Quote (sven00100 @ Mar 6 2019 12:32pm)
Hey Raynor!
I am sorry I keep coming with things I'm sure you've answered before... I've been more than a little off track for more than a little while and I'm finding a lack of direction is largely demotivating. I have let myself go entirely for the last 2 years... I was in a relatively sedentary job that was high in stress where I was working 60-65 hours a week with no real time off, and my diet and exercise became relatively non-existent.
As a background, I am:
6'6"
262 lbs
30 years old
I still work in pharmacy, (/e/ now ~40 hours per week /e/) where I am given up to 1x 30 minute break, though often it is not plausible to take the whole break, and I am standing for the whole shift (up to 14 hours, though usually not exceeding 12 hours). One of my challenges is on 12 hour shifts where between getting ready, driving, and working, my day is already 14 hours with only 1 opportunity for a proper meal. It is possible that I can snack at work, but it is also difficult as finger food is usually unsafe to graze on with the possibility of drug dust contamination. My understanding has always been that having more meals is better, so I may need to try to make those 12 hour days okay and work on more small meals and snacking on days I do not work so long. I also have poor water intake at the moment (also partly due to the job) as I try not to step out to the restroom too much, but I am planning on changing that, because I can't let my health suffer for my job.
I think my current ideal weight would be somewhere in the 210 range based on my muscle mass, though I'm not entirely sure. Based on my inability to eat many small meals on some days I have been feeling that a ketogenic diet would not be ideal for me, but I'm open to your thoughts. I am also not sure of the balance of sleep vs. exercise on the days I work 12 hour shifts--If it comes down to me having to make the choice between 8 hours of sleep or 6 hours of sleep and getting exercise, I really don't know what I should do (so far I have opted for sleep).
Since building muscle mass before cutting weight and trying to adjust my lifestyle seems like an unhealthy option (I feel like I shouldn't go up in weight), my thought was that I should go straight into a cut, though I haven't been to the gym more than sporadically in 2 years, so I don't have good stabilization muscles or endurance, so I'm not really sure how to approach exercise (so as not to injure myself). I am just hoping for some advice on how to handle my food intake and starting my exercise to accommodate my strange work schedule, as well as potentially a macro split/estimated calorie intake.
Sorry for the disorganization.
I appreciate any help you can give!
~Steven
Hey there. Given your current situation, I think you would best benefit from an Intermittent Fasting diet, in conjunction with a basic strength training routine. This will not get you building huge amount of mass, but instead will help you cut down bodyfat % and also accommodate to your schedule. Given that you work 12-14 hours, this would be quite easy to work around.
Intermittent fasting traditionally focuses on either 16 hours fasted and 8 hours fed, 18 hours fasted and 6 hours fed, or 20 hours fasted and 4 hours fed. The greater the fast, typically the more pronounced the fat loss.
So for your schedule, an example would be:
Sleep for 6-8 hours (fasted)
Wake up, morning routine, and go to work for 12 hours (do not eat at work)
At the end of work, you break the fast and begin to eat for the next 4 hours that you are awake, effectively doing the 20/4 intermittent fasting cycle.
You will need to eat around 2,200 calories in those 4 hours, which is easier said than done. Usually after fasting the entire day, the first meal will satiate you and you won't want to eat again. You will have to stick to faster digesting foods for the first meal to combat this, and finish with slow digesting foods at the last meal.
Example:
During the 4 hours of eating:
Meal 1 - Start with 2 cups of cooked white rice, 8 ounces of chicken breast w/ BBQ or Teriyaki sauce, 2 cups of green veggies (broccoli/green beans/etc) - approx 1,100 calories
Meal 2 - Whey Protein Shake (50g), 1.5 cups of whole grain cereal with 8oz 2% milk, 1 banana (approx 600 cals)
Meal 3 - 1 cup 1-2% fat cottage cheese, 2tbsp peanut butter, handful of mixed nuts, 1/2 cup mixed berries or fruit (approx 500 cals)
Once you finish meal 3, you can go to sleep and repeat the day again. Keep this schedule even on days that you do not work in order to maximize fat loss and maintain your schedule. Furthermore, you can workout at ANY time during the fast, although it is usually recommended to workout right before eating the first meal (if possible). If not, it's fine to throw it in wherever you can.
Hope this works out for you.