Calorie intake for athletes: How much is enough?

This week, enjoy a guest blog post from Carrie Aprik MS, RD, CSSD. Carrie practices as sports RD in Michigan. She can be reached at Nutrition4Motion@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @Nutri4Motion. Thanks Carrie!

Be Extraordinary, 

RDKate
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Consuming adequate calories is a major challenge for collegiate athletes and one that they are often unsuccessful at. Negative energy balance, or not consuming enough calories to match total energy expenditure, is the most common problem sports dietitians encounter. 



Total energy expenditure is comprised of the resting metabolic rate (energy required for basic body functions), the thermic effect of food (energy required for digestion), and exercise energy expenditure. For high-level athletes, the exercise energy expenditure will obviously be significantly higher than the average person. While a 150-pound female non-athlete may need approximately 2,000 calories to maintain body weight, a similar-weight volleyball player, for example, could require upward of 3,000-3,500 calories to maintain body weight and fuel exercise and recovery. Adequate energy intake should be of top priority to the athlete, as inadequate fueling directly relates to loss of muscle and bone mass, weakened immune system, stress fractures, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal dysfunction, and of course, compromised sports performance. Athletes are discouraged from trying to lose weight in season – which requires negative energy balance – for these reasons. Freshman can be especially susceptible to negative energy balance, as they are often unaccustomed to the training intensity and volume of their sport at the collegiate level. 

So how much is enough? Calorie recommendations vary based on sport, position, and training period, but Table 1 lists general recommendations for athletes based on time and intensity of activity, in calories per kilogram of body weight per day. Typically a collegiate athlete in season will fall in the “heavy” or “very heavy” category. Once calorie needs are established, a dietitian can provide further guidance as to how the calories should be distributed among carbohydrates, protein, and fat. 

TABLE 1
Level of Activity	Energy Expenditure (calories/kg/d)
Sedentary	25
Very Light	Men	31
	Women	30
Light (<1 hr, 3 days/wk)	Men	38
	Women	35
Moderate (30-60 min, 3-5 days/wk)	Men	41
	Women	37
Heavy (60-90 min, 4-5 days/wk)	Men	50
	Women	44
Extremely Heavy (60-90 min/day)	Men	58
	Women	51