Basic short version of my Trucker Diet
A diet anyone can do!
The Trucker Diet
One thing I have learned over the years is the best solution to a problem is quite often the simplest one. The trucker life is never easy and A healthy diet needs to be easy to do. During my life as a trucker, I've tried good diets that actually worked but I stopped doing them because there where too many hoops. I went vegetarian for a while actually lost some weight. However, got tired of the extra shopping. I know I know how hard is it to go to the Grocery Store and buy Veggies? Well, when you only have 34 hours or so home time that extra time cleaning the cooler and shopping for perishable fruits and veggies doesn't seem so appealing. Within a month I had pretty much back slid my way to convenience store, fast food, truck stop fare because it was quick and easy. Remember those words " quick" and "easy" they are the key to making a successful healthy trucker life style and diet, It has to be easy, accessible, and not require too much time away from doing what we do best, move freight.
So, what is this trucker diet? you ask. Well, in some ways it is not a diet at all, living the healthy trucker life requires a life style change. The key to losing weight with little pain and suffering lies in two words. "Dusk" and "Dawn", or I like to say six to six. In a nutshell what I started doing or actually stopped doing, was eating after 6:00 at night until at least 6:00 in the morning. Most days I get up around 9:00 am have a normal breakfast, then throughout the day I eat as much as I want and whatever I want. I usually eat my largest meal at around 5 pm. Then thats it, after 6 pm I shut down all eating in order to give my body at least twelve hours withought food. There's one caveat, Just before bed. (Typically I go to bed around 11 pm.) I will have a piece of fruit, pistachios, or beef jerky. Sometimes, I'll eat a hotdog (or two) minus the bread or catsup which has sugar. "Why eat?" "I thought you said you dont eat between 6 pm to 6 am?" The reason I eat a snack just before bed is because if I dont eat I sometimes find myself waking up at 3 in the morning and not being able to sleep. so if you would like, go ahead and eat a (small) bite just before bed, believe me the 100 calories or so are not going to hurt you, and it may help you have a longer more refreshing sleep. I know it does me. One more thing. I blog about exercising on this website and on my long version of the Trucker Diet. This diet will work even if you are a couch potato and or can't workout. No worries.
There is one more "Rule" to living a healthy trucker life that you may choose to follow in order to make this trucker diet work best. Only drink water, coffee or tea. as much as you like, and yes, you can add cream, (no sugar if you're Paleo or Atkins) to your coffee or tea. Stay away from sodas "diet" or otherwise no energy drinks, diet or otherwise try to stick with just water, coffee, and or tea. Non calorie diet drinks and pop have artificial sweeteners that are worse for you than the non diet version of the same drink. I also stop drinking Caffeine beverages after around 3:00 p.m. so I sleep better, just stick to water or a nice herb or mint tea. Sometimes I'll have a small grape fruit juice with meals but dont buy a gallon of Juice or chocolate milk and sit there and chug it while driving, Most juice drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. That stuff has a lot of calories and according to some scientists tricks your body so that it doesnt feel full, no matter how much you drink.
So there you have it in a nutshell. Hopefully I have kept this short and sweet. I think you will find that if you follow the healthy trucker diet and make these basic life style changes you too will have good results. Good Luck to You! Keep the Sunny Side Up! Burnie
So, what is this trucker diet? you ask. Well, in some ways it is not a diet at all, living the healthy trucker life requires a life style change. The key to losing weight with little pain and suffering lies in two words. "Dusk" and "Dawn", or I like to say six to six. In a nutshell what I started doing or actually stopped doing, was eating after 6:00 at night until at least 6:00 in the morning. Most days I get up around 9:00 am have a normal breakfast, then throughout the day I eat as much as I want and whatever I want. I usually eat my largest meal at around 5 pm. Then thats it, after 6 pm I shut down all eating in order to give my body at least twelve hours withought food. There's one caveat, Just before bed. (Typically I go to bed around 11 pm.) I will have a piece of fruit, pistachios, or beef jerky. Sometimes, I'll eat a hotdog (or two) minus the bread or catsup which has sugar. "Why eat?" "I thought you said you dont eat between 6 pm to 6 am?" The reason I eat a snack just before bed is because if I dont eat I sometimes find myself waking up at 3 in the morning and not being able to sleep. so if you would like, go ahead and eat a (small) bite just before bed, believe me the 100 calories or so are not going to hurt you, and it may help you have a longer more refreshing sleep. I know it does me. One more thing. I blog about exercising on this website and on my long version of the Trucker Diet. This diet will work even if you are a couch potato and or can't workout. No worries.
There is one more "Rule" to living a healthy trucker life that you may choose to follow in order to make this trucker diet work best. Only drink water, coffee or tea. as much as you like, and yes, you can add cream, (no sugar if you're Paleo or Atkins) to your coffee or tea. Stay away from sodas "diet" or otherwise no energy drinks, diet or otherwise try to stick with just water, coffee, and or tea. Non calorie diet drinks and pop have artificial sweeteners that are worse for you than the non diet version of the same drink. I also stop drinking Caffeine beverages after around 3:00 p.m. so I sleep better, just stick to water or a nice herb or mint tea. Sometimes I'll have a small grape fruit juice with meals but dont buy a gallon of Juice or chocolate milk and sit there and chug it while driving, Most juice drinks are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. That stuff has a lot of calories and according to some scientists tricks your body so that it doesnt feel full, no matter how much you drink.
So there you have it in a nutshell. Hopefully I have kept this short and sweet. I think you will find that if you follow the healthy trucker diet and make these basic life style changes you too will have good results. Good Luck to You! Keep the Sunny Side Up! Burnie