How Much Does An Athlete Need To Eat?

Any serious athlete needs to know how much she or he needs to eat every day....alot of it depends on in-season and off-season nutritional needs. What you eat is even more important. Read my post about premium fuel (food) for your athletic body.

Metabolism is basically the rate at which your body burns calories. Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories you'd burn if you did nothing all day (or the amount of calories your body needs to maintain itself).

The starting point for determining your daily calorie needs starts with your BMR.

Follow this example:

Your BMR is 2200 and you use another 1200 calories through your sport and daily activity (a total of 3400 calories). If you eat 4000 calories during the day, you would have a calorie surplus of 600. The surplus is important if you are trying to build muscle and gain weight for your sport.

It is important not to starve your body or you will get the opposite effect of what you want. For instance, if you eat 2800 daily calories, you will not have the energy to play your sport at a high level. This type of deprivation can also lead to unwanted weight loss and loss of lean muscle mass. Many times, athletes lose weight during a long season because of poor eating habits.

Also, the type of food you eat and timing of food you eat is very important for your metabolism to work right. Your body needs adequate amounts of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) to function right.

Train hard and smart!

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