thajeepster

Hey, if you guys dont know, im in the marines... I'm getting shipped off to alaska to do some work with the coast guard on there ship. Heres my situation... I can no longer cook my own food, I can only get food from them 3 meals a day, usually not healthy, eg... white rice, white potatoes... etc etc, fatty foods... Think of your high school cafeteria. There is no gym on ship, Just a crappy bowflex, a treadmill, and a few free weights... up to 60lbs i think.

Im thinking of buying a jug or two of a good mrp, maybe muscle milk. Having that inbetween breakfast/lunch and between lunch/dinner ... then Im thinking a good casein shake before bed... What would you guys do? Do you think i can gain mass on a bowflex, or with 60lb dumbells?

When i first joined this forum i was on the same ship, about a year ago. So i kinda know what im getting myself into... Im thinking of just eating whatever they have. However I would like to limit the bad foods as much as possible.

LAM

when I was in the military I survived on tuna and protein shakes...

Dumbest statement made in the Anabolic Zone for Nov

TBD

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What you talking about Willis ?

thajeepster

yeah, i was thinking the same... Do you think i can have too many shakes? I was thinking something like this:

Breakfast

1 cup oats
1 cup skim/1% milk
2 whole eggs

WO

PWO Shake (sucks ill have no blender)

Whey / .5 cup oats / apple


Lunch (best i can manage)

Leanest meat available... probably chicken in some sort of sauce
carb source?? probably white rice/potatoes/or form of pasta
Veggies

Mid

2 slices brown (not 100% wheat bread)
tuna / fish oil
or
pb / whey shake

Dinner
Leanest again
same carbs
Veggies

Pre bed
Casein/ Fish or flax oil ....

This really sucks, but this is the best option i can find... the pb is not natty on ship, but the best i can do... I may end up skipping some of the carb options (due to cheese or something in it) for milk and bread...

Looks like i should bring:

Large tub of oats
Tub of whey
Tub of casein
Fish/Flax oils

any other suggestions to help me out?

kicka19

this is making me thirst, time for a shake

musclepump

Man, I feel bad for you bro. Can you stop by a GNC or something in Alaska? I don't know where you're going, but when I was last up there I saw a few health shops--pick up some bars, shakes, RTDs, etc...

Let's all join together and SPEAK ENGLISH IN AMERICA.

thajeepster

I really dont think its as bad as Im making it out to be, its a small ship, and if i get in with the cooks pretty good, i can sometimes get them to make me egg white omelets, chicken without any sauces etc... and sometimes i can get a little cc on the side Last time i lived off chicken breasts and salads, quaker instant oatmeal packets the plain ones (the best they had ), milk, and apples. This time im gonna be prepared... lots of whey, oats, efa's, and casein....

btw, what do you guys think of cytogainer? its got 84g carbs (complex) 56g protein and 5g fat per 4 scoops... i figure 3-3.5 scoops would make a good inbetween meals rtd, as well as a decent pwo.

And no, nothing like that there in alaska, its not like im going to anchorage or anything, just a few islands off the east of alaska, adak and kodiak... never heard of it? exactly ... theyve got a walmart though ... lol.

Emma-Leigh

Arggg... That sucks.

You will have to get inventive with your training - you should check out things like gymnastic tension exercises and Bodyweight exercises (they can be really effective if you have limits on equipment).

For your diet I would be relying on fruits, skim milk, oats, powders, nuts, eggs and fish oil caps + and what ever other things you can scavange from food hall... (lean proteins etc).... Any chance of legumes or anything like that? Also - Can you smuggle food from the hall to eat later?

Things like potato/white rice (as long as they have no added fat) are not too bad. Just ensure you combine it with vegetables, proteins and some healthy fats and you will be ok. I would be having unprocessed stuff rather than bread every time!!

Remember - If your overall calorie intake is still fine then it is not going to be too bad. Your body can't store what you don't give it. So keep on top of your cals and monitor yourself and see how you go.

ps: don't have apple PWO - swap it to a banana

ReelBigFish

I don't know bro, that sucks to here you gotta go up there. All I know is that everything is really expensive up there. My aunt's brother was up there in Alaska sumwhere (Army) and he said everything is outrageous.

thajeepster

no bananas on board, they dont last long enough... do you remember about oct last year i was on the same boat in the same situation... cant really get anything outta there to eat later except fruits, skippy , and brown(not wheat) bread...

The only fruits they'll have are grapes/peaches/pears/apples ... What supplements do you think i should stock up on to bring... Do you think it would be fine to have milk/whey/fruit or whey/oats as snacks throughout the day outside of the regular meals? What do you think of the diet I was thinking of?

thajeepster

btw... im kinda limited on storage space.. it is a ship after all ... lol, so things like tons of cans of tuna and natty pb are outta the question... just proteins, oats, and efa's plus a good multi is about it... What is a decent (complex carb) mrp? Evidently the cytogainers (complex) carbs are all maltodextrin... so id rather not screw with it. Also, if i run outta oats, the only other option are the instant packets regular flavor... better than nothing i guess.

thajeepster

you know what really sucks is im gonna have to do without my scale for 2 months... i know i know im probably better off ... maybe ill get rid of my disorder

thajeepster

bump... I really could use some shopping advice... i need to stock up.

joesmooth20

i've spent 4yrs on coast guard ships.

yes crappy bowflex (I had ppl hold the bands for more resistance)
food sux yes (Tuna and shakes alot peanut butter and some of them have beaters)
everytime you pull in somewhere the cooks get fresh fruits such as bananas
save up about 300 bucks for food.

I ate mostly tuna/oats/shakes/cottage cheese/ the ships do have a salad bar
you obviously know how to eat already you just have to kinda plan like your going
to the field for a month or something. It's not cheap I know but it's what you have to
work with. They serve 4meals a day on the ship also they serve 1 at midnight which
is usaully leftovers. I used to go to the galley after everyone was done and have the
cooks give me a couple meals worth of whatever meat they had and i would just slap
it on some wheat bread "which they have" you better get used to 2% milk too.

this is where I would shop for bulk on mrp's http://www.muscledepot.com/ProductList.asp?cat=17

I would buy enough for 3 per day for however many days i was going out for. You will
not have alot of room so packets or bags or much better than tubbs for your protein
or mrp's.

myloplex deluxe is a pretty good cheap one. It was maily what i used the whole time.
and then some whey to top off some low protein meals that ship was serving. I also
would do alot of bodyweight push/pulls with some extra weight i would find. I would buy a hanging weight belt for pullups before you go too. Legs is where it's tough
your gonna have pretty much dumbells to work with alot of lunges and supported
DB squats.

you basically have just review what you have and become creative. I was in the
best shape of my life while on my last ship so it can be done.

musclepump

tuna cans are pretty small. I've heard of kodiak; if you have a wal-mart, they should have a lot of stuff. though, i'd go hungry before I shopped at wal-mart

Let's all join together and SPEAK ENGLISH IN AMERICA.

devildog88

Dude you hit it right on the head. When I was deployed I worked out and ate four times a day. You just have to get in good with the cooks and they will help you out. Many people aren't aware of the "good food" aboard a ship. there is a whole different freezer for the officers mess. If the cooks like you they will take from it. I ate shrimp/fish and steak the whole time I was deployed which was nine months. the hardest thing to get for me was fresh fruit and veggies, beings we were in the Persian Gulf.

"Everyone wants to win but not everyone is willing to prepare to win" Bobby Knight

Doublebase

What about those drinks they give to people who can't eat solids in the hospital. I think its called "ensure"?

thajeepster

Yeah, Im shipping out on thursday next week, so today or tomorrow im gonna have to buy online. Its gonna be expensive to have mrps everyday for a month and a half.

Cris2Blis

i dont know if you mentioned this... but will you be able to get to a comp at all to check in w/ everyone on here? you will be missed by many! can you make a bunch of your homemade protein bars...? probably not. hmmm... (btw thanks for the tip on those!) u can also check out www.supplementstogo.com to check prices, i know they ship tons of stuff to our troops overseas. might have discounted prices for ya!

My Journal!

"As it turns out, now is the moment you've been waiting for."-LW

KEEP THE PROMISES YOU MAKE TO YOURSELF!!!

http://www.paramount-supplements.com

Cris2Blis

http://www.supplementstogo.com/mise.html (link for the military section)

My Journal!

"As it turns out, now is the moment you've been waiting for."-LW

KEEP THE PROMISES YOU MAKE TO YOURSELF!!!

http://www.paramount-supplements.com

Emma-Leigh

Fruit and skippy would be fine to have between meals (if you combine it with other things).

Grapes would be better PWO.

I think that milk/whey/oats and fruit (+/- skippy, fish oils or flax oil) would be fine. You could also bring some olive oil if you were really keen (so you don't OD on the fish oils).

The packaged oatmeal would not be too bad as a source of oats. Make sure you combine it with a protein if you are eating it at times other than PWO and a fat and you will be fine.

I would not recommend too many gainer type MRPs. You would be better off with fruit/milk or trying to get some of those oatmeal packets out.

Stuff I would certainly bring would be:
protein powders
oats
fish oils, flax and olive oil if you wanted

If you can get eggs easily then they will also be your best-friend (try to get them to cook you up half a dozen every morning and snack on them during the day...??).

thajeepster

yes, ill have internet access... ill be on here daily..

thajeepster

would you recommend a tub of whey (pwo) and a tub of casien (throughout the day and pre bed)??? Id like to limit the stuff i bring.. how about a mixed protein blend... Would it be that bad to use it as a pwo as well?

maniclion

The packets of tuna are smaller than the cans. I'd stock up on them.
Having been on a navy ship for 6 month's before I know that it's possible to eat well maybe not optimum but I knew guys who packed on good size with machine weights and 3 galley meals a day plus shakes and tuna.

"We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Natures inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that."
Thomas Edison: In conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone

thajeepster

yeah, I may do the tuna packets... i figure a packet plus fish oils or pb should be sufficient prebed. During the day I think ill just use milk/whey plus fruit or oats, or tuna sandwiches (between meals) And during the meals im just gonna go with what ever they have thats decent. I may bring a bunch of mrps and protein bars with me as well...

Which is better Prolab lean matrix or VPX Micellean? They both have good complex carbs (oats/barley/brownrice)

I know bars arent the best option, but im thinking of bringing a box or two of tri-o-plex. They are the only bars with decent carbs in them (no malto or dextrose etc.) Mostly oats.

Emma-Leigh

I would take whey (isolate) for pre-post workout and another tub of casein (or a blend... or even a bulk milk protein) for other times.

If you only wanted to bring one - they go for a whey protein concentrate. It is still going to be ok for around workouts (especially if you have it ~1 hr pre-workout as this means it will reach peak concentration in your blood as you start to train) bit it is also a little slower for other meals (and can be slowed even further with fats and fibre).

Emma-Leigh

Do you mean this one: VPX and Prolab?
We have neither in Australia - but they don't look too bad.... Not as good as real food, but better than most MRP. I would be sure to combine them with something else though (eg: some PB).

They are ok - but they have changed the recipe recently (here)... And they have also had label claim errors in the past (here) so I would be a little careful.

thajeepster

thanks emma, looks like im just gonna go with a good concentrate... Would that also work pre bed if mixed with milk and pb or other efas?

Whats a good brand? What about a mixed blend for all purpose use? something with whey, casein, and maybe some egg albumen?

Emma-Leigh

I would probaby stick with real food pre-bed if at all possible. Even if you combine liquid foods with fats you will still not get the slower digestion response that real food will have.

But, if you were going to have it, I would mix it with fats and fibre - either from vegetables or from something such as xanthum gum/gar gum or psyllium/wheatbran.

Brands I can't help you with (Aussie thing again - we don't have 3/4 of the stuff you have over there) but something with all three proteins would be good if you could find it.

calalily1972

white potatos are an excellent bulking food and it's natural, no preservatives etc. Milk, potatoes and fruits will help keep your cals up and without fat gain. I would definately get some protein bars too. There are some decent ones out there, you just have to search. Trioplex is alright but I know there are better options (I just don't know what they are ) Get a good MRP and a huge stash or bars and you should be just fine.