THE INSATIABLE ATHLETE

It’s an unfair fact of fitness that the harder you work to burn calories, the more desperately you yearn to replace them. Use this guide to get a handle on your hunger and fuel a more impressive midriff

THE RISE’N’ GRIND SHAKE

“Fasted training is a great way to burn fat,” says nutritionist Matt Hodges, but it can also awaken an appetite like no other. Your hunger hormones spike when your blood sugar drops, so mainlining nothing but whey post-workout could be what’s triggering you to overeat. Instead, try stocking up on glucose with this smoothie, then let your body rebalance for 30-50 minutes before eating.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 1)

• Pineapple, 100g • A kiwi, chopped • Fresh ginger, grated • Maple syrup, splash • Coconut water, 200ml

METHOD

01 Chop the fruit, leaving the skin on the kiwi for triple the satiating fibre. Grate in the blood sugar-stabilising fresh ginger. 02 Add the syrup – choose maple over golden for an additional source of antioxidants – and the coconut water, then blend, adding extra water to reach the texture you

fancy.

THE RAW POWER-UP

A busy afternoon may tempt you to train on empty after work, but depleted glycogen will leave you vulnerable to overindulging as soon as you’re back within reach of a fridge. Refuel and subdue your cravings with Hodges’s go-to pre-workout snack: a raw-food take on the classic Oreo cookie.

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 8)

For the cookie

• Almond flour, 180g

• Coconut oil, 60ml • Agave nectar, 3tbsp • Cocoa powder, 30g • Salt, pinch

For the cream

• Coconut oil, 60ml • Cashew butter, 60g • Agave nectar, 3tbsp • Coconut milk, 60ml • Vanilla extract, ¼tsp

METHOD

01 Blend the cookie ingredients in a food processor until it forms a dough, then refrigerate. Almond flour is a bona fide hunger suppressant. Rinse out your blender, then blitz the cream ingredients together, too.

02 Form the dough

into 16 discs, then press eight of them into a muffin tin. Top with cream, followed by another chocolate disc. Freeze your cookies overnight, then pack in your Tupperware for tomorrow’s presession snack.