New to bodybuilding, how do you find the time to cook, eat and train?

[massivemark]

Hey there!

My names Mark. I have visited this site for about 2 yrs now and hopefully ready to start the plunge into weight training and eating clean. This board is amazing and the knowlege I have gained on here is incredible.

I currently work about 50 hrs a week at my job with 2 days off. I also focus on real estate 1 hour a day. Im just wondering how you all find the time to cook, train, and eat all of your meals?

Im currently 152 lbs and around 9% bodyfat. I would like to get up to 180-205 and be around 6% if possible. My diet now is not very good. I eat junk food here and there and fast food a few times a week.

How do you balance all of this with work, family, etc? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have been reading this board for 2 yrs but still am a newbie to all of this. I am 29 and tired of being skinny. Ive wanted to do this for years and have waited until everything was just right. Well, the time is never right so I need to start NOW.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ScottMcD1]

I am a full time student(15-18 hours) and work about 30 hours a week and prep cooking is absolutely imperative to me being able to get in all my meals without spending 3 hours cooking and cleaning every day. That's my number 1 tip for you

 

[buselmo]

you don't find time... you make time. it all depends on how bad you want it.

 

[Big B]

you don't find time... you make time. it all depends on how bad you want it.

I get stuck in the desert for 5 days of the week...I leave work at 6PM!!!! not to mention that 3 days of the week I have to work for 12 hours which means that I hit the gym after being awake for about 14.5 hours!!!! trust me that is INSANE...but I still eat my 6 meals everyday!!!!

How!!! well...thats how bad I want this.

 

[Incoldestblood]

I think the best idea is to make your meals ahead of time for several reasons...

1. You can budget time for an hour or two to cook your meals so you have them ready, and don't waste time prepping them during your busier days
2. The lack of having food ready (ie convenience), is one of the more major reasons for crap eating habits. People aren't as weak as they seem, its just more convenient to eat junk. Having food ready allows you to not have to worry about that aspect.

 

[Jeremy24]

i work a full-time job and attend night classes for school. basically what i do is sunday night i cook my meals for monday besides breakfast. I cook breakfast every morning. Then the rest of the week i get off work. Protein shake, hit the gym, PWO. Then come home and cook my meals for the next day. It sucks sometimes but you get usee to it and it is what it is.

 

[fishteach78]

I cook all my protien (chicken, ground turkey, lean beef) on sunday afternoons and tupper ware it all, then you can just weigh it and batch it out each evening for the next day. I am fortunate enough to have a fridge at work, so I bring half of it in on monday and just keep a scale with me, the carbs and fats are you usually pretty quick and easy (grits, oats, brown rice)

 

[diesel158]

I think he's talking about training too guys, like, how do we find time to train, cook, etc. Like one of the guys said, if you want it bad enough you'll make the time, nothing will be able to stop you. I think it's quite a feat that you're skinny(you said it) on a diet of junk and fast food. I'm surprised that you didn't get stoked after just a few days of checking out the board and ran out the door to the gym. DO IT!

 

[hotttsauce]

I think the best idea is to make your meals ahead of time for several reasons...

1. You can budget time for an hour or two to cook your meals so you have them ready, and don't waste time prepping them during your busier days
2. The lack of having food ready (ie convenience), is one of the more major reasons for crap eating habits. People aren't as weak as they seem, its just more convenient to eat junk. Having food ready allows you to not have to worry about that aspect.

True to this! I cook everything on Sundays, baggie/ freeze the most part and have it ready to portion out. This way it is there and all yuo have to do is spend a few hours prep'ing it and then eat the rest of the week. Granted I may pick up some more fish mid week, but it works out pretty well. It is all about being on a schedule.

 

[tkav1980]

today is one of my days off, im going to spend the next 2 hrs cooking for the week and i work at a resturant!..lol i still need to eat before and after work and with an average day lasting 13 hrs its not that i cant find the time to cook its more like im worn out and dont want to. so every monday i cook all my meals for the week. i know it sucks spending 2 hours on your day off cooking but its worth it.

 

[xmyb420x]

Cooking - crock pot. tupper-ware, one day of cooking

Eating - at your weight, you need to focus on foods dense in calories. ground beef, steak healthy fatty fruits (avocado and coconuts for example) For me, the internal clock goes off about every 2-3 hours...also im hungry all day long , so that makes it easy lol.

Training - this you just have to make part of your everyday routine. Some people watch TV, others read, jog in the park, play with model cars ...we hit the gym.
If you dont have time to train, you are probably a very overstressed individual and you may want to re-strategize your routine to prolong your longterm health

 

[paulwigan]

dont fuck about in the gym.
if you can only get in twice do upper and lower body split, or push pull split.

upper, bench, military press, dead lifts, shrugs, cleans, dips, chins
lower, squats, calf raises, stiff leg dead lifts, leg presses.

 

[Conan21]

I am very lazy with cooking...

So I look for simple foods..

Tuna
Liquid Egg Whites ( I just drink them)
Turkey Burgers (from costco)
Whey Isolate powder

Oatmeal
Fruit
Fruit Juice
Potatoes
and even nutragrain bars

Mac. Nuts


All of those foods require no or minimal preparation. Just measure out how much you need and eat. You can eat a can of tuna and drink some fruit juice in 3 minutes.

 

[meanjoebean]

You have to make it a lifestyle. Once you start with it, it becomes habit, second nature.
Also, cooking in bulk will help. At your weight, you can eat spaghetti out the wazoo. Buy a crap-load of whole grain noodles, some sauce, and lean ground beef and you can have lunch/dinner for a week in no time. Also, eat snacks that are quick but worth your while. Tuna now comes in lil pouches, cant get much easier than that. Peanut butter and nuts are good choices too. Boil a dozen eggs and make a huge egg salad. The possibilities are endless...

 

[jesse7159]

I cook all my protien (chicken, ground turkey, lean beef) on sunday afternoons and tupper ware it all, then you can just weigh it and batch it out each evening for the next day. I am fortunate enough to have a fridge at work, so I bring half of it in on monday and just keep a scale with me, the carbs and fats are you usually pretty quick and easy (grits, oats, brown rice)

lol you need to weigh all that stuff BEFORE you cook it (raw and thawed out) in order to be more accurate. youre probably eating quite a bit more protein than you think.

 

[tatteredxangelx]

Mommy does most of it But the only "cooked" food I eat is chicken and steak ... I order eggs at the diner for breakfast and eat tuna and protein shakes for protein until I get off work.

 

[fishteach78]

lol you need to weigh all that stuff BEFORE you cook it (raw and thawed out) in order to be more accurate. youre probably eating quite a bit more protein than you think.

Really?? I had assumed post cooked weight would be more accurate, once you've cooked off all the fat and strained and rinsed everything I would think that would be the time to weigh your food, knowing then that it was all protien that you were weighing.

 

[fishteach78]

lol you need to weigh all that stuff BEFORE you cook it (raw and thawed out) in order to be more accurate. youre probably eating quite a bit more protein than you think.

So after some thinking and reading, I think I understand what you are saying now. The nutrition facts given for what ever source your using is for the uncooked product so once you've cooked out the fat and then weighed you actually get more protien than intended (because the fat makes up part of the weight that gives you the x amount of protien per ounce)?

 

[phatkid77]

the truth..you find/make time!! EVERYONE has a reason they "CANT", i could come up with 5 "why i cant train or eat right"... thats why so many people are overweight.... the old saying..."nothing worth having comes easy"

phats

 

[mike1107]

forget about other things in your life bro, u are now into the dark side