In need of a diet for FIFO worker

[bob87]

Hey all, the lads sent me here to raise some questions about diet, i have alot to learn and im open to all ideas....

I work fly in fly out a 2 weeks on 1 week off roster which is great for me to train because the only other thing to do onsite after work is drink and i dont..... I train like so

Chest
Back abs
Legs
Shoulders abs
Arms
Rest

My training is fine imo i just need to get myself a diet...........

My supps are Protein, Creatine, Spirulina,

Food onsite is pretty good there is range of fruit veg and salad everyday........
fish steak and chicken available everyday.
and i can always take some supplies with me to site.....

my diet currently is pretty shit i reckon its roughly like this.

0530- 2 poached eggs 4 weetbix in skim milk

1000- chicken breast and salad

1400- fruit

1800- protein creatine

1830- Train

1945- Protein Creatine

2000- lean meat and veg

open to all your abuse and ideas i want to learn.

[Windex]

Going to need your height, age, weight, goals and bodyfat% before helping you further. Also, what is your activity level outside of the gym, you mentioned you were a FIFO worker - what is that ? Additionally, you do not need to train abs twice a week. Deadlifts and Squats strengthen your core as well !

Once you give us more details it will be alot easier to assess your needs in terms of macros and calories. However, at a glance, you need a source of carbs in both the meals before you train and after you train, and your 1400 meal contains no protein. I also feel like you are light on calories, but we do not know the quantities of food your eating either (how much chicken, how many scoops of protein, etc). Weetbix is also a poor choice.

For Carb sources, look at these:

- Quinoa
- Oats
- Brown/Wild Rice
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Sweet Potato / Yams


It also seems like you have very little fats in your diet aside from the 2 eggs. Definitely going to have to up that either by adding more eggs, a nut butter, EVOO, etc. Finally, what is Spirulina ?

[bob87]

ok so im 173cms tall 96kgs aged 24yrs, im not sure of my bodyfat but i would say its rather high never been a trim lad.... my goals are to bulk a bit more then cut down and look really lean..... i have a cycle of the gear but i wanted to make sure my diet was spot on to optimise my results.

my activities out of the gym is work i work 12 hour days fifo is fly in fly out im pretty active throughout the day at work digging and lifting hands on stuff in extreme heat 40-50 degrees celcius

I have never really weighed my food but the chicken is normally just a quarter piece of bbq chook like i said my diet is shit, i bought my self some uncle tobys oats so i will start including them in my diet.

Spirulina also known as anthrospira is known as a superfood and is ideal for sports people wanting an extra energy boost. well thats what the bottle says.....

have i filled all the required fields for your help???

[bob87]

.......

[Windex]

I would have to see the label before I could comment on Spirulina. If it it's expensive then just stick to foods. At your current height and weight I think you would be a lot happier doing a cut to save yourself work later on and start from a clean slate so to speak. Your diet more or less needs to be scrapped completely. Also, because you work long shifts, I'd highly recommend taking one day a week to do the full week's worth of cooking (most people working mon-fri pick sat/sun afternoon to do this). This will make grocery shopping easier as well as reduce any potential unplanned cheat meals.

These are the foods you want to be eating;

CARBS:

Lentils
Chickpeas
Quinoa
Brown Rice
Oats
Sweet Potato / Yam

PROTEIN

Egg Whites
Eggs
Fish (Salmon, Tuna, Tilipia, etc)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Extra Lean Ground Beef / Bison (93% lean or better if possible)
Cottage Cheese

FATS:

Peanuts / Almonds
Natural Peanut Butter or Almond Butter
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
(You will also get trace fats from the beef, eggs, fish, etc)

VEGGIES:

More or less any green veggie is good to go. The greener the better. Cauliflower is also a great choice. Only veggie off the top of my head to stay away from is carrots.

Add Flavor with THESE:

Dijon / Regular Mustard
Club House Spices
Salt / Pepper
Hot Sauce
Cayenne Pepper
Soy Sauce
etc

Just mind mindful of your sodium intake



As far as how many calories you require, you can calculate your TDEE here:

http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...=#.TzsSSlFjP2c


Once you know how many calories you require to maintain your weight, start by lowing that number by 300-500 calories and work your way from there, tracking progress as you go (Am I losing to much strength ? No? Good. Is my waist smaller? Yes? Good. Am I losing weight ? Yes/No. What is my energy level ? etc)

Start by having 40%Protein/40%Carbs/20%Fats as your diet split (4 cals = 1 g of carbs or protein, 9 cals = 1 gram of fat). If you find you don't have enough energy, consider adding carbs/fat slightly (wait 3-5 weeks before making adjustments in my opinion). If you find your losing weight too slowly, possibly reduce carb intake as you may be carb sensitive. Basically what I'm getting at is listen to your body.

I would be weary of skim milk and fruit while cutting by the way and have it in moderation for a bulk. Furthermore, try as best as you can to limit the number of shakes in a day. Nobody is perfect but whole foods or atleast part-food shakes (Ie protein powder with food) will help you feel alot fuller, especially on a cut. As well, typically your meals want to be Protein + Carbs or Fats, and try to avoid mixing alot of fats and carbs into one meal) Additionally, I'd look into trying to incorporate veggies in more of your meals. Finally, your preworkout meal and postworkout meal typically should be the two largest meals in terms of calories (you want to maximize your fuel going into the gym and coming out for recovery).


I believe I covered everything and you should be able to draft a sufficient diet from there. Once you have something put together, feel free to post it to see if any possible modifications need to be made.

[bob87]

cheers for your reply i jumped on that thread last night and came up with 3233 cals per day obviously less 300-500 for cutting...... i started drafting up a diet last night but at the end of it came in over my total daily calorie intake so i will work on it some more today and see how i go.