Hey all, had some basic questions regarding nutrition, hoping I can get some advice on here. Im 20 years old, 195lbs, 5’10, and probably around 17-18% body fat. Currently doing Wendler’s 5/3/1 with Boring But Big. Also Im in Kuwait for the Army right now, working around 12 hour shifts a day with access to a fairly nice dining facility and gym on the offtime.
I’m fairly happy with my weight right now, but I’m trying to keep increasing my strength as Im making gains from week to week and I find this weight to be pretty comfortable for me. Had some questions regarding calorie intake, and how it should be broken down into macros. Any help would be appreciated.
Im thinking I should be consuming about 3200 calories a day, as Im lifting 4 times a week and about 1-2 times a week Im doing sled pushes or sprints. I try for about 200-250g of protein, mainly from chicken, fish, and a GNC ON Whey shake. However, how should I break down the rest? I’ve read to keep fat gain to a minimum, you should attempt to keep carbs to a minimum as well. However I have also read conflicting articles that if you don’t consume enough carbohydrates through the day, your body will do its best to store fat as you’re not getting a consistent source of energy to replenish your body’s glycogen stores. And on a side note, depending on how much carbs I should be consuming in a day, how much fat should I be intaking daily? Sorry if these are fairly stupid questions, just looking for a little clarification. Appreciate the help
You just have to pick a method, stick to it, and see if it work for you.
With your workload, you should be eating lots. My advice to you would be to eat the majority of carbs for before and after training, keep up with the protein intake, and keep a food log.
Aim for about 100-110g of fat a day. 900-1000 calories.
Plus your protein 800-1000 calories = 1700-2000 calories
Minus 3200 = 1200-1500 calories / 4 = 300-375 carbs a day.
Make sensible food choices and meal timing and you’ll be fine if you’re putting in effort at the gym. Since you don’t have too much lean body mass the calories might be a little high, but it’s a good starting point to adjust from.
Honestly there are many different approaches. Pick one and don’t fuck up the macros too much, and then focus on making the correct decisions in your daily life.
I should have no problem making those macros throughout the day, but I believe I might have some trouble timing the meals correctly. I have to work with what the dining facility has offered, typically there’s chicken and veggies but sometimes what’s offered is pretty unhealthy. My schedule is weird, I typically work from 2PM-12:30AM, and only have access to one meal during that time. So my schedule is typically as follows:
11AM-Wake-Up
12:30PM: First meal, typically chicken and rice, some vegetables
5PM: Second meal at work, whatever is offered. Usually vegetables, some kind of protein(chicken, turkey with gravy, fatty steak), instant mashed potatoes or white rice, apples and oranges
9PM: I typically try to consume a GNC ON Whey protein shake around this time mixed with skim milk, and also snack on fruit from now until end of shift at 12AM.
1AM: This is when I return to base, I go to the Dining Facility and get a plate of food for after my workout. Typically eat a piece of fruit for a little bit of energy pre-workout
2AM: Go to the gym for 60-90 minutes. Afterwards consume meal consisting usually of chicken, rice, vegetables, maybe another protein shake
4AM: Sleep
There’s my schedule, not sure on how I could time my meals better on how to fit my goals, but any thoughts would be greatly appreciated
How would going to bed earlier, waking up earlier, and then going to the gym first thing in the morning play out? It’s another option to consider.
Honestly your schedule and meals look better than a lot of people’s. It’s just shifted five hours forward lol.
If you’re not sure how much food you’re actually eating (ie in terms of servings and calories) I would try to get some good estimates since the majority of your food is being served to you. Besides that, stay consistent and make changes little by little.