I am in Iraq deployed and limited on muscle foods

[bigd7424]

I am in Iraq and at a sh**y little compound were the food sucks, from someone who knows what they are talking about, can I bulk off tuna, meal replacements, and protien shakes ? They have other meals during the day sh**ty army food like a lot of fried fatty food. I usally have tuna melt for breakfeast on wheat bread. Then make Tuna for later with no bread and take in my protien shakes and eat beef jerky as my inbetween meals. Is there anyone that has any other Ideas on what I can do to bulk off the limited food? We have a good gym here so working out is not a problem is the lack of intake of food and the kinds of foods that I am haveing a problem with.

[Twist]

you should list foods that you have access to. Nobody can tell you what to eat until they know what you can get.

[bigd7424]

Ok well right now we only serving two meals, a brunch at 1000am and again at 5pm, think its going to change soon because we are getting new cooks but they are still Army cooks so its still be the same type of food. Here is my break down for right now.

I wake up around 7am or 8am and have rasin brand and a protien shake we have a lot of ceral but nothing extreamly healthly.

Then at 10am when I go to the chow hall they serve stuff like scrabled eggs and sausage and grits and usally oinon rings or some sort of deep fried finger food because its a brunch. Although they do have a half ass sandwich bar were they have weat bread and every lunch meat but turky go figure right? So I usally make a tuna melt on weat bread, then make another plate of tuna without bread and eat about three hours later.

For dinner on the other hand its is always somthing fatty lasanga or breaded chicken or somthing like that every now and then they well have some beef stir fry and Rice or baked chicken but mostly fatty unhealthy food.

So most of what I need to be eating is stuff I can get sent to me like from the states like meal replacements, beef jerky, tuna, and stuff like that. Just don't know if that stuff is going to be enough to bulk ?

I eat a small bag of beef jerky inbetween meals there is a lot of that out here but it has a little sugar in it so its not that good either.

So really, I have access to ceral, milk, beef jerky, lunch meat, fruit like apples and pears, scrable eggs with cheese on it, fatty ass susage, A lot of frozen stuff like buritos and qasilldas, and deep fried finger foods. HA HA see were my problem is?

[stokedv]

Id say if u have access to cereal try to put your hands on some rolled/steel cut oats... Is there a way for you to talk the cooks and ask them to make your eggs boiled?? This way you can throw out the yolks and eat wgghites... 1 whole egg plus 7 egg whites with a cup of oats is an awesome and recommended breakfast.. You say you can order Stuff From the states like canned stuff if so order some canned chicken breast.. And if you have access to frozen or fresh veggies then you are set dude...

[bigd7424]

Yea the eggs are like the kind you buy its Army eggs they just boil the bag and it turns them into scrabled eggs lol. Yea but canned chcken breast would be good did't know that they had that thanks man.

[stokedv]

Yea the eggs are like the kind you buy its Army eggs they just boil the bag and it turns them into scrabled eggs lol. Yea but canned chcken breast would be good did't know that they had that thanks man.

sure dude ... they wouldn't have in any store but the big big costco usually carries them .. or walmart superstore (with a full grocery section) will have for sure ... make them ship some good oats for you too ... how are the access to veggies over there?? and tuna is awesome for sure.. you can also get some good protein/whey shake powder sent to you you just have to mix it with water so its very easy to do where you are lol

[bigd7424]

Yea I use a lot of whey protien. I also use the meal replacements that have more carbs and callories. veggies are not easy to come by so just do the best I can with vitamins. This is my 4th time over here so the other times it was easy was easy because i was at a big base were the food was good and had a lot of options but here they don't have any good for you. I know enough about dieting to make progress when I have all the options but not enough to were I have to improvise like this it is really hard.

[gymguy30]

First off much respect to you for serving our country! Tuna/Egg whites/Chixen are perfect. Jerky isnt bad just what the sodium. Is there gear overthere? I heard u can score some gh for .25c iu. hehe. Anyways bro, good luck and stay safe

[bigd7424]

Thanks man. Yea its not hard to get over here but if i can't eat right i don't want to take it.

[bigd7424]

So should I take in the fat just so i can keep my intake up or should I eat less and keep quality food in me? I guess that is the reall question.

[stokedv]

So should I take in the fat just so i can keep my intake up or should I eat less and keep quality food in me? I guess that is the reall question.

Ok then the real answer would be for you to read the famous Jamy's Sticky which you can find on pretty much any one of the freshest post in the diet section lol
It contains allllll the info pretty much that will determine your TDEE and other important stuff easy to calculate you just gotta do it dude... its very simple and very well explained...
Then after you get your food you read the labels and you need to post your diet in the diet section with all the macros.. this is also explained in the sticky...

It will take you a little bit of time but its way worth it .. it will answer all your questions good luck get as big as you can and yeah get some gear maybe it will be beneficial

[Nooomoto]

If you can hook up with some guys from TC and pass by the Gem...you could probably get some food. Not sure what your situation is like, though.

[bigd7424]

What is TC?

[ninjazx14]

hey bigd im going to afghan in nov 2010. first deployment. you no anything about the bases over there. im guessing its not as nearly built up as iraq is.

imma keep following your post and see if you find any answers cause ill probably have the same problem soon. just hope im not on OP's all the time and have to eat MRE's

[bigd7424]

hey bigd im going to afghan in nov 2010. first deployment. you no anything about the bases over there. im guessing its not as nearly built up as iraq is.

imma keep following your post and see if you find any answers cause ill probably have the same problem soon. just hope im not on OP's all the time and have to eat MRE's

Yea never been to there but this is my 4th time in Iraq. You will be ok if get on a FOB that has over a 1000 people then the get the contracted food. Then there is better food there then you get in the states you can eat as healthy has you want if you end up in one of those FOBs. As far as going out on mission that is what hurt me last deployment is beeing at a JSS wich is what I am at now. The one i was at last deployment did't have a gym and we did 30 day rotation with ony two weeks back at the FOB so its all on your mission set. What is your MOS?

[terraj]

This is a tip I was given.
"make your shakes like this -mixture of BCAAs, a good whey isolate, egg protein, soy protein, rice protein and casein protein to allow for a great sustained release"

The Egg protein, you can buy powdered eggs whites ( I just got some), great stuff, cheap and it's real food, but tastes like sh#t, however in a mix you can not taste it.


Be safe bro

terraj

[bigd7424]

Thanks man

[Nooomoto]

What is TC?

Triple Canopy.

[bigd7424]

Oh yea there is no contractors here man I wish cause if there were i would't have to worry the food the contractors serve is the sh*t I eat healthyer at those places then in the states.

[jason bourne]

well hey first of all what up I've done two deployments in Iraq and currently in the korengal valley in afghan and I got the same problem but there are ways around it i mean have your girl/wife or something send out BOXES of tuna and chicken in a can i literally got 10 full 25lbs boxes of tuna and chicken so i can still make quality gains i mean its possible. and for ninja yeah this place is not ANYTHING like iraq but it depends on your MOS im 11bb4 so we get fukd if your any 11 series expect a little firebase and lots of OPS with no AC or power and no laundry service and being dirty as fuk all the time cause no running water and no bottled water showers cause we got only enough to drink and oh yeah WALKIN UP THESE FUKN HUGE ASS MOUNTAINS ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP CAUSE YOUR CO THINKS IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.....BUT HE DOESNT COME WITH YOU i mean its great cardio and all but it gets old as fuk trust me ohh and shooting your weapon everyday literally ive been in country 41/2 months and i havent shot my weapon for 9 of those days have fun

[chubbsub]

do you have access to beans and nuts?

[bigd7424]

do you have access to beans and nuts?

no don't have access to bean nuts but can get some sent I will try them

[bigd7424]

well hey first of all what up I've done two deployments in Iraq and currently in the korengal valley in afghan and I got the same problem but there are ways around it i mean have your girl/wife or something send out BOXES of tuna and chicken in a can i literally got 10 full 25lbs boxes of tuna and chicken so i can still make quality gains i mean its possible. and for ninja yeah this place is not ANYTHING like iraq but it depends on your MOS im 11bb4 so we get fukd if your any 11 series expect a little firebase and lots of OPS with no AC or power and no laundry service and being dirty as fuk all the time cause no running water and no bottled water showers cause we got only enough to drink and oh yeah WALKIN UP THESE FUKN HUGE ASS MOUNTAINS ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP CAUSE YOUR CO THINKS IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.....BUT HE DOESNT COME WITH YOU i mean its great cardio and all but it gets old as fuk trust me ohh and shooting your weapon everyday literally ive been in country 41/2 months and i havent shot my weapon for 9 of those days have fun

I hear you man I am 11B myself so I know what you talking about been thru all that its not that bad where I am at now just sh*ty food. This my 4th time in Iraq so I have 4 years all together so know how it can be. I already have my wife sending tuna and chicken so I am try to make the best out of it. Stay safe man.

[jason bourne]

for sure man you to but also for the tuna i dont know if you can stomach alot of it but in the diet forum they have some good tuna recipes to mix it up a bit i just get sick of it all the time so i looked on there and its a great selection to make it bareable since this is going to be a mainstay in your diet as well as mine but have fun good luck!!!!

[ninjazx14]

Yea never been to there but this is my 4th time in Iraq. You will be ok if get on a FOB that has over a 1000 people then the get the contracted food. Then there is better food there then you get in the states you can eat as healthy has you want if you end up in one of those FOBs. As far as going out on mission that is what hurt me last deployment is beeing at a JSS wich is what I am at now. The one i was at last deployment did't have a gym and we did 30 day rotation with ony two weeks back at the FOB so its all on your mission set. What is your MOS?

im a cav scout 19D. so im guessing i will be on ops when i go lol.

[bigd7424]

im a cav scout 19D. so im guessing i will be on ops when i go lol.

Yea most lilely our you will be doing infantry sh*t. A lot of the scouts do the same job as us, most combat arms end up doing the job of the infantry anyway. Check out my other post I posted yester day in the diet section I found good website to buy freez dried veggys and caned meat don't know how it tase jut bought my first shipment and waiting for it to come, but its not about the tast when you trying to gain or keep muscle.

[MANIMAL55]

i was stuck out at jss hor al bosh for 15 months. we would get a lot of protein bars sent to us and keep them with to eat on missions or anytime good food wasnt available. just try to watch to brand and the fat content. other than taht, do what you can to bull the breading off the chicken and whipe what grease u can off food and make the best of it

[MANIMAL55]

and also, ill keep you in my prayers brother

[bigd7424]

and also, ill keep you in my prayers brother

Thanks Man

[BIG SMURPH]

Ive kinda got the same problem out on the rigs, more food than you can imagine but it's all fried. Canned tuna and chicken have become mainstays, canned salmon is decent depending on the brand. Other than that I get by on shakes and bars also, I like the Met-RX big 100 bars. Taste is great but theyre kinda heavy on the calories and carbs, they are handy if you know your next meal is gonna be a long time off.

Thanks for your service.