How has trucking effected your health?

Thank you for the clear picture.

coming from olden times, when there was high calorie and high fat diets, with a lot of coffee and sugar drinks, back then we didn’t have fat truckers because there was a lot of manual work to be done every day.

driving a truck with no a/c where you sweat off weight. Having what was considered power steering which still took a lot of strength to move the 26 inch steering wheel trying to back a trailer in to a tight dock took calories to get the work done. We didn’t just drive to a t/s and park, we had to get out of the truck and stay out until we were going to fall asleep, sitting at the lunch counter or in the drivers lounge watching a small tv or worst yet sitting at a pay phone feeding it quarters to get a load.

now we have trucks that drive like cars with Cadillac ride qualities, HAVC filtered system that is better than most hospitals and we eat chemically filled crap food with a lack of exercise as the norm, we end up with the 400 lb flipflop wearing truck driver who can barely get into the truck and will end up being 500 lbs before the end of their short career because of their attitude towards their health.

Eating and acting healthy is a mindset, drivers need to put an effort into eating and acting healthy.

Bad habits are easy to break if one wants to, no exceptions.

Eating a round good meals is easy but takes an effort.

if a driver has a home base with a wife/husband there and they have time to make good meals, get a freeze dryer and they can make good home cooked meals that can be freeze dried and sent to the driver while on the road, I have a few drivers who do just that. No need for a freezer or fridge, just an electric kettle, water and a bowl.

Snacks can be done the same way too.

while I was in the truck, I had to get out and walk.

working local, I did flat bed work and loved it, even hated tarping but knew I was getting great exercise.

 

Oh ####, blowing bubbles! Sure sign of a happy driver, you can't come on this thread with any signs of happiness, #### it!

 

It certainly is. Look, I lived in Asia for +20 years before coming back to the US and driving a truck. I can tell you it's mainly FOOD! Japanese eat healthy, and going to a gym there is a luxury most cannot afford (on average $100 a month). They stay somewhat thin by walking up subway stairs instead of taking the escalator. Many have to walk 10 - 20min one way from their front door to the subway. Most Japanese probably walk 60min every single day and the health conscious of the bunch will use the stairs to add to their fitness. Subways are deep in Japan so it works.

Climbing in and out of your truck is a chore, especially for the +40 crowd. It should be enough if you include walking and stretching every time you get out.

The fact is, most US towns and cities are food deserts. Your choices are corporate restaurants and fast food. The thing that Americans seem to not think about, most restaurants in the USA get their food from either US Foods or Sysco, it's all the same food! There's absolutely no difference where you eat.

In Asia, getting a warm, healthy meal is easier than a crappy one. This is the main difference between Asia and North America.

 

Another thing I think people are missing is cigarettes. Ever notice how many smokers are thin? I know so many thin smokers, mostly because the nicotine suppresses their appetite. What we did in the USA is say, "Smoking is bad!" and we replaced smoking with high sugar and HFCS diets.This made Americans absolutely blow up in the 90's and on!

This is another reason Asians are thin--they smoke! Even the long-lived Okinawans smoke. The difference is this: they eat healthy foods!

My advice for smokers: do you love to smoke? Great, be like an Asian, eat white rice, vegetables and a little meat every meal, then smoke all you want. If you can't do that, then at least try to eat a healthy balanced diet and stop all sugar and/or sweeteners, your body will help you try to repair the damage from smoking.

 

Is it more challenging to stay healthy while OTR? Sure, but it’s not impossible. It’s like anything else, up to personal choices. If you want to stay fit and healthy, you can. Changing sleep patterns are my biggest challenge. Driving long hours is relatively easy for me now. Forcing myself to eat light and go for walks after driving all day is a bit challenging at times. Fatigue causes you to crave high carbs. If you sleep good, you’re more likely to eat better and exercise.

 

These threads are funny. People want others to make them stop eating garbage and not exercise. The solution is simple. You either eat healthy and get out of the truck and do some type of physical activity……or you don’t. The industry, truckstops or regulations didn’t make anyone overweight or out of shape. Nor do they send a ride along who purchases and lights those cigarettes for you. I have never ever seen a trucker led into the buffet or roller grill at gunpoint and force fed anything. I have literally walked out of every truckstop for the last 20 years without buying cigarettes.

I really hate the modern way of thinking. People are so full of themselves that they think they have these great ideas and are going to change a group of people. News flash. Look around. No one cares for it personally themselves so stop trying to create a solution to an ignored problem. Why do people today want to impose themselves on others??? Mind your business and change something in your life. The other adults will change if and when they see fit.

 

If you think it's just free will, you're not paying attention.

Here's a great place to start to understand the deception:

 

It’s hard to drive with all my abs in the way. The protein powder always makes me overweight at the scales.

 

You can blame anybody, but mostly its us to blame. If there was a DEMAND for better food, it would be there. We allow them to think bottom line only, buy spending our money. If we stopped, they will stop and figure out why, and what do we do to get them spending again.
I have a slow cooker, and a small bbq in my truck, fridge and microwave. I buy some fast food, for convenience, and because I like some of it. But, the overwhelming majority is cooked in the truck. I'm paying for my years of bad choices, but I'm trying to change. If we all did it, THEY would change. They want our money.