Nutrition in BMT
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Friday 13 june. I totally forgot my napfa back then in poly. Crap, PTP but I personally don't mind.
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tekong food is ok la but i prefer cookhouse 2 than 1 coz the place is bigger. but the food normally rotate and rotate so that means u will see the same food again 2 wks again. western food there is a big morale booster for me and i like their spagetti and cordial drinks. i think during the last 2wks b4 u pop, the food seems nicer lol
but units in different camp provides much much better food in tekong
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Originally posted by baikachuchu:
I was from a PTP batch and I lost 5kg while I was there but ONLY when I was there,lol
After POP,I gained it all back till I ord.It is true that most people will lose weight while they are there,even the fittest batch will loose some too.But the reason is not only running,it is the style of life there on the whole.Waking up at 5AM daily,5BX daily,regular PT regime,all contribute to a person's weight lost.Only those who MC all the way or OOC won't be affected.
SAF physical training emphasis on endurance not power...so average soldier you see is lean and not the "BUFF" GI Joe kind.They emphasis on "more reps" in gym rather than duration of the rep.That was what my PTI told me that time....now don't know if still the same
Those soldiers you see like got bulging muscles one are those that do power training in outside gyms in their own free time.
basically during training phase, you have less chances of putting on weight because you are expanding a lot of energy. once the training phase ends, people will usually nua thus putting on weight.
i think your PTI smoking you only. theres no way to get beefed up during BMT, especially with that kind of gym lessons in bmt (i'm assuming you experienced the old syllabus). secondly, everyone's body composition and genes are different, hardly you can pump someone up who is the skinny type. SAF PT just emphasis generally on physical and combat fitness. thats all.
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sorry, i don't even eat cookhouse food. everyday my squadron will send someone to buy lunch, and its free for me.
when there's a promotion or sth, dun be surprised to see suckling pig!
and yes i hate tekong food, especially the breakfast, knn almost everyday 4 pieces of bread with scrambled eggs and sausage...
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Originally posted by Mr.Shadows:
I personally consider mindless training in bmt even though I haven't entered yet. From what I heard about the training and especially nutrition. Anyway, I'm in no position to talk because I haven't gone through yet. Well, that's solely my point of view.
When we wake up in the morning, our body is in its catabloic state (muscle wasting). Instead of eating something, anything, we go and run. And the best thing I heard from friends in NS, they spam us with rice and more rice, little protein from meat and such. Energy but no protein, and when we do training, where do our body get protein from? Our muscles.
The result: Skinny NSF, a mockery for US soilders.
Originally posted by Mr.Shadows:Ha, do SAF even have a nutrition department in the first place? Even if they do, then what the hell are they doing? If they want us to perform, they jolly well provide us with performing food, not rice and more rice and drinking loads of water before running. HA! But all the whine aside, let's us pre enlistees and regulars face it, think they themselves know nutrition is expensive.
Let's hope my in charge is good/smart enough to bring some in.
firstly, the purpose of 5bx in the morning is to 'wake' the trainees up. nothing more, nothing less. anything extra, is not part of the lesson plan.
secondly, if you have done some nutrition readups, generally a human being doesn't need more than 200g of protein a day. excessive protein will just be filtered out by the kidney into your urine.
thirdly, hardly ever the muscle is being 'eaten' up for energy expenditure purpose. it bascially only happens in famine countries like Africa where you see thin people with bulging stomachs.
SAF don't really have a nutrition department and leaves the planning of the meals to the caterers. next is they don't spam you with rice. just that in army, especially during training phase, trainees tend to eat more, hence the staff of the caterers i think will tend to give more. they have absolutely no instructions from SAF to dump more rice or whatsoever.
nutrition is not expensive. you just have to read up more.
finally, SAF is training capable soliders. not bodybuilders.
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I eat whatever my chef cooks, it's almost always great stuff.
Except for that unforgettable day when I got chao dar porridge.
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hi alwaysdisturbed, yes I do agree what you said 200g of protein a day is in fact way over the top unless we want to keep farting lol. Rule of thumb: 1g of protein per pound, although that's not always the case. People tend to eat less, sometimes more. normal people usually need around 70 to 80g per day but for people who enagage in serious activities, obviously intake have to be increased.
Erm the fact that relating muscle wasting to people in africa is alittle over because the thin people over there are having serious malnutrition which in this context, cannot be compared hand in hand with. Besides, their body/system have acustomed to the serious lack of vitamins and nutrients, to explain further, their body have reached to the "peak" of adaptation. Humans adapt fast to survive.
Regarding nutrition being not expensive, let me list out a day of intake as a sports guy who takes care of what he is comsuming and goes for bang for buck. Assume that day is a gym day. Just an example.
8am: Cereal with milk, peanut butter sandwich.
11am: Pre workout meal: 1 scoop protein or a protein bar
12pm to 1.30 or so: Gym
1.35pm: Post workout meal: 1 scoop protein with lunch: econominal rice
4.30pm: yogurt with almond nuts or alternatively 1 serving of fruits
7pm: Dinner: Grilled chicken breast with a serving of veggies/broccoli + a serving of mashed potatos or rice.
10+pm before sleep: MilkLet us calculate: 1 serving of cereal with milk, peanut butter sandwich $2.50 to $3
2 scoops of protein: $2
Lunch: $2.70 (1 meat 2 veggies)
Yogurt with nuts or fruits: $2
Dinner: $3 to $4
Milk: 1 serving: $0.81 day: Around $13 bucks, well that is if you don't eat at food court, buy milk in twin packs etc.
1 month = $390, that is exluding cheat days, sudden craves for gelato.
I would say it's reasonable.Well, it's not a rebuttal, rather, a friendly discussion.
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Originally posted by Cdo & Pilot:
wah lau...no time for bath! i will not mind missing shower if the gym is air-conditioned though but i doubt it is rite? i hope they will be more gym sessions. s'pore army very weird de...always train endurance instead of strength and size...no wonder our army personnels are veri much smaller in size compared to others.
if you're really going where you said you're going, be prepared to shower and do your admin(call home etc..) within 15mins. and that time is whole company's timing. Sharing showers and forget about closing doors. :)
and the gym? yeap it's air-con, but I doubt you'll get to go there much on your own that is... :D
seriously, the food in saf is alright la (can't imagine the old soldiers cooking for each other.. ) so don't complain that much, eat what you get. Night Snacks are great.
another reason why they don't allow you to bring your own food is because if someone get food poisoning and they find food in your bunks, the cookhouse can deny their responsibility..
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hi alwaysdisturbed, yes I do agree what you said 200g of protein a day is in fact way over the top unless we want to keep farting lol. Rule of thumb: 1g of protein per pound, although that's not always the case. People tend to eat less, sometimes more. normal people usually need around 70 to 80g per day but for people who enagage in serious activities, obviously intake have to be increased.
hence, a piece of fish in a meal is more than sufficient and protein supplements are not necessary, imho.
Erm the fact that relating muscle wasting to people in africa is alittle over because the thin people over there are having serious malnutrition which in this context, cannot be compared hand in hand with. Besides, their body/system have acustomed to the serious lack of vitamins and nutrients, to explain further, their body have reached to the "peak" of adaptation. Humans adapt fast to survive.
thats why i'm just trying to say it is hard for muscles being 'eaten up' to happen in a place like sg. secondly i do not think their body have acustomed to the serious lack of vitamins and nutrients nor humans adapt fast to survive, otherwise their death rates won't be so high and evolution will not take hundreds of thousand of years and generations to evolve. but i believe humans are constantly adapting.
Regarding nutrition being not expensive, let me list out a day of intake as a sports guy who takes care of what he is comsuming and goes for bang for buck. Assume that day is a gym day. Just an example.
8am: Cereal with milk, peanut butter sandwich.
11am: Pre workout meal: 1 scoop protein or a protein bar
12pm to 1.30 or so: Gym
1.35pm: Post workout meal: 1 scoop protein with lunch: econominal rice
4.30pm: yogurt with almond nuts or alternatively 1 serving of fruits
7pm: Dinner: Grilled chicken breast with a serving of veggies/broccoli + a serving of mashed potatos or rice.
10+pm before sleep: MilkLet us calculate: 1 serving of cereal with milk, peanut butter sandwich $2.50 to $3
2 scoops of protein: $2
Lunch: $2.70 (1 meat 2 veggies)
Yogurt with nuts or fruits: $2
Dinner: $3 to $4
Milk: 1 serving: $0.81 day: Around $13 bucks, well that is if you don't eat at food court, buy milk in twin packs etc.
1 month = $390, that is exluding cheat days, sudden craves for gelato.
I would say it's reasonable.cool. i can see where you are coming from. to let you know, i was just stating for the general population which i believe dont really follow that kind of diet. even if they all really do, i doubt you'll get that kind of diet during wartime. this point just led me to another while i'm typing this. lets say SAF really provides you with the diet you want during peacetime and you train to your very best but during wartime you get only combat rations, biologically speaking, you won't be able to operate at your best. so whats the point? perhaps thats why SAF provides enough to keep a solider nutritionally sufficient.
regarding the prices, i believe its coming from an individual consumer. i believe it will be much cheaper when purchasing in bulk and SAF will face no problem financially.
Well, it's not a rebuttal, rather, a friendly discussion.
certainly agree without hesitation.
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the last time i posted a topic with similiar meaning as yrs n i got flamed
http://sgforums.com/forums/1390/topics/256487
i guess how nutritious meals are in camp depends on which camp u go to. Unfortunately my camp food is horribly unhealthy especially breakfast. Lets see fried noodle/baos/buns/thawed pratas soaked in curry/glutinous rice etc. Lunch n dinner aint better when most of time food are fried, even stired fired/grilled stuff are soaked in oil. Meat quantity served is ridiculous and most of time its not meat its fats
I am not a fussy eater regarding how tasty food is but i am concern about food served in SAF.
For myself, i bring milk, protein shakes, wholemeal bread, tuna in water, wheat bars to camp. I replace my lunch n dinner with wad i bring if necessary. In fact i think i am developing lactose intolerance after consuming so much milk.
I think for Tekong u can bring food in but not for 1st few weeks. When u go to yr unit, they wont care much.
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Originally posted by Cdo & Pilot:
exactly mr shadows! i basically feel that local army personnels are consider well-trained in the international stage but seriously we just lack the size to give ourselves the intimidating and commanding presence. i guess you have to eat double or triple the portion to prevent muscle wastage lor...always run and no gym work is not a solution to produce highly-trained soldiers, i believe there must be a balance between the two.
size, intimidating and commanding presence does not equal to victories. though it may assist. but....
the amount of time during training, its not possible to build every trainee up to the bulk size. theres too much to cover. body composition differs and our skinny built is partly contributed by our geographical location and climate.
speaking of highly trained soldiers, SAF tries to cover everything, with people complaining about the waste of time in NS, SAF can't have the best of every world. therefore working with limited options, there is the IPPT to ensure our physical capabilities is matched with other forces around the world, the SOC ensures our combat capabilities according to our combat requirements. why follow others when you only need this much to operate? why not use skills and info instead of strength to fight? we are entering, or rather already entered into the 3rd generation force where the focus is on tactics and sharing of information.
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the food is nutritious, but whether it's edible is another question altogether.
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Oh yes alwaysdisturbed, you remind me about something. "Soliders don't drink protein shake when they go to war." I get what you mean now. Survive and plan. Rations are called rations for a purpose.
Meanwhile I'll appreciate what I have now.
Regarding the intimidating and commanding presence issues, it's subjective. Asians tend to have a smaller build over the westerners. Loads of factors like high testosterone levels, optimium nutrient absorption, genetics etc. So anyone here having build like john cena or random men's health coverguy, smile.
Sidetrack about testosterone levels, it's best that we asians get it checked. Because levels drop as we age, together with sex drive and general health.
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i dun think sfi food is healthy, very oily and always give fried stuff. and their veggies always cook until soft soft, all the nutrients gone le.
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tekong food is not nearly as bad as most people would say. definitely not as good as standard hawker fare but tasty enough to be enjoyed after a day of hard training. completely edible. better than the food you get in most units.
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Originally posted by alwaysdisturbed:
SAF don't really have a nutrition department and leaves the planning of the meals to the caterers.
Might sound unbelievable but SAF DOES have a department that handles soldiers nutrition needs. There are guidelines to the type of food the canteen can serve and nutrition needs are calculated base on a weekly or something basis so not daily. However these are guidelines and how well they are being followed is up to SFI and NTUC cooks as the nutritionist can't be at every camp everyday to check on the food but they do do some inspection occasionally according to them.
I just had a talk from them 2 weeks ago so i would say the information is updated but i don't remember whether it was from DSO or DSTA since that is not part of the things i needed to study for the exam :p
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Originally posted by aiglosicicle:
tekong food is not nearly as bad as most people would say. definitely not as good as standard hawker fare but tasty enough to be enjoyed after a day of hard training. completely edible. better than the food you get in most units.
its enjoyable only because you're hungry and there're no options.
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Originally posted by stellazio:
its enjoyable only because you're hungry and there're no options.
If you find tekong food bad, u really should try the food in many other camps. Airforce food is much more decent than most of the army camps and those worse than tekong are defintely high in numbers.
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Can bring in dry food... cup noodles and biscuits... if you want beavages... best in powder form... so you can mix and drink...
But the strict rule is no pork in Tekong unless you want to get into real trouble with your officers and of course... those figures in white...
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Originally posted by dkcx:
If you find tekong food bad, u really should try the food in many other camps. Airforce food is much more decent than most of the army camps and those worse than tekong are defintely high in numbers.
Airforce camp food good meh? CAB everyday the meat dish is nothing but chicken...
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Originally posted by dkcx:
Might sound unbelievable but SAF DOES have a department that handles soldiers nutrition needs. There are guidelines to the type of food the canteen can serve and nutrition needs are calculated base on a weekly or something basis so not daily. However these are guidelines and how well they are being followed is up to SFI and NTUC cooks as the nutritionist can't be at every camp everyday to check on the food but they do do some inspection occasionally according to them.
I just had a talk from them 2 weeks ago so i would say the information is updated but i don't remember whether it was from DSO or DSTA since that is not part of the things i needed to study for the exam :p
thats why i said 'don't really have' and did not use the words 'don't have'.
basically they are the ones who will keep what the caterers provide in check. from what i know during my time there, its just a small dept.
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Originally posted by tarutaru:
Airforce camp food good meh? CAB everyday the meat dish is nothing but chicken...
Considering that they can't serve pork, not everyone takes mutton and beef, what else do you want them to serve? Deer? Ostrich?
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Originally posted by baikachuchu:
Don't be fooled by the lunch/dinner they provide to you and your parents on your enlistment day...
They will definitely give you something nice like taiwan sausage and all that but once that day is gone,the recycled cookhouse menu will kick back in.Only exceptions are on public holidays and cookhouse inspection days.On those days,they tend to give something nicer like satay or even lor mee!
Yes,the food on tekong is not that bad as most rumors would have it,infact,it is much better than some of the cookhouses back on mainland!
General view is that all EAST SIDE camp cookhouse is better than WEST SIDE because east side is under NTUC Foodfare,west side is SFI.
haha. on the contary, i prefer SFI to ntuc foodfare. the camp im in provides good quality food and svc , ive got nth to complain about and its under SFI, while tekong's cookhouse food provided by ntuc foodfare was just plain horrible in comparison
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Certainly, when I was in, I wasn't given enough nutrition. All that training and so little gains.
Inexcusable. Anyone knows how many calories are provided by BMT?
It cannot be much more than 2000+ calories a day. That is certainly not enough for someone in BMT. In terms of protein, I am not sure but again, I have my doubts.
Ha! Found!
[quote]MAJ Teo describes a ration scale, which follows Headquarters Medical Corps' guidelines, that determines a soldier's daily nutritional requirements. "We adopt an activity-based ration scale. That is, if there is rigorous strenuous activity on a soldier's programme, we will recommend two night snacks for him. Then, soldiers will get 3,500 kilo-calories (kcal). Otherwise, they will receive one or no night snack, and will be provided with minimally 2,500 kcal of food a day; a figure we call the baseline calorie intake level," she says.[/quote]
http://www.mindef.gov.sg/cyberpioneer/backissues_jun03_2.htm
My guess wasn't far off. In short, we are not given enough nutrition in BMT since there usually isn't night snack unless there is night training. 2500 calories is definitely not enough to deal with the rigours of BMT. I think they made a fundamental mistake here. A base line should be set if only to ensure minimal standards. However, what they need to do is allow soldiers to take as much as they want and be given enough time to consume what they have taken - this will cater for differing energy requirements.
Look at it this way, in the UK, the Recommended Daily Allowance for the average adult male is 2500 calories a day. That is for the average civillian, not a soldier. Even taking into account size and climate differences, it seems clear to anyone that 2500 calories is insufficient for a soldier going through BMT. This is expecially so if one takes into account quality control issues. The British Army provides 3300 calories to its soldiers in units. That will almost certainly be more during their BMT (albeir their BMT is more arduous).
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i know this question is off topic but since there are so many forumers here who have ORD or stil currently serving their NS, i wana know if i'm planning to take my napfa soon but have oredi receive my enlistment letter, can i request a change of enlistment date if i pass my napfa?