Why Running Makes You So Hungry (And What to Do About It)

If marathon or half marathon training suddenly has you feeling like you could eat everything in sight, this episode is for you.

An increase in hunger when your training volume goes up is normal—but feeling constantly ravenous, thinking about food all day, or reaching the end of the day completely starving can also be a sign that something about your fueling strategy needs to change.

In this episode, we’re revisiting one of our most popular conversations about runner hunger and breaking down some of the most common reasons your appetite might feel out of control during training.

We discuss:

• Why simply eating “healthy” foods doesn’t necessarily mean you’re eating enough for your training

• How meal size and eating frequency can impact hunger later in the day

• Why skipping meals or doing a lot of fasted training can leave you playing catch-up with your nutrition

• The importance of including carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and fats in your everyday meals

• Why big salads, protein shakes, and other seemingly filling meals might not actually keep a runner satisfied

• How drinking too many of your calories can affect fullness

• Why your hunger cues aren't always a perfect indicator of whether you're fueling enough

• What it can mean if you’re experiencing the opposite problem and rarely feel hungry at all

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why am I SO hungry when I’m running more?”—or felt frustrated that race training seems to send your appetite through the roof—this episode will help you understand what might actually be going on and how to fuel in a way that better supports your training, recovery, and performance.

Ready to take the next step with your fueling?

Not sure what's working (or what's missing) in your current nutrition strategy? Start with my FREE Runner's Fueling Audit. In just 5 minutes, you'll identify the biggest gaps in your fueling and what to focus on next.

⁠Take the free Runner's Fueling Audit⁠

Ready to stop piecing together nutrition advice and build a fueling strategy that actually works for you?

The Fueled Runner is my 8-week nutrition program designed to help runners fuel better for their training, performance, recovery, and body composition goals—with the education, tools, and support to put it all into practice.

⁠Learn more about The Fueled Runner⁠