Is this too much? PLEASE HELP!!!

Hello, all! I have a quick question:

    So, for my rowing, the fall season has ended, so we've moved inside for Winter Training. What that includes is erging (using a rowing machine for those who don't know), calisthenics (like crunches, "bicycles", lunges, squats, jumpies etc.), pilates, weight lifting, and various other pain-inducing exercises. However, instead of going for three hours like we used to, it's only two hours. We're usually working for about an hour and a half of that.

    I'm 14 and 5"8 (well, TECHNICALLY  5'7 and 3/4, but I usually leave that detail out ). For the past few months, I've been gradually increasing my food intake, and I haven't noticed much (if any) weight fluctuation. This is good. But today, I was STARVING, so I've pretty much been eating everything that comes at me. I've tallied up the calories for today, and it's about 2,400, much more than my usual 2,000. Is this too much? My diet consists of a lot of protein, whole grain, and fruits and veggies. But today, I had two Nature Valley granola bars and a small cheddar-dill scone along with everything else. Those are things that I rarely eat, though, so I counted them as a "cheat meal".

I've looked around and I've gotten pretty insane numbers of what they say I should be eating: I've gotten anywhere from between 1,800 to 4,500 (which I highly doubt I could eat with a clean conscience). What would you say is a good number for me? 

I'm no professional, but 2000-2400 would seem like a fairly light day when eating so healthy (fruits/veggie/whole grains) and exercising so vigorously!

At least I personally wouldn't feel guilty at ALL about eating 2400 HEALTHY calories woking out that heavily at age 14.

You know your body better than anyone, and our bodies give us cues and clues when we need to replenish the stores depleted from working out. However, you might just be thirsty.  Our bodies give us the same signals as hunger when thirsty sometimes. If you think you're hungry, and arent sure, drink some water. If you are still hungry in 20 minutes, go ahead and have a snack from 100-200 calories.

Hope this helps. Picked up this info from magazines and internet. Good stuff if you can apply it! Just listen to your body.

Blessings!

MeLi

The CC tools are designed for people over the age of 20 but this weblink is very useful for teens... http://www.kidsnutrition.org/bodycomp/bmiz2.h tml  If you enter your stats you'll be able to see what a sensible food intake is for someone (male?) your size and age that is 'very active'  You don't mention how much you weigh but if you were 130lbs, for example, you'd need 3700 a day on average.

So I don't think you should worry about eating too much or even about counting calories.  There will come a time when you're much older and not so active that you might find you need to monitor your intake more closely.  For now, take advantage of the fact that you don't need to.   Eat plenty of good nourishing foods, plus some 'foods for fun' on top and eat as much as you need.  

i would have to agree with last_chance80. You are young, and still growing, but you are also working out alot. Therefore i think what you are doing is complately normal :).

When i get home from soccer practice everyday, i tend to eat WAY more than normal, so don't worry :)

*good luck with rowing :)

-megan

weight training when your only 14? not what id recommend to anyone that likes to grow as tall as they can, heavy weight training has been shown to blunt the ends of the growth plates, particularly the radius,humerus,ulna,femur,fibula and tibia, resulting in a decreased amount of growth.

Gym controversy aside, post up your weight and how many times a week you do those sessions, as well as your primary goal ie decrease in fat and increase in cardiovascular endurance OR increase in strength OR increase in muscle mass. Once youve posted up that I'll draw up a meal plan for you.

Wow... ONLY 2400? That's not alot at all, considering your workout scheduel. A healthy, SEDENTARY teen girl needs about 2000 calories to maintain her weight. Throw on 90 minuts of hard-core exercise, and you'll need anywhere from 2600-2800 calories.

I'm an irish dancer and a distance runner. I dance for 30 minuts and run for 30 minuts everyday, in addition to 20 minuts of light calisthenic (sit ups, leg lifts, pushups), and I'm a really tiny person, but I need 3000 calories a day to maintain my weight! So eat up, and watch your athletic performance soar. That's right, those extra calories will give you that extra edge in your competitions ;)