Football Player Needs Nutrition Help

Diet and Nutrition
1

Im a football player, well a walk on and Im getting ready for spring ball (didnt make a bowl this year). Anyway Im planning on starting full time this coming year so Im putting in some work on the field/weight room to get ready to impress the coaches. Thing is being a walk on I dont get money for school like a scholarship athlete I earn my living the old fashion way, working 12-13 hour shifts to pay for everything and since school is out Im at the meat of my work schedule.

What Im asking is my long days dont allow me to eat very much, sometimes NOTHING at all(I work in a restaurant but cant eat its open kitchen, no breaks). Well since my work hours have gone up my weight has dropped significantly and my strength has taken a bit of a hit, and I think its due to me not being able to recover by eating and sleeping properly. The sleeping part I think Ive fixed (more power to power naps) but the nutrition is lacking and I seriously cant eat while Im there working.

Heres a typical day: Arrive at 830am, work until probably 4 and I get a break to eat (I have to cram my face with food to make up for the lack of eating I did and will do the rest of the day), then I go back and we close at 10 or 11 and get out at 1130 ish, which is when I eat my last meal. So four days out of the week I eat my meals at 7am, 4pm, and 11 or 12 at night! The only thing Im allowed to have with my while working is a small thermus for water or whatever, and as far as eating during other parts of the day its REALLY hard I snack on the junk they have to keep from starving(lol not literally but Im used to eating alot.)

ANYWAAYS, a protein shake or mrp seems a sensible option, so naturally Id like to hear which ones you guys would recommend, any brand is cool as long as its calorie sensible and tastes good. Also for you more experienced guys, is a protein mrp or shake worth the investment or is eating these way spaced out meals not going to do my body more harm then good? My weight is down 8 pounds in less than a month and my strength is suffering in the weight room (NOT mental). Help out what do you guys think I should do? Any opinion is cool

2

Metabolic Drive Complete. Tasty, good for you, and a good price as well (especially if you buy two or more at a time).

3

Your intuition is right… you gotta get some food in during the day.
And agreed with JN, Metabolic Drive is a high quality choice.

4

Metabolic Drive Complete. it’s cheaper than Low Carb Metabolic Drive, & it has more calories. I think this would be your best bet. Plus its got a bit more fiber & fat which should help you feel a little fuller for those long shifts.

5

I would just bring 2-3 massive shakes with casein,whey, peanut butter or olive oil, and other goodies for extra calories.

I was in a situation like this for a while, I worked 117 hours in 9 days so I would blend a shake with close to 3000 calories and drink it before I went to work, didn’t really get to eat to at work, then have another shake with about 1k cals when I got home and a meal afterward then pass out and do it all over again.

You are really going to have to work on utilizing liquid calories with a schedule like that.

6

Thanks guys I appreciate the help, and my schedule just went up hours wise. Ill look into Metabolic Drive. Plus Ive always wanted to try making my own high calorie shakes I know alot of guys do that just never tried it myself. Ill give it a go…

7

Miner, what position are you playing? Are you at your ideal weight, and if not, how far off are you? If you need to gain weight, you will need to eat massive amounts with how much working out you will be doing, and if you need to lose, you will need to cut back some. All of the above nutritional advice sounds good. Take advantage of the knowledge of workouts, nutrition, and supplements now available.