Truckers Fat Fight

Geez. Tough crowd. I like the idea of having a fitness program made specifically for truckers. I do random exercises here or there and try to eat healthy, but I think I would benefit from a more structured approach to fitness if I could find something that was conducive to life on the road.

Can you think of a way to encourage healthy habits in drivers to fight obesity? What would you/ have you paid for online training or nutrition programs?

Yes, offer something that utilizes the limited resources we have available out here and isn't a huge time zapper.

blockquotee>Where will you be getting the majority of your food from? Will you pack food? Eat out? Go to Walmart occasionally? This will obviously very person to person I just like to hear different plans.

Most of us could make the time to go to Walmart on a regular basis--as in, every couple of days or so. Heck, some of us even run Walmart dedicated and deliver to the stores every day. I live on the truck, so I try to go to Walmart and get food for my cooler every few days. I've got alot of canned food on board along with other non-perishables like cereal. I like to get fruit sometimes but it doesn't keep very long. To give you an idea of schedule, some of us work 12-14 hours a day for about six days and take a day off, and others work around 8-9 hrs a day 7 days a week. The rest of us (probably most long-haul truckers) have really no regular schedule at all. I've got a couple 25 lb dumbbells and I know some people keep resistance bands too.

Hope that helps give you some ideas.

So the product I am developing is an all inclusive online health program specifically created for truck drivers.

Each member will answer a questionnaire to develop a unique diet tailored to their preferences and lifestyle. There will be video content provided to help you customize the diet even more so there is no reason not to follow it. You will get weekendsome completely off.

We currently have a team of four trainers who will be providing content and answering drivers questions on our open forum. These trainers have years of experience in many different training fields.

We provide several levels and styles of workout programs available to drivers who want to exercise. These programs will very from 20 min. Mobile workouts to five days per week in the gym.

The part I am most proud of is our transformation program. Every 4 months we will have a transformation contest. Winners of the contest will receive $500 checks along with recognition on our site and social media. All you have to do is send a before and after picture for the 4 month period.

That is the general outline of our offerings.

I think you're on the right track with all this.

While its true there are some... Drivers out here who need the help, chances are those who need it most, Im guessing, probably wouldnt be interested. Incidentally many health insurance plans ALREADY offer wellness and fitness programs. Some truckstops have fitness centers and my company offers gym memberships.

Sue, speak for yourself. I may be thin, but I am diabetic and really need to be exercising regularly. And even after several months out here, I'm still overwhelmed when I try to put together an exercise/eating routine for myself--my ideas flop every time.

Those who care are doing things like parking farther away, making laps around a truckstop, bicycling, and stocking or preparing healthier snacks and meals.

I do these things, but I would still benefit from a fitness program. And if I do, I'm sure others would as well.

When did we become a group of drivers with lousy attitudes who criticize everyone and everything but ourselves and our own work? I think this guy is on the right track and has the right idea asking actual drivers for their ideas and opinions while he develops his product. If you aren't interested in something like this, that's fine, but don't assume everyone else is on the same page.

Geez. Tough crowd. I like the idea of having a fitness program made specifically for truckers. I do random exercises here or there and try to eat healthy, but I think I would benefit from a more structured approach to fitness if I could find something that was conducive to life on the road.

Can you think of a way to encourage healthy habits in drivers to fight obesity? What would you/ have you paid for online training or nutrition programs?

Yes, offer something that utilizes the limited resources we have available out here and isn't a huge time zapper.

blockquotee>Where will you be getting the majority of your food from? Will you pack food? Eat out? Go to Walmart occasionally? This will obviously very person to person I just like to hear different plans.

Most of us could make the time to go to Walmart on a regular basis--as in, every couple of days or so. Heck, some of us even run Walmart dedicated and deliver to the stores every day. I live on the truck, so I try to go to Walmart and get food for my cooler every few days. I've got alot of canned food on board along with other non-perishables like cereal. I like to get fruit sometimes but it doesn't keep very long. To give you an idea of schedule, some of us work 12-14 hours a day for about six days and take a day off, and others work around 8-9 hrs a day 7 days a week. The rest of us (probably most long-haul truckers) have really no regular schedule at all. I've got a couple 25 lb dumbbells and I know some people keep resistance bands too.

Hope that helps give you some ideas.

Thank you very much for your well thought out feedback! I really appreciate your open mind on this topic! The others will follow your attitude at some point as they will not have a choice as government regulations tighten.

T Fit1, this is actually a subject that comes up often in here. Guys and gals who are just getting started in their new career often want to know how they can eat right and make an attempt at staying fit. We have a lot of conversations in here on these very subjects.

It is a challenge for drivers to stay fit, and you are right about the medical regulations, they are just getting more and more strict with each year. We work long hours, but much of our actual working time is spent in a sedentary fashion. There is a good deal of stress at times, but it is mostly mental. There is very little physical demands as far as the kind of stuff that would boost ones metabolism, or improve muscle tone. I enjoy walking, and I will often times walk several miles each day. I try to time it so that I walk vigorously for a good 45 minutes to an hour, and I will usually try to do that about twenty or thirty minutes after having a meal. For me that seems to help keep my metabolism stoked up a little.

I enjoy cooking on the road, and I sometimes use a crock-pot to cook with as I'm rolling down the road. Truck drivers have several different ways that they cook. Some use the popular 12 volt lunch box cookers, and some folks who have APU's (Auxiliary Power Unit) in their trucks will have a microwave oven on board. Some drivers just use the microwave that is available inside the truck stop. Of course many of us go for the cheap food at the truck stops. They are always having a bargain on two Hot Dogs! I heard one driver refer to the hot dogs sitting in there rotating on those warm rollers as "death on a roller." Of course they offer pizza, and corn dogs, fried chicken wings and just about anything else they can get you to buy along with a 44 oz. soda! None of it is very healthy stuff.

Here's a link to a former conversation we had once where I explained how I cooked some Cornish Hens in my slow cooker. You may find the conversation interesting and informative concerning some of the things you are interested in.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

T Fit1, this is actually a subject that comes up often in here. Guys and gals who are just getting started in their new career often want to know how they can eat right and make an attempt at staying fit. We have a lot of conversations in here on these very subjects.

It is a challenge for drivers to stay fit, and you are right about the medical regulations, they are just getting more and more strict with each year. We work long hours, but much of our actual working time is spent in a sedentary fashion. There is a good deal of stress at times, but it is mostly mental. There is very little physical demands as far as the kind of stuff that would boost ones metabolism, or improve muscle tone. I enjoy walking, and I will often times walk several miles each day. I try to time it so that I walk vigorously for a good 45 minutes to an hour, and I will usually try to do that about twenty or thirty minutes after having a meal. For me that seems to help keep my metabolism stoked up a little.

I enjoy cooking on the road, and I sometimes use a crock-pot to cook with as I'm rolling down the road. Truck drivers have several different ways that they cook. Some use the popular 12 volt lunch box cookers, and some folks who have APU's (Auxiliary Power Unit) in their trucks will have a microwave oven on board. Some drivers just use the microwave that is available inside the truck stop. Of course many of us go for the cheap food at the truck stops. They are always having a bargain on two Hot Dogs! I heard one driver refer to the hot dogs sitting in there rotating on those warm rollers as "death on a roller." Of course they offer pizza, and corn dogs, fried chicken wings and just about anything else they can get you to buy along with a 44 oz. soda! None of it is very healthy stuff.

Here's a link to a former conversation we had once where I explained how I cooked some Cornish Hens in my slow cooker. You may find the conversation interesting and informative concerning some of the things you are interested in.

Thank you very much for the information! That is exactly the kind of stuff I was wanting to know. It's great to hear that you have been able to find a way to get some exercise in on a regular basis. The sedentary nature of the job makes losing weight that much harder. I think the key will be finding a way to get moving that works for each individual. I know it won't be a one size fits all exercise program, which is why I'm working on many different avenues of working out.

Thank you for the link I will check that out!

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APU's:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I just thought of this... you might try putting the word "exercise" in the search bar at the top of this page, or maybe "work out," and see what kind of results you get. You probably will find a good many conversations that you can read through that will provide you with a good bit of information that might be helpful in your research. That search engine only searches this sight, so everything you see will be discussions among truck drivers or new persons interested in the career.

Also check out these threads that are tagged for Eating On The Road.

I just thought of this... you might try putting the word "exercise" in the search bar at the top of this page, or maybe "work out," and see what kind of results you get. You probably will find a good many conversations that you can read through that will provide you with a good bit of information that might be helpful in your research. That search engine only searches this sight, so everything you see will be discussions among truck drivers or new persons interested in the career.

Also check out these threads that are tagged for Eating On The Road.

Thank you for the suggestions Old School! I will do some more looking around.

I lost upwards of 60 pounds while driving OTR. I can share the things that I did, but I do not expect them to be followed. Everyone seems to be chasing after some "magic" secret.

-There was a large electric cooler whose plug was modified to fit into one of the cigar lighters. Filled with fresh foods at all times, including produce.

- There was a lunchbox stove, and a plug-in electric skillet to prepare hot meals.

- A huge stash of tea, and an xl Stanley thermos (hot water at trucks stops is always free).

- a mini stepper (look up "sunny health twist mini stepper"). Resistance bands.

- I followed isometrics, isometrics are a miracle worker for those who live in a cramped space of a truck.

I also changed my eating habits to fit the inactivity of the job. Driving has you rotting in a seat for upwards of 11 hours a day. THEN, after your shift, you remain sitting on your azz, maybe walk over to someplace new to plant your azz down some more, until it's time to haul it back in and lay down for sleep. Yet, the typical driver eats like a lumberjack. So I tapered off snacks and employed intermittent fasting. At first, that 1-2 meals a day were whatever I wanted. Then, I gradually switched to a keto diet, and the intermittent fasting extended to where I had just one meal a day. That is where I had the fastest results. It seems really counterintuitive: you often hear nothing but having at least 3 meals a day, breakfast is important, fat is bad. A keto diet is based on huge amounts of fat. Fat by itself is not only very satisfying but it's also naturally self limiting. I can bet you love bacon, but I could also bet that you could not eat an entire pack of crispy bacon swimming in it's own drippings. You may want to or think you can. I challenge you if you don't believe me.

Little known fact: babies are naturally in a state of ketosis while living on the boob, ketosis is broken when they are introduced to foods with sugar and carbs. Too much protein can cause just as much of a glucose raise as eating too many carbs. Yeah, I didn't like hearing that news, either.

If you must have a snack, favorable options are hard boiled eggs with single serve packs of mayo, celery sticks, cracklins (NOT pork rinds. Cracklins!), pickles, single serve block of cheese, cups of broccoli florets, a single serve pack of sunflower kernels like the frito lay or lance brand. Bacon jerky (bass pro shop is the best brand) but check for sugar. The pepperoni & cheese cups. All of these can be found at any truck stop except the pepperoni & cheese cups which are only at flying j/pilot. Sipping tea is great to feel full. Buddhist monks who'd fast would tie warm rocks to their abdomen to trick the stomach into feeling they have food. I recommend tea instead.

But diet is futile without the proper mindset: One of the pitfalls of this work is just how easy it is to fall into boredom eating. To fill time. Or eating for strictly mental or emotional reasons that aren't even real hunger. Or making choices based on emotions (craving "comfort food", wanting the apple pie at the diner as a way to express missing the home you're far from and the "family recipe" apple pie you can't have. Needing or feeling you want a "reward"). Or that your real reasons for wanting to change is ONLY because YOU THINK YOU SHOULD, not because you really desire to. This needs to be addressed first or your efforts will be doomed.

Sorry for being so blunt: I think getting rewarded for this is asinine and it does more to enable the wrong motives and the wrong mode of thought.

Would it sound ridiculous to you to hear of a reward incentive program for brushing your teeth? It does to me, and I find both equally on the level of "hell no". That might be good for training to instill proper habits for preschoolers. Adults are expected to do the right thing for it's own sake. Grow up and get isht done.

That's part of the problem with this world: there should not be a reward for following through on your own responsibilities. It's bad enough that there was once a time where one was awarded with a "participation trophy". It's gotten even worse: today, we live in a world where one gets commendation for merely SHOWING UP. What is next? Awards for not going through life dirty and smelly? How much lower will you allow that bar to stoop? Our forefathers would probably vomit in their mouths if they were to see what's become of the world today.

I'm stopping at Krispy Kreme for lunch right now, so give me a couple hours and I'll be back to see how this conversation is developing.

Yeah, a dozen Hot Now glazed, a side of creme filled glazed, a quart of whole milk, and a gallon of coffee will work nicely