Calorie Requirements

I figured out the other day (after reading an article for class about athletic amennorhea) that the average female needs at minimum 30 kcals per kg of lean body mass (kcal/kgLBM). I figured mine out, since I had my BF tested a couple of weeks ago, and it came out to 1633 kcals/day. Hmmm, interesting! I then used Rachel Cosgrove's method of figuring out calories, which is bodyweight times 13-15 (slower metabolisms use 13), then reducing that "maintenance calorie level" by 20%. For me, the total came out to 1623 kcals per day. That was even more interesting! Ms. Cosgrove also recommends at minimum .8 g of protein for ideal body weight. I should be getting at least 116 g of protein per day, more if possible.

I do too much calculating and not enough application sometimes, though. My experience with Dax's program may have been a learning curve, but it certainly was not helpful for me. He is just too good at tapping into and exacerbating my perfectionist tendencies.

I am going to forget about ratios for the time being and just concentrate on keeping the caloric intake to 1600 kcals. This is important because the next few weeks are not only going to be hectic, they are going to be downright schedule-breaking. I'm also highly tempted to go to MealPlans101. I'll get my fruits and veggies and make sure I don't break the "bank" at any rate.