Diet

[Greaper007]

Do you guys follow any sort of diet while training, or do you guys just attempt to "eat right?"

 

[Raptor2216]

yea, i supplemented my diet of pizza and spicy chickens with an extra spicy chicken each day.

 

[riley]

The running requirement requires plenty of carbs - I prefer the Miller and Shiner variety......

I eat a lot of tuna, carrots, and bananas. I try to drink a gallon of water a day. I don't have a particular "diet" per se. I've also severely decreased my alcohol intake - just a personal choice, but I find I have more energy now.

 

[WTFover]

I found that when I was prepping for OCS I could eat whatever, drink whatever because I was working out 6 days a week 4 months before my ship date.

 

[EngineGirl]

I work out about 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week. I feel the best when I consume lean proteins (chicken, fish, etc.), lots of fruits and vegetables, and massive amounts of water. And well, there is my occasional night filled with liquor.

EngineGirl

 

[Greaper007]

That's what I thought WTF, but it's becoming appalingly obvious that it's not. I'm not fat at all, (6' 175). But I can feel the difference depending on what I eat from day to day. I'm just trying to home in on the perfect mix for this type of training. Also I'm 24 years old, so that may have something to do with it. So what I'm really trying to figure out is the right ratio of carbs protein and fat, that and total calorie load. Since i'm going for an OCC slot I'm trying to get that elusive 300 PFT.

 

[WTFover]

I will agree with you Greaper about eating proteins and carbs allowing you to perform your best, but for the most part just eating whatever is okay, barring the pogey bate and excessive alcohol (drinking half the week). I'm almost 23 and I find that if I eat healthily the day I workout I will perform well, but on my off days I eat what I want and don't worry about it. That's just how I operate.

 

[livefast]

I just focus on lots of protein (ideally, one gram per every lb you weigh, but that's hard to do). My average day looks like this: Breakfast-20g protein bar, 16.5 oz water, GNC multivitamins; Lunch-43g protein shake, plain croissant; Dinner-6" Subway sandwich on wheat bread with turkey, diced swiss, and all veggies. Snacks: protein shakes or protein bars, or fruits. Stay away from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (found in the fries of every fast-food place) and you're also well advised to avoid soda (diet is okay). I'm 21, 5'8, 168lbs, and 6% body fat, so this program has worked for me.

 

[pjxc415]

6%???? Where'd you get that checked? My BU XC team got ours done at MIT and our lowest guy was 7.9%. He's a stick and you can pretty much see every muscle in his body. Plus I think he juiced in high school to get it that low. You sure your test was accurate?

 

[livefast]

I got my test done through Bally's (the gym). I don't question their credibility. The lowest I've heard of is 4%, so that 7.9 is excellent, but it is possible to go lower.

 

[nowings1]

A question- anyone out there drink coffee before a work out? Run especially? Its supposed to be an absolute no-no b/c caffeine dehydrates, but I've found that it helps me break through the "what the hell are you doing this for?" question my body likes to ask for the first two miles of a run. I'm careful about proper hydration before, during and after a run, but a cup of joe about 30-40 minutes before a run really seems to help. In the gym, it just helps me rip through things quicker. Like I said, wisdom is that its no good. And I wouldn't recommend it for anyone training for OCS. Coffee is for closers, not Candidates. They don't let you near the stuff. Am I jacking myself up doing this?

 

[MADarmstrong]

i find it hard to try and conform to height/weight standards because i am so short (5'1.5"), yet work out to be able to keep up with the guys on humps and FTX's. i eat very well, yet i haven't been able to drop the ten pounds the Marine Corps standards say i should. my PFT rings in at 267. any suggestions?

there was a Staff Sergeant i knew who was 2.4% body fat - Ironman triathlete.

 

[kevin]

having .00001% bodyfat is real nice if you're a runway model or like impressing people with numbers...as far as the military it aint great. worry about your numbers like run times, etc. if you're 25% bodyfat and can run 18min 3 miles, who cares? i've heard of SEAL candidates in phenomenal shape (too phenomenal in fact) failing out simply cause they couldnt take cold water immersion. let the numbers that dont matter be just that....as long as youre within navy/marine regs.

 

[kevin]

MADarmstrong.....i don't know anything about your exercising or eating habits other than you "eat well". but i would say drink lots of water and try to get 6-7 SMALL meals a day as often as possible. this should shed weight off in a hurry if that's what you're going for. however, if you're 5'2" and ripped, but want to shed muscle weight, then you need to change up your workouts and caloric intake.

 

[Crowbar]

if you're 25% bodyfat and can run 18min 3 miles, who cares?

let the numbers that dont matter be just that....as long as youre within navy/marine regs.

For male Marines, 22% bodyfat is the max. For females, it's 26%. However, females don't have to run 18:00 PFTs to get 100 points (males do).
So in summary, to answer your question "who cares?", the Marine Corps does. The order states specifically that regardless of PFT score, anyone who goes over max bodyfat...is screwed.