How much to eat and when

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jonboyd17
jonboyd17 Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I work 12 hours a day 6a.m to 6 p.m need help try to find time to eat and work out

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  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    batch cook, food prep in advance and bring all the needed meals / snacks with you and eat when / where you can during your breaks.
    Workout wise - depends if you are an AM or PM person.
    Wake up at 0400 AM is an option or see yourself throwing a workout in the evening once done with work?
  • jonboyd17
    jonboyd17 Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm completely new to this and I have no clue how much to eat and how often to eat I'm 5.8 210 pounds trying to lose weight a gain muscle
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    HA - i see.
    Find a calories / macros calculator (most use IIFYM) and start from there.
    That will tell you how much to eat (both calories and macros).
    When - meal timings and a meal every 3 hours theory is a load of crap - eat when you are hungry, with, if needed a special attention around your workouts.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    What the above said ^^^ Ditch all the rules about when to eat, how often, and when not to eat. All that matters is what in the 24 hours, then extend that out 7, 30, and 90 days for results. Whenever it gets tiring to focus on macros like a science project simply focus on protein and veggies, and just enough carbs/fats to make up the difference for your daily goal. Find a consistent time to workout, we all only have 24 hours in a day so yes it's hard for everyone. We all got stuff to do.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited April 2016
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    It doesn't have to be that complicated. Set up MFP if you haven't done it already. You will get a calorie and protein/fat/carb goal. That is how much you should eat. Log your meals in your diary and try to hit those goals every day, or weekly on average. Split your intake in some way through the day. Just try one way, if it doesn't work, try something else. Take a look at your schedule. When do you get breaks or low periods? Can you eat or move then? Do you have a family or others you will be eating with? Time your meals around those kinds of things.
  • ladycclear
    ladycclear Posts: 50 Member
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    Assuming you also sleep 8 hours/day, this leaves you with 4 hours each day or 28 hours/week, not counting extra time you may get on weekends or non-work days. If you dedicate 8 hours of that 28 hours to making health a priority (maybe 1 hour in food shopping, 4 hours food prep, and 3 hours of exercise) you've made a significant start.
    Decide to commit to your human body health and nutrition, and the timing will fall into your life, no matter what your schedule is. Eat whole foods and lots of vegetables, cut the processed meals, and weight loss will follow.
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
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    Whatever I want and whenever I want.
    Just normally LESS than I want.
  • thetrudster1
    thetrudster1 Posts: 8 Member
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    Working 6 AM to 6 PM isn't leaving you very much time for working out. I'm guessing that's five days a week with two days off. It may be the type of food that you're choosing that is causing the weight gain. Fast food, and food from the vending machine is usually not very nutritious, mostly fat, sugar and salt. So it might be a good idea to pack a lunch, 100% whole wheat bread, and turkey or chicken deli meat. Watch the nutrition label. For exercise it doesn't look like you're going to have time to do it before you go to work, so it would have to be after work. But not too close to bedtime, because it would be hard for you to get to sleep after exercise. You want to use your large muscles, so I would suggest squats; push ups; and planks. Start out slow and work your way up. Maybe do the exercises while there are commercials on TV, if you watch TV after work. And on your days off walk, walking is an excellent form of exercise.

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