# Z2 riding can actually tamp down hunger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Nutrition\ **Tags:** weight-loss\ **Created:** [February 15, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096 "2023-02-15T00:37:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BT-7274](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bt-7274/32/12895_2.png) [@BT-7274](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/BT-7274)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:37am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/1 "2023-02-15T00:37:05Z")
Yesterday I was feeling a little hungry before getting on the bike for a Z2 ride, and I found it actually nuked my hunger. I wonder if maybe this isn’t because a bit of relatively light exercise liberates fat stores into the blood stream? Has anyone else experienced this? I have heard that high intensity workouts can make you want to not eat for a while, but this is probably a different mechanism entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Pbase](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/pbase/32/969_2.png) [@Pbase](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Pbase)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/2 "2023-02-15T00:39:41Z")
I’m the opposite. Z2 rides make me want to eat all day long. ---
**Author:** ![BT-7274](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bt-7274/32/12895_2.png) [@BT-7274](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/BT-7274)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/3 "2023-02-15T00:49:05Z")
Let me be more specific. Lowish, relatively short Z2 rides. I had actually just eaten, but was still feeling a bit hungry when I got on the bike. ---
**Author:** ![CaptainThunderpants](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/captainthunderpants/32/133391_2.png) [@CaptainThunderpants](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/CaptainThunderpants)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/4 "2023-02-15T00:49:17Z")
> [@Pbase](#): > > Z2 rides make me want to eat all day long. Same. I always have the biggest appetite after Z2. ---
**Author:** ![KorbenDallas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/korbendallas/32/86114_2.png) [@KorbenDallas](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/KorbenDallas)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/5 "2023-02-15T00:57:35Z")
Possible explanation…Blood is directed away from the GI tract during exercise. ---
**Author:** ![BT-7274](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bt-7274/32/12895_2.png) [@BT-7274](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/BT-7274)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/6 "2023-02-15T01:00:23Z")
So maybe it is actually the same mechanism? OTOH, after doing a mid-volume SST base block, Z2 now feels almost too easy… Almost wonder how much blood would actually be getting diverted. ---
**Author:** ![Kanamori2017](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kanamori2017](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Kanamori2017)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/7 "2023-02-15T01:00:44Z")
> I had actually just eaten, but was still feeling a bit hungry In my case, this would have just been caused by boredom. ---
**Author:** ![BT-7274](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/bt-7274/32/12895_2.png) [@BT-7274](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/BT-7274)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 1:07am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/8 "2023-02-15T01:07:24Z")
It was caused by a calorie deficit and a particularly low-volume meal. I have certainly also had Z2 make me ravenously hungry with enough volume, but I don’t usually get on the bike while hungry. I welcome everyone to try it as an experiment. Let’s get some data. Ok, anecdotes, really… ---
**Author:** ![grwoolf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/grwoolf/32/7725_2.png) [@grwoolf](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/grwoolf)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 2:45am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/9 "2023-02-15T02:45:43Z")
I am almost never hungry after a ride or training session. The longer/harder the ride, the less I have appetite to eat afterwards. After my long saturday rides, I typically force down a recovery drink, lay down for a bit (sometimes a nap), and then have a meal a couple hours after the ride is over (and that is still a bit forced). The next day, I’m looking to eat everything. After a long endurance race, it can be 4-5 hours before any food is appealing. It makes me the anti-social one on my cycling team since many of my teammates will grab lunch at the end of a long ride. Before a ride/race, I can eat anything and usually not have any stomach issues. Exception - a really hard crit in the heat one time where I got to re-swallow a bit of greasy taco that I wasn’t expecting. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Conductor](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/the_conductor/32/86049_2.png) [@The\_Conductor](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/The_Conductor)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 3:02am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/10 "2023-02-15T03:02:13Z")
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30893893/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30893893/) This review explains the hormonal basis for exercise suppressing appetite. ---
**Author:** ![dmalanda](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/dmalanda/32/12908_2.png) [@dmalanda](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/dmalanda)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/11 "2023-02-15T16:14:10Z")
For me (n=1): - Z2 makes me hungry, on the bike and immediately after - Higher intensity (intervals/race) supresses my hunger signals on the bike and make me literally sick at the thought of food immediately after the ride. Hunger shows up after a few hours… ---
**Author:** ![HLaB](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/hlab/32/60448_2.png) [@HLaB](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/HLaB)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 4:18pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/12 "2023-02-15T16:18:01Z")
Boredom usually makes me hungry when I’m out on the bike even Z2 it takes my mind of it. If a ride is too long/intense though my body craves stuff on return or the day after 😂 ---
**Author:** ![GoLongThenGoHome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/439d5e/32.png) [@GoLongThenGoHome](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/GoLongThenGoHome)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/z2-riding-can-actually-tamp-down-hunger/81096/13 "2023-02-15T22:22:51Z")
For shorter Z2 rides I try and time them so I finish when it time to eat anyway 😁