FIFO work
Does anyone here have any tips on how to stay on a weightloss plan while working FIFO. I do a 2 and 2 rotation and im finding it increasingly difficult, especially since meals are served in a meal hall and they just plop a bunch of food on a plate for you.
Replies
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No idea what FIFO nor 2 and 2 rotation means.
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I just looked it up and I assume it means fly in fly out. Yeah, in a situation like this, I would use serving size instead of calories. Use your hand to estimate what would be a reasonable portion of any given item on the plate.... carbs would be fist sized, meats/protein palm sized, vegetables/fruits unlimited. Stick to a standard 3 meals per day. I'd avoid dessert, since without knowing calories dessert would be your biggest landmine. Also, no full sugar soda.
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Fly in and fly out for work, working 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off. I'm looking for advice from people who do this type of work.
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Thank you. It can definitely be difficult because everything is available all the time (aside from hot meals at breakfast/dinner) and food in general is not the healthiest. I usually dont drink full sugar soda in general and it's not available here unless I buy it for 3x the price...so we good on that
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Yeah, you're probably going to have to get good at telling yourself no to the "non-meal" snack stuff... except maybe for lunch if that's what's available. You can lose weight eating any type of food. Look up the guy who lost weight and improved his health eating nothing but convenience store foods. It can be done, but it'll be a challenge.
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Yeah I'm trying to eat healthier as well (just trying to be healthier in general not just weightloss)...so it's been rough. Lunch time is the absolute worst for this.
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Mentality is important. Stay positive about it. You can do this. If you focus too much on the difficulties, you'll just psych yourself out.
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I'm not sure what you mean by "healthier". Different people have different definitions . . . and some of those definitions are . . . overly elaborate?
Most people are going to find basic foods most filling, which possibly helps steer around the snacky things. I'm talking meat, fish, veggies, fruits, whole grains, dairy foods (maybe limiting those that concentrate the dairy fats, like butter, cream cheese, sour cream, full-fat cheese), etc.
Other things that may help reach better satiety: Higher protein, higher fiber, good hydration, and for some people high volume (like big veggies portions, but anything high volume/low calorie density).
Avoiding fried foods or things with creamy sauces or oily dressings usually reduces calorie intake. Some condiments (mayo is a prime example) are calorie dense. Usually highly processed, refined foods are less nutrient dense, less filling, and also require fewer calories to be burned in the digestion/metabolization process. (That last is a small number, but it's a number. 😉)
Probably you know all that stuff above is healthy. Where some people get in a little deep is thinking they need to eat all and only superfoods, can't have anything at alll that's processed, need to cut out all carbs (or fats), can't eat common filling foods like potatoes or oatmeal (the problem isn't those foods, it's frying the potatoes, heaping sour cream or cheese on non-fried ones; and the sweet toppings/ingredients for oatmeal). It's simpler than that.
Yes, healthy foods are good and helpful for both weight loss and general health. But common sense works fine. I wouldn't do it, but people have lost weight and even improved health markers doing it while "dieting" on mostly twinkies and convenience store foods, or entirely and exclusively foods from McDonald's, and that sort of thing. (Not recommended: Generally those who've done it went that route as a demonstration or you might as well say a party trick. 😆)
But for the weight loss part, it's the calories that matter directly. Healthy eating is good for um, yeah, health, and can keep energy up during weight loss so help a bit, indirectly. Filling foods make lower calories easier to live with and stick with.
Mostly, I'm just hoping you're not thinking thinking you absolutely must follow some specific eating pattern or trendy diet, or failure will happen. Any way of getting average food calorie level below your average calorie expenditure will result in weight loss.
In your case, you could even do something like trying to stick around weight-maintenance calories during the 2 weeks you're on at work, then a moderate calorie reduction you can stick with for the 2 weeks you're off work. Obviously, weight loss would be slower.
Personally, speaking from the perspective of someone now gratefully in long-term weight maintenance after previous decades of overweight, I think the best weight loss is permanent weight loss. That requires a focus on workable habits that fit into one's actual lifestyle, and that can continue almost on autopilot long term. Fast weight loss can be a trap. "Permanent" requires a different mindset from "fast".
I don't know what life looks like when you're on at work, but as an aside, the better duration/quality your sleep can be, the more helpful that will be.
Best wishes for success: It's worth the effort!
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Im just trying to make healthier decisions so I feel better. Im not cutting things out entirely, Im not saying I cant eat certain foods. Im just wondering how people who do this work go about eating more nutious foods in a setting that often doesnt make very nutrious foods. I could eat the fried or not very nutrious foods every time and just say whatever ill eat less of it...but then im hungry again pretty quickly and I feel like *kitten*....and then i crave the many desserts available...and the cycle continues. Im in general just trying to feel better and part of that is weightloss and I want to know tips from people who are in a similar situation. Its not anything complex. I guess im not really asking how to lose weight becsusr i know how it's done...im more so asking how people manage with this life style.
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You make it sound as though at work, there are no food options... you're just given what you're given. If that's true, your only real option is managing how much you're choosing to eat. If it's more buffet style, then pick and choose from the options available so that you're choosing the foods that will make you feel more full (more of whatever veggies there are, more protein, less of the refined grains).
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Doesn't your living accomodation have a refrigerator and microwave? Go to the store and buy healthier options. Boxed or bagged salad. Frozen vegetables. Pre-cooked chicken, etc. If there isn't a refrigerator, couldn't you buy a small one, or bring a cooler. Bring a crockpot. An air-fryer. Use meal deliveries.
Surely you're not the only person who doesn't want to eat the plop-and-eat meals. Could you try asking the people you work with what they do?
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Hey! My partner also does FIFO 1:1 roster and struggles with the food provided at the mess. He has recently started on a GLP-1 which has made the biggest impact.
Other things that worked for him was bringing protein powder and having a shake for breakfast instead of breakfast at the mess. He also tried stopping at a supermarket on his way in to grab some freezer meals to microwave but it can be an inconvenience at times.
Some people actually meal prep on their off weeks and pack their freezer meals in their suitcase which is another potential option. Other than that you’ll just to have strict portion control. Good luck!
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That is not possible. I work at a mine site in the middle of nowhere with 800 people. Everyone sleeps in an assigned room for 2 weeks and eats what is provided because bringing other food is nearly impossible (whether thats because we would have nowhere to store 2 weeks worth of food or because you physically fly in...me personally, it takes me 8 hours to fly to work and then i drive another 6).
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Thank you. Protein powder might be a good idea...easy to pack too!
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You say you crave the many desserts available, so that implies you have some choices. Can you fill up on the other stuff - protein and veg, as others have suggested - and avoid (or just have a smaller spoonful) any pasta, potatoes and rice which are higher in calories? That's pretty much what I do at home as I find that I need the volume, so a plateful of veg or salad with some protein on top means I feel like I've eaten a proper meal. I'm guessing that almost everything on offer is higher in calories as many people working there are presumably doing physical jobs and need the cals. How much choice do you get with regards to what's put on your plate? and what sort of foods are available to you?
Whenever I travel, I take individual packs of mixed nuts. Would something like that work as a 'dessert' to keep you away from whatever else is on offer? Nuts are relatively high in calories but are protein dense so can help you feel fuller. They don't require refrigeration, which is obviously a consideration, and individual packs can be stuffed into odd spaces in your luggage.
Also, could you eat fewer calories during the weeks that you're not at work so that your average over each month is where you want your intake to be?
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The higher the fat content, the more the calories in a small package. To maximize the size of your package (pun intended) you may have to select stuff that's packed with the least amount of calories for the size.
Also depending on whether you're in a dry or "wet" environment… the more you spend on alcohol, the less you will have available for steak :)
Generally speaking a meat and vegetable without too much sauce will be less calories overall than a very saucey cheesey dish…
A tomato sauce without too much oil or cheese will generally be less than a creamie sauce… yada yada :)
Beyond that you may have to give examples of what's available to you… and don't forget that even in your type of work schedule not every company in every country will operate the same.
The protein powder and (generally speaking) lower calorie "shake" you might make with some powder and water or skim-ish milk (if that's available) and if you can bring in a container or ziplock with protein powder is not a terrible idea even as a substitute to other goodies (you see or crave dessert your make yourself a shake) as opposed to only thinking of it as a 1:1 meal replacement.0
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