Losing Weight While On The Road..You CAN Do It!

There is no reason to be obese just because you drive a truck. I know several drivers in their 70's, 2 that have been driving 50 + years, who are all in great shape, much better shape than these 300 lb 25 year olds.

I bet they never went into these fast food joints and filled up on several cheeseburgers and drank a gallon of pop.

I tried to avoid eating big heavy meals when I drove OTR, I ate light meals through out the day, you don't need as many calories when you are driving because you will put on weight. I kept a lot of fruits and veggies in my fridge, I also ate a lot of canned tuna. If I was out in the middle of nowhere, I could eat a tuna sandwich and heat up a can of soup.

 

I've said it before on other things, as well as this topic, and I'll say it again. It begins and ends with Personal Responsibility.

 

Just cut the white stuff, processed sugars, flour, spuds, sodas. Try having coffee with a little sweetener, instead of sweetener with a little coffee.

Walking is got to be the number one help, next time when you feel like drifting and have 100 miles to go, stop get out and walk away from the truck for about 5 to 10 minutes, then back you will be surprise how good this works for both, waking you up and cutting things down.

 

I've always been skinny, it's genetic. But lost 20 lbs after became truck driver and don't seem to be able to gain a pound back again... I'm vegetarian and it's really hard to eat on the road. I use a cooler, gave up my refri cause it wasn't working properly in this company truck. Try to buy produce and vegetables and fruits every opportunity I have but can't store much cause not much space and it will go bad quickly. I cook everyday after my 10 or 11 hr driving. But still can't eat as much and as healthy as I used to when was living in a house

 

Starving yourself is the 2nd worst thing you can do next to over eating. Your body needs a steady supply (not over-supply) of food. Most dietitians recommend 4-6 2-300 calorie meals a day(for men) or 4-5 3-500 calorie meals (for women). Eat raw veggies, fruits, low fat dairy, and anything with fiber. Stay away from processed foods, canned foods, fatty foods, white foods (bread, rice etc). Drinking diet soda and using artificial sweeteners doesn't help either. Most contain Aspartame which inhibits your body's ability to excrete water. Drink plain, cold, water instead of soda or processed juices, the recommended amount of water for the average adult is a 1/2 gallon(that's 4 of the popular size bottles)...many of the sports drinks only add weight because their loaded with sugar. Read the labels on anything you buy. If it says low-fat...it might be high in sodium or sugar. If it's low sugar, then check the fat and sodium. Sodium not only increases your blood pressure, but it also helps your body retain water...and holding water adds weight, and inhibits your body's ability to burn fat. But again, read the labels. Lower fat, salt, sugar is always good, but only cutting one, doesn't help if the others are raised. And if you can't pronounce the ingredient, chances are, it isn't good for you. Your body needs water, but doesn't need to hold on to water...it uses it for food processing, waste disposal, cooling...etc. But stored water isn't good, at least in your body, that is.

Everything contains calories(except the chemical sweeteners and water). Even natural, organic fruits and veggies....but don't think just cutting calories will make you lose weight...below 1200, and your body will still gain weight. Eat foods that have beneficial nutrition...an apple over chips, grapes over candy. But avoid empty calories...some calories are ok, if it has nutrition. Eat a salad before your supper, but cut out or limit those creamy dressings....they're full of fat and sugar. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, isn't just a saying grandma use to tell us, it came from common sense. Apples contain Pectin, which is natures version of 'Ally'(the drug they sell that prevents your digestive system from absorbing fat)

Exercise-exercise-exercise. If it's getting your heart pumping, it's burning calories... the most productive time to exercise is...right after you wake up, but before you eat. Get up, stretch out your muscles, warm up, and get that heart pumping. Then cool down, drink some water...then eat. You'll get your whole system up to speed, burn some fat, and eat less because you partially filled you stomach with water. You will be surprised how much more energy you have for the rest of the day. But do not...I repeat do not skip you're breakfast. Your body is in 'fast mode' while you sleep. Skipping breakfast, switches it from 'fast mode' to 'starvation mode' making it store any extra calories you eat later on. It can only go so long without food before it goes into 'starvation mode'...that's why only eating once a day is counter productive when trying to lose weight. Wal-mart and Target(and many other box stores) sell these little exercise bands...basically surgical tubing with handles, but you'd be surprised how much using them helps if you do it right. I've done hundreds of push-ups, and weight exercises, but not gotten my muscles as sore as using those little, seemingly insignificant, little bands.

Get your sleep. 6-8 hours is the recommended amount...I know, as drivers it's tough...but sleep does more than rest your body, it helps it repair itself. It also helps relax your whole system. This is a stressful job, when under stress, your body produces a hormone called cortisol(forgive the spelling) which causes your body to store fat. Sleep helps relieve stress. Find a few minutes to relax and unwind through the day...And remember, 99.9% of the time (unless you haul transplant patients, or their donated body parts around)that your customer isn't going die if you don't get your load there yesterday. Change what you can, don't dwell or worry about the things you can't change...it'll only hurt one person - you-.

 

Hi everyone! I am stil new here and about to start a regional driving job. I have been moving drilling rigs for the last 3 years so this is going to be a little different. I am overweight and I find these posts very helpful. Alot is common sense and losing weight always comes down to a personal commitment which for those like myself is usually hard to do. I am weak in the willpower department, especially when faced with the option of a salad or a cheeseburger. I am going to have to make some choices pretty soon because I hate how I feel and look so I am glad I read this thread.

 

I plan on sticking to my no carb routine so I can eat all the meat I want, all I really need to avoid are sugars, bread, rice and taters...So far it's worked wonders and I still get to eat what I love!

 

Willpower comes with results. Like the earlier part of this thread said...it took a while to become overweight, it'll take time to get back into shape... But once you see results, and weight coming off, it helps build confidence and willpower. It still kills me to walk past Popeye's or Chester's chicken, smell it, and know I don't want to go there, because that is one food that helped me become 80lbs overweight.

I personally keep a little notebook for a food diary...mainly because I have Gout...and I was trying to keep track of which foods trigger an attack...but it let's me also keep track of how much and what I eat. You can't give up all the 'pleasure' foods...I mean if you just go on an eating plan (don't call it a diet, because you need to change you're complete view on eating for life, not just a quick fix attitude) and the new eating plan doesn't allow you to eat some things you like...you won't stick to it... but the phrase I use, and my wife is sick of hearing, everything in moderation. It's ok to eat something not so good for you once in a while...just limit it to once in a while. I went from 4000+ calories down to 1700-2000...and there are days I have to watch, because I approach the 1200 level, which isn't good because it puts my minimum intake close to what might trigger my body to go into 'starvation mode' and start storing every calorie it can.

 

Thank you I really liked all your advice . I drove two years ago and I gained about 30lbs and when I came home off the road ( because my husband had to go on chemo) I found out I had heart disease .. I had 75% blockage in my arteries and they placed a stint in 2008 and then again last week I had another stint put in from a 78% blockage.. Yes, it scares me so bad. I have no choice but to find someway to not eat fat and salts.
The doctor said for me to walk everyday and I am a female I am so afraid to walk in unknown places so that is going to be a problem, but thank you so much for all your suggestions they were great and helped me a lot.

 

I lost 20 lbs in about 5 weeks. No junk food and hard exercise pulling a flatbed.