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CARBS
CALORIES
PROTEIN
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Unfortunately, a common theme within this population is 1) a restriction of carbs and 2) a restriction of calories. This can often result in something known as low energy availability. Which is when the intake in the diet doesn’t match the needs of one’s activity level.
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Active females should be aiming to eat AT LEAST 40kcal/kg of lean mass/day. While not all women know their lean mass, you can estimate based on your body fat %. Or use the @mymadeapp phone body comp scanner (first scan free with code LITTLELYSS) for a good estimate!
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Carbs and calories as a whole fuel performance, your physical output, how much training you can handle and impact recovery as well as can impact our overall hormonal health if restricted along with calories. You likely need more carbs than you think!
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Protein is hard for many women to get in enough in their diet (aiming for ~0.7-0.9 g/lb body weight). It usually takes up a large % of daily intake, can cause you to be fuller with less, and is harder to fit in. Supplementing with a solid protein shake 25-40g/day can help mitigate this. I use @legion and suggest their plant or whey proteins which are high quality and 3rd party tested.
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The biggest mistake of all though — is women who ARE highly active think they are not because they are not competitive. If you are training HARD or with high-intensity 4-6x/week with specific strength or endurance goals you should really consider a slightly more specific nutrition strategy around your goals. Your workouts will feeo MUCH better, and your body doesn’t know the difference between the stress of your HIIT if it’s “just for exercise” vs. training with intention.
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