Appetite Control: The Benefits of Exercise

If you are struggling keeping your appetite and hunger under control, it might not just be 
about what you are eating or when, but your physical activity. Many people believe that 
the only place exercise has with appetite is helping you to be hungrier and requiring 
more food in your diet, but others have actually found the opposite to be true. They find 
that – whether mentally or physically – they get a benefit of exercise by not wanting or 
needing to eat quite as much.

Reducing Food Intake

Studies have shown that exercise helps both with people who have a big or small 
appetite. In people who tend to not eat enough, burning those extra calories can help to 
trigger your appetite in positive ways. However, studies have also shown that exercise 
helps to provide a better nutrient balance. If you have a tendency to overeat, exercising 
more can actually reduce your food intake overall, whether because it makes you want 
to be healthier, you don’t eat while bored, or because you no longer stress eat since 
exercise releases endorphins.

Encouraging a Healthy Outlook

Another big reason exercise is useful when you are trying to curb your cravings or 
reduce your appetite in general is by giving you a different healthy outlook. If you sit at 
home all day or in your office thinking about food, your appetite is going to change. But 
when you get out there and go for a walk or hike, head to the gym, or do yoga, suddenly 
you want to treat your body good. You have more respect for your body and exercising 
makes you want to eat healthier. This is especially true after a workout, so it is 
recommended that you try to fit in workouts in the morning whenever possible. It sets 
you up for a healthy day.

Improve Your Overall Wellbeing

Your mental health and wellbeing can also be improved by exercise, which continues to 
help when you need to control your appetite and hunger cues. If you are someone that 
tends to feel hungrier or have more cravings when you have stress or anxiety, you are 
likely emotionally eating. Stress can make you feel like you are hungrier, when in fact it 
is just your stress hormones rising that make you want instant gratification. This in turn 
can continue to increase your appetite since you start to associate stress with more 
food. 


