Losing weight casually on the road

11/13/2019

Do you need to lose weight?

Yes, we’ve all been there: you’re crunched for time. The shipper had you waiting in detention for a 4 hours to pick up your load. You’re looking at your hours-of-service ticking on down on the ELD and feeling stressed knowing how many miles you need to make up for with limited on duty driving hours left. You want to be on the interstate before rush hour but first you need fuel: fuel for both your Freightshaker and fuel for your body. You’ve been driving OTR for a decade now and haven’t noticed the pounds adding up. Everytime you go home your wife and kids remark, “Damn, you’re getting fat!” but you don’t notice except when you try putting on your jeans and find they will not button. It was just easier to start wearing sweatpants in the cab and something called stretch denim for those few and far special occasions. Sound familiar?

You’ve got a weight problem. And you’re not the only trucker.

You might have the attitude that you don’t care about your weight but if you are not in your optimal weight range your chances of getting Type 2 Diabetes are high. In an industry like trucking, we are quite susceptible due to the sedentary nature of the job, the lack of exercise, quality nutritious food, stress and desire for stimulation one gets from a greasy cheeseburger or glazed donut. If you hate diets and plans, have a look at the following things that as a rule of thumb will assist in weight loss if you make them habitual.

  • Walk – Don’t worry about getting a space near the truck stop eating facilities.
  • Water – There will be a study somewhere that says too much water will kill you but how many times does anyone suffer from too much water unless they are being waterboarded.
  • Raw fruit and veggies – We all know what it’s like sitting in traffic and wanting to snack on something to pass the time or much on something crunchy while playing a game on your tablet while off duty. Instead of scarfing down cakes and candy bars try eating raw apples, celery, green bell peppers.
  • Hummus – Ok, you might be tempted to douse your new friend the veggie with heaps of salty and sugary salad dressing. Resist that urge and embrace hummus. It comes in a lot of flavors. Make your own if you want to really keep it fresh.
  • Avoid Sugar – Sugar that we find in carbonated soda is the enemy of your waistline. An adult should limit sugar intake to 24 grams or 6 teaspoons a day. Have you looked at how much sugar is in one serving of ice cream or one of those very popular bakery items at the supermarket? It’s often way past the recommended 24 grams. Get rid of it.

Planning ahead is your best behavioral change for losing weight. Buy your groceries at Wal-Mart where you know you can park. Prepare your veggie bags. And stay positive. You don’t need to totally eliminate fast food, but start eating more nutritious food.

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