Deployment Diet for cutting?

[deadly_punk]

Hey all, Any sports dietitians on here? Looking for some good resources on dieting for top performance in my current lifestyle. Can't seem to cut the last little bit of fat and don't know whether to eat less carbs, or what. It's going away very slowly, but I'd like to know how to speed up the process.

I'm running every other day, with shorter cardio sessions after I lift on my lift days. Running 2-6 miles on run days, 20-60 minutes on elliptical, treadmills, and/or the bike.

Just started lifting after 2 years off. Taking off one day a week totally.

I'm taking moderate doses of protein after lifting, none on my run days. Been using myoplex lite? and Body Fortress (all that was available when I got here) while I wait for my ON 100% Whey protein to arrive. Diet is pretty much dictated by what is available at the DFAC, but they have a pretty decent meal offerings on my FOB. I generally eat baked chicken, fish, and occasionally beef, whatever steamed vegetables are available, some fruit at least once a day, salad is horrible, but I eat it once a week or so. I very seldom eat the fat kid food or dessert and drink water, gatorade and juice; almost never drink soda or energy drinks. Bottom line is I eat pretty clean. Not perfect, but pretty good.

Another deployment specific factor is the heat. I have tried to totally cut carbs and I felt it really hurt my performance in the heat where I'm at. I generally get off work @ 0700 and workout before sleeping the rest of the day. Should I not take protein just after working out since it's also right before I sleep? If I had to, I could workout before work in the afternoon, but I question the wisdom of such a plan due to the level of physical demand inherent in my job.

Other than perfecting my eating discipline on the basics, what should I be doing differently? Less meat? Less carbs? More "good" carbs and fiber such as brown rice, oatmeal, cereal, beans?

I'd really appreciate your feedback. I've started putting on muscle and pushed myself over my max allowed weight, so I need to make sure I'm nowhere close to busting tape. I'd like to drop as much fat as possible, both for the sake of appearance as well as making room for more muscle gain. I should clarify; I'm far from fat - I max the Army physical fitness test, can outrun all but one guy in my platoon, I am the guy that everybody hates when we do platoon PT, and my job itself is quite physical. I'm trying to cut that that fat for the sake of definition as well as the increased efficiency of not carrying the extra 5-10 lbs of extra weight everywhere I go.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sako man]

Another deployment specific factor is the heat. I have tried to totally cut carbs and I felt it really hurt my performance in the heat where I'm at. I generally get off work @ 0700 and workout before sleeping the rest of the day. Should I not take protein just after working out since it's also right before I sleep? If I had to, I could workout before work in the afternoon, but I question the wisdom of such a plan due to the level of physical demand inherent in my job.

Other than perfecting my eating discipline on the basics, what should I be doing differently? Less meat? Less carbs? More "good" carbs and fiber such as brown rice, oatmeal, cereal, beans?


Thanks in advance.

Fuck good carbs, that whole rice thing, oatmeal, is BS. you need to learn how your insulin response works then you can master your body. I did it and I'm 43 and look mean at the gym.

it's been said over and over you can't gain and cut at the same time. If your happy with your muscle mass right now then time to cut carbs back. Paleo diet works really well, just get a lot of fat as this will be your energy source if your still lifting hard. You have to intake protein after a workout otherwise your muscles will canabolise themselves, and before bed will help gains. Just don't' fill up before bed, get enough. Another thing you want to do is cut back a little on the cardio, it zaps your ATP stores and makes it hard to build muscle, many studies on this. Real fast short sprints help you build muscle, look at a sprinter vs long distance runner, big difference.

pick up Mark Sissions book it will change your life.
Mark's Daily Apple

As crazy as those crossfit fuckers are they have the diet correct and you should see how ripped they get quickly.

I will spare you the gay ass pictures but I have lost weight, and retained my mass, my wife loves it

 

[Tact999]

Deployment Diet for cutting?

You can gain and cut at the same time. I went through an academy a while back. My weight in 3 months moved from 191 to 192, but my BF dropped from 13 to 9%.......something replaced the fat...

 

[The Lawn Ranger]

If you have 28 days do the Isogenix cleanse diet.

I am 46 and dropped 9 lbs. and 2" off my waist. YOU MUST COMMIT.

The best I have felt in my life. Sleep, digestion, and energy were highly elevated...

Accelerate healthy weight loss!

 

[VJJPunisher]

do a 30 or 60 day juice cleanse, juicing correctly with veg fruit mix provides all the nutrients your body needs, you can still lift but will shred fat. Issue here is buying a good juicer, which can be costly, and veggies and fruit in the amounts needed can be somewhat costly as well

 

[deadly_punk]

VJJ,
I've heard good things about the juice cleanse idea, and I'd like to try it, but getting that amount of fresh fruit and veggies would be problematic where I'm at to say the least. They feed us pretty well for being a FOB in this stupid country, but not that well.

SakoMan, I'll check that book out.

Any military specific nutritionists of good repute? Found some articles about prepping for Ranger school that I'll look through on shift tonight.

 

[thebolt]

Paleo diet works really well, just get a lot of fat as this will be your energy source if your still lifting hard.
pick up Mark Sissions book it will change your life.

Mark's Daily Apple

I have been on the Primal diet for over a year and dropped a lot of weight. It is simple to stay on this diet and it doesn't require anything special........just meat and vegetables with low carbs and sugars. I don't need my blood pressure or cholesterol meds now and my cholesterol is lower than when I used cholesterol lowering meds. I have not felt this good in years and don't miss eating all the crap.

Good luck with your decision.

Good luck.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

do a 30 or 60 day juice cleanse, juicing correctly with veg fruit mix provides all the nutrients your body needs, you can still lift but will shred fat. Issue here is buying a good juicer, which can be costly, and veggies and fruit in the amounts needed can be somewhat costly as well

FWIW - IME if one doesn't shop at Whole Paycheck Foods and seeks out a co-op / discount grocer that sells organic your grocery bill is likely to be pretty close to the same. In my case instead eating all manner of processed crap, most of my diet consists of fresh fruits and veggies / canned beans / a little chicken, turkey, or fish / egg whites / some nuts - and the bill each week is right about the same.

Also just as a FWIW - something I have noticed - just like last night - I ate several Oreo cookies - the sugar ended up giving me a headache and today I am REALLY hungry. The news is all about Aspartame but the truth is ALL snack food is ENGINEERED to make your body want more. It isn't just the sugar or salt, it is chained chemical additives designed to deny your body to be able to send your brain the "I'm satiated" message.

 

[thebolt]

Fuck good carbs, that whole rice thing, oatmeal, is BS. you need to learn how your insulin response works then you can master your body. I did it and I'm 43 and look mean at the gym.

It's been said over and over you can't gain and cut at the same time. If your happy with your muscle mass right now then time to cut carbs back. Paleo diet works really well, just get a lot of fat as this will be your energy source if your still lifting hard.

pick up Mark Sisson's book it will change your life.

I have been on the Primal diet for over a year and it works very well for me. The Mark Sisson web site has a tremendous amount of information on how the diet works and what you should eat and what to avoid.

Eat meat and most vegetables! Cut out carbs, sugar, and highly processed foods to lose the pounds. The diet is simple and it doesn't require you to purchase any "magic ingredients or potions." I didn't anticipate the cost of replacing my clothes but that is a great side effect of this diet.

I lost the weight (more actually) I accumulated over the years and feel great now. I just went to the Dr. for my physical and my cholesterol is lower now than when I was taking cholesterol lowering medications. My blood pressure dropped and I don't need my meds for high blood pressure.

The Primal Diet is my recommendation for you and I wish you good luck in making your decision

 

[Sako man]

I have been on the Primal diet for over a year and it works very well for me. The Mark Sisson web site has a tremendous amount of information on how the diet works and what you should eat and what to avoid.

Eat meat and most vegetables! Cut out carbs, sugar, and highly processed foods to lose the pounds. The diet is simple and it doesn't require you to purchase any "magic ingredients or potions." I didn't anticipate the cost of replacing my clothes but that is a great side effect of this diet.

I lost the weight (more actually) I accumulated over the years and feel great now. I just went to the Dr. for my physical and my cholesterol is lower now than when I was taking cholesterol lowering medications. My blood pressure dropped and I don't need my meds for high blood pressure.

The Primal Diet is my recommendation for you and I wish you good luck in making your decision

Yes sir, your advice is spot on.

I have always worked out and had mass but struggled with feeling low on energy and generally lethargic. I wish I knew about this when I was younger as I could have felt this good and alive back then. My blood pressure is the best it's ever been. I hover around 10%-12% body fat and can see my abs, feel great, and have energy to be with my kids. Best single thing I have ever done for myself.

Congrats sir, your now on your way to healthy living!

 

[mikenewgun87]

Wow, must be nice to be a easy deployment....where you deployed to????

 

[pizzamanny]

Simply shredded has some good diets.

 

[Tact999]

Go Primal.......instant shred.

 

[Cstanm70]

Dulce Diet, its a fighters diet but more of a guideline. I lost 15 pounds on it.

 

[Victory]

The thing that sucks is getting ripped on deployment, then coming home and blowing your diet the first day back. Mako and bolt were on the money, listen to them.

 

[LanceS4803]

Wow, must be nice to be a easy deployment....where you deployed to????

I'm curious also.
During your deployment, are you going for muscle definition or mission accomplishment?
With the food in some places, you get what you get and you like it.
Winter in any of the 'stans can be harsh with the cold causing your caloric intake to really go up. I may be old fashioned, but a little extra on your bones is a little extra warmth and backup.

 

[woojos]

Height/Weight?

If you are already lean and in shape, cutting fat to be bodybuilder shredded will be detrimental to performance for most people, unless you're on drugs.

People like to say that they like to diet, but they won't starve themselves. The truth of the matter is if you're losing weight, you are doing a controlled starvation. Generally, this isn't the best place to be for performance and it gets worse the more in shape you are. An out of shape guy can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time because he is so out of shape. If you take a guy who is further along the physical development curve and closer to his genetic peak, there will have to be a tradeoff between performance and leanness at least for a bit.

If you're not lean, but need to drop 10lbs to get there, keep protein at 1.5g/lb bodyweight. Carbs low, and cycled. Shoot for <40g carbs on off days, Between 40-80g of carbs on cardio days, and between 60-120g on lift days. Rest of foods should be vegetables with clean fat sources: olive oil, coconut oil, almonds/almond butter, whatever. Some people say it doesn't matter when you eat your carbs, but I've found eating about half after the workout is the best, with the remainder consumed in the morning generally split between the first two meals.

This is close to paleo/primal with the additional carbs which are generally necessary if you are active and need to maintain a physical performance. Either way, if you are losing fat to get lean and already in pretty good shape, there will generally be a period of decreased performance. After you get through the initial blast and can tell your performance is starting to fade, add in one high carb day a week with as little fat as possible. Shoot for 200-300g carbs while meeting your protein requirement.

Generally the carb amounts are dependent on bodyweight and I'm assuming you're between 160 and 180lbs. Also, food quality will be tough as you don't have control off it. Meats should be as lean as possible and avoid sauces and anything that makes your food taste good, except for salt or various flavored sprinkle stuff like ms dash's.

People have different definitions of shredded, but this should get you down between 8-12% bodyfat. If you are active during work, I'd consider cutting down on the cardio after lifting and just devote more effort to the weights. This should help spare you from muscle loss.

As with anything, do it strict for two weeks, assess the outcome, then update the plan. This requires a great deal of discipline as you need to do it exactly for enough time for a measurable response, then adapt generally carb or fat intake, keep it strict again, then keep adapting it until you end up where you want to be.

 

[mikenewgun87]

I'm curious also.
During your deployment, are you going for muscle definition or mission accomplishment?
With the food in some places, you get what you get and you like it.
Winter in any of the 'stans can be harsh with the cold causing your caloric intake to really go up. I may be old fashioned, but a little extra on your bones is a little extra warmth and backup.

Right??? Being in the FOB and OPs, all we got to eat was MREs and whatever canned food our familys sent us and we humped out with us....must be nice to go to the gym/px/MWR when ever you want to...not have to worry about getting shot by the enemy and the ANA/ANP, or getting your legs blown off...