Research

Hormonal

Acute exercise induces a transient suppression of appetite (exercise-induced anorexia) and does not stimulate compensatory increases in energy intake on the day of exercise, regardless of whether the individual is lean or has overweight/obesity.

You can exercise to create a calorie deficit without worrying that you will automatically eat back the calories burned on the same day. While you might feel less hungry during and immediately after the workout, this effect is temporary and does not lead to overeating later. This holds true whether you are lean or have overweight/obesity.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Single bouts of exercise induce a short-term energy deficit without stimulating compensatory effects on appetite... the balance of evidence suggests that adiposity and sex do not modify appetite or energy intake responses to acute or chronic exercise interventions
James L. Dorling et al. · Nutrients · 2018

Why this rating

The paper cites a large body of consistent evidence across multiple studies, though it notes some variability in hormonal responses.

Source

Acute and Chronic Effects of Exercise on Appetite, Energy Intake, and Appetite-Related Hormones: The Modulating Effect of Adiposity, Sex, and Habitual Physical Activity

James L. Dorling et al. · Nutrients · 2018

DOI 10.3390/nu10091140

narrative_reviewCited 219×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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