Helping a Future Marine

Nutrition
1

Hi all. My female friend is joining the Marine Corps and leaves the first week of October. Hoorah!! She doesn’t work out at all now and I have offered to help her get as ready as she can. Main concern right now is diet and fat loss.

I know it comes down to making sure she is expending more energy than she takes in and obviously per Berardi, all calories are not created equal. So to get to the question, I want her to loose at least 2 lbs a week.

What is the best way for determining her caloric need? I know there are are various formulas out there, so maybe it’s as simple as someone PMing me that. Also just want to make sure I don’t have her on a diet that is too low in calories since we will be doing a ton of conditioning and running. . .

Any info on how to best help her get ready from all you service men and women would be so greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!
Eric

2

I have been in the USMC for 3+ years. What I am about to say is probably going to piss you off.

  1. Why are YOU concerned about her weight loss? Its great that you are, but not to this extent. If she wants to join our Corps then she needs to have the self-discipline to fend for herself above all. If she has a computer she needs to get her ass on this site. You can help her, but not lift the weight for her.

  2. If she is overweight and sedentary, do not start running with her. Running will not make her fit, it will only injure her at this stage. Read this.
    http://www.T-Nation.com/article/performance_training/training_disasters&cr=

  3. Regarding caloric need:
    http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=460331

3

doesn’t piss me off at all. she has 2.5 months and I know more than her because I do go to this site. she DOES NOT have the kind of time for education at this point. i am helping her because I care. and ya, she is ready and willing to do whatever work she needs to, I’m just trying to be the guide. that’s it.

thanks for the help!

4

Fair enough. A picture or some height/weight/BF% stats are necessary at this point.

As much as people at T-Nation rip on the “cardio bunnies”, she needs to become one for the most part. Weight training is of course required as well, but I will let you handle the gory details. Make cardio a staple of her training. Focus on non-impact, posture and balance promoting exercises … namely the elliptical and arc trainers. Bikes suck because your spine is flexed the whole time and you are sitting down (we sit down all day, make her stand). These are great with hands-free so she can develop some hip stability, which she probably lacks. Tell her to get used to drinking lots of water. At bootcamp she will drink over 2 gallons a day, even in the winter.

Likewise, running is not appropriate right now. Bootcamp isn’t even physically challenging, its more a metal game than anything.

5

Sounds good. I am a fan of some of NASM’s OPT for stabilization so we will definately be working on balance and stability as well as proper kinetic chain movement. Not planning on having her run a lot right away, but prob sooner than I would normally do since she leaves in Oct.

Plan initially would be incline walking intervals, elliptical, etc. . . and scheduling a few uneven ground hikes/marches too to encourage joint stability. She needed to get taped in to pass the physical and she didn’t get a BF% or didn’t remember. She is 5’4" and 155.

6

OK, looks like she has maybe 20-30 to lose. That is reasonable for 12 weeks. Good luck.