Well, this is frustrating...

[kanuki10]

Well, I’m at a bit of a loss right now. I joined the Air Force at the beginning of this year. At that time I had about a 35 inch waist and was around 230 (I’m a little over 6 foot tall.) I liked to power lift as a hobby before that, and got down to that weight from about 280 and a 42 inch waist. And before that I liked to compete in local boxing matches, and I got about as light as 180. So yeah, been all over the weight spectrum. It took a little while but I figured out what worked for me, for losing and gaining weight/fat etc, with a little tweaking here and there.

I suspected BMT and Tech school would, unfortunately, pudge me up a bit. And it did. Pretty much all from diet. I’m at about 260 and 40 inch waist now. I was a little more than that when I got to my base in June. It’s not uncomfortable and I’ve been making nothing but gains in the weight room. Seriously, I’m not as strong as I used to be, but a lot of it is coming back, and for that I’m grateful. I just figured I’d be able to sort out the whole diet/weight/fat thing at my first base. Now I’m here and, well, I seem to be plateauing… hard. Not on my logbook, at all, reps and weight have all been moving back up nicely. I just don’t seem to be able to shrink my waist and lose fat like I used to.

I think it’s mainly the chow hall and my irregular schedule. I’m on a meal card, and I just have to eat what they are serving. Sometimes there are plain chicken breasts, but other times it’s nothing but country fried steak or spare ribs. Tasty, sure, but not exactly conducive to the diet I used /need to get to the weight/waist size I’m shooting for. I just want to start preparing for my next PT test (should be March.) It’s really the waist size I’m looking to shrink, as that is a part of the scoring method for the test. Being lighter would also help my run time. And on a side note, my shins are starting to hurt; I hope it’s not splints. Didn’t have this problem before, I think it might be the mandatory running plus my added weight that is causing it.

I'm just looking for thoughts, advice, etcetera. I used to post a lot on this board, and got some good knowledge from it, so I thought it made sense to come back.

Some other pertinent things to mention: I’m 25 and am taking a multi plus fish oil. I haven’t really had the time/money to invest in supplements. But I did buy some weight loss supp stacks from a guy who was going to South Korea, and for whatever reason bought too much. Dunno’ his logic on that. They were sealed, inside and out, and I knew the vendor he had bought them from, so I figured I’d help him out, and see if they were worth anything. And seeing as how I tried cutting my diet even further, and redoubled my cardio while still plateauing over the past month, I guess not. Here are some links to what I took http://www.nutritionarsenal.com/Epic...les-P1252.aspx http://supplementreviews.com/lecheek...n/testodrol-x9 http://www.1stphorm.com/products/men/thyro-drive Also a liver support sup, but I can’t find a page for it right now.

I was a little wary about pro hormones, but it seems like it did little to me. The guy did mention I should buy some sort of post cycle supp afterward (because of the 2a,3a-epithio-17a-methyl-5a-androstan-17b-ol.) Seemed like he did this a lot. Should I? I dunno what to think about this one way or another, so any help on this front would also be appreciated. I suppose I just bought them out curiosity and trying to help a guy out. Probably not the most pragmatic thing to do. I won’t lie, it feels like I may have wasted my money, besides helping someone out.

I would also go into my training schedule plus my diet details, but this post is already too long. Maybe later. Thanks in advance.

[Adam2433]

Chow halls are usually too unpredictable with lunch and dinner if you're on a tight diet. No reason you can't eat breakfast there thought. We always had oatmeal, omelets and endless hard boiled eggs. Plus plenty of fresh fruit. For lunch and dinner just buy food at the commissary and cook it in the barracks. I had a Foreman, microwave and hot plate. The options with those 3 are endless. Plus commissary prices were good.

I don't know your MOS but I had no problem eating what I wanted even in the infantry with our irregular schedule going out to the field and all. Just plan ahead.

EDIT- Check out all the threads here from college kids asking the same. If they can do it in a dorm on zero cash you can do it on an E-1 salary.

[maintain]

Hey bro congrats on joining the air force! I have a military background as well and let me tell ya the chow hall is great cuz its free and regular, but most of what they serve isn't up to par for the nutritional needs of a serious weight lifter. In a post here by Dave Henry about eating on deployment; 'Simply put, the military has no intentions to place bodybuilder friendly foods at the top of the list for troops. It's "we have to feed 10,000 people, so we'll make stuff that can be done in large batches"'.

I don't know if you live in the barracks or not but I invested in my own mini-fridge, hot plate, cookware etc. You could smell me cookin' at the other end of the catwalk and my roommate didn't much like me, but I didn't care.

Supplements...I know they are tempting and their advertising promises you theyll work miracles, but personally Id save my money for food, protein, and a quality creatine supplement. That Epic Labs Undertaker is an ECA and those can be effective for fat loss.

Hope my 2 cents could be helpful!

[kanuki10]

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I used to cook all my meals (before enlisting,) but the dorm policies where I’m stationed (Whiteman, MO) only allow for a microwave and coffee pot, while prohibiting open hot plates. I really don’t know why, but whatever. There is one centrally located mini kitchen with a stove in the dorm, but there is usually a waiting list to use it, as some residents really like to cook, apparently. And I don’t know, but, as long as my BAS is being taken out my pay for the D-Fac, whether I eat there or not, I feel it is the wisest use of my money to make it work there.

[Adam2433]

But you said it wasn't working. So you could either eat at the chow hall, save the money and have less than desirable results or you could pay out of pocket for some food and have the results you want. Your choice.

Foreman's weren't technically allowed in our barracks either. Nor in college dorm rooms. That didn't stop me nor plenty of guys on here from having them. Just hide them in your car during room inspections.

If you're living in the barracks I assume you don't have a family. So even at E-1/2 pay you're not paying rent so it isn't a big deal about buying some food. Like I said plenty of college kids on here make it work with far less income.

[nexa]

Sign up for the kitchen and cook a giant batch of meat to tide you over for a couple of days.

Scrambled eggs / egg whites in the microwave stink up the kitchen but oh well!

Frozen veggies... bonus time-saving points if it's in a microwavable bag.