So, now that you understand what you are eating (carbs, protein and/or fat) and are beginning to make healthy swaps to include more nutrient-dense, wuality foods in your diet, it is time to figure out a good range of calories that your body needs on a daily basis.
As a general rule, I recommend that athletes (or anyone exercising on a daily basis) add 100-150 calories to your recommended total calories, per hour of daily exercise. I recommend prioritizing a 3:1 (or 2:1) Carbohydrate to Protein snack immediately after workouts (within 30-45 min) as a way to add in your extra 100-150 calories as opposed to adding those extra calories to meals. If you workout for 2 hours on Monday and consume 2000 calories on a daily basis, I recommend adding in 200-300 calories to your diet through a post-workout Carb:Protein snack and then having a balanced meal (350-500 calories) rather than stuffing down a 800 calorie meal. If you workout for 4 hours on Saturday, I recommend having your extra 400-60
3x Author, Board Certified Sports Dietitian, Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, 2017 IM CHOO Amateur Female Champion, 19xIronman finisher including 6xIM World Championship finisher, Triathlon Coach, 30-year Vegetarian.Trimarnicoach.com