I need advice

[jacobb88]

I work in the oil field in the middle of nowhere for 84+ hours a week. My job requires me to sit in front of computer screens all night with little to no activity. When my 12 hour shift ends I am usually too tired to do anything but go to bed. I stay in a small trailer with another guy that works days (I work at night) and I can't move around too much or it will wake him up. And I can't workout outside because I have to wear steal toe boots, FRC's, a hard hat, and safety glasses. I am usually out for about 2-3 weeks at a time, sometimes longer. When I go home all I want to do is rest and help my wife take care of our infant daughter. I just don't seem to have the energy that I used to, which is pathetic since I am only 24 years old. I used to weigh 170 in high school (2006), but after a few years of college and jobs that do nothing except keep my in a seat, I am at 235 lbs now (I'm 6' 1"). My goal is to be a solid 195-200 lbs. I already have a somewhat larger/built frame body type, so I'm not too concerned about building muscle right now, just burning the fat. What I need advice on is: 1) What can I do/take to not feel so drained of energy all the time? 2) How can I optimize the time I have? 3) What kind of diet would work best for me when I am mostly sedentary? Keep in mind that I am on a semi-tight budget, and simple plans work the best for me. Any advice at this point would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Wakaaa]

First off, you need to get more rest and eat enough, you are probably under eating and as a result, you feel weak and sluggish. Read the stickies under the nutrition section in the forums, then figure out your macros, then lift heavy, hit those macros, and sleep well. Get those micro nutrients from fruits/veggies and stay motivated.

What do you mean you can't workout outside? Get shorts and a shirt, put on a pair of shoes and go sign up to a gym. There are plenty of gyms that are 10 bucks a month. Obviously, the more you spend on a gym the better chance of getting better equipment and space.

How many hours do you sleep? How many calories do you eat a day?

[jacobb88]

I work out of town and in many different locations. I was in the same place for a 6 month period so I got a membership at a gym for 10 buck a month. The gym was 45 minutes away, but I was still going there 4-5 times a week for about 3 months. I gained about 10 pounds of muscle and trimmed up a little. I still have that membership, but I havent been to that location in almost a year now and I doubt my job will ever send me back there. All of the other places I go to are really small towns (population 500) and they dont have gyms. In places like that the nearest place is about an hour and a half away. If I did end up driving that far I would spend way too much in gas and I would be driving for 3 hours round trip, not to mention the time in the gym. I would never get enough sleep to get through my 12 hour shift. Luckily, the job I am on now has a town about 30 minutes away that has a track at the highschool, and ive been using that to do some HIIT to maximize the time i spend working out. I normally sleep about 7-8 hours while I'm out here, but that isnt by choice. It's because its loud out here and I am constantly being woken up, and I also have a hard time falling asleep. It's not unusual for me to get less than 5 hours of sleep on my off shift. I can never seem to get completely rested. I have just recently started tracking my calories. I eat somewhere between 2600-3200 per day, sometimes less. I eat when I am hungry, usually something small.

[BloodySalad]

I eat somewhere between 2600-3200 per day, sometimes less. I eat when I am hungry, usually something small.

Sounds to me like you need to clean up your diet. You can afford to eat less and cut more calories. Start tracking them properly and stick to a figure. Personally, I'd drop by 200-300 and see where that takes me, then I'd adjust accordingly up or down. 3200 in a sedentary job is almost certainly going to put you in a surplus though. And that's if you're not eating more - people who don't count properly tend to eat more calories than they think they do.

As for the sleep problems? If it's just the noise, get some decent ear plugs. Problem easily solved.

[jacobb88]

will do with the trimming the calories, thanks for that. I've been using ear plugs for over a year for every night (even when I'm home cuz i got used to them) and it's almost like ive developed super-human hearing because of that. Even when I am wearing them I can still hear a lot of noise. I can have a decent conversation with them in and still hear everything too. lol I know it's weird, but it's true. Even if i take some benadril or something to help me sleep, i can lay in bed for hours and just stare at the inside of my eyelids. I had a pretty intense workout before i went to bed today and i was exhausted. it was 9 when i laid down, and i laid there for a long time without sleeping before i checked the time again, and when i did, the clock said 12. I ended up falling asleep about an hour after that, and i had to wake up at 5. it's been like that for a while. i asked the doctor, he tells me to take benadril. i tell him that it doesnt work, he tells me it does. i gave up.