weight fluctuations (loss) during/after basic

[rjs]

Hi, I've put in my application and I'm in the process of bulking up for the first time in my life. I'm a natural 135lbs @ 5'11' (26yrs old) which is too skinny for army life imo. In the past, no matter how much I've eaten and how sedentary my lifestyle has been, I haven't gained a single pound. I've been reading up on mass-gaining diets, however I'm unsure what will happen once I'm in the military.

For instance, I've just starting eating ~2500 cal/day (in 6 meals) with the calories broken down into 40 % protein, 30% carbs, 30% fat. I'm hoping this diet will allow me to put on a good 15 lbs by the time I go in. I know it can be done because I have a friend that started at the same weight (and same skinny bone structure) as me and he's 180 of solid muscle now. Unfortunately, he's really in to working-out so he's gone way past my goals of a paltry 15lbs, and his experience ceases to be useful because he's maintained the diet and excercise routine that got him the gains in the first place (6 meals a day, supplements, never misses a training day)

What I'm wondering is what will happen when I start doing 5-10km/day of running/ruck marches, etc. Is it just going to eat away my muscle mass, assuming I have very little fat to burn? I've read that I'll need to eat about 3000 calories/day just to maintain my new weight (150lbs). At that point, since the muscle is already built, can I relax with how I take in those calories? By this I mean can I start eating a regular (but healthy) 3 meals a day and forget about getting all that extra protein in the form of supplements? If I stop with the strict diet, is it likely that my muscles will have atrophied back to their current state?

Once I've got the extra mass I intend to keep it, but I'm wondering if life in the infantry will make that very difficult given how much cardio I'll be doing. What I've learned from a couple guys I've spoken to is that infantry men usually end up losing a lot of weight during their training. Now I think it would be hard for me to go below 135, but I could easily see myself going from my new 150 back down to 140-135... Any opinions, suggestions, or advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[geo]

during basic, troops have a tendency to eat like horses and burn lots of calories but, you will be building body mass. over time you will fill out, like all of us.

 

[paracowboy]

weight is irrelevent. Don't worry about it. Your body will find the composition in needs to meet the demands you will place upon it.

I know guys weighin' a buck an' a quarter who out-perform muscle-boys, an' I know chubby guys who can out-run skinny li'l grass-snakes. Don't concern yourself with size, or weight, or hair-colour.

This has been addressed numerous times in several threads. They all say the same thing I just wrote. AGAIN.

Show up, do your best, never quit. Everything else will fall into place.

 

[George Wallace]

Let's put it this way.....If after ten, and then twenty, years you can still fit into the DEUs that you were first issued, you will be doing fine.

 

[geo]

lol.... darned thing was snug for a little while but it's a comfortable fit again

 

[punkd]

Almost everyone on my course lost weight. I lost about 12lbs. I only went in at about 165 so it was a fair bit for me to lose. You only eat 3 times a day, no food in the barracks (at least dont get caught, you'll learn the ropes after a few weeks there) So I was use to eating pretty much every 2 hours, that was how i managed to put weight on in the first place, high calorie, high protein diet and eating as often as I could.

Main factors are, you WILL be working 18 hour days for the first week or two preparing all your kit and stuff. Your up at 5am everyday and dont hit the sack till 11pm, working pretty solid in between. This dies down a bit once you have your kit sorted out (hope you can sew ;D) After that, stress plays in as a factor of why people lose weight, and the instructors like to make it a high stress environment.

Also lots of cardio, it starts off slow and runs are about 2k but by the end its common to be doing 6k runs all the time with your instructors and PSP staff. All in all the PT wasnt hard and I feel they could have used some more, but you will burn more calories then you take in for the most part.

Then week 8 your off to Farnham, this week is good, you eat at the mess and get a decent amount of sleep. Week 9 is all rations, they are not all that bad... but you will get sick of them pretty quick. You will miss meals, work all day and half the night then your sleep is screwed over by lots of Fire drills , stand-to's and century duties. This is where i lost the most weight.

 

[paracowboy]

Also lots of cardio, it starts off slow and runs are about 2k but by the end its common to be doing 6k runs all the time with your instructors and PSP staff.

sigh..

Then week 8 your off to Farnham, this week is good, you eat at the mess and get a decent amount of sleep.

siiiggghhh

 

[SoF]

2500 calories...thats it; are those 6 meals comprised of rice cakes ;D. Add more calories.

 

[military granny]

rjs
when my son joined without a word of a lie you could pretty much count his ribs (6'4 and around 145-155) yes he lost a few pounds in the first couple weeks but learned when you get time for a meal EAT.  And hes infantry so they burn lots calories and yes he learned that when its chow, eat fast cause when your training officers are done eating so are you.Now 3 years later he is a very muscular boy not an ounce of fat but now sitting at about 165-170. Still skinny in a mom's eyes buy looks good.

 

[Hot Lips]

Well basic sounds like it will be a good weight loss plan for me  ;D  I can't wait...I get all excited when I read these posts 

I agree 2500 cal is not enough for a 26 year old male that is active...I can eat that when I train, cardio and weights daily and I am certainly not 26 or male.

HL

 

[rjs]

I haven't been particularly active in years and my eating habits have never been great so that's why 2600 seems like a lot to me. Until recently I skipped breakfast most mornings. I'm still getting used to eating all the time and I hate MRPs but I'll try to increase my calorie intake even more and we'll see how it goes. It's hard to find consistent info on this stuff. Originally I read that I should be eating 18x weight in calories to make gains. Now I've found another source that says more like 25-30x weight. That seems more consistent with what some of you have said.

Anyway, thanks for the info. It gives me a better idea of what to expect.

 

[paracowboy]

you MUST eat breakfast.

 

[Hot Lips]

Yes, what are you making me paracowboy  ;D

HL

 

[paracowboy]

Yes, what are you making me paracowboy 

makin' you get up and cook some damn eggs, woman!  ;D

 

[Hot Lips]

Paracowboy would you like those...scrambled, poached, over easy  or in your lap...lmao

HL

 

[paracowboy]

Paracowboy would you like those...scrambled, poached, over easy  or in your lap

poached. By that point, you would have been: in my lap, easy, scrambled, and it all would have been over, anyway!
Ba-dum-bum!

Thank you, thank you. Catch my next show tomorrow at 8:00 folks! And remember, you don't have to go home, you just can't stay here.

--> back on topic: you must eat breakfast. It starts your metabolism working properly. If you haven't in some time, start easy (like Hot Lips! Oooohhhh! Why do I say such hurtful things?) like with a banana, or piece of lightly buttered toast, until your stomach gets used to having food that early.

 

[Zertz]

I'm a skinny kid (16, 5'9, 120 lbs, 7% BF) who is trying to gain ALOT of weight and all I can say is eat more, drink more. If you're naturally very lean with a fast metabolism then eat more, you can always cut back if you want to lean out more in the off chance you gain too much. A year ago I was 5'7.5 and 99 lbs and I'm fully confident it is very largely an issue of diet.

Edit: Increase your carbohydrates also, you want those to be burned as energy as they are intended during your workouts instead of having to break down protein for energy, something like 3.5 grams x Bodyweight with protein 1.5 x Bodyweight.

 

[Hot Lips]

I'm a skinny kid (16, 5'9, 120 lbs, 7% BF) who is trying to gain ALOT of weight and all I can say is eat more, drink more. If you're naturally very lean with a fast metabolism then eat more, you can always cut back if you want to lean out more in the off chance you gain too much. A year ago I was 5'7.5 and 99 lbs and I'm fully confident it is very largely an issue of diet.

Edit: Increase your carbohydrates also, you want those to be burned as energy as they are intended during your workouts instead of having to break down protein for energy, something like 3.5 grams x Bodyweight with protein 1.5 x Bodyweight.

Dear lord someone feed this poor child...
Zertz you could eat a dozen boston cream donuts and never gain an ounce would you?
Hope you are eating a balanced high calorie diet now...
HL

 

[1feral1]

Hey HL, here for a typical hay box b'fast, an egg, beans & speghetti, a slab of near raw bacon, and two slices of bread. Not my cup of tea sorry.

Where's my pan cakes?

Wes

PS, I was 66.2kg on enrolment in Canada in 1976, in 1995, 87.5kg on enlistment into the ADF, now hovering about 97kg still at 6 ft. On ex my weight goes +- 2 to 3 kg over say a 2 wk period. Mainly less, due to not ever drinking enough h2o, although I swill up to 9 litres or more in a 12 hr period when it gets warm here. At 40C in 98% humidity, it seems to sweat out faster than it goes in, plus in the heat, I am less hungry.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[paracowboy]

I'm a skinny kid (16, 5'9, 120 lbs, 7% BF) who is trying to gain ALOT of weight and all I can say is eat more, drink more.

well, depends on how he's eating, when he's eating and what he's eating, as much as it does how much he's eating.

A year ago I was 5'7.5 and 99 lbs and I'm fully confident it is very largely an issue of diet.

it's also an issue of the fact that a year ago you were 15. Now you are 16. Next year, you will weigh even more than you do now. And the year after that, even more. Odd how that works.


FOR THE UMPTEENTH FUCKING TIME, YOUR WEIGHT IS IMMATERIAL!

It's entirely about performance, not appearance. Focus on the important things.