Military Foods & Diet?

[rhapathy]

I'm currently deployed.

If your in any branch of the military, a body builder, and deployed you share my pain.

The food in the military is insufficent for proper nutrition so I rely on Vitamins, and my ON Whey.

Anyone know of anything you've eaten deployed, or can eat that does the body proper? Maybe some previous or current diets military guys are on?

Thanks

[BlueFenix13S]

Unless your deployed site has a dining hall set up, you'll pretty much just have to make due. If that means 3 meals a day of "questionable" food, so be it. Don't just drink shakes because the food isn't perfectly clean or super high protein or whatever. You need the calories and what nutrition you can get from what they serve you. Just eat and train when you can, and keep your main focus on doing your job and staying safe over there.

[rhapathy]

Unless your deployed site has a dining hall set up, you'll pretty much just have to make due. If that means 3 meals a day of "questionable" food, so be it. Don't just drink shakes because the food isn't perfectly clean or super high protein or whatever. You need the calories and what nutrition you can get from what they serve you. Just eat and train when you can, and keep your main focus on doing your job and staying safe over there.

They only serve 2 meals, breakfast is terrible, atleast there is meat in the evening. I'm not a big guy on calories, but I do eat enough to survive.

[ELugo]

They only serve 2 meals, breakfast is terrible, atleast there is meat in the evening. I'm not a big guy on calories, but I do eat enough to survive.

i to am deployed but i damn sure wasnt going to give up on my passion because i am here! i am privelaged in the fact that i have a dfac that is open near 24/7..sure, many of the foods are pure crap, but its all about making the right choices. theres basically not too much diversity in what i eat day by day, but i get by...very well. even with the lack of food we have out here i have still been able to build up the best body ive ever had and continue to better my physique everyday. i could only imagine what my results will be when i get back! yes, it can get very frustrating, having to always work around your ever changing schedule, but i make due. if you are determined you can get it done. im pretty sure i can do with just MREs if i have to...ive done it before.

[BlueFenix13S]

i to am deployed but i damn sure wasnt going to give up on my passion because i am here! i am privelaged in the fact that i have a dfac that is open near 24/7..sure, many of the foods are pure crap, but its all about making the right choices. theres basically not too much diversity in what i eat day by day, but i get by...very well. even with the lack of food we have out here i have still been able to build up the best body ive ever had and continue to better my physique everyday. i could only imagine what my results will be when i get back! yes, it can get very frustrating, having to always work around your ever changing schedule, but i make due. if you are determined you can get it done. im pretty sure i can do with just MREs if i have to...ive done it before.

24/7? Lucky. I had a month long TDY at Ellsworth AFB a while back and the chow hall was only open like 10hrs a day at random times, and the BX closed WAY early too.

Idk if it's possible to make an MRE healthy lol. Those things are MEANT to be calorie bombs. I friggen hate the veggie omelet, that thing makes me gag .

If they only serve 2 meals a day, eat as clean as you can like ELugo said, and eat enough.

Availability depends on your unit, mission, etc. Some deployed guys I know have full mess facilities, laundry, fitness equipment, and all that jazz at their sites, and others I know (usually Marines), just get 3 MRE's a day, workout with sandbags or poles with buckets of sand hooked on em, and work 20 hour days. That's why I say just keep your focus on staying safe, if you can still workout, hell yea do it, it'll keep you from going crazy thinking about the situation over there and relieve stress, but if you're not so fortunate, just stay safe and get the mission done.

[rhapathy]

i to am deployed but i damn sure wasnt going to give up on my passion because i am here! i am privelaged in the fact that i have a dfac that is open near 24/7..sure, many of the foods are pure crap, but its all about making the right choices. theres basically not too much diversity in what i eat day by day, but i get by...very well. even with the lack of food we have out here i have still been able to build up the best body ive ever had and continue to better my physique everyday. i could only imagine what my results will be when i get back! yes, it can get very frustrating, having to always work around your ever changing schedule, but i make due. if you are determined you can get it done. im pretty sure i can do with just MREs if i have to...ive done it before.

I'm out at a JSS, a comp. We only have 2 meals available, and no selection. Meals are on a rotation that stays the same. I make do with my protien, and what ever else is available. I don't have a chowhall, we have a small tent trailer, and we have an old school gym, just weights. (Which I love.) Well, its always good to see soldiers on here keeping it real out in country.

[rhapathy]

The best foods out here for my diet right now is maily beef jerky, tuna, soymilk, skimmilk, grits, and meats.

[LiL USMC BBer]

REally ain't much you can do man...


Between the excessive heat out there. ANd the stressful conditions of being in a field/deployed environment. Its hard on bodybuilders.


The military in general isn't exactly bodybuilding friendly.

You do legs, then go on a run later that day in full camoflauge utilities, and are yelled at and called fat. ya know? lol

Do what you can. eat alot make it a goal to put on muscle size. THen come back to conus and cut it up. And get back on a real diet.


Other then that. Ask someone to mail you some straws so you can suck it up.

[Captain Sagara]

I don't know about their diets,only know as soon as they join the army over here,they grow like weeds...

[wint]

I'm currently deployed.

If your in any branch of the military, a body builder, and deployed you share my pain.

The food in the military is insufficent for proper nutrition so I rely on Vitamins, and my ON Whey.

Anyone know of anything you've eaten deployed, or can eat that does the body proper? Maybe some previous or current diets military guys are on?

Thanks

Either you didn't say or I missed it . . . but what is the PROBLEM?

Insufficient carbs, fats or protein? Lack of fiber?

Some solutions

CARE packages from a loved one with a ****-load of stuff you do like?

Tuna or salmon in a can?

ALL Bran cereal? Eat with water (paste) or mix with dining facility milk.

Oatmeal? Boil water on your own hot plate.

MYOPLEX meal replacements?

Brown rice (bag fulls). Boil water on your own hot plate.

Oil of some sort to mix with your food?

Nuts of all types keep well in the heat.

Dried fruit in a bag?


I think your basic summary (to paraphrase: military nutrition sucks) is a little off, unless you really have a ****ed up messhall in which case you have an IG complaint and need to go talk to your chain of command.

Military nutrition may not be IDEAL for a body builder . . . but the goals are pretty darned close. The military is trying to meet the needs of a warrior . . . as opposed to the needs of someone who wants to look good naked.

But the goals are pretty similar and you should be able to supplement a military diet (even in bum**** Iraq) to meet your personal needs.

I can't address your specific dining facility. But the nutritional content of the MRE (1,200 calories) for example, is determined under pretty thorough guidance from the Institute of Medicine. You can peruse their site here and even write and ask for some nutritional advice . . . you may get someone to answer.

http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/4615.aspx

Now, they're not perfect. For example, the MRE is nototiously light on fiber, which is why the guidelines say the unit should supplement MREs with fresh fruit and regular (human) food and even limit MRE consumption to a certain period of times.

Your dining facility should be following the same guidelines . . . but whether they are or whether some cook is selling the **** out the back door and feeding you road kill goat . . . who knows?

If it's a REAL issue . . . i.e. . . . if you don't think you're being fed at least 3000-4000 calories a day . . . go talk to someone.

Or write me back privately and I'll do what I can to help while keeping you out of it.

John, LTC, US Army, Ret
Harker Heights, TX (Fort Hood)

[ELugo]

[QUOTE] Military nutrition may not be IDEAL for a body builder . . . but the goals are pretty darned close. The military is trying to meet the needs of a warrior . . . as opposed to the needs of someone who wants to look good naked. [QUOTE]

lol...dfac trying to meet the needs of a warrior? lol where the hell is this dfac you speak of? you cant be serious...so, youre telling me that pizza, burgers, fries, chicken wings, cornbread, etc. are a warriors food? i think not...but thats just me. the dfac is built to please the soldiers and make them feel more at home by providing comfort foods...crap, in other words. i can tell you, 30% of the guys out here are in great shape while the other 70% is on the brink of obesity..if they arent already there. and yes, these are soldiers...warriors eating the 'warrior' meals as you say..lol now, the way i stay in such great shape is because i have about one million cans of tuna in my room(roughly lol) and it is a staple of my diet. the healthy foods that are actually served are too few and we have to go on a scavenger hunt just to find them. i can understand how it could be very hard for someone to try to eat healthy out here. and with MREs..dont make me laugh! they are filled with candy, cakes, and useless crap...the crackers are probably the healthiest item in those things. but like i said before, it is hard to maintain a great physique out here, but it is very possible

[rhapathy]

I'm hoping that the ret LTC knows what JSS is.

If so, he knows we do not stay on a FOB, we are in the middle of Baghdad in abandonded buildings the army decided to make comps.

We don't have a mess hall, we have a room with just enough food to get through each day, and replish it in the morning for the following day.

No selections, 3 tubs of food, thats what you get! NO MRES.

and for desert if your a fat body, you can have a slice of cake, and a 1,000 calorie chocolate muffin! lol

By no means am I complaining, this thread was taken out of context.

I was just asking if there were any deployed military guys out there that have a decent diet I could sample off of.

[ArmyBoots]

if you are determined you can get it done. im pretty sure i can do with just MREs if i have to...ive done it before.

i second this

[rhapathy]

No, your definatly right with this one.

but i'm a decently big guy, and easily can put on mass just buy simple eating calories, and fast.

Thats not my goal, i've been 225 and stacked, I'm going the more lean and cut route, ya know?

i second this

[grapemaster]

not in mil but yeh get care package, my ex roommate is air force and stepdad is disabled vet air force
we sent some weight lifting buds that got deployed like 50 pounds of protein bars just for that reason
find somebody u know to get some stuff to ya.

[rhapathy]

not in mil but yeh get care package, my ex roommate is air force and stepdad is disabled vet air force
we sent some weight lifting buds that got deployed like 50 pounds of protein bars just for that reason
find somebody u know to get some stuff to ya.

Yeah, it's just such a pain in the ass to get packages out to where I am.

[wint]

[QUOTE=ELugo;178689571][QUOTE] Military nutrition may not be IDEAL for a body builder . . . but the goals are pretty darned close. The military is trying to meet the needs of a warrior . . . as opposed to the needs of someone who wants to look good naked.

lol...dfac trying to meet the needs of a warrior? lol where the hell is this dfac you speak of? you cant be serious...so, youre telling me that pizza, burgers, fries, chicken wings, cornbread, etc. are a warriors food? i think not...but thats just me. the dfac is built to please the soldiers and make them feel more at home by providing comfort foods...crap, in other words. i can tell you, 30% of the guys out here are in great shape while the other 70% is on the brink of obesity..if they arent already there. and yes, these are soldiers...warriors eating the 'warrior' meals as you say..lol now, the way i stay in such great shape is because i have about one million cans of tuna in my room(roughly lol) and it is a staple of my diet. the healthy foods that are actually served are too few and we have to go on a scavenger hunt just to find them. i can understand how it could be very hard for someone to try to eat healthy out here. and with MREs..dont make me laugh! they are filled with candy, cakes, and useless crap...the crackers are probably the healthiest item in those things. but like i said before, it is hard to maintain a great physique out here, but it is very possible

The DFAC is not responsible for 70% of your unit (or whatever ridiculous number you want to claim) being fat. That's the chain-of-command's problem and obviously, in your unit, it sucks.

The average "warrior" needs close to 5,000 calories a day in combat . . . somewhere between 4-5K is what they plan for . . . I can't remember exactly.
So you can chow down on lots of fats and carbs, and in theory, not gain weight or even lose weight . . . in combat.

Furthermore . . . the average age of DFAC users is pretty young, very active and taking part in structured PT. That means higher metabolism and the ability to pack in calories and USUALLY not gain weight.

But . . . not everyone in the field is a "warrior." The clerk doesn't need 4-5K calories. If he chows down on pizza and burgers, he gets fat. That's where the PT program, command supervision, regular weigh-ins and common sense leadership play a part.

True. The DFAC does feed "comfort food" . . . it's part of Retention, Stress Relief and Morale Building.

But a well-led DFAC will also have PLENTY of alternatives. The soldier is expected to make sound nutritional choices AND where he doesn't . . . the chain-of-command should be there to supervise.

[rhapathy]

[QUOTE=wint;178878601][QUOTE=ELugo;178689571]

Military nutrition may not be IDEAL for a body builder . . . but the goals are pretty darned close. The military is trying to meet the needs of a warrior . . . as opposed to the needs of someone who wants to look good naked.



The DFAC is not responsible for 70% of your unit (or whatever ridiculous number you want to claim) being fat. That's the chain-of-command's problem and obviously, in your unit, it sucks.

The average "warrior" needs close to 5,000 calories a day in combat . . . somewhere between 4-5K is what they plan for . . . I can't remember exactly.
So you can chow down on lots of fats and carbs, and in theory, not gain weight or even lose weight . . . in combat.

Furthermore . . . the average age of DFAC users is pretty young, very active and taking part in structured PT. That means higher metabolism and the ability to pack in calories and USUALLY not gain weight.

But . . . not everyone in the field is a "warrior." The clerk doesn't need 4-5K calories. If he chows down on pizza and burgers, he gets fat. That's where the PT program, command supervision, regular weigh-ins and common sense leadership play a part.

True. The DFAC does feed "comfort food" . . . it's part of Retention, Stress Relief and Morale Building.

But a well-led DFAC will also have PLENTY of alternatives. The soldier is expected to make sound nutritional choices AND where he doesn't . . . the chain-of-command should be there to supervise.

true true... the whole calorie thing isn't entirely true tho. there is alot of out of shape soldiers in the military because they eat every serving they are given.

[Mr. Aries]

eat big and lift heavy!

[infamous_vik]

do the marines have it better or something..?

because how come most marines (or at least the stereotype) are strong and lean, with great physiques..?

[BlueFenix13S]

do the marines have it better or something..?

because how come most marines (or at least the stereotype) are strong and lean, with great physiques..?

They often have MUCH more demanding job functions that the other services. Now I'm not saying that all services don't have hard deployments, just that typically the Marines focus less on comfort and more on functionality than the other services.

Compare a Marine FOB to a deployed USAF location. Likely, the Marines are sleeping on the ground, eating MRE's IF they were airdropped that day, and going out on patrols for at least 1/2 the day. Meanwhile, the airmen have TEMPER tents and cots to sleep on, likely a dining facility, and spend most of the day on the base performing routine maintenance, loading, and perimeter security.

[Northman69]

O/t a little but damn .....those MRE's give me such bad gas. I loose weight just by eating their chow. Yes this is actually a burden when you think about it..

[BlueFenix13S]

O/t a little but damn .....those MRE's give me such bad gas. I loose weight just by eating their chow. Yes this is actually a burden when you think about it..

Lol they clog me up for DAYS. Probably the intended purpose. I know when I was on AEF training, I didn't have to take a crap for like a week.

[rhapathy]

They often have MUCH more demanding job functions that the other services. Now I'm not saying that all services don't have hard deployments, just that typically the Marines focus less on comfort and more on functionality than the other services.

Compare a Marine FOB to a deployed USAF location. Likely, the Marines are sleeping on the ground, eating MRE's IF they were airdropped that day, and going out on patrols for at least 1/2 the day. Meanwhile, the airmen have TEMPER tents and cots to sleep on, likely a dining facility, and spend most of the day on the base performing routine maintenance, loading, and perimeter security.

MARINES DO NOT SLEEP ON THE GROUND, AND DO HAVE MORE DEMANDING JOBS THAN THE NAVY, AIRFORCE... BUT NOT THE ARMY..

HOW DO I KNOW THIS?

WE HAVE AIRFORCE/AIRMEN, ON THE FOB, BEHIND THE DESKS, AND WE HAVE SOME MARINES, THAT SLEEP COMFORTABLY ON THERE BEDS IN FULL FLEDGE BUILDING BARRACKS.

MARINES, ARMY.. NOT REAL DIFFERENCE IN DEPLOYMENTS, JUST MARINES TEND TO SHOOT AT FRIENDLYS AND DRIVE INTO MILITARY VEHICAL ONLY GATES IN CIVILIAN VEHICALS.

YES THEY ARE TRAINED DIFF, BUT THEY LIVE EAT AND BREATH, SHOWER AND SHAVE RIGHT NEXT TO US.

I'M INFANTRY THO, ANOTHER MOS WON'T SAY THE SAME.

MILITARY THREADS ALWAYS END UP IN OFF TOPIC DISCUSSIONS, I LOVE IT THO

GO ALL MILITARY BRANCHES!

[infamous_vik]

MARINES DO NOT SLEEP ON THE GROUND, AND DO HAVE MORE DEMANDING JOBS THAN THE NAVY, AIRFORCE... BUT NOT THE ARMY..

HOW DO I KNOW THIS?

WE HAVE AIRFORCE/AIRMEN, ON THE FOB, BEHIND THE DESKS, AND WE HAVE SOME MARINES, THAT SLEEP COMFORTABLY ON THERE BEDS IN FULL FLEDGE BUILDING BARRACKS.

MARINES, ARMY.. NOT REAL DIFFERENCE IN DEPLOYMENTS, JUST MARINES TEND TO SHOOT AT FRIENDLYS AND DRIVE INTO MILITARY VEHICAL ONLY GATES IN CIVILIAN VEHICALS.

YES THEY ARE TRAINED DIFF, BUT THEY LIVE EAT AND BREATH, SHOWER AND SHAVE RIGHT NEXT TO US.

I'M INFANTRY THO, ANOTHER MOS WON'T SAY THE SAME.

MILITARY THREADS ALWAYS END UP IN OFF TOPIC DISCUSSIONS, I LOVE IT THO

GO ALL MILITARY BRANCHES!

strong capslock.

[rhapathy]

Thats my bad, really didn't notice until after.

Yes MRE's are terrible tasting, and mess up everyone bowell movements.

[BlueFenix13S]

MARINES DO NOT SLEEP ON THE GROUND, AND DO HAVE MORE DEMANDING JOBS THAN THE NAVY, AIRFORCE... BUT NOT THE ARMY..

HOW DO I KNOW THIS?

WE HAVE AIRFORCE/AIRMEN, ON THE FOB, BEHIND THE DESKS, AND WE HAVE SOME MARINES, THAT SLEEP COMFORTABLY ON THERE BEDS IN FULL FLEDGE BUILDING BARRACKS.

MARINES, ARMY.. NOT REAL DIFFERENCE IN DEPLOYMENTS, JUST MARINES TEND TO SHOOT AT FRIENDLYS AND DRIVE INTO MILITARY VEHICAL ONLY GATES IN CIVILIAN VEHICALS.

YES THEY ARE TRAINED DIFF, BUT THEY LIVE EAT AND BREATH, SHOWER AND SHAVE RIGHT NEXT TO US.

I'M INFANTRY THO, ANOTHER MOS WON'T SAY THE SAME.

MILITARY THREADS ALWAYS END UP IN OFF TOPIC DISCUSSIONS, I LOVE IT THO

GO ALL MILITARY BRANCHES!

Lol my Marine buddies are getting shafted then. I know 2 that prop their ruck up against a wall and cover up with their poncho most nights (or so they say).