First year OTR major weight gain

Discussion in 'Driver Health' started by Bigguy12, Sep 21, 2021.

  1. TripleSix

    TripleSix God of Roads

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    This last stint in trucking started in 2007, so it’s been 14 years this stretch. My weight stayed the same, but what used to be muscle turned to flab.

    And yes, it’s about discipline. In order to fix a problem, you have to identify what’s being done wrong. A couple things that I noticed…

    1. Be it radio or TV, every other commercial is about food. They pound it into your head. As soon as you get bored, you’re gonna snack.
    2. Back in the truckstop buffet days, you would see drivers pound food down until they had difficulty walking. This appears to be a coping mechanism. I do understand that some of you deal with depression, but doubling your body weight is the worst thing you can do.

    Habits…you’re going to have to change your Default Setting to make any sort of significant changes in weight. On average, that takes 60 days.

    I drink beer, but I limit myself to TWO. If you are at an all you can eat place, don’t automatically think that you’re supposed to hog food down, limit one plate. Eat slower, and drink more water while you eat. Stop eating as soon as the hunger pangs subside.

    Cut the media induced food cravings. Any means necessary. Meditate on the Man that you want to become. Lean and mean. Get the image of the Ultimate You in your mind.

    Took a friend and her daughter for a ride through a national forest. Warned them that there was no cell towers in the area. 14 yrold daughter is on the back seat fooling with her phone. Suddenly, “Mom, I’m getting bored. Mom! I am getting bored!”

    So, what happens when you get bored? (Crickets chirping)

    For many drivers, who can’t play with their phones, they snack.

    One of the things I had the guys from the motorcycle club do was make a contest out of weight loss. $100 each in the pot and before and after pics. Biggest weight loss wins half the pot. Biggest improvement from the before pics wins the other half. Challenge your friends. If you don’t have enough friends to make the pot huge, challenge the drivers at your company.

    Luck in battle.
     
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  3. Moose1958

    Moose1958 Road Train Member

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    The three sins of gaining weight! Large portions, eating too much junk and eating at bedtime. Then this leads to elevated blood pressure and if are genetically disposed to Diabetes a serious danger of getting it. You MUST get those 3 sins under control as a part of an overall health regimen! It is what it is folks! Sorry!
     
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  4. scott180

    scott180 Road Train Member

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    Bigguy12
    First off decide if you're addicted to food.
    OA.org can help. The meetings I recommend are the 90day ones. It's free and they do phone meetings.
    One way to tell if you have a food addiction is write a meal plan for yourself and see if you can follow it for two weeks without breaking it. Another is to cut out carb(sugar) and see what happens.
    Food addiction is the same as alcohol or drug addiction. Some are wired that way some aren't. It is not a mental weakness it is a physical response to a substance that can be handled with help.

    Now if it's not a addiction problem then simply make yourself a food plan and lay of the carbs.

    I was told by an Olympian that became a trainer that getting fit is 80% food 20% training.
    Good luck and keep posting.
     
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  5. Lennythedriver

    Lennythedriver Road Train Member

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    It’s kind of funny because I actually have it down to such a science now that I lose 2 pounds a week while I’m out on the truck and then when I go home for home time? I gain it back. Lol so we can’t just blame it on truck driving. I’ve gotten in a routine on the truck that I haven’t adapted while I’m at home yet. When I’m at home the Buffay looks really good.
     
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  6. Powder Joints

    Powder Joints Subjective Prognosticator

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    Blue Bunnny, thats the answer, Blue Bunny for everybody.
     
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  7. Final Drive

    Final Drive Road Train Member

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    images.jpeg-5.jpg
     
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  8. VIDEODROME

    VIDEODROME Road Train Member

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    I'm now trying to leave the long driving behind and be more local myself currently working as a Yard Jockey and also sometimes doing local shuttle moves between our warehouse. Think my current job sucks because of the low pay, but I am home every day and have lost weight. Hoping to move to a better job market with this experience.

    Maybe something local is the way to go for the OP? Home daily helps with getting regular home cooking, including cooler lunches, and getting away from the truck. If the local job is Yard Jockey or delivery then you get in some walking and not constantly sitting.

    The long haul driving was not good for me either. I did gain some weight, but I also had wrecked my gall bladder and had to have it removed. After running hard last year, I had brutal kidney stones. At one point, as a road driver I was pushing 250 pounds, but recently I've been close to 220 from just switching to Yard Jockey and trying different things with my diet.
     
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  9. JoeTruck

    JoeTruck Heavy Load Member

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    Everyone is different, different eating habits, liking different foods.
    Your solution will be specific to you.
    First you must figure out how you got here and stop doing it.
    For me the problem is insulin resistance. So small meals four times a day is not good.
    Intermittent fasting works. Start out with twelve hours not eating for a week or two, then thirteen hours and so on.
    Apple cider vinegar gives your stomach the proper PH balance for good digestion.
    Now we get to what you eat. After sixteen to eighteen hours of not eating I have bacon and eggs, lunch is a half a ham sandwich ( one slice of bread), dinner a cheese burger ( no bun) or pork ribs. Meats are best but you need some carbs.You must eat until you are full.
    I drink water throughout the day and only one can of soda and try not to drink anything while eating.
    I cook all meals in the truck, I do not buy food in the truck stop. If your company doesn't give you a fridge and inverter move on, they don't care about your health.
    This is what has worked for me.
     
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  10. Moose1958

    Moose1958 Road Train Member

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    I am going to agree in part with post #38 above. Not all of it, but some of it. Just before I went on the Covid isolation I ran across a guy I have known for years. He had lost a notable amount of weight. I asked him what change did he make. He looked at me and said I simply stopped drinking ALL sodas. He said he still eats as he did. People that drive EVEN the drivers that are not obese can develop serious health problems up to being obese simply from consuming sodas. It is amazing how much damage to the human body can result from JUST consuming soda. I am a convert! 10 years ago I would have replied to this comment with a large BS! Every single medical provider that I am under their care from the Hampton Virginia VA Hospital to my other Civilian Physician's advise me to STOP drinking them, not just slow down! EVEN the diet and zero sugar sodas WILL raise blood sugar!

    One of the reasons the soda companies like Pepsico and Coke have diversified their lines to include tea and things like orange juice. More and more people are heeding medical advice and have stopped consuming sodas.

    Of course, your mileage may vary!
     
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  11. Brandt

    Brandt Road Train Member

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    Intermittent fasting is good way to lose weight and lower blood sugar. Start off a little, like stop eating 8pm and don't eat till morning. Look for more foods low carbohydrates and low sugar.

    If people like Slim Jim or beef Jerky. Basically all the stuff they sell at grocery store is not good to eat.

    Get some of these they no sugar or bad stuff. Screenshot_20210925-153546.png
     
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