Would like some advise on this if you all don't mind

Words of wisedom right here. Your weight is the last issue here. Decide if you really want to get into this industry.

 

i know this is not a weight loss board but I wanted to say that I weighed 260 since high school(25 years ago) a few years back I took a 4 month bid running team and got up to 300 lbs Ive had blood pressure and liver problems for about 12 years and was on medication..after the team bid was up I went back running a daycab road bid but I felt worse than you could imagine finally dr. said loose weight or die(kinda harsh but it worked) in 14 months I went from 300 down to 230..health was great ,felt great, and best of all NO medicine at all! well 2 years went by and I got back to 260 but still blood pressure and liver was good I decide it was time to do it again and try harder keeping it off in 5 weeks I went from 260 to 250...YOU can do it..I stopped eating bread,potatoes and and anything with sugar except ketchup and BBQ sause...eat mainly meat eggs and salad..yea it sucks for a week or so but now I look forward to my afternoon salad..as far as snack I eat a lot of cheese and mixed nuts..averaging 2 lb per week with no exercise..when I lost 70 lbs I did same but also walked 1.5 a day 5 days aweek..you can do it..it takes the will power to come off of medicine...If I did it anybody can..Easter I did cheat alot mashed tators ,rolls and 2 jumbo slices of lemon pie...didnt affect me still lost 2 lbs this week...get your self headed in the right directio with your health .set a goal of starting truckdriving school when you loose sat 25-30 lbs then start looking for a school by teh time you get ready to find a job you may have lost 50+ pounds...you will be fine ..you must get your weight issue headed the right way because trucking is condusive to adding weight to you..with out your health you will have no good chance at trucking..Im not trying to sound like an @@@@@@@ Im just trying to help..I know what its like and if you want to make a go as a driver you gotta get your health headed the right way..on the plus side you can do it!..get your mind right and chase your dream..

 

In my opinion, the weight should be an issue regardless, money aside....you can't take care of family if your not around. I would definitely pursue trucking if that's something your passionate about giving a try, on the other hand as another poster mentioned, you could always advance in your current avenue of employment, unless your just dead set on trucking. If so then go for it, but regardless the focus on your weight should be number 1, not just for a job, but for your overall health.

I actively bodybuild and there are several different training regiments to apply to your everyday life, but remember your nutrition is just as important as exercising, some people believe you can eat whatever you want as long as you workout, but sadly most people don't workout enough to do anything besides maintain their current body image if their not also putting thought into their nutrition, stick to the basics, clean proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats.

For proteins, Eggs/Chicken/Beef/Tuna/Even raw almonds contain protein and fiber that is beneficial
For Carbs stick to your vegetables and fruits, stay away from simple/startchy carbs.
A convenient way to achieve healthy fats is just going and picking up some NATURAL peanut butter.

Remember, its about eating clean not starving yourself, if you starve yourself by cutting calories too much your body will go into starvation mode and actually store fat.

All of these things can be had for VERY cheap, especially if you like to buy bulk at SAM's or any other bulk shopping center.....as far as exercising, start out with something easier on your body, brisk walks until you can jog for 30-45 minutes a day at 5 days a week. Once your body becomes used to working out and you start to get accustomed to having elevated heart rates while working out you can eventually swtich it up and try something like HIIT training,(search Google) but that will be later on as you dont want to jump into anything too extreme if your not that active, also....start lifting weights if possible, you dont have to try and be the next Arnold but moderate weight lifting alone helps burn fat by building muscle.....just a few thoughts, good luck on becoming healthy regardless of your career choice, if you have any questions shoot me a PM....

Dave

 

i'm curious as to how big guys get jobs anyways. considering the reefer companies are tight on the fuel allowance as it is. becuase everyone wants that truck to weigh as close to 80k as possible when shipping there loads.

a 500 pound guy is about 1/3 of a tank on 200 gallons

 

btw, sleep apnea is not a "fat" person's dilemma. I am 53, 5' 9" weight 180 lbs. I'm in decent shape, walk a lot, tend toward low blood pressure and healthy cholesterol levels. In 2004, my wife (at the time, divorced now) told me that I snored and tended to stop breathing in my sleep. She nudged me into have a sleep study and I was diagnosed with apnea. Learned to use a CPAP machine and after the couple of weeks it took to adjust to sleeping with a mask, I noticed my sleep was noticeably more restful. I haven't had a sleep study since then. I'm hoping I won't have to go through another sleep study (actually the process requires two if you have apnea, one to diagnose and one to determine the CPAP machine pressure level. Each sleep study cost me $200 out of pocket expenses). I figure I'll just have to use a CPAP machine. My biggest concern is that, assuming I start as a company driver which is my plan for the first 2 years or so, the requirement of having to have a truck with a power unit (APS?, is that the right term) to power my CPAP machine while I sleep. I assume that is a common enough condition that they will understand and properly accommodate me. Anyway, my official bmi is 'overweight' but quite a ways from obese. Sleep apnea may tend toward heavier folks, but it can happen regardless of weight. I'm grateful my ex-wife noticed it and nudged me into getting it checked out.

 

Thanks everyone for the feed back, I'll just keep losing weight. As to some of ya'll who said the grass in not always greener. I completely agree. While the money is a nice and one reason I want to get in it. the main reason is, I have no one here except my parents, my "hospital job" is a low paying kitchen job. I've always liked the those big trucks driving down the road hauling whatever. I've ridden as a passenger before with friends and loved it. Another reason is your view changes all the time. I'm tired of looking at the same people and same walls everyday. With job you get to see a lot of the country and meet some people. Even if the pay doesn't live up to what I had thought, it'll still be better than my $30k/year and the experience will be something I can keep forever.

 

Buddy, your making 30k with a 40/hr/wk job, and your complaining???

Lots and believe me, LOTS of truckers don't even make that in a yr of hard work night and day, day after day 24/7 for weeks and even months at a time.

Better keep your job buddy, you may really regret it, when its gone...

 

Thats with a lot of over time. But like I said its not all about the money. My bosses here have told me I can come back if I choose. So I'm not too worried. I'm not gonna burn any bridges so to speak

 

Well good luck to you, on whatever you decide to do. Trucking can be tough, its not all sight seeing and just enjoying living life. There's a high price to pay for all that freedom and independence.

 

Thanks. I'm willing to pay it too. I know that it is not always easy and I know how you can be screwed over. My cousin was screwed over by C.R. England.