Diet anyone?

Discussion in 'Driver Health' started by PortlandDriver, Jul 9, 2006.

  1. PortlandDriver

    PortlandDriver RIP, May You Be Heaventown Bound!

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    Alright, who is interested is losing some weight?

    Not from the tandoms but from around the waist. I have recently put myself on a diet and wonder if anybody here is doing the same...It got to the point were I couldnt see my feet anymore and want to see my toes without putting my feet on a stool...
     
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  3. TruckerLlew

    TruckerLlew Medium Load Member

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    I am following a good diet while I am home. Type 2 diabetes got me off the road. Gotta be very careful when gaining the weight. It doesn't take much for T2 to set in.

    In my explorations of diet and how food works on the body, I have noticed that there is no real easy way for a driver to follow a real good diet on the road. This is due to restauraunts using cheap mass produced foods instead of fresh made unmodified ingredients. About the only healthy thing you can get in a truckstop resauraunt is a salad. Literally! Everything else they have comes out of a can. That means it's been processed, chemicals and salts added, sugar added and who knows what else. This stuff, while it may taste good, is very bad for you. Especially the sugars and enhanced carbs.

    there is very little processed food that has no sugar in it or is low in carbohydrates. Some carbs can be just as bad as sugars as once digested, Heavy carbs act as sugar and push the sugar level up the blood. I test my sugar and to eat 2 slices of white bread pumps my sugar level way up too high. Bread is high in bad carbs and high in sugars.

    If you want to eat healthy bread for sandwiches, go to Walmart or whatever store you like, and find the bread section. Look for the whole breads. Stay away from the white. Look at the ingredients on the bread. The first ingredient will always be some sort of flour. If it says Enriched or Enhanced Flour, then its very bad for you. Enhanced or enriched flour means it has been processed to the point that the flour has sooo many carbs in it, it's like eating pure sugar, even though there may be no sugar listed in the ingredients. Look for Stone Ground flours or wheats as the first ingredient. NON enhanced and NON enriched. Thats one of the first steps in eating healthy. Cut down on the breads. Very important.

    Eat FRESH REAL vegetables. Don't buy canned veggies. Canned veggies have been cooked and have added salts and preservatives. In the cooking process, any vitamins have literally been cooked out of the vegetable. This goes for veggies you will find on a salad bar. CHick Peas, green peas, green beans, etc. They may taste good but they have little nutritional value after the canning process.

    Fresh lettuce is good. Any veggie that is fresh is good. If you use a salad dressing, put it on the side or in a small soup bowl. DONT slather it on! That was one of the things that done me in. Eating a salad was good for me but the creamy dressings are very high in sugar and carbs. Try the vinagrette or light oil based salads. Stay away from the heavy thick dressings. Or at least, use a very small amount for dipping.

    If you eat in the truckstop, don't bodyslam the buffet. Buy a single meal. If it's possible, get any topping, such as gravy or sauces, on the side. That way you can control how much of it you eat. Sauces are good as is most foods but if too much is eaten, it's bad for you. When the meal comes out and you can't see the main course due to the sauces on top, then thats a bad thing.

    Potatoes? NO!...lol Well maybe a small scoop of mashed potatoes. Potatoes are high in starch and carbohydrates. They act just like sugar. I good substitute for white pottoes are Yams or Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are sweet but not very high in sugars or carbs. DOnt pig out on them however. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.

    Don't be afraid to NOT clean your plate as well. This was one of my other problems. Even after I felt full, I'd finish up EVERYTHING on the plate. I always felt a bit concerned about leaving anything behind. After all, I paid for it, why should I not finish it? It takes a bit of getting used to to do that if money is an important thing. Getting the best bang for your buck can kill you! Or at least cost you your job due to health problems.

    Desserts are OK if your not diabetic. Fresh fruit is always the best. Once again, not the canned fruits in heavy syrup. there is nothing but processed sugars and a minimum of fruit juice in the syrups. Cakes and pies are OK as well. In moderation. Too much of any cakes and pies are bad for you. once again, because of sugars. Fresh fruit is good if you are diabetic. Just not too much. Once again, moderation is the key

    I am rambling on a bit here. I guess the basics of what I am trying to say is, Watch what you eat. Stay away from Enriched breads. Use moderation in deciding how much to eat. Stay away from canned foods if you can. Eat fresh veggies. Dont be afraid to walk away from a half eaten meal if you are full.

    Eating a good healthy meal in a truckstop or reastauraunt is possible. Just a bit more difficult. It can be done if you THINK about what you are doing and eating. Dont go into the restauraunt on autopilot. Keep your wits about you and eat what you want. Just make sure you know WHAT you're eating before you eat it.

    Look around on the web for diabteic diets. Even if you are not diabetic, that type of diet will still be healthy for you. The food is good and you will lose wieght and get healthy. Even if you don't follow the diet, You will still be exposed to good knowledge on how to eat healthy. No diet is set in stone. DONT be afraid to modify any diet you want to try. Just keep in mind that you cant substitute sugars for vegetables and things like that.Ya gotta find whats good for you and make sure it's something you WANT to do and dont feel like your FORCED to do it.
     
  4. PortlandDriver

    PortlandDriver RIP, May You Be Heaventown Bound!

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    You made a good post TruckerLlew and brought up quite a few points, the big reason I put the weight on to begin with had been driving. I put on 30 pounds right away and it has been creeping up over the past 15 years.

    As far as diabetes go I have been fortunate but tend to be hypoglocymic, which in my opinion is the lessor of the two evils but you don't want either one if you can help it. This tends to make me want to feed my face instead of watching what I eat...

    This is the bigest item you need to watch out for. The best thing to do is to buy the veggies fresh or frozen and stay away from the canned stuff. Other then that I cannot add any more then what had been posted.

    Another by product of a salad is that the lettuce along with cucombers is that they are high in water content which is good in keeping a person hydraded. Also when putting together a salad at a salad bar go with the fresh vegies...

    On a personal note my bigest problem had been going a long time in not eating and basicaly sitting down and eating three meals at one time, which is not good because the body has started to go into "famine" mode and is conserving so when I would scarf down the meal the calories would go to my waist and not do me any good..
     
  5. DONNALOU

    DONNALOU Light Load Member

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    Good information from the both of you.I'm not diabetic,but was on the verge of being.As well as had high blood pressure.I started eating the atkins diet and lost 40lbs.Close to eating like a diabetic.No more sugar problems or blood pressure problems.

    I'd like to add Iceburg lettuce really has no nutritional value.Use the other lettuces.

    When using cooking oils ...Olive(cold pressed),canola Are best.
    If you must use butter or margerine.There are some good alternatives now(can't think of the names).But butter as bad as it is ,is better than regular margerine.
     
  6. Cybergal

    Cybergal Road Train Member

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    Can you use sugar substitutes in DIETS also?

    Like NutraSweet or any of the other one's?
     
  7. TruckerLlew

    TruckerLlew Medium Load Member

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    I believe so. ALthough I'd explore it a little further. I have always been a bit cautious about sweeteners. I see a lot of "sugar free" products that use "sugar alcohol" as the sweetener. I am not sure if this is a suitable substitute.

    I amc hecking on a new natural sweetener that has no sugar content called Stevia. It's a plant that grows in South America and is supposed to be 300x sweeter the sugar but doesnt raise blood glucose levels. I am not sure if Splenda or any of the manmade subs are as good.

    I have a book of diabetic desserts that call for it. When I get some, I will make a few of the desserts and check them out for taste and glucose in the blood.
     
  8. PortlandDriver

    PortlandDriver RIP, May You Be Heaventown Bound!

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    I don't like sweetners myself, it's not the same thing as the original. It's not what you use but how much...
     
  9. Cybergal

    Cybergal Road Train Member

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    Portland....Are you counting CALORIES or just cutting down?

    Counting calories can be a task in itself!:smt012
     
  10. PortlandDriver

    PortlandDriver RIP, May You Be Heaventown Bound!

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    What I am doing is watching how much I eat..What I did was joined LA weight loss and they gave a list of does and how big the portions per serving.. Also I am eating more meals instead one big one...
     
  11. Cybergal

    Cybergal Road Train Member

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    I find to keep a balanced weight it's good to eat 6 smaller meals a day too.

    Of course not everyone can do this with their work schedules and all.

    The LA Weight Loss Centers have a good reputation for helping people reach their goal.

    Richard Simmons used to be real popular in this neck of the woods but, he has been replaced with NUTRISYSTEM which I was able to taste some of their food and it ain't bad at all.
     
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