Over the road trucker trying to diet and work out on the road

DasViolator69

I'm currently 401 lbs trying my best to lose 150 for health reasons obviously and work reasons dieting on the road is not the easiest thing to do dues to my fellow drivers famous for not exactly being health concerned so lots of fast food and not much of anything else short of subway salads but still trying anyways. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

3rdof7sisters

My best friends husband is an over the road trucker and is gone M-F every week.
She preps meals and snacks for him for the whole week on the weekend. and freezes the meals. He has a microwave and small fridge in his truck. He has lost over 80 pounds in the last 10 months.
He never goes to fast food places anymore. It is working for him.
Good luck, I know it isn't easy.

French_Peasant

I'm not a trucker, but my dad was for quite a few years when I was young, because he could make better money driving than he could as a scientist, so I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the guys on the road. I remember, every day, he would spend $1 (or some crazy low price) on the salad bar at Rax, where he could artistically pile a plate as high as possible and get a decent amount of food, while saving our family a lot of money. He was also doing a lot of loading and unloading, so he had a great physique and was very strong.

Although I try not to eat too much fast food, I do have most of the restaurants scoped out for what I can afford calorie-wise, and that helps me hit my macro- and micro-nutrient needs. For example, at Wendy's the grilled chicken sandwich has a decent protein/calorie profile, and I get a salad (with the tiniest amount of dressing) or a baked potato with sr cream and chives along side. You are probably working with a higher calorie count, so could probably do both the salad and potato. Or if you want to do one of the larger salads, just really research the parts of the salad that will kill you on calories, and make the decision if you want to add that pack of nuts, or maybe save it for a snack.

If you are going to Subway, they have a variety of sandwiches (for example, grilled chicken) that have a great nutritional profile, especially if you load them up with vegetables and just get some dijon mustard instead of the more elaborate sauces.

One of our favorite fast food restaurants is Culvers--again, their grilled chicken or pot roast sandwich/dinner plate has a good lower-cal/higher protein profile, and of course you have to be wise with your sides and go for the lower cal soups, side salad, green beans, etc., and do not fall for the siren song of the frozen custard (easier said than done).

One of the best things you could do is pack a cooler with a variety of healthy snacks in pre-measured packets: bell peppers, sliced carrots, nuts, apples, bananas, string cheese, individual tuna packs...anything that is going to last several days on the road. If you eat some veggies or fruit before you stop for your lunch, you're less likely to go crazy at the fast food joints (and can also make a meaningful impact on your budget).

Another good practice would to be to use your lunch periods to get some brisk walking in, or even better, combine it with 10 or 20 minutes of jumping jacks, wall pushups, tricep dips, or even carry a couple of dumbbells with you to get a good metabolic/strength workout. You might get some odd looks doing jumping jacks next to your truck, but screw them--this is your health, and it's worth an odd look or two. This is coming from a mom who runs wind sprints with her two young kids at rest stops when we have a long road trip, LOL.

DasViolator69

I do have a fridge and microwave in my truck and even found a elliptical machine that fits in here as well maybe my biggest problem is I go out for much longer than a week at a time usually 2 to 4 weeks at a time and my little fridge only holds so much lol but I do really appreciate ya'lls input and will definitely apply it to my plan thank you very much.

WickAndArtoo

It's so hard to eat healthy on the road, but totally worth it

Meal prepping is your best bet, even if you can't fit enough for your entire trip you could prep as much as you can and then stop by another grocery store and prep again.

For me the easier and more convenient the more likely I'll eat healthy, so pre cut veggies and salads etc are key for on the road.

rabblescum

Plan, plan and plan. It is possible to eat packaged and fast food with lower claories. I had to do it when I was in school and living 7 deep in house. I used my little bit of fridge space for snack veggies. My meals in involved a lot of light soup canned soup that I could take with me. I also looked up and planned a low calorie meal or two at every fast food and chain place I would likely end up. So I always knew what to order. I would make air popped popcorn and keep it in freezer bags, and a case of water so I never even looked at gas station/vending machine snacks. Good luck.

Packerjohn

I remembered reading this article in Men's Health a while back. Has some pretty good tips IMO:
http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/on-the-road-fitness

jenwil1999

Packerjohn wrote: »

I remembered reading this article in Men's Health a while back. Has some pretty good tips IMO:
http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/on-the-road-fitness

Great article!

OP - Good luck! It's a really tough lifestyle for losing weight, but you've started! I read the article and thought it had some great advice. Also, I just want to echo what everyone else said: plan plan plan! And if you eat something not on your plan / go over calories, just log it and move on with life. You haven't "failed" and shouldn't feel "guilty". The more you log, the better.

allaboutthecake

My Son-IL is a trucker...he packs his own but more importantly while load/unload, he gets out and jogs or does sprints if short on time. Sprints have improved his leg circulation, too. You could go for walks, no matter what the time is like.

(eta: your truck fridge could hold good solid protein like hard boiled eggs, lean meat, etc., that is easy to purchase on the road. When you eat at the greasy diners, try to have the cook prepare a little more healthy, such as nothing added to steamed veggies, dry grilling, etc...you get the idea.)

pktruckdriver

I too am trucker, would love to
actually talk to you, if possible.
I am 450 or so, was over 500, but am needing help/support so freakin bad, sorry gotta run more later, please pm me

DasViolator69

pktruckdriver wrote: »

I too am trucker, would love to
actually talk to you, if possible.
I am 450 or so, was over 500, but am needing help/support so freakin bad, sorry gotta run more later, please pm me

I sent you a pm

BootBabe13

I was on the road a lot with my ex who is a long haul truck driver... I know the lifestyle very well. I would make home as much food as possible but that doesn't last and room is an issue... I sent him lists of food to by at the grocery store and he started making a point to do his own shopping and some prepping he even had a crock pot in the truck... it's not about being perfect it's about making better decisions more often then not and decisions that are better then the ones you may have made the day or week before eventually it becomes a way of life and gets easier! All the best to you! And thanks for doing what you do!