Calculate Caloric Needs

Consume enough calories during training to maintain a healthy weight. Generally, the calories you burn each day are based on your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, plus the calories you burn in activities, including your training. Your BMR results from calories your body burns doing basic maintenance activities, like breathing, distributing blood throughout your body, metabolizing glucose, glycogen and fat to produce energy, as well as other physiological functions. Use online calculators, such as BMI-Calculator, to estimate the calories you need for basic maintenance. For example, a 5-foot-8-inch, 30-year-old male that weighs 150 lbs. burns about 1,660 calories per day at rest. Add to your BMR the calories you burn in training. Again, use online calculators, such as HealthStatus.com, to estimate the calories you burn in training and other daily activities. Sum your BMR and activity calories, then add an additional 10 percent to account for thermic calories --- these are the calories you burn consuming, digesting and eliminating the food you eat.