Food For Fuel? Eat primitive.

[Frogman]

What foods make you sleepy? I haven't figured that out yet, but I have noticed working 18 hr's a day for a hundred days strait, I just can't eat at work... I eat, and get sleepy, 15 minutes later... At home.

That's a great question and unfortunately I can't answer it specifically but I can toss out some ideas.

The first thing I would say is that you're working like a horse. Two horses. I think it's natural to be tired and sleepy after the effort you're putting in.

My guess is that you're suffering from some sleep deprivation. So all it takes is a little bit of a nice warm, full feeling and your brain is going to click off and get some needed rest. You're probably also suffering from stress and have a bit of "combat fatgue." You're just on too many hours and your brain needs a break.

I have literally seen guys who have been in the field for days, humping 80 lb packs, just lay down and go to sleep in the rain and even sleep standing up.

We also know that any food containing high levels of carbohydrates will induce the sleepy feeling (and the "happy feeling.")

I don't think anyone is really sure why, but most believe that it's because glucose loads in the bloodstream (the sugar produced by carbs) triggers the production of serotonin and other chemicals and compounds.

We know serottonin is the body's happy drug and among other things it does, it controls your ability to sleep well.

There is also a mechanical effect of the blood rushing to your gut after you eat and this causes a slight decrease of flow to the brain. Less blood means less oxygen. Less oxygen means slightly less alertness and you "feel sleepy."

I would like to say to you : Just exercise more, don't drive so darned much and go on a low carb/high protein diet and see if it makes a difference.

But that would be grossly irresponsible.

You need to talk to a doctor and have him run simple tests to rule out anything else. I'm 99.99% sure from what you said that it's your situation causing the sleepiness, and that there is nothing else, but a doctor will make you 100% sure.

[Frogman]

[quote="Useless"]

It's nice to see someone here with a common interest!! What is your background and education in physiology and health care??[/color]

Total amateur.

I got interested in fitness and weight management it in the early 80s, about the time the Army got real hard-core on weight control.

We were sending guys to get counseling at the hospital so they could learn to "eat right." Then we'd make them go to the mess-hall where 99% of the food was what they had just been told they could not eat!

We were also making guys PT their butts off and in most cases, it did no good. For every soldier who burned off the weight, there were 4-5 others who couldn't . . . or who would starve it off then re-gain it.

So I found something called the Scarsborough Diet and would buy the little paperback and give it to my soldiers who couldn't seem to lose weight. I happened to be the S-4 (Logistics guy) at the time and was in charge of a mess hall. I got the mess hall to modify their food choices to add more lettuce, tomato, fresh fruit and cottage cheese.

That all worked and we stopped kicking so many guys out on weight control issues. So it led me to reject the Army dogma and start reading on my own.

From then on, it's just been a life-long interest. I read everythng I can get my hands on. The Internet has been a blessing. It used to be impossible to get your hands on scientific articles. Today, they're everywhere.

What's your background?

[Frogman]

Hard Cardio is very effective for burning fat I like using a stationary bike for this as I can pedal for all I'm worth for 20 minutes without having to focus on balance this makes it easier to just focus on pushing to the limit On the road I like to use a barbell loaded to 135 lbs and squat for 15-20 minutes non stop ...Body weight squats like hindu squats are good ...But I've never been patient enough to pratice them enough to get cordinated at them. When I do hard Cardio I treat it like weights I try to do more work every time in that same 20 minutes . I find this Cardio gives me a good boost to my metabolism without eating away at muscle ,But i still make sure I do it atleast 8 Hrs away from any weight lifting . .

I was wondering about taking a barbell on the road. I stopped doing benchpress as much and now I focus more on Clean & Press. So I wouldn't need to take huge tonnage!

Where do you store it?

I don't do Hindu squats. I do the old-fashioned ariborne squat where you have your arms out parallel to the ground. That just seems to help me keep a better posture and keeps my knees far back from my toes. I think the Hindu squat has too much arm swing. I also try to do one-legged squats, but at 52, my knees don't seem to appreciate it.

I've never tried squatting 15-20 min non-stop with a barbell. Sounds evil. I'll have to try it out. I hardly ever squat with weights anymore. I focus on the Deadlift.

Have you tried kettlebell exercise?

Awesome set of exercise with that little iron ball.

I'll check back later. Taking the frau to church and breakfast!

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

What foods make you sleepy? I haven't figured that out yet, but I have noticed working 18 hr's a day for a hundred days strait, I just can't eat at work... I eat, and get sleepy, 15 minutes later... At home.

Gee you keep falling asleep I can't see why .... :wink: An 18 hr day only leaves 6 hrs to sleep at best ... I get no less than 8 and usually go for 8.5 if I have the time I will go for 9 . I'm all for making money ... But people need to realize sleep is a must for health there isn't any doing without it if you want to be healthy ,and the body needs atleast 8 hrs minum for optimal recovery in-fact 9 hrs is thought to be a better number if you are physically active or under stress . I get no less than 8 usually 8.5 9 if I have the extra time . the not eating ...poor nutrition ...And poor sleep is an open invitation to the onset of diabetes . Only one way to get more sleep and that's cut back those 18 hr days .the nurition is just a matter of forcing yourself to change your eating habbits .

[COLT]

I was exaggerating somewhat, I go hard all winter, 12, 14, 18, 22, or more hr's, different everyday. Not driving all the time either, sometimes I can nap for 20 min or an hour or two. I have to avoid eating because i get sleepy, I'll try eating fruit cocktail more often, I haven't tried that in the winter yet... I eat trail mix, just a Little here and there to keep the "growlies" away. Got any other good ideas?

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Hard Cardio is very effective for burning fat I like using a stationary bike for this as I can pedal for all I'm worth for 20 minutes without having to focus on balance this makes it easier to just focus on pushing to the limit On the road I like to use a barbell loaded to 135 lbs and squat for 15-20 minutes non stop ...Body weight squats like hindu squats are good ...But I've never been patient enough to pratice them enough to get cordinated at them. When I do hard Cardio I treat it like weights I try to do more work every time in that same 20 minutes . I find this Cardio gives me a good boost to my metabolism without eating away at muscle ,But i still make sure I do it atleast 8 Hrs away from any weight lifting . .

I was wondering about taking a barbell on the road. I stopped doing benchpress as much and now I focus more on Clean & Press. So I wouldn't need to take huge tonnage!

Where do you store it?

I don't do Hindu squats. I do the old-fashioned ariborne squat where you have your arms out parallel to the ground. That just seems to help me keep a better posture and keeps my knees far back from my toes. I think the Hindu squat has too much arm swing. I also try to do one-legged squats, but at 52, my knees don't seem to appreciate it.

I've never tried squatting 15-20 min non-stop with a barbell. Sounds evil. I'll have to try it out. I hardly ever squat with weights anymore. I focus on the Deadlift.

Have you tried kettlebell exercise?

Awesome set of exercise with that little iron ball.

I'll check back later. Taking the frau to church and breakfast!

I've tried kettle bell traing when I followed Paval Tsatsouline training routine . they are very odd and will easily put one out of breath . But on the road I do carry major tonnage as I've been into the weights to long to be completely away from the basics like squats,deads,benches,military presses to go without lugging along the tonnage .... I put the 7 ft bar under the bunk along with the 570 lbs of olympic weight I got under there . I keep a set of 130 lb power block dumbells in the cab along with a shorty multi angle olympic curl bar ( wiggly bar) I keep the big parts of my bench strapped to rear of the cab ,and keep the bench part I lay on inside the closet in the cab it's a PITA putting it together to squat/bench But it's what I got to do . I'm lookin into making a bench that is an eaasy 2 piece design that will bolt together in about 3 minutes rather than 10-15 ,as I really hated last summer setting this stuff up when I was in the south west in the tripple digit temps ,As I was sweating even before I hit my workout ....the real PITA is getting into a truck stop when I can still monopnlize 2 spots to set up my weights on leg or chest day . This extra bring along of about 1000 pounds is the reason I always pick Centuries ,as they are the only trucks light enough to offset that bring along ,and not worry about over weight issues ,And have a roomy cab . Infact I've had easier times pulling Budweiser loads with this extra weight than guys running the Long nose trucks and they only had the usual cooler and TV bring alongs .

[Frogman]

I was exaggerating somewhat, I go hard all winter, 12, 14, 18, 22, or more hr's, different everyday. Not driving all the time either, sometimes I can nap for 20 min or an hour or two. I have to avoid eating because i get sleepy, I'll try eating fruit cocktail more often, I haven't tried that in the winter yet... I eat trail mix, just a Little here and there to keep the "growlies" away. Got any other good ideas?

The "growlies" are being caused by a diet of too many carbohydrates. You're triggering an insulin response that I suspect, over time, has become "unbalanced." It's upsetting your blodd sugar and making you hungry even though your body may not need nourishment.

Remember too that the same high carb diet that triggers insulin over-response also triggers production of serotonin which is the body's happy drug. Among other things it does is make you sleepy.

Generally . . . eat more fat, protein and fiber and less carbs. That's the formula for hunger control.

Fiber literally makes you feel full. Fats have the added value of satiating hunger.

Fruit cocktail and trail mix are both dense in carbs. Better for you than, say, white bread, but still high in carb.

Instead of trail mix, try just eating sunflower seeds. An quarter-cup has 190 calories and is very high in fat. It will keep your hunger down. Buy a few packs, and break them up into quarter ounce servings inside little plastic bags.

Or else, buy the entire seed and try chewing and spitting. Pumpkin seeds are also good.

If you're underweight or just-about-perfect weight you could try peanuts . . . but be careful SOME PEOPLE ARE ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS.

Try mixing a high fiber cereal with the sunflower seeds to give you extra bulk. Or eat high fiber cereal alone or mixed with cottage cheese.

Instead of fruit cocktail, eat raw apples.

Raw carrots are also good. If you can, carry sour cream with you (inexpensive and you can find it anywhere). Carrots with sour cream have fat and fiber . . . the two best hunger fighters on the planet. For flavor, add onion soup mix or any soup mix you like. You can mix sour cream and soup mix in a plastic bag then toss the bag away when done.

Good quality beef jerky which is low in carbs and made from good cuts of meat (not the usual ***** they import) is excellent.

Cheese is also good, especially the very sharp type.

Sausages are another good anti-hunger food, believe it or not. You can buy 30 pre-cooked sausages for $4. Keep them frozen and heat when ready. The fat will drive away the hunger for hours. You can heat them up, toss them in a plastic bag or tin foil and they'll stay warm for miles.

Finally, try tabasco sauce with just about anything. The body will react to the heat and not the hunger. To grow hair on your chest, try apples with tabasco sauce. Talk about "different."

NOTE: All the above assume that you're on a low carb diet (less than 50 grams a day). DO NOT EAT FOODS WITH HIGH FAT AND FOODS WITH HIGH CARBS AT THE SAME TIME UNLESS YOU WANT TO WEIGH MORE THAN YOUR TRUCK ENGINE.

Limit your carb intake, dring plenty of water and see a doctor.

[acranger]

Mountain dew is childs stuff. I am addicted to the Monster energy drinks. I was at the Pilot outside of Griffen, GA the other day and now they offer the Monster Khaos in the XXL size. Here at the PX we only get the regular and Low carb in the XXL. This **** is stronger than redbull and 3X the size.


mmmm

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Mountain dew is childs stuff. I am addicted to the Monster energy drinks. I was at the Pilot outside of Griffen, GA the other day and now they offer the Monster Khaos in the XXL size. Here at the PX we only get the regular and Low carb in the XXL. This $&!+ is stronger than redbull and 3X the size.


mmmm

who needs those caffeine sugar drinks when you can easily get provigil ... :wink:

[KatiD]

This is a topic close to my heart, er stomach and butt...

I am a 30 something mother and I have to watch what I eat so that I don't balloon back up to nearly 250 pounds. Of course this is even harder since I drive. Here is what I do, take it or leave it as you will.


I drink water, tons of the stuff...When I want a snack as I am driving, I drink a bottle of water, often I put a splash of lemon or lime juice in it, just to add variety. (I buy the Sams Club bottled water by the case when I am home, it is the best IMO.)

I eat three times a day...around 10 in the morning, I have a sandwhich (ham and cheese or soemthing) that I prepare in my truck. I have a LITE lunch, often a salad or soup. I often have this in my truck as well.

For supper, I chow down. I have a real meal, don't care about the calories, or what it will look like on my thighs. (GNARF).

Before I go to bed for the night I walk two miles, every day that I drive I walk, PERIOD. I have a pedometer that keeps track of this. I often have my dog with me, so I do this for him, and since I am a female he tends to keep me safer.

On my 34 hour restarts, I try and walk at least 7 miles during the shut down time.

I don't loose alot of weight, (I admit I sneak junk food), but I also don't gain any. I can maintain my weight, and with the amount of water that I drink, I don't worry about infections.

Of course, I don't drink caffiene (I am allergic to it), but I do sneak a real cup of coffee or iced tea now and then. I limit myself to one can (not bottle) of soda a day.

When I am home, I pig out and eat what ever I want.

This is what works for me.

[Frogman]

This is a topic close to my heart, er stomach and butt...

I am a 30 something mother and I have to watch what I eat so that I don't balloon back up to nearly 250 pounds. Of course this is even harder since I drive. Here is what I do, take it or leave it as you will.


I drink water, tons of the stuff...When I want a snack as I am driving, I drink a bottle of water, often I put a splash of lemon or lime juice in it, just to add variety. (I buy the Sams Club bottled water by the case when I am home, it is the best IMO.)

I eat three times a day...around 10 in the morning, I have a sandwhich (ham and cheese or soemthing) that I prepare in my truck. I have a LITE lunch, often a salad or soup. I often have this in my truck as well.

For supper, I chow down. I have a real meal, don't care about the calories, or what it will look like on my thighs. (GNARF).

Before I go to bed for the night I walk two miles, every day that I drive I walk, PERIOD. I have a pedometer that keeps track of this. I often have my dog with me, so I do this for him, and since I am a female he tends to keep me safer.

On my 34 hour restarts, I try and walk at least 7 miles during the shut down time.

I don't loose alot of weight, (I admit I sneak junk food), but I also don't gain any. I can maintain my weight, and with the amount of water that I drink, I don't worry about infections.

Of course, I don't drink caffiene (I am allergic to it), but I do sneak a real cup of coffee or iced tea now and then. I limit myself to one can (not bottle) of soda a day.

When I am home, I pig out and eat what ever I want.

This is what works for me.

That's inspiring stuff!

I like your approach of trying to do a heavy workout during the 34-hour shutdown. That's will be my plan too . . . although I suspect the first 2-3 times I'll be too tired to do much else than hit the rack!

[Castanea_d.]

This is a great discussion. I have just one thing to add to Frogman's suggestion about sunflower seeds and peanuts: according to the book "Diet for a small planet," if you combine them in the ratio of 5 parts sunflower seeds to 4 parts peanuts, they make a complete protein. For the last 15 years or so, these have been a staple part of my diet. I mix them up and bag them in single-serving amounts (I do 1/3 cup of the mix, which is 250 calories or so) -- otherwise, I tend to munch on them and end up eating 1000 calories' worth before I know it. They are a cheap, compact, and easily stored way to get healthy kinds of fat, protein, and calories. My typical quick lunch is a single-serving bag of these plus an apple or other type of fruit or vegetable and a couple pieces of crispbread.

If blood pressure/sodium issues are a problem for you, make sure you get unsalted nuts and seeds.

I'm not a fan of low-carb diets, having done better myself with trying to keep a balance of all kinds of nutrients, but I think you have to watch out for "processed" carbs, like white bread, commercial baked goods, sugar, etc. Much better if your carbs are coming from whole grains.

I say a big "Amen" to drinking plenty of water, and exercise of all kinds. As I get older, I am finding stretching/flexibility work to be more and more important.

I do pig out from time to time; my weaknesses are chocolate, and ice cream. Or any combination of the two. But if you establish good eating habits, I think you can pig out occasionally without killing yourself. I hope.

One thing I plan to take on the road is a bathroom scale. When I am looking at it every day, I keep my weight where I want it without much trouble. If I go a week or two without checking it, all of a sudden things are not so good, and it becomes a pain to cut back and lose those extra pounds.

[Frogman]

I do pig out from time to time; my weaknesses are chocolate, and ice cream. Or any combination of the two. But if you establish good eating habits, I think you can pig out occasionally without killing yourself. I hope.

I think you're right.

For one thing, we know that crash dieting does not work. If you place too great a caloric deficit on the body, your metabolism slows way down and your body will go into a self-protective starvation mode.

It's just as logical, therefore, to assume that crash binging also does not work to supply your body with an over abundance of glucose stored as fat.

You can see on the TV show "Survivor" that the big, rich meals that they're allowed as prizes once in a while, do nothing to change their slow starvation mode.

While we tend to focus on arbitrary periods of time like "a day" or "this meal" or even "this Thanksgiving weekend" . . . the body has no time parameter for fat storage. An extra 1000 calories today worries people. But an extra 30 calories spread out over 35 days is nothing. Of course,a heavy dump of carbs (sugar) will alter blood chemistry and insulin levels and may affect your health in other ways . . . but strictly speaking . . . you need weeks and weeks of consistent over-eating to get fat.

A pound of body fat = 3500 calories.

The Department of Agriculture says that an 8" apple pie contains 1800 calories.

So in theory . . . if your liver and other easy-access glycogen stores were full and your body was perfectly efficient and stored every single excess calorie . . . which it does not . . . and if your daily calorie needs had already been satisfied . . . you could eat two apple pies and gain only one pound of weight.

Or, check this out from a site called http://walking.about.com/library/cal...ngcalories.htm

Let's say you ate all this for Thanksgiving:

One mixed drink, One glass of wine, A cup of coffee with cream and sugar, A cup of eggnog, Three cups salad with diet dressing, Six ounces of cured ham, Six ounces of white and dark turkey, Half a cup of stuffing, Half a cup of cranberry sauce, Half a cup of mashed potatoes, Half a cup of gravy, Half a cup of green bean casserole, Half a cup of candied sweet potatoes, A dinner roll, A pat of butter, A slice of apple pie, A slice of pumpkin pie, Half a cup of ice cream . . .

Then later that night had:

A turkey sandwich with mayo and cranberry sauce,

Then just before bed had

An open-face turkey sandwich with stuffing and gravy . . .

You will only have eaten 4200 calories.

Remember, that your body needs calories just to function. A 6' 1", 200 lb man, 45 years old who does light exercise needs 2500 calories a day to operate his body. That means he has over-eaten only 1700 calories and would need to eat like this two days in a row to gain one pound!

And that assumes his body was perfectly efficient at storing sugar which it isn't.

So, my point is that you actually gain weight pretty slowly . . . which is why it also comes off pretty slowly.

That's why occasional binges or bouts of over-eating can be tolerated.

Bottom line: Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Never feel like you're cheating when you eat more than normal. It's like driving . . . occasionally going above the speed limit in some situations is much different than consistently going over the speed limit in all situations.