Driver Fitness: Getting Fat is a Choice

I stayed under 200 and fairly decent shape until 42, then all hell broke loose!

Don't speak too soon.

It's a proven fact stress and fatigue wears on you. They even identify it on the FMCSA medical board webpages. Look at the majority of all drivers are overweight. Especially in the 40+ crowd. They ain't all coincidently lazy.

 

Anybody heard the ads on the radio for a prescription for "shift work disorder"? People have an excuse for everything these days and there's a pill for it. You choose to be fat cause your lazy, uneducated, weak minded and now fatties want everybody to feel sorry for them. Shut up and walk...and it ain't hereditary or a disease.

 

It itself is not..but it an be caused by other things that are..example..not all diabetics are diabetics because of weight..The body can't process its energy etc..throws the metabolism out of wack..your body starts banking energy in the form of body fat..

Thyroid issues..thyroid cancer..the list can go on and on..

I'm a skinny fugger even after putting on 15 lbs but I don't believe in the stereotype that people are fat simply because they don't exercise and eat too much

My sister and mom both have thyroid problems it doesn't produce enough of the hormone that controls the body's metabolism...My mom's weight fluctuates as much as 60 lbs..she is a cna..is always walking at work..has one of those chuck norris work out things at home and uses it daily..she'll go from a size ten to size 16 waste almost in regular cycles..she also has grave's disease as a result of it..

Others its purely mental issues...abuse, low self esteem etc etc..they turn to food for solace instead of seeking counselling..

Obesity is a serious threat to the our physical health but there can be physical, underlying causes..

My mom didn't find out until well into her 50's that she even had a thyroid problem..the weight fluctuations had been going on for as long as I can remember...Her drs had simply just never tested for it..ut because of it I'm checked every year..for a long time I thought I had a over active thyroid and sometimes other people think I still do..Normal range..LOL

petey

 

I understand there are other issues that can cause obesity and my apologies for generalizing...BUT for the most part the thyroid, abuse, low-self esteem are not the cause of obesity in America. Ever see these families and the young children are fat? Is anyone accountable for their actions anymore or is it always because of something or somebody else?

 

Thyroid issues are hereditary driver..so if mom or dad has it..there's a good chance the kids will too..and early on in life.

Don't judge..educate yourself and take the steps you need to take to keep healthy. We can all change the world one person at a time..but we have to make the personal choice to start with ourselves.

In the 80's all milk was good for you, eggs were bad..but nobody said crap about bacon cuz Red meat was good..

Now only some red meat is good, egg whites are ok, ad whole milk is "too fatty"..For our parents it was totally different as they grew up My mom and dad grew up that there were 4 food groups and cook it how you want as long as you eat enough of each..

Their parents just ate whatever they could during the great depression and on..never letting anything go to waste..our society is a product of our parent's society and so on...breaking that cycle is hard...real hard..what we are taught growing up is so ingrained in our heads..and the taste of food is directly hardwired to the pleasure centers of our brain..

China tells their people unprotected sex is forbidden..but its what feels the best..

Thats the beauty of our country..If I decide it feels good and #### the consequences its on me..If I decide to eat myself to death and #### the consequences..its on me..I'm shortening my life because of it..but i accept that..same with smokers, etc..that pleasure center of the brain has a lot more pull than any doctor, therapist, insurance company or friend..

over eating can be just as much an addiction as cocaine or nicotine..especially if a persons life is such that the taste of food is the best pleasure they get in a day...and its a direct emotional response.

do I laugh at overweight people..someties..and I'm not proud of it? Do I take pity on them? Yes..because its the emotional reinforcement their brain gives em..that good feeling..that keeps them doing it...just like cocaine, nicotine or booze.

How often growing up as a youn chid (before age 5) did your mom say "eat up or you won't grow big and strong..." Or when we didn't clean our plates..."There are kids starving in africa rght now..you eat or you won't leave the table..." How often did your grandparents give you candy?..further emotional reinforcement to that good feeling..

Will we see a change in the future? yes..we are already seeing it..shows like the biggest loser that give positive feedback in direct relation to getting food addiction under control..that feeling of aceptance and support that drug addicts and alcoholics get in AA, NA, and therapy, a huge push on changing school lunch programs to a healthier menu..those things will carry over to our kids learned response and lifestyle..then to their kids. My kids generation will also have to fight with it..their kids will have beaten it for the most part beause peoples mindsets ARE changing about it..

Changing a way of life and seeing the results are not immediate. That overweight driver you see might be working hard to stay on a strict diet and exercise to lose that extra weight..but it is hard to do when everywhere us drivers go there's mcdonalds and chicken fried steak with white gravy and mashed, french fries and ice cream..The old comfort foods we remember from Grandma's house growing up and with fun times with mom and dad at mcd's or even with our own kids..and when somebody slips..they get discouraged and depressed..or the weight isn't dropping as fast as they think it should..so they get discouraged and depressed..which increases the urge to want to eat to get that temporary good feelng back..The body doesn't need nicotine or booze or caffeine to run..it does need food..its a basic instinct to eat..we are hardwired to listen to that I'm hungry voice n our head..

So yeah..I pity them..not because they are overweight..but because of what they are going to have to go through to get healthy.

petey

 

Point taken, but I don't intend to still be driving over age 40.

I do believe we drivers need to be proactive not only about our physical health, but our mental health as well. Good food and exercise strengthen the body, but having a healthy mindset is what leads to long life. I see drivers get so stressed out and frazzled, it's no wonder they have health issues. Finding a way to manage our stress levels and getting enough rest time (I don't just mean sleep, I mean rest) will help as much as anything.

 

Heck, I've lost weight in the two years I've been driving. My wife says I need to eat more.

 

It used to blow my mind at all the obese drivers. Now I don't notice it as much. There's so many of them that it makes us all look bad to the general public.

How difficult is it to not eat fast food 3 meals per day, park so you have to walk more than 20 yards to the truck stop/rest stop, get a hair cut every now and then, purchase clothes that fit correctly, then wash the clothes when they get dirty, take a shower on days other than Saturday and not look like a total slob.

It's really not that difficult.

We are professionals and should conduct ourselves as such. Take pride in your in your equipment, yourself and project a professional image.

 

I really worry about this. I'm just now starting a trucking career and I see guys all over my OC who look pregnant.

I'd have to say 90% of the drivers I see are at least fat...and 50% of them are just plain grossly fat.

I don't want that to be me. I'm no spring chicken so staying fit is going to be a challenge.

I plan on eating well ( frequent, small, low fat meals )and at least taking a good walk whenever I get a 10 hr break and such.

Hopefully that will at least keep my weight reasonable. I'm hoping to find the motivation to actually work out though. Not sure I can...but I'm at least thinking about it...lol

 

The average 25+ years trucker has life expectancy of 58, there is logic after all to eating healthy.