I am currently on a "gap year" and with all my free time I have built a passion for improving my body!

I train 6 times a week and have a great meal plan

I'm seeing large results and very happy with my progress. This is the first year i am able to fully devote myself to gym.

HOWEVER! Next year I'm moving across the country to study and I'll be on a budget for food!

I really don't want to stop eating as much and lose muscle! Also, I might not even have time to eat 6 meals a day between classes and studying. I'll be able to get to a gym but I'm worried I wont be able to afford or have time for a clean diet that fits my macros as well.

Is there anything I can do that will give me my needed calories? A friend of mine suggested a mass builder with tons of calories, is this a possible option? I know mass builders tend to add some fat but I'm sure a good cardio aspect in my schedule can help prevent that?

I've been at the best form i've ever been in and really don't want to lose that all because I wont be eating as much!

Any help will be truely appreciated!

Thanks nation!

Jason

South Africa

Jason,

I wouldn't worry about this. Appetite is directly related to training frequency. If you will not be training as hard or as frequent as you are now when you are back in school, you won't need to eat as much to maintain what you have. If you read about the principles of Intermittent Fasting (IF), IF allows you to gain muscle while losing fat (if done properly). The principle of IF that would apply here is the concept of a feeding window. With IF, you still eat the same macros and calorie amounts it is just you do this in a set "feeding window" versus several small meals throughtout the day. A calorie is a calorie and it is processed the same regardless of when you eat it or how you eat it. My point is that you don't need to eat 6 meals a day to maintain and support your training. If you get all your macros and calories in 2 big meals, that is fine. Your body adapts and learns when to expect food and to use what it gets more efficiently. Hunger pangs are more mental than physical. They are the result of training your body to expect food at certain times. True hunger is only felt when your body has exhausted all its resources and needs re-fueling.

You still need to eat CLEAN, though. Most Mass builders are pumped full of sugar and fats to get the calories up. Avoid them at all costs. Feeding windows don't mean you can eat whatever you want. The rules of proper nutrition and macros still apply. If it is a choice between eating a shitty meal nutrient-wise versus skipping a meal, it is better to skip the meal and make up the macro deficit with a "cleaner" meal later that day or the next day. You will not lose muscle mass or have your metabolism slow down until you have not eaten for at least 86 hours. After that, your body starts to digest muscle and your metabolism slows down as you go into survival mode. I doubt you will ever hit that limit :-)

John

@jasonhaji I got around this by precooking tuna pasta bake and things like that and often ate it during "Self Study Periods" or on the way to lectures. Its a lot cheaper than eating on campus and it also means you can chow down when you feel you need to.

As for budgets beans, eggs, chicken, peanut butter and canned tuna i found were the cheapest ways of getting protien. Pasta, oats and wholegrains for my carbs. Hope this helps.

Bleddyn