just want to say thanks to everyone who has contributed here, this thread is great. and thanks lil daddy, you should write a book! i have got a lot of good info here and plan on eating better, especially out on the road

Wow! It looks like some of you are doing great with healthy eating on the road. lil Daddy your posts have been great. Lots of good information. My wife is a dietitian so I know about healthy eating. I saw a talk recently where a dietitian gave a cooking demo to a group of truckers. Had recipes for crock pot healthy meals along with a list of healthy road foods.
She even prepared a meal for the group. If anyone is interested, I can post the information.

Yes, please post some crock pot meals! I have the right foods, but I need to learn how to cook them. Any ideas for healthy sauces? I have been using lemon juice, so far, but some variety would be nice. Thanks!

Have you read about aspartame? Its a good ant killer and a neurotoxin. This is the sweetener used in a lot of diet drinks/foods. Splenda does a swell job of killing your neurons, too. If you would like to find out more about aspartame go to [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link. There are plenty of articles about this chemical.

I agree with lildaddy about the sugar problem most Americans have, the worst being HFC as it is most likely to be derived from GM (genetically modified) corn and most corn is a GMO (thank you Monsanto). HFC is in more products than you would think, even ones you don't think have sugar in them. Also, look for other names for sugar such as, maltodextrin, sucrose, and dextrose. Many products have taken to using these other names to disguise the fact that sugar is in their product. Not only that you might find a few sugars-by-other-names in the ingredients list further confusing the consumer as to how much sugar is in the product.

This is just a thought as I do not know nearly enough about it but maybe yoga could help you out until you get stronger. Also, I would stay away from products; they are most likely what got you your surgery. I would go for natural, mother nature type foods. NOT something in a box or can or carton. It started out as a food but some manufacturer made that product nutritionally deficient. Ideally, you might want to consider visiting farmer's markets. You will find numerous stands selling fruits and veggies that are in season as well as people selling meats, breads, cheeses, etc. In other words, you will be helping to support your (or any) local community and their efforts to offer you good, nutritious foods and, at the same time, you will be encouraging your body to heal itself which it will do given the right foods.

You're absolutely right on about soda. It's bad, both regular and diet. Green tea is good if you're talking about a tea bag in hot water, not if you're talking about the sugar filled stuff on most shelves. Personally, I drink green tea at home but on the road I average 1 or 2 cups of coffee (black) a day. I like to mix my coffee, one cup regular with 1 cup decaf. If I do I feel great. If I drink regular caffeinated coffee I'm using the rest room every hour. For some reason half strength doesn't cause any diuretic effect at all on me. If I drank as much water as you do, I'd be stopping to pee way too often. I do think you are right about drinking water, just not so much as you are recommending. I have a water bottle in my truck and sip on it throughout the day. Water is definitely the preferred method of hydration.

I haven't read all 15 pages of this board yet so I don't know was been covered yet. I'll just throw out what I gotta say on the subject of eating.

The way I see it fast food is not good for you and it looks like truck stops are to pricey to eat at regularly.

The way I've read it and experienced it is gluetins are bad for ya especially after 40 yrs old. Stay away from all gluetins, bread, wheat flour, barley, oats, yes all cereal's. Beer and whiskey's also. If you want to drink Rum, wine, anything not made from grains. Stay away from potatoes, chips of any kind. If your going to eat snack food eat beef jerky and pork rinds. These many not be good for you in other ways but they work as snack foods when it comes to dropping the weight. Rasins and other dry fruit also work very well as snacks.

I don't think I'd eat at a fast food place. McD's has a salad in a box this may be ok.

I just picked up a menu from the T/A. There are few meals that will do. Here's one, Grilled Chicken Salad but it costs $8.39 and the chef salad $8.99 both of which could be made for about a $1 or $2 at home. The steak, chicken or catfish dinners would work also but they are all $10.00 to $11.99. With tax a tip this may come to $15.00. So were talk'n $25.00 a day to eat properly.

Is there a way to eat good out of the truck. I face going out with a trainer for months. I don't know it will go on the truck with somebody else running the show. I don't look forward to spending $25.00 a day to eat. We're talk'n $750.00 a mo. in food on the road.

Got any ideas?

hey little daddy, i really appreciate all the advice you're putting out there for our fellow drivers. I see the same thing too, the guys who park as close as possible or in the fuel isles so they don't have to walk far, stocking up on sodas and buffet plates. And I'm sorry to admit, I did the same thing when I first started driving too, and the 30 pounds I gained in 5 months really opened my eyes. I have been out of driving for a couple months now, and getting back in a truck tomorrow, and I'm gonna do it right this time around, make time for myself each day. But since you are a personal trainer/driver, you are in tune to what we need, whereas a gym trainer might not. So let me try and wrangle some advice out of you if I may. I am 6'2", 239 pounds, and I would like to drop 40-50 pounds in time for summer, at the same time building up my chest and back. I have 25 pound DB's, but that's about it. What other weights and exercises can you suggest for me? I know I need daily cardio to drop fat, but other than that, I'm at the moment clueless as to what I need to do.

Nice info on where you were, and now where you wanna be. I'm starting out in trucking, so a concern I have was exercising, staying healthy. It comes down to motivation. If you're used to working out, eating right, doing the right things to stay healthy, then you find ways to make it work. I plan on bringing my own food/meals, and when necessary, I will choose smartly foods while on the road. If you have any questions about anything regarding working out, eating, etc, hit me up. I have a tad bit of experience on my side.....