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How many calories should I be eating?

I’m trying to build muscle currently, and I don’t know how many calories I should be eating. I’m getting frustrated because I keep losing weight instead of gaining the muscle I want. I’ve been doing cardio every day for over an hour + muscle building exercises at the gym I’m going to. I’m female, and fifteen. (If that matters!)

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Answer #1

Very similar question: http://www.funadvice.com/q/minimum_calories_to_eat

However, if you’re trying to build muscle mass, it really depends on how many calories you’re burning daily…back when I used to weight train, I’d eat normally, plus consume an extra 1,000 calories or so, every day, to maintain my size and try to gain more. However, if you’re not doing a well balanced routine (eg, cardio and anaerobic mixed) then first make sure you’re doing both before starting to up the calorie count, else it’ll just go to your waist.

Also make sure that you get some advice from a personal trainer or instructor about a good mix of exercises that will add bulk, it’s harder for women than men to add muscle mass, due to the lower amount of testosterone…but, it is possible, with a lot of work.

Answer #2

Ah, didn’t read the whole thing - I’d cut the cardio down to about 45 minutes per session as that’s more than enough and it’s just burning down the energy that could be stored as glycogen (muscle fuel)…and make sure you’re doing at least 45 minutes of muscle building exercises per session, no more than 6 days / week.

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