I am in the Army and have been having some trouble with my pushups and run.

I'm required to do 36 pushups in 2 mins and run 2 miles in 17:30 or less.

However, I'm finding that I'm having some trouble reaching these goals.

I'm also very close to my body fat count, so I've been trying to diet and get some weight off. I don't look overweight, I just am a big guy.

My day starts off like this during the week: I get up at 5am. I take my vitamins: 1 Multi plus an additional B and E vitamin. I will wash those down with some juice.. whatever is made. Orange or apple usually is what we have at the house. I go in and do a pre-physical training workout from about 6:15 to 6:45 (Mon-Wed-Fri: Weight Training for Legs, Hip and Back, Tue-Thur: Arm/Shoulder/Ab Weight Training) At 7:00 we do our physical Training until 8:00. On Mon-Wed-Fri we will do a run (2-4 miles). On Tue-Thurs, we do pushup-situp work. Then I go back to the gym and work from about 4:00 til about 5:30 in the evening, repeating my earlier pre-PT workouts. I usually do no workouts on Saturday and light arm/ab workouts on Sunday.

Anywhoo.. my questions are these:

Should I eat anything prior to these workouts in the morning? If so, what is ideal? And would what I eat before pushup-situp workouts, be different from run days? I'm getting frustrated because I don't want to gain alot of weight, but I need the energy or I fizzle out.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Shep

I would do a protein shake in the morning. It sounds like you are pretty dang busy so it might be good to carry some bars around with you.

What is the rest of your day like for meals? I cannot give you advice without knowing what you are eating and how often. I am hoping you aren't going all day without adequate nutrition!

Standard "mess hall" food isn't always the healthiest. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

I'm married, so I don't eat at the dining facility.

During the week, my meals usually consist of:

Breakfast: 2 servings of Cream of Wheat, and green tea.

Lunch: Two servings of Ramen noodles, and green tea.

Dinner: 1 or 2 servings of meat, potatoes or pasta and a beverage (usually juice or a diet soda).

Snacks consist of usually some pretzels after lunch, and usually before bed (about an hour or two prior) I'll have a yogurt with granola.

I've been doing some reading and I'm fairly certain I'm not eating what I should be. I'm going to start taking a meat with me to eat for lunch, along with my noodles. I have been considering doing the protien shake/bar thing as well. As I'm very close to my body fat count, I'm afraid to do anything that might cause me to gain more weight.

Shep

Try adding a little more protein to your diet. I like eating eggs and stone ground wheat toast in the morning. Also, have you ever considered oats? They will provide you with a steady stream of energy for a good while longer than cream of wheat. The Old Fashioned kind is what you want, not the instant. But I see you're only getting protein at the end of the day. Even if you're not trying to get huge muscles, I really think you should add a little more protein to the diet, this will aid in the rebuilding of your muscles when you break them down doing your daily workouts.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

More protein..with each meal. Good lean protein from fish, chicken breast, lean pork. Red meat is good too, as long as it is lean. I cannot sleep well if I eat red meat within four hours of bedtime.

Here is a sample day (I vary it more, but you get the idea):
Breakfast - A cup of oatmeal with flaxseed oil, egg beaters (I have high cholesterol so if you don't, you can probably eat regular eggs), a piece of fruit such as an apple or some strawberries, 1 cup non-fat milk and multivitamin and calcium.
Snack (2 hours later): A protein shake, a handful of almonds with some fruit or a protein bar.
Lunch: A green salad with tomatoes and vinagrette, a grilled chicken breast, 1/2 cup brown rice or a yam.
Snack (2 hours later): similar to above snack options or I will have some non-fat cottage cheese or yogurt.
Dinner: Baked salmon or another fish that is high in Omegas, broccoli or asparagus, 1/2 a yam or 1 cup wheat pasta or brown rice. 1 cup non-fat milk.

If I am still hungry before bed, I might have more protein.

Basically, I stick to dark green veggies, lean protein and non-white sources of carbs (brown rice, wheat pasta, whole grain bread). I also make sure I am getting all the good oils such as flaxseed, canola and olive oil. I avoid dressings, and only cook with good oils.

Drink TONS of water. A good minimal measurement would be 1/2 your body weight in ounces (I weigh 117 and drink a minimum of 60 oz per day).

I allow myself one cheat meal per week including my favorite dessert. It is hard to stay disciplined if you don't allow for a treat.

My hat is off to you and I SALUTE you for doing what you are for this country!

Take care.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

I don't eat alot of veggies.. just can't stomach them, myself, other than that, I've started adding more protien to my diet. Hopefully, this'll help.

Thanks for everyone's help. Much appreciated.

Shep