I am a truck driver experimenting with a new diet idea

danielsigmonicloud6072

I sleep on my truck Monday-Saturday one week, then I am home the following week.

I am doing 20-24 hour fasting while I am sleeping on my truck and doing OMAD(one meal a day) breaking fast around 8-11pm

And when I am home the following week, I eat excess calories high protein and strength train.

My goal is to gain muscle (fat will be included) when I am home

And lose fat (minimal muscle loss) while I am on the truck.

Would love suggestions and advice also not sure how this works I would be happy to share my progress.

tomcustombuilder

All that matters is what your total weekly calorie amount is. Fasting, OMAD, etc. don't really matter, there is no reason to do those things unless you want to however there is no real benefit.

Retroguy2000

You should keep your high protein during the trucking week too. If you're in a calorie deficit that week, the protein will help preserve muscle. And as Tom said, there's nothing magical about OMAD or IF wrt weight loss, it just comes down to your calorie deficit. If that style helps you with adherence, go for it.

Maybe you can find a way to do a little exercise during those trucking weeks too. Get some bands like Bodylastics, and you should be able to affix them somewhere on the truck exterior I'm sure when you're parked up, and do some upper body work with those.

danielsigmonicloud6072

While driving a truck it’s very hard to not snack throughout the day. Which is why I do OMAD I’ve been driving for over 3 years and have experimented with many methods of not being in a surplus, this is the only thing that works for me. Not to mention the benefits of fasting that I seeking as well. Thanks for the advice. It’s very hard to sit in one spot all day driving and not snack. As long as I’m driving I can drink water and black coffee and surpress my appetite. When I finish driving 24hr after my OMAD I’m not even starving, but I eat one big meal. My macros were 40/22/38 Carb/fat/protein

Also, not having storage space and cooking devices does limit me, but I had 90 second brown rice in microwave bag; 3 bags of crushed up quest protein chips, one grass fed beef stick and a bowl of Cambells chili and beans and two premier protein shakes. According to my goals and the app I am still at 400 calorie deficit.

This is the first time I’m actually using the DB(discussion boards) to speak on my methods. Truck drivers are often obese, and I aim to prevent by having a fasting/strength training program.

Wish me luck

danielsigmonicloud6072

Also it’s very hard to have the energy to workout on the truck. Yes it’s possible, but when you drive 600+ miles in a day the whole day you talk your self up mentally, your excited for it, but when it comes down to it you really don’t push yourself.

When I am home I perform heavy high intensity low volume (sets) every other day with one 48hr rest

For example

Sunday (biceps,triceps, chest*)2superset 2 working set for each muscle.

Tuesday (shoulders, back, legs*)

Thursday or Friday (BTC*)

Sunday (SBL*)

I take every set I do to complete failure last few reps I always do slow eccentric.

The biggest thing that has helped me in the past 2 months gain significantly more strength has been eating more during my training week.

Im going to switch to a clean diet (maintaining this program) surplus while training at home and fasting OMAD on the truck. I’m interested to see what the results will be.

cmriverside

I would just say that as a fellow traveller, I wish you would eat regular meals and balanced nutrition so you can be at your best physically and mentally for sitting in a huge missile going 60 down the highway.

Seriously, it's not good to let your blood levels fluctuate that much when you have such a taxing occupation that can be fatal for others around you. Why can't you pre-prepare meals that are nourishing (like sandwiches and carrot sticks, for instance) to eat as you drive - on a regular schedule. It takes five minutes to eat.

More than almost any other profession, yours requires focus and GOOD NUTRITION. Please don't go 24 hours driving without eating!

Corina1143

I'm not a muscle builder, so can't speak to that.
I do know a little about truck drivers.
As for your OMAD. I say what works for you is best.
As for working out while away, I think maybe what Retroguy meant and what I would also advocate is to exercise a little. Not trying to make gains, but to keep what you've got. A day or two of rest may be a good thing, but 6 straight days may not. You don't need to get excited about exercise on the road. Think more like unwinding, relaxing your muscles, stretching, contra moves for the position you're forced to maintain while driving. It should help your sleep, too.
Good luck! I hope it works for you. And by all means, keep us informed.

Hobartlemagne

You should look into using BCAA supplement to help reduce muscle wasting on days you're sitting most of the time. It's safe and scientifically proven to work.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-bcaa

Retroguy2000

Yeah while on the road I didn't mean strive for a full workout. I just mean get out the bands and do a few quick rows and presses, curls, triceps push, etc. It doesn't take long, gets some blood flowing, gets some stretching in, and helps maintain what muscle you have. And bands take up negligible space or weight by themselves while you travel.

danielsigmonicloud6072 wrote: »

When I am home I perform heavy high intensity low volume (sets) every other day with one 48hr rest

For example

Sunday (biceps,triceps, chest*)2superset 2 working set for each muscle.

Tuesday (shoulders, back, legs*)

Thursday or Friday (BTC*)

Sunday (SBL*)

I take every set I do to complete failure last few reps I always do slow eccentric.

If I can offer some suggestions...

That's not much volume, especially considering it's every other week. Assuming you're a beginner lifter, you should be aiming for 10-12 working sets per week per muscle group to optimize muscle growth. You do not need to go to failure as a beginner. It does help to know where failure is though, so if you want to go to failure on the last set say, that's fine. But going to failure every set means more fatigue builds up, which means less volume, which means less muscle gains.

I would recommend you do PPLPPL on your week of lifting. That would imply 5-6 sets of say chest and back on each push or pull day, which would be 1-2 exercises. For example, chest press plus fly, and lat pulldown plus chest supported row. Something like that. Isolation stuff like arms at the end, after compounds. Get a deadlift or RDL in one of the leg days.

Remember that lifting doesn't burn many additional calories vs resting. Maybe 150-300 for an hour, depending on your size and the intensity. So be wary of too much of a surplus in the lifting week.