the good work!!

I'm running about 30 miles per week right now, along with 2 hours of weight training and 2 hours of cross training.  I'm also trying to get about a 400 calorie daily deficit so I can drop 8-10 pounds before my marathon.  So I know what you mean. 

The only thing that keeps me from being hungry is eating every three hours, and making sure I have a good balance of protein and carbs with every meal (except my pre-workout snack which is mostly carbs). 

I know exactly how you feel! Unfortunatly I don't have any advice because I am still trying to figure it out. Thank you for posting this tho, I will definatly pick up on some advice given here.

Good luck to you!