How many calories should I eat?
An athlete can estimate how many calories they need to consume every day based on their body, activity level and goal.
Resting energy expenditure
Resting Energy Expenditure is the calories needed to fuel all of the body's daily processes, such as sleep, digestion and respiration. It is the energy you'd use if you spent the whole day sat on the sofa. We calculate this using the popular Mifflin-St Jeor formula.
Total daily energy expenditure
Total Daily Energy Expenditure is what your body needs for fuel throughout the day.
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It is the sum of your REE and calories burned through activity.
Goal
Your goal will change the recommended calorie intake based on Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
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If you're looking to lose weight you need to eat a bit less than your TDEE to get your body to use fat stores for energy.
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If you're looking to make gains you need to make sure there's enough fuel and protein around to repair and build new muscle.
Activity Level
Your activity level also impacts your target calories. A more active person will need to account for calories demanded by their lifestyle.
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None - normal everyday activity combined with an office job
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Light - a light workout combined with an office job, or a day at work if you're not sat behind a desk
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Moderate - An hour of strenuous activity, or around 10,000 steps every day.
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Very Active - Training every day, lifting or labouring at work or consistently walking more than 15,000 steps a day.
Macronutrients
Your activity level also impacts your target calories. A more active person will need to account for calories demanded by their lifestyle.
Once you've determined an estimate of how many calories you want to consume every day it's time to allocate the make-up off those calories with a macronutrient ratio that works for you.