Hi Guys,

I'm in the need of some advice. I recently started martial arts training about 2 months ago. I really disliked running on a tread mill or doing basic cardio at the gym. I figured I might aswell learn something and have fun while improving my cardio, stamina, etc...

Problem - I feel completely empty half-way through the classes. My stamina, endurnace, cardio, etc.... still requires improving but I do not want food to be something that holds me back while I'm learning.

Questions:
- How many calories should I consume in the day?
- How much should I eat before class so that at least I'm not starving myself.
- Last what should I eat before class.

Details:

My first priority - Learn to fight, improve stamina, speed endurance, etc..
Second priority - lose the fat. But not a very high-priority (yet)

My activities:
- 3 x week - Standup (Muay-Thai)
- 1 x week - Jiu-Jitsu (working on standup more for now)
- 3 x week - weighlifting (45 minutes on weights - working on higher reps with very little rest in between) - involves core and complex training.
- 1 day rest - (every 2nd week I get 2 days rest or work becomes a factor which forces me to skip class)

Muay-Thai Class = 1.5 hours
Jiu-Jitsu Class = 1.5 hours
(once every 2 weeks I do back to back training 3-hours long)

25-30 minutes - warm-up - Running, sprinting, pushups, burpees, shadow boxing, core, situps, skipping, etc....
30 minutes - Thai pads / technique / heavy bag - little to no rest (as you know)
30 minutes - Sparring - 4-5 minute rounds with 20-30 second rest between different fighters.

By the time I get to sparring I'm out. I feel completely empty out of energy etc... I realize thats the whole point - fight after the point of exhaustion, recover fast, adapt quickly, etc... But I just want to ensure I'm eating enough.

Age: 32
Weight: 214lbs
Height: 6'1
Body fat: 17% (mostly around stomach) (measured before joining Muay-thai)


I figure I'm burning 1000 calories per session. I do not want to over eat and gain weight. At some point I'm going to want to shred. But for now I just want to ensure I'm not wasting muscle.

Thanks in advance!!!