Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

rapid fire q&a with a sports nutrition coach

26 Nov 2025 · 0 min

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A sports nutrition coach says many female athletes are dramatically under-eating because they don't realize calorie needs depend on age, height, weight, and training schedule, not just sex. Fueling should differ between practice and game days.

Questions this video answers

No! Every athlete just needs the right amount of food for their body. Calorie needs depend on gender, height, weight, age, activity level, and training schedule, and many female athletes are drastically under‑eating.

Implied yes – athletes should fuel differently for practice versus games, adjusting nutrition timing and quantity to match the demands of competition.

Do female athletes need less calories than male athletes?
No! Every athlete just needs the right amount of food for their body. So if you took a male athlete who's 14, 5'6", growing a ton, then you took a female athlete who's 18, 6'2", like, they might have completely different meal plans. The girl might be eating far more than the kid. It just all depends on their gender, their height, their weight, their age, their activity level, their training schedule. But ultimately, Most of my female athletes are drastically under-eating.
Do athletes need to fuel differently for practice versus games?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Ideally, you would be fueling for practice like you are for games, but I know that it's going to be super hard to always be that dialed in. But on game days, those are your paydays, guys. You wanna make sure that you're showing up ready, you're fueled. Game days are often more taxing mentally and physically, so you want to make sure that you have enough fuel in the tank to get you through to the final buzzer.