ORIENT, BOX, AND TRACE
Ever since I joined the Military, the “Brainiacs” that govern our food policy have backed a dietary regimen propaganda based on information that is not entirely accurate. Echoing the Food pyramid, we grew up with. Belittling red meat, by placing a RED “AVOID” Placard on steak and placing a Green “Good” placard on fish and Yellow “caution” placard on most chicken served. DFACs often disregard different protein requirements. Only allowing one serving of a protein source, which nutritional values range from as high as 45gs per serving (the DFAC’s estimation of steak) to your 24gs of protein per serving with a chicken breast. Even if you’re eating the steak 3 times a day at the DFAC (I’d Love to find that DFAC) you’d still be only eating 135 grams of protein, which is fine for a 135lb athlete that wants to stay 135lbs. While protein available to service members (SM) is restricted, SMs can eat all the carbs they can hold on to their plates. Take a scale to most DFACs and weigh your servings. You’ll find your only eating 100-200grams of meat per meal purchased unless your afforded double protein rations (Reason 82nd SM’s go-to the SWCS DFAC) available. Protein availability is even less at breakfast in these facilities.
This is how most service members are taught what to eat. Green “GO”, Yellow sometimes, Red rarely eat. At the end of the day, SMs are undereating at the DFACs, and binge eating in their barracks.
I still have trouble undereating then bingeing to this day. Not because I’m trying to stay skinny. But because when I’m busy I forget. I don’t feel that sensation. However, if I do that for one or even 2 meals a day. I know that night I must try and eat as much of my calories as I can, or I’ll just wake up and night binge. And most likely the next day I’ll need to buy my youngest more goldfish since Daddy crushed the box and drank all the milk that night.
If you didn’t know, you are not supposed to do that. In fact, we’re not nocturnal animals, and contrary to popular belief, we don’t actually own the night. In fact, you should stop eating around 2 hours before you go to bed.
NORTH SEEKING ARROW
Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. In the past century, Nutrition has become a political game, but there are a few things that remain true no matter what.
One, it’s very hard to overeat protein from meat. Bias your protein first.
Two, focus on the quality of sources and what your body can use the easiest without neglecting micronutrients.
Three, don’t eat like an asshole. If you’re asking yourself, “What does that mean?”. Well, it means, filling up the small cup at Sweet Frogs frozen yogurt with 10lbs of shit, that my friends, is eating like an asshole. While we’re at it, so is buying a bag of Reese’s easter egg candies and eating all of them in one sitting. You know it, I know it, and now I want a PB cup.
OBJ
There are typically 1 of 3 objectives to a nutritional plan: to gain muscle, to maintain, and to lose fat. Seems simple enough and yet it’s easy to mess it up. If you want to lose fat but you don’t maintain enough protein intake, you’ll lose excess muscle size and likewise if you want to gain muscle and you do so but eating only an excess of fats and carbs you will gain little more than only fat. YOU CAN build muscle while losing fat…. In theory, but for many this process will be the longest way of going about either which can be frustrating and lead to giving up on the plan.
ROUTES
There are a bunch of different ways to do this and some of them may not work for you but most will if you can be consistent. So, you’ve got dietary goals? Well to know how to get there you need to know where you are. Track anything that’s not a penis going into your mouth, (talking to you Greg), and no that doesn’t mean the chocolate frosting that Cab puts on his for you, that is calorie-free my friend. Track it all! There are TONS of apps for this. Many of which are FREE! MyFitnessPal is the one I currently prefer. Track and weigh your food. After a week of tracking, you’ll have an idea of what you’re consuming from day to day and over a week calorie-wise.
Now that we know where you are let’s plot the route, shall we?
There is a metaphorical and literal fuck ton of books on different diets which ALL WORK…. For someone. This is the beginning of a process to find what works for you that you can do consistently and can still perform your job. Try them. Try as many as you like. I don’t recommend any one diet for anyone. However, I do recommend that you start trying something that you haven’t tried yet.
For the sake of not writing another book here, I’m just going to provide an example of how to calculate your caloric needs and find your Macronutrient requirements for a “balanced approach.”
An Easy calc for maintenance would be 14 Cals per lbs. of BW = caloric need. Then take 4 Cals x bodyweight or lean BW to find your protein requirements. Subtract the protein requirements from your caloric need and for a balanced approach divide the remainder by 2 for your fat and carb Cals.
Drop carb or fat Cals to lose. Add protein and fat or carbs to gain.
For a quick reference
Cals per gram
Fat 9 cals/g
Protein 4 cals/g
Carbs 4 cals/g
Most people would benefit from meal prepping or even a meal prep service. It will help you consistently have the nutrition you need on standby. Now that you have your numbers, make it easy and pay for a meal prep service for lunch and dinner. For breakfast just have your go-to meal. My go-to breakfast is overnight oats with fair life milk 60 grams of chocolate protein and 2 tbsp of PB powder; Shit tastes like NO-BAKE COOKIES… and that summer I spent on the Amalfi coast with Francesca….#takemeback.
RGBIV…. EAT THESE COLORS MY DUDES!
Red, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. This will cover a lot of your micronutrient needs. THE ANABOLIC Diet recommends a Salad with an olive oil dressing. COLOR THAT BITCH up Blueberries! PICKLED red onions! Dark Purple Leafy veg with tomatoes! Some of that Ole Popeye special AKA SPINACH and some MF Steak (I DON’T CARE how you cook it just eat it)
ANNEXES
GET YOUR BLOOD LABS DONE and look at any Nutrient Deficiencies you may have before wasting money on supps because that jacked dude with that hot thigh vein takes it. SAVE YO MONEY!
I raised my TESTOSTERONE 3-fold just with nutrition and trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep (see SOCM Study Habits for lack of sleep ref)
Walking. Taking 2x 10 min walks a day and simply lifting would do wonders for most people.
-hugs and DRE’s
Doc Doxy
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