As of January 7, 2009 my wife and I decided that there would be no more excuses about our weight (actually she decided first, but I was persuaded to join in for the peace of our marriage ). We could no longer blame our choice of occupation for the size of our bodies. We could no longer blame the truck stops for their lack of healthy food choices. We could no longer blame being a team for our lack of exercise. We could blame no one but ourselves for gaining the weight we have.
When we came to this decision my wife had already completed several weeks of research on the internet and decided that we would embark on a lifestyle change not a diet. She finally decided that we would reduce the calories, fat, sodium and increase the fiber level in our diet.
I will admit that I was VERY skeptical that we would stick to any attempt at a lifestyle change or that any change would work if we did stick to it. I am writing this to inform you all that it did work, is working and it wasn’t that hard to do. As of today I have lost 26.4 lbs and my wife has also lost a lot (she would kill me if I revealed it on the internet). We still have more to lose, but the old habits are almost gone and we don’t miss them.
How have we done it?
We read every label, on everything we eat and we eat only the serving size listed. If it is an extremely small serving we double it but we account for it.
We plan every meal, EVERY time in advance of ordering it or cooking it. We don’t enter a truck stop or restaurant without having a plan on what we will eat. We don’t deviate from that plan and we don’t wander through the aisles of the truck stop looking for temptation.
We have stocked the truck with low fat, lower calorie, healthier snacks such as pretzels (can’t trust yourself to eat just the one serving then count them out and put in individual sandwich bags); tuna packed in water; canned fruits (in juice not syrup); applesauce (no sugar); beef jerky (read the label for low fat/lower sodium);Fiber One granola bars (great source of fiber); Kashi granola bars; Fiber One cereals are great to snack on dry (buy the milk in the truck stop if you don’t have a refrigerator if you want a bowl); instant oatmeal packages (use a refillable coffee mug and get hot water in truck stop to add to it). If you have a refrigerator or cooler stop off at Wal Mart to get low fat/low sodium prepackaged lunch meats (Oscar Meyer has some great tasting ones), add some multi-grain bread, mustard and low fat sliced cheese for a good tasting sandwich. Pick up some fresh fruit while there. The key to all this is to eat just one serving, not the whole package in one sitting. Stop when you are full and if you are still hungry then snack on one high fiber item since fiber keeps you full longer.
Eating at a fast food restaurant can also be accomplished. We do it all the time. We just make wiser choices by planning ahead. Most fast food franchises have websites with their nutrition information so you can know in advance. We have sworn off french fries except for once in a great while then we only order a small size. We never up size any meal. We tell them to hold the mayonnaise and add mustard instead to hamburgers. We don’t order the double hamburger, only the single patty or we get a grilled chicken sandwich. At Subway we buy only a six inch sandwich on wheat (more fiber), we avoid the bologna/sausage type meats or tuna to eat turkey or ham instead, skip the mayo or oil, and load the sandwich with lots of vegetables for a longer full feeling after eating. Beware of the word “salad” added to a lot of high fat meals. Check the nutrition information prior to eating that caesar salad or taco salad because many of them have a lot of fat or hidden calories.
At restaurants we stick with grilled or baked meats (skip the bacon or sausage). We try to eat more fish or chicken because red meats are loaded with fat. For the side items we get a vegetable (not fried or in butter) and we order a salad or salad bar. We order the salad dressing on the side and we slightly dip our fork into the dressing then spear the salad; by doing that you get the flavor of the dressing with a fraction of the fat.
We don’t use the salt shaker. Most foods are loaded with sodium so no more is needed.
We drink water, a LOT of water. If we don’t have water we substitute unsweet iced tea or coffee with Splenda.
Exercise can be done simply by taking a walk. No special equipment or clothing needed just get out and walk. Don’t want to leave the truck then check out Leslie Sansone DVD’s that are walk at home programs that can be modified to work in the truck. My wife uses them every week; she just modifies the movements to keep moving at the same pace as the DVD but without needing a large space.
Do we ever splurge? Oh yeah! We plan on splurges every week. We each had two slices of Flying J pepperoni pizza (note only the one topping) this past week, BUT we had a salad earlier in the day instead of a high fat high calorie meal. I still have my beer at home but it is light beer and I only have 2-3 instead of a six pack. It is all about compromise and being aware of what goes in your mouth.
There are also many websites out there for weight loss support (do a search by weight lost forums). My wife utilizes them every day and has found a huge amount of information also. I would love to see CAD add an actual category dedicated to weight loss or health issues for drivers because only we can truly understand the difficulties out on the road.
I am sharing all this information with everyone on this site because each and every day I watch drivers struggling to walk into the truck stop breathing hard. The feds are adding more and more restrictions regarding our health as drivers and as easy as it can be to blame the feds, they do have a very valid point that vast amount of drivers are unhealthy.
What health benefits have I or my wife experienced so far?
Sleeping better
More energy
Drowsiness in the middle of our driving shifts has all but been eliminated.
Blood pressure is back to normal.
BMI is down.
Cholesterol is down.
