commuters -- how do you handle the drive home?

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ali258
ali258 Posts: 403
in Motivation and Support
I commute about an hour each way to work, and I find that the drive home is the hardest part of the day for me. After a long and stressful day at work, it's just too easy to stop by McDonald's or Dairy Queen and get something that is more calories than I should eat in a day. Even if I bring a healthy snack to eat on the way home, that doesn't necessarily stop me from pulling over to get something else. Are there other commuters who have found strategies to avoid this drive-through dilemma?
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Replies

  • Africanfood
    Africanfood Posts: 1 Member
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    I find it easy to picture myself at the weight I want to be and know that giving into the "sabotaging foods" calling will only set me back and not push me forward. Hope this helps
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    Lately I've been rewarding myself with money!

    Every time I'm tempted to eat out but make a conscious decision to eat at home, I take the money I would've spent and it goes into my vacation jar.
  • angelwings2000
    angelwings2000 Posts: 357 Member
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    I just have to make sure that I have a snack that's satisfying enough to sustain me. I crank the tunes to keep my mind from food.
  • 1yoyoKAT
    1yoyoKAT Posts: 206 Member
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    I don't commute anymore, but when I did, I found that if I knew I had a nice, hot meal waiting for me at home I didn't have much temptation to stop elsewhere. Examples, crock pot supper, a plate of leftovers all set up and just waiting to be microwaved, etc. Just knowing what the plan was for dinner helped, even if it wasn't made yet. Plus, with logging, if I log in my plan at the start of the day, it's less temptation to change it because of the inconvenience and missing out on my goals. I've learned that for me, the quote "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail" is really true. Hope this helps, happy driving! :flowerforyou:
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Honestly it sounds like you are looking for an excuse to stop and get fast food. It's an hour! You can go an hour without eating. It's really not that difficult. If it is that difficult than arrange your calories so that you can fit in your drive through meals.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    How about an audible book playing in the car so that your journey goes quickly and your brain is occupied?
  • horseplaypen
    horseplaypen Posts: 442 Member
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    I commuted an hour and a half each way during the summer, and honestly, by the time 4:00 rolled around I was so eager to get home that stopping for food would have just been an annoyance, even if I felt like indulging! I also had places to be - I took a class at the gym at 6, so I was always in a hurry to get home. Maybe aim for something like that, if you take gym classes?

    I also second audiobooks - I listened to the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series while I was commuting and I would have punched someone who suggested I turn the book off for even five minutes to get a burger. :)
  • Sofitin2013
    Sofitin2013 Posts: 39
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    Coffee and Sirius satellite radio :)
  • butterflylover527
    butterflylover527 Posts: 940 Member
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    I just keep food in my car so when I get out of school (an hr away) so when I get to my car, I have something to eat. I love fast food but I hate spending the money on it.
  • Gizziemoto
    Gizziemoto Posts: 430 Member
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    Audio books, gum, a mint to sucks on, and I carry a granola bar in my purse. I pass a Krispy Kreme every day! They smell sooo good but then I pop a mint.
  • ali258
    ali258 Posts: 403
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    Thank you for all of the great suggestions! Today, I tried saving part of my lunch for the ride home, and I ended up not even eating it. I'm going to keep doing this, and see if I can curb my bad habits.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
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    I have a 45 mile commute each way, and I've been doing it for 25 years. How do I deal with it? First and formost, I found a friend to car pool with. I do drive 10 miles to meet up with her, but she loves to drive, so i pay her $35/month for gas. It makes the drive much easier, and it saves me wear and tear on my car...not to mention she is great company!
  • shermad
    shermad Posts: 2
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    On the weekend -- fix 5 small, healthy treats to have waiting on you each day when you get home. Hopefully, this will refocus your thoughts away from driving through a fast food place. Just think about getting home to the treat that is waiting for you.
  • msrootitooti
    msrootitooti Posts: 253 Member
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    I just tell myself that I would get home later and it would only lengthen my commute.. that and chew gum..
  • deep220
    deep220 Posts: 52 Member
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    I have a 40 minute drive one way to work everyday. The only thing that saves me is Audiobooks. I check them out from the library constantly. That way I get sucked into the story and then presto I am home. Didn't even think about stopping anywhere, but I was a kid that loved story time so maybe this just works for me. I don't know. Give it a try- worse case scenario you would have listen to a couple books.
  • perfectingpatti
    perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
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    I commute about an hour each way, also. Like someone else mentioned, it helps when I know I have dinner in the crockpot or I already have planned out what I'm going to cook. I like to tell my husband and kids, too, so in my mind I've already made a commitment regarding dinner.

    It's sooooo tempting to stop on the way home when we have to pass 4 Mexican restaurants and a cold margarita sounds so good!
  • Mist1981
    Mist1981 Posts: 145
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    My commute home is at least an hour and a half. I understand what you mean! By then I am just so tired that the thought of going home and cooking sounds horrible. To help resist the temptation on the way home, I drink my Shakeology then. I also find it helps me with energy and at the end of the day is when I need it the most. As far as being too exhausted that the thought of cooking seems "difficult". I really try to have things in the crock pot or already prepared for week days, or even breakfast for dinner. That really helps since I know it will be ready or just popped in the microwave when I get home.
  • Reza151
    Reza151 Posts: 517 Member
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    Thankfully (though also unthankfully), I take public transportation. Thsi allows me to crochet or read my kindle during the commute:D
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    That used to be one of my biggest issues - sneaking food in the car. I'd stop at the grocery store for boxes of snack cakes and eat about half on the way home, or stop at McD's for a burger and soda, or stop for an ice cream sundae in the summer. Hubs always wondered why his "plump" wife didn't seem to eat much...and I didn't confess until a year or so ago.

    It sounds to me like you need some snack analysis. Think about what you're craving and why. Are you really hungry or are you just bored? I would assume you're just bored. I don't know about you but listening to the same radio stations day after day is horrible. They're not bad in the morning when the funny DJs are on doing their schtick but the drive home is SO boring.
    But, if you really think you're hungry, you may need to look at what you're eating. Make sure you're getting plenty of healthy fats and protein - both of which will keep you full longer.

    For drive-home boredom, my solution is to listen to audiobooks (from the library so they're free/cheap). I've been able to get so many more books "read" this way, even catching up on some classics that I've wanted to read for years. I'm currently listening to the Dexter series and it's really good!

    Point is, bored eating is such a horrible thing for anyone trying to lose weight. I've been at this for three years now and still have to fight with myself on the weekends sometimes.

    Another thought for motivation - maybe do like people who quit smoking do and save up the money you would've spent at the drive-thru to buy something you really want (clothes, a trip, pay off car, etc)

    Good luck!

    p.s. These days the only thing I stop at McD's for is their ice cream cones - it's a nice little treat for only 170 calories.
  • BamBam125
    BamBam125 Posts: 229 Member
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    Audio books are great for long commutes. I used to pick them up from the local library. I recommend the Outlander series (written by Diana Gabaldon, narrated by Davina Porter). I enjoyed Davina's readings so much that even when I didn't have a commute I bought the audiobook instead of the physical book and listened to her reading while I walked or did housework. (My library didn't have then full series.)

    When I had a long commute like that, I hated it. It's part of the reason I resigned and found something that was closer to home.

    I didn't get fast food on the way home though because my commute was through the middle of nowhere. I did get fast food once I got home though when no one wanted to cook....

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