While the physical responses to exercise and eating are well documented, the researchers wanted to understand the evidence on how psychology plays a role. 

From their analysis of 23 studies, the researchers propose two broad psychological responses to eating following exercise.  

‘Post-exercise psychological compensatory eating’

This is when a person consumes more food than if they hadn’t exercised, because they believe they need to refuel their energy stores. This could be to improve their recovery and performance. 

‘Post-exercise licensing’

This describes consuming more food, and particularly unhealthy, energy-dense foods, after exercise. This could be because the person has a negative psychological experience of exercise. Or it could be because they believe exercising permits them to eat unhealthy food, perhaps as a reward. 

The 23 studies covered a range of study designs and measured different outcomes.  

The review showed mixed findings across studies. While some of this could be because of different types of study, the researchers conclude that it is also because responses to exercise and eating vary from person to person.  

The review also suggests exercise framed as burning lots of calories or fat, or as being hard work led to higher consumption of unhealthy foods. 

Read the full news item on the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre

Paper: Porter A et al. Investigating the psychology of eating after exercise — a scoping review. Journal of Nutritional Science.