SHAPE_OCTOBER_2016

weight loss
Do HIIT three
times a week
Your body reacts to tough workouts
by curbing hunger, possibly because
exercise diverts blood from your gastrointestinal
system so more can go
to your muscles. This helps suppress
ghrelin and slows the absorption of
food from your intestines. It may also
dampen the system of the brain that
thinks of food as a reward, making
snacks and meals seem less tasty.
In a study published in Medicine &
Science in Sports & Exercise, people
who did three weekly 30- to
45-minute HIIT sessions on a
stationary bike ate about 120 calories
less during their postworkout
meals than those who pedaled
continuously at a moderate pace.
Turn any cardio session into a HIIT
workout by alternating going hard for
15 to 30 seconds and then easy
for one to two minutes, says
study coauthor Timothy Fairchild,
Ph.D., a senior lecturer in exercise
physiology at Murdoch University
in Australia. On non-HIIT days, make
sure your steady-state workouts are
intense. Another study found that
women who ran for an hour didn’t
eat more than usual, but those who
walked did.
Bounce more, sit less
The type of movement you do
also affects hunger. In a study
published in the journal Appetite,
exercisers who jumped rope for
30 minutes were less hungry for fatty
foods afterward than those who
spent that time cycling. Researchers
theorize that the gut jiggling caused
by jumping may lower the production
of ghrelin. This also applies to
running or any workout that bounces
your belly.
Stay on dry land
Swimming may be less effective for
weight loss than land-based workouts
like running, possibly because
it’s more likely to stimulate hunger.
In a study at Loughborough
University in England, exercisers
experienced a boost in appetite
after an hourlong swim workout.
Previous research found that water
temperature might be a factor; in one
study, people consumed 44 percent
more calories after exercising
in a 68-degree pool than when they
did the same workout in 91-degree
water. If your pool isn’t heated, hop
into a sauna or a hot shower afterward,
says D. Enette Larson-Meyer,
Ph.D., R.D.N., an associate professor
of human nutrition and food at the
University of Wyoming. This might
be helpful after a cold run or a day of
skiing too.
Fill up on protein
and healthy fat
Eating protein after a workout helps
your muscles recover, and because
it’s so satiating, it also helps keep you
from feeling ravenous six to eight
hours later, Antonucci says. Healthy
fat is filling and fights rebound hunger,
too. Make sure you get both nutrients
ASAP postworkout. (Try eggs
and avocado for breakfast or chicken
and veggies cooked in olive oil for
dinner.) “If you don’t get the food you
need within 30 to 60 minutes, you’ll
be more likely to experience serious
hunger later that day and overeat,”
Antonucci explains. When a meal in
that time frame isn’t realistic, have a
100- to 150-calorie snack, such as
a Greek yogurt or half a protein bar.
Refuel during long,
hard workouts
If you’re exercising strenuously for
more than an hour, and especially
if you’re training for a race, taking in
some fuel during your session will
help stave off intense hunger, so
you’ll eat less later on, Antonucci
says. Pack some gels or gummies
and a sports drink, and start eating
them after the first half hour. But if
your workout is 45 minutes to an hour
or is only moderately intense, skip
the snacks. Your body simply doesn’t
need the extra calories.
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