Lately, I've been getting a lot of questions about food and calories. Lots of people bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women and they balk at the advice to eat at a maintenance level. They look at the formula and think the calories are too high, the math must be wrong, they must be different, or special, or misunderstood. Surely women only need to eat 1200-1400 calories per day, like hungry Shape Magazine models or dainty little birds. Women freak out and die if you tell them to eat 2,000 calories. I'm here to tell you, that's nothing!
Do you want to be an athlete or do you want to be a dieter? There's a major difference, both in attitude and appearance. Dieters are soft and hungry and super-critical of themselves. Athletes are rock solid lean, very well fed, and oozing confidence. I'm a 40 year old woman who regularly eats 2400-2800 calories per day just to maintain. I would never "diet" again. No, no. Bad. :-)
The better you eat, the more you can eat. 2,000 calories worth of lean protein, fruits, vegetables and healthy fat is way different than 2,000 calories of breakfast cereal, sandwiches, chips, and low-fat snack treats. The more you emphasize high-quality whole foods, the higher your calorie intake can go. Women living on rice cakes, Special K and Slim-Fast need to keep their calories shockingly low because they're ingesting such crap. An athlete living on scrambled omega eggs, black beans, grilled chicken, huge leafy green salads, fresh berries, almonds, sweet potatoes, etc. can lose weight on a much higher calorie intake because they're eating metabolism-boosting whole foods packed with protein, fiber, and nutrients.
For a more in-depth discussion about women's calorie needs, particularly as it relates to New Rules, there's a great interview with all three authors posted on the Precision Nutrition Forums. I listened to it while I was cleaning the house a few days ago. I love that they addressed all of the food/calorie/weight issues right off the bat. And of course there were some laugh-out-loud one-liners from Lou and Alwyn, who could probably become a comedy duo if they get tired of the fitness thing.
