Hey Clyde- I just joined Team in Training and am wondering about nutrition for training. I would like to know what's an appropriate amount of calories to consume in order to maintain and even lose some weight during vigorous training. Sporty
ANSWER: This is a loaded question because caloric needs drop significantly whether you are training or not if you send most of your calories to muscle (sending fewer calories to body fat) by inducing insulin sensitivity in your body using unsaturated fats, moderate levels of protein, whole grains, fresh fruit and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, vegetables. The opposite of these things (saturated fat >10% of total calories, protein over 30% of total calories, sugar >10% of total calories, replacing fruit with fruit juice and vegetables with a v8) results in reduced muscle fueling and a greater need for calories in order to maintain recovery and health. An adult needs roughly their weight in pounds times ten in calories per day when they are active but not exercising. Needs can be double this on a day of intensive training since a fit person can burn as much as 1000 Calories in just one hour, but most athletes who are competing just for fun are not at that level and burn about 500 Calories per hour during a typical relatively intense training session. A more detailed calculation of caloric needs is done using the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), which assume an average American diet i.e. a diet that induces some level of insulin resistance (reduced muscle fueling). Assuming a healthy diet, I would take 75-80% of the resultant number that you get. You plug into the equation your height in meters, weight in kilograms, age in years, and then estimate your Physical Activity (PA) coefficient (rounded for simplicity) as defined in the DRIs, which range from 1 to 1.5
1 Sedentary
1.15 Low active: Some activity most days of the week but not rigorous
1.3 Active: Rigorous activity a few days each week (beginner athlete at start of season)
1.5 Very active: Rigorous activity most days of the week (intermediate athletic training)
I suggest the following extension to the DRI Physical Activity coefficients for athletes:
2.0 Intense training 2 hrs / day, 6 days per week
2.5 Intense training 3 or more hrs / day, 6 days per week
3.0 Near peak training for the season before competition
3.5 Peak training for the season before competition
4.0 The day of competition or any training done at your absolute highest intensity and duration
Again: This is your daily caloric needs calculated using age in years, weight in Kg, height in meters
Your weight in kilograms (Kg) = weight in pounds / 2.2
Your height in meters (m) = height in inches x / 39.4
Daily Calories needed for Females: Use weight in kg and height in meters
3-8 year old = 155 – (30.8 x age) + PA x [(10.0 x weight) + (934 x height)]
9-18 years old = 160 – (31 x age) + PA x [(10.0 x weight) + (934 x height)]
19 years and older = 354 – (6.9 x age) + PA x [(9.4 x weight) + (726 x height)]
Daily Calories needed for Males: Use weight in kg and height in meters
3-8 years old = 109 – (62 x age) + PA x [(26.7 x weight) + (903 x height)]
9-18 years old = 114 – (62 x age) + PA x [(27 x weight) + (903 x height)]
19 years and older = 662 – (9.5 x age) + PA x [15.9 x weight) + (540 x height)]
Then, once you have the number from above:
•Multiply the end result by 0.75 if you are eating a "very" healthy diet.
•Multiply the end result by 0.85 or 0.9 if you are not always eating healthy.
•Use the regular DRI equations above if you are eating an average American diet (saturated fat, refined carbs, desert, fast foods, etc). Note that you must eat more junk calories to maintain performance than when you eat healthier calories; this has obvious implications for weight loss as well.
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