I worked as a state correctional officer here in Florida for a few years before moving on to become a Probation Officer for a time. For most of that time, I worked as Food Service Officer. The state prides itself on saving money especially when it comes to its large inmate population. Here's a sample menu for the day:
Breakfast: One "gulp" of horrid tasting fruit juice, sometimes flaccid bacon, a small scoop of eggs, an orange(every fucking day an orange with every meal), a scoop of grits, and a cup of milk.
Lunch: A small sandwich, scoop of rice, scoop of old beans, an orange, bug juice...
Supper: 4 ounces of meat..a chicken thigh was considered a real treat...scoop of rice or potatoes, a fuckin' orange, mixed vegetables, a cookie or desert-alternative. On some days if you had the right "cooks", they'd season up the foods taken from various flavored Ramen noodle packages.
There were some big strong dudes out there. Many possessed what some on the street would call "ideal" physiques. They would definately stand out in a crowd of normal people. There was an exercise yard with free weights and simple machines, nothing fancy. There was a canteen(store) that you could purchase things like sardines and beef jerky(the only items that had any sort of protein/nutritional content), but you were limited by how much of it you could get. So how did a lot of these fellas build their physiques in such a way when they did not or have limited access to proper bodybuilding diets and drugs?
The prison was in the middle of nowhere. I would live there for 3-5 days of the week at a time in a BAQ. Nearest town was 20 minutes away, and there wasn't shit in it. However, there was a nice gym nearby the BAQs for the officers that no one but apparently me really used. I'd get the key from Central, bring my Boombox(yes a boombox), and lift. I did the proper diet...protein equal to bodyweight, 3 cardio sessions per week, 5 balanced meals per day. I lifted mostly for strength and fitness, and for vanity too. I was decently sized and in great shape(never knew when you might get your head kicked in). However, I did not have the size or strength of a lot of the bigger inmates who obviously got on by on a lot less, especially when it came to mealtime.
Genetics are a bitch I guess. Some have 'em, others don't. I'm just wondering if the nutrition formula is wrong outside of professional bodybuilding. I've always been meaning to go on a "prison diet" (with higher quality ingredients intended for non-inmate consumption, of course) with much less protein intake and lesser meals but still lift the same. Ah, well. Thanks for letting me ramble on.
