“How many calories do you eat?” “How many calories should I eat?”
Fabulous question & one that is unique for you. Just because your neighbor eats a certain amount of calories or follows a certain diet or just because I do doesn’t mean it’s correct for you.
Lemme explain…
The number of calories someone requires to maintain their bodyweight is unique & specific to them. Therefore, just because 2 people are the same height, weight, age & gender, doesn’t mean they should consume the same amount of energy (which is calories) per day.
Daily caloric requirements are influenced by many factors including these & swipe for cheat sheets!⬇️
▪️ Occupation (active vs sedentary)
▪️ Training frequency & intensity
▪️ Recent dieting history (metabolic adaptation, disordered eating, etc)
▪️ NEAT levels outside of work (walking for ex)
▪️ Diet quality, thermic effect of food (whole foods vs highly-processed)
▪️ Overall health & hormone status
▪️ Sleep Quality, Stress
▪️ How much muscle you have
It’s a matter of perspective. What you think is “alotta calories” is highly subjective, as different people will have different interpretations of what they consider to be “alotta food.”
Also, macro requirements will depend on the individual as well, everyone has a different threshold of energy & macro ratios of which they thrive.
Pay more attention to the below vs hyperfocusing on numbers:
▪️ Energy availability is in a great position to optimize health, performance & recovery
▪️ Your diet includes whole foods highly bioavailable & packed with essential nutrient requirements
▪️ Your relationship with food is healthy, hunger & satiation cues are on point
Enjoy the cheat sheets, experiment, & have fun! Don’t be afraid to eat!
You got this! How many calories are you crushing? 🦾🥩