Health and Nutrition
Nutrition for Sports Performance
Energy Intake and Body Fat
Most active people, including athletes as well as those exercising for weight loss, want to know how much food they should be eating, but this is not an easy question to answer. Energy needs vary considerably between individuals and there is no easy way to measure this without the sophisticated facilities of a laboratory. Equally, however, there are difficulties in measuring energy intake, and the published tables of the energy content of different foods are only approximations. The best measure is body weight: if body weight is stable, then energy intake is equal to energy expenditure. There may be some discrepancy if fat is being lost and muscle is increasing, but these errors are small. If body fat is at a level that is appropriate for health and activity, then there is no need to be unduly concerned about energy intake and expenditure.
Energy Intake: How Much is Enough?
Because the energy demand is influenced by so many different factors, it is difficult to make recommendations for individuals without assessing activity patterns.
It may be better to look at body weight and body composition: if body weight is stable and body fat content is at a reasonable level, then energy intake must be closely matched to energy expenditure.
How much fat is too much?
In distance running, a low body fat normally results as a consequence of the high training load.
The ideal body fat content of athletes depends on many factors: less is not always better, but a high body fat content can be a disadvantage.
