Hunger on non running days

Is there any reason that on days when I don't run I'm starving and get in a really bad mood if I don't eat? I've upped my running to 50mpw from about 40/45 mpw over the past two weeks. I've had a four pound weight gain even though on my big running days I'm less hungry.

Bored? People tend to 'think' they are hungry when they are bored..

Eat often during the day and remember your protein! [it helps 'fill' you up for longer periods of time].

can u please post ur bmi, IF u r underweight+running as u r, then eat, ofcourse, anyone running+training for a mrathon needs to eat more

when we exercise the body continues to be in burn mode for 24 hours , your hunger is because you are burning up what you are eating and you are still underweight , your body is trying desperately to get you to a healthy weight . you are not greedy and im no expert (far from it :) but i think you need far more than you are giving yourself . hunger is a good think think this shows that your body is beginning to work properly and your metabolism isnt dead. please try and go with the hunger its the only way i hope that doesent sound harsh you know me bethany im not a hard woman i just care h xxx

I think you're headed back down a bad path.  Your recent posts have communicated increasing levels of anxiety regarding your weight.  Your response to weighing more at the doctor's was to increase your running.  You've been down this path before.  I think you need to press pause, refocus on being healthy (not thin), and take some time away from running completely.  If you have a therapist, schedule a few extra appointments.  If you don't, please please please get one.  Give yourself permission to take a break right now. 

Original Post by bsh0611:

Is there any reason that on days when I don't run I'm starving and get in a really bad mood if I don't eat? I've upped my running to 50mpw from about 40/45 mpw over the past two weeks. I've had a four pound weight gain even though on my big running days I'm less hungry.

i have the EXACT same problem! like im hungry after running, but not like starving. but then on a rest day, i am constantly hungry and eat so much!

I didn't up my running after the doctor's office, I was almost done for the week then. I am keeping it at 50mpw untilt he half marathon. But no it wasn't boredom... but I DO think my mood is VERY hormonal because I just started my nuvaring. I was in a crappy mood this morning.

It was a true curiosity though about hunger on non running days. I do struggle with the eating more thing, but I am at the point where I just DO it, I don't restrict because I can't, I don't have that "let's pretend not to be hungry" valve - that went away pretty much as soon as I started. So moody or not, I still eat a lot.

Hey bsh, one of my CC running buddies haha!

I can totally relate. Oftentimes, I'm hungrier on days when I don't run than when I do run. After I run, I'm not particularly hungry. I think that if you don't eat enough on days you do run, you'll be starving the next day.

Like today, my long run was 20 miles. I burned around 2000 calories. For me not to be starving tomorrow, I'd have to eat back those 2000 calories plus my normal daily maintenance (a total of about 4500 calories).  I doubt that will happen haha, so I just have accepted that I will be quite hungry tomorrow. I'd rather eat more tomorrow when I'm truly hungry than force myself to eat today when I don't really feel hungry. 

Just listen to your body. If you are feeling hungrier lately, then that's probably because your body needs more energy (calories). If you've upped your mileage then you definitely need to eat more. Also, that's crazy you run 50 miles a week!!!!! what training plan are you using? Even my marathon training plan isn't that aggressive. My weeks usually range from 35-45miles. 

Anyway, good luck with everything!!! :):)

its coz you're underweight. your body will strive to reach a healthy weight for it. bethany, you know this. are you actually putting on weight?

YES fidget I was just... ugh a.)I know I was neurotic nutty poster sounding like I was 15 and very very very hormonal today and I'm sorry and b.) I just wasn't ready I guess mentally to hold on to a big gain/jump all at once.

I guess I felt like I didn't "deserve" it, and I forget frequently that my body will DO IT regardless of whether or not I LIKE it if that's what I need

Really it was the super-chick-hormones day for me today and I apologize

dont apologise at all. but i think thats a serious amount of mileage you are doing and i think you are having a hard time juggling the physical strain your body is under and the psychological aspects of the hormonal probs.

somethings gotta give bethany.. i think you need to back off on the miles. and allow real repair. you cant possibly be fully restoring your body while doing that amount of pounding

fidget... I know that I need a rest from running. My body feels a lot better from eating more, especially eating more fat. I know this. BUT I just need four weeks. I'm not desperate to keep running. Taking today off was spontaneous and not part of the "routine" but I listened to my body and took my kid to a children's fantasy day at the renaissance faire instead. I am looking forward to more of that. But I can't quit this race. I'd be letting myself down.

You wrote to someone's post once that exercise puts a stop on hunger for a while and I think perhaps the mileage - 8,9,10,11 at a time - puts the stop on hunger for a long while and I feel it the next day.

On top of that, having started the NuvaRing, I feel bloated, even if I'm not.

My body feels better, yes, but I know I will need some serious recoup time. A big jump was just something that I chose to take o ut all of my hormones and anxiety on. I needed an outlet and chose my weight. I don't know if this is water weight or real weight but either way, I know it didn't produce anxiety. Hormones did. And I hope everyone who can potentially be triggered by an ED or ED related things hears me when I say that I went out and ate a bunch even though I was fearful of it.

I do have interest in how other people respond to long runs. JCL thank you for your input. Are you ready for your marathon?

as long as your prepared to rest it im happy. but il be down on you like a tonne a bricks if in 4 weeks your not chilling the beans!!

seriously tho. i recovered twice. the first time i restored my weight - but i kept exercising. i didnt really recover when i did that. the 2nd time i was on bed rest in the locked ward of the psych hospital and then my body recovered.

I've read so much about people being famished after long runs. JCL ran 20 miles - I can't even imagine that - and it took a whole day to be hungry! Part of me wants to believe that its my body and the other part feels the (and I ignore this) "I can't eat if I don't exercise." But the truth is that I love running. I just don't get the differences. I also don't know how to "restart" my metabolism with running, or if eating 3,500 or so a day will do it. I just don't know.

When I had to gain weight before (starting from about where I started this time!) I was sedentary (well, kind of, I was moving and looking after my then-almost1-year-old) in that I stopped walking for exercise. I gained about 7 pounds a month over 3 months. But I do remember hitting points during that time where I was so very hungry. Then, though, I had the desire to get pregnant lording over me. Not so much now!

JCL - My training program is from a trainer at the YMCA who believes in multiple longish runs and then every other week doing the super-long run. How many days a week have you run?

hey bsh! Ah, I see. that's a crazy training plan - your trainer must be really intense! I'm using an online one from marathontraining.com. It has me running 5 days a week - 1 long run, two 6-7 mile runs, one 8 mile run, and one four-five mile run. I actually cut out one of the 6-7 mile runs because I was too tired. So now I just run 4 days a week. 

Oh, and hunger has kicked in ;) But I still doubt I'll be able to eat enough to compensate for my run, so I'll probably still be hungry again tomorrow. 

Marathon is soon, but I really think I'm ready. As of right now, my goal is to finish under 4 hours (I'm hoping it will be closer to 3:50). And for my next marathon (yes, I'm thinking far into the future haha), I want to aim to qualify for Boston, which for me would be 3:40. I really think I can do it after having one marathon under my belt.

Anyway, you should definitely sign up for a marathon after you finish your half. The long runs are actually pretty relaxing and it gives you so much time to think. Music is great, too. Nothing pumps me up more than a great song. Good luck wtih everything, bsh!!! 

Hi bsh,

I hope this isn't too creepy but I started reading your posts after I came back to start browsing the forums a couple weeks ago, because
1-you remind me a lot of myself with the digestive war and the running passion/goals, and
2-I really like your attitude.  I don't even like posting too much here because the whole theme around here seems to be weight paranoia, not a true quest for goals, health or otherwise--and I just love the way you are going after your best interests, in life and for your running!

I wanted to actually post here because this is SUCH a common topic among my running friends! I used to think it was really weird too--when I first started tracking calories I could easily get 1000 over my goal on my rest day, and struggle to make my minimum on my long run day! 
I have since realized that it's not only common, it's NORMAL.
Your body doesn't see each day as an equation: calories burned, calories eaten.

Your body only sees demands [function, repairs, rebuilding...] and resources [calories].

So when you are training, your rest days' purpose is to recover: it's the time your body has to meet the demands you've put on it with your dedicated training!  And it can only do it with resources, and boy does it ask for them!

It is a common phenomena, regardless of weight change goals.  So independend of whether you are at your healthy weight or not, FEED your body on the recovery days so you can get the most out of all your hard work!

tears2triumph, AWESOME response, thank you SO MUCH for getting back to me! I feel better knowing that its common and that I'm not just a loony bin for feeling that way. I used to focus more on that - the fact that I was healing - I could feel my muscles pulsating on the rest days when i'd put my feet up and rest with my husband and I would think "eat, muscles, eat." Weird, huh? but it makes sense. I needed to rest yesterday and so obviously I needed to eat. I felt much better running today and I can really sense how right you are. Thank you so much for that.

If I'm going to run well, I need healthy body with good fuel! I'll feel much better and much less worried about listening. Thank you,

Thank you tears2triumph! I have the same 'problem' and it was driving me a bit nutty because I just couldn't figure out if something was wrong with me or if it was a normal thing that runners go through. It's so reassuring that it's normal!

Bsh- Keep your head up and listen to your body and you'll be ok!

this is totally off topic but bsh, where do you live? i went to the ohio renaissance festival yesterday. maybe i saw you!

I'm glad it made sense!

Seriously, it's the people who track intake or are hyperconscious of what they eat and do [even if for a good purpose] that always wind up perplexed with this! 

But it's common--and truly maximizing your potential is to go with it.

That's how the body works--and the whole point of tracking is to make sure it can work at it's best, right?!

Bethany, if it would help, feel free to talk to my friend Marni!  She is a sports nutritionist and an Ironman athlete.  She would be glad to answer any questions you might have.

Wes