Want To Lose Weight? Try Flatbed

I guess you have to be careful out there on the road, it would be so easy to put on weight if you weren’t being diligent about what you eat and drink.

It definitely is. I did foodservice for about a year and a half, unloading 15 to 20k pounds per day by hand. I could eat and drink anything I wanted and still lost weight. When I switched jobs to where i dont have that physical activity i gained the 20 pounds back with my first 6 months here. Part of it is not doing physical work, but also eating within an hr of going to bed (which I've changed). Unfortunately for an OTR driver there aren't many healthy options at truckstops unless you want to spend alot more money. That is why stocking your truck on hometime and/or making a walmart run is a great idea to not only save money but have much healthier food choices.

I use My Fitness Pal and I have a Garmin fitness monitor that syncs to My Fitness Pal account. When I was just using My Fitness Pal, I was starving all the time and I couldn't sustain that diet to lose weight. When I began using the Garmin fitness monitor, I was more successful in losing weight because it adjusted my daily calorie goals in My Fitness Pal based on the calories I burned exercising. Therefore, moderate exercise and tracking calories works for me because I can eat a more normal diet and still lose weight.

Very interesting. I love the scientific approach. Most people just wing it and hope for the best. Anyone willing to learn the science of weight control will have better results.

Therefore, moderate exercise and tracking calories works for me because I can eat a more normal diet and still lose weight.

I understand that. I'm the same way. I prefer to exercise hard and eat a little more also. Where people get into trouble is thinking they can eat what they want because they did some exercise that day. The reality is that the effort you put into exercise feels way harder than you would expect for the calories you're burning. It feels like you've put in enough effort to burn 1,000 calories, when in fact you probably burned 200. Again, the body is maddeningly efficient.

If your calorie consumption is dramatically too low, your body will lower your metabolism to a dangerously low level in an effort to survive

This is also very true. You can feel your energy wane and you'll lose motivation if you cut calories too dramatically.

I think one misconception most people have is that they can out-exercise a poor diet. It's simply not true.

To a certain extent you can. When I've ridden back to back centuries (200 miles in two days), I can eat a large breakfast, light lunch, two cheeseburgers and fries for "pre-dinner" and then a half of pizza for dinner and still lose weight.

Old School's quote is correct.

The path to losing weight is to burn more calories than you take in.

The problem that I have when I'm very sedentary, is that I have to eat almost nothing to lose weight. For me, I need to be somewhat active to lose weight.

First let me say, I sure hope I dont run many centuries in my career. That would SUCK!!!! And put me in the poor house.

Second, dont count us dry Van's out, we have to raise the landing gear and close the doors on every load, sometimes we even have to sweep our trailers out.......ok count us out.

Joel, forgive me for taking this in a different direction, but since you seem to have a growing interest in flatbed, I was curious if you've seen this older thread about Flatbed Variety?

I haven’t read this old school. I will check it out, thanks.

Just watched a YouTube video on how to slingshot a strap over a high load. Awesome!!! Ingenious!!

May lose some weight the first few months, but once you get it down, the job is not hard. Half hour/forty-five minutes walking around the trailer setting straps/chains, unrolling a tarp, then setting bungees. In two years only had to lift lumber tarps over my head three times, and that was just because I could do it and was in a hurry. Tarp machines and forklift drivers will set the heavy tarps pretty much every time.

I had to drastically change my diet going from an actually very physically demanding job to flatbedding, just wasn’t burning the calories I used to.

I had to drastically change my diet going from an actually very physically demanding job to flatbedding, just wasn’t burning the calories I used to.

Same here. The real wake-up call for me was noticing my belly getting a little bigger about a year into flatbedding. The funny part is I actually lost 15lbs during that year. How did I do that? It was muscle mass that I lost, due to the often sedentary nature of truck driving.

I've since recovered nicely by altering my diet and following a vigorous exercise regimen.

I've since recovered nicely by altering my diet and following a vigorous exercise regimen.

What exercise regimen do you have on the road?

What exercise regimen do you have on the road?

Well it's whatever I can come up with on any particular day. I'd call it mostly cardio or aerobic exercise, designed more for endurance than strength.

Time and weather permitting, I try to walk very briskly at least 5 miles every day. If there's a nearby hill or mountain to climb, even better. I get to see a lot of beautiful places this way. Sometimes I'll even bring my 30-lb dumbbell along.

Other times, if I can't get outside I'll just do crunches or squats or any other kind of stationary exercises that I can do inside the truck.

My goal is to get my metabolism and heart rate kicking at a high level during the exercise, and sustain that level for up to an hour.

Lastly, I also do strength training with the dumbbell inside the truck, or even by lifting my tarps and stuff outside the truck. It may look silly sometimes, but I don't care what anyone thinks of me.

I started all of this in an effort to keep myself somewhat fit, and to keep my blood pressure down without medicine. It's worked great in both respects. All would be for naught if I didn't follow a halfway decent diet at the same time.

It's not very scientific on my end. I just push myself to do more whenever I can. It works for me.