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I have been putting this posting off for some time, I guess, in hopes that what I have to write about was not really true. Bill and I are no longer driving at this time. So, let me update you so you know what is going on. Many of you have e-mailed, and I apologize for not responding. Things have been very difficult lately. Thank you all for your encouraging e-mails and the concern you have shown for Bill and I. Also, for those that sent flowers to the hospital, thank you very much!!
In mid-July, Bill and I experienced an acute exposure to carbon monoxide gas (and what ever else is in diesel emissions). The exposure came while we were sleeping and from a source not likely to happen to any other driver at this time. I was lucky to wake up, but Bill was rendered unconscious for some time. We both have been very ill. Initially, after the incident, I found it difficult to form words or write, so that is why I have not gotten back to some of my friends. I have some good days and some not so good days now, but I hope to get back to all of you in time.
Bill just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago, after a week long stay. I have been experiencing medical difficulties that have kept me from driving. Both of us have had out CDL's suspended for health reasons and we do not know what the future is going to hold for us. I have a myriad of medical tests that are being conducted right now to determine how much damage was caused by the carbon monoxide and Bill is still recovering from the procedures done in the hospital. He also has a serious health problem facing him that could take his life during treatment. So, as of now, we are grounded to our house.
This has been particularly difficult for me to grasp. I am used to being active and vibrant with my life. Now, it seems that I have little energy to do anything. I have gone from traveling at 70 mph to sitting still. I have not been able to exercise very much because of my medical condition, but I have not let the weight sneak back on. Our days are usually wrapped around who has what doctors appointment that day and at what time. The rest of the day revolves around what medication needs to be taken at what time (Bill is on about 7 medications right now). So, not only are we dealing with the medical effects of our poisoning, we are also dealing with the psychological aspects regarding the drastic change in our lives. Bill and I loved being out on the road and staying active. It is not clear at this time if we will be able to go back to driving in the future.
However, I am here for those of you who still need my help and I am trying to stay as active as I can. You are all still welcome to e-mail me with your questions on how I stayed healthy on the road. It can be done and you can be successful at accomplishing your health goals. Just don't give up....no matter what life throws your way!!
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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DEAR ADAM:
You have apparently forgotten what web site you are posting to. If you had remembered, you would have noticed that the reason this site is here and the reason we five are doing this project, is to show that a driver CAN be fit and healthy on the road. It is to show that a driver CAN get healthy food and CAN find time to exercise.
Did you forget that I am a driver, too? I drive team with my husband and we own our own truck. It sounds like you drive for someone, which I can tell you, is much simpler than owning your own company and running with your own authority. I have all the things to do that you do, plus, I have quarterly federal taxes, quarterly fuel taxes, state taxes, monthly bill payments, and a myriad of other paperwork and things I have to do while on the road. Then, I have the responsibility of working with hundreds of brokers and finding my own loads to transport (and all the paperwork that goes with that). When my truck goes down, I can't just call the company and have them take care of it. It's roll up my sleeves and crawl on top or under (and since my husband is handicap, it really is me who does this).
So you see, we all can whine and complain about our jobs as drivers. However, I was able to drop 83 pounds to date. My A1c (which is a determination of blood sugar) went from a 9.8 (very diabetic) in December 2006 to my most recent test result of 5.5 (better than the average general population). Actually, with a reading of 5.5, I am not even really considered to be diabetic anymore. My blood pressure yesterday was 119/67, which still has some improving to do, but is significantly better than when I started the program.
So, to go on, every driver who is motivated to make change can do it. It IS as simple as that. Almost on a daily basis, I ordered food with special requests. Yes, it can be a hassle sometimes, but most of the larger truck stops can handle the task with very little effort (Petro, TA, Flying J). For the most part, I have had very little difficulty, "getting a veggie omelet". As for not getting the right thing, be very specific, make them write it down as you tell them, and let them know that if it is not done correctly you will send it back.
As for walking and not having 15 minutes to exercise...how can that be? While you are waiting to unload, get out of your truck and walk around it as fast as you can. While you are being loaded is another time I take a few minutes to have some hand weights going (or my exertube on the side of the trailer). Walking in to eat can be another opportunity to walk the long way around the lot to the truck stop door. Over time, all these little changes could have made the difference for you. There is time to exercise if you want to make it!
I am very glad to hear that you are getting better. Are you planning to go back to trucking? My husband had open heart surgery in June 2006 and went back to driving six weeks after his surgery. He has dropped about 67 pounds, his blood pressure is perfect, his sugar is good, and he is able to stay very healthy on the road. His lifestyle has not contributed to any further problems while driving. He gets his exercise in by sitting in the cab and working with weights or sitting on the trailer and moving his body to gain aerobic advantage. I do admit that he does not drive as many hours as he used to and he does not drive at night anymore, but he is 73 years old.
It sounds like you enjoyed driving very much. If you do go back to driving, perhaps you need to drive for a company that would be more concerned about the health of their drivers and encourage fitness on the road. Remember that you are not a robot and your body needs to be taken care of ON A DAILY BASIS. You have to make choices that can both make you happy and give you time to stay healthy. There are companies out there who would be glad to have another driver on their team. Make sure you set YOUR ground rules before you accept the position. Let them know that you stop for an hour and a half during lunch time (45 minutes to eat, 45 minutes to exercise). Let them know that you require 8 hours of sleep on a relatively regular basis and take an extra 45 minutes in the evening to get in another bout of exercise. There are companies out there that would herald your efforts. GOOD LUCK!! |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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Hello Adam: First, let me say that I am very sorry to hear that you suffered a stroke. I hope that you get well very soon. If you would like help assembling meals and nutritional data, you can go to www.nutritiondata.com and enter the type of foods and the amounts. This will give you a chart, very similar to those on the side of a box, but for a whole entire meal. Good Luck! This said, I must make comment regarding some of the things that you wrote about as I feel that your comment displays the belief of most truckers out there.....the belief that they are helpless to change their situation. You talked about irregular sleep patterns, immobility, stress, and unhealthy foods "dished out to you" as things that happenend to you causing your stroke. Yes, these things did happen to you, but unfortunately, you did these things to yourself. As a driver, you (as well as all other drivers out there) have the ultimate say over your body. You (as well as each individual driver) decide what will happen to your body and what will be put inside it. I agree that the OTR lifestyle is a difficult one and the truck stops do serve up an abundance of unhealthy foods, but it was you who chose to allow the OTR lifestyle to affect you and it was you who openend your mouth and put that unhelathy food into it. I am writing this becasue I want drivers to make a mental swing from the belief that things are happening to them and they are helpless to change, to one where drivers believe that they are the source of change and it is their dollar and effort that will change the industry. The control is attached to the almighty dollar, and those dollars are in the control of each individual truck driver. You, as well as all other drivers who read this, need to know one thing. You can avoid irregular sleep patterns, stress, immobility, and poor nutrition. You must simply make the choice to do so. Every driver has the option to request their meals be prepared specific to their dietary needs. Adam, you could have had each truck stop cook your food as you requested. You couold have asked for the fat to be replaced with non-stick spray. Trade fat-laden meats for fish, chicken, shrimp, or other low calorie and low fat options. Just because Country Fried Steak is the manager's special, it does not mean you have to order and eat it. The meat can be eliminated out of omelets and replaced with vegetables. Milk could be skim instead of whole. White bread can be replaced with whole grain wheat. These are simple beginnings that any truck driver can make. These are things that any truck stop would do without much prodding. As for immobility, every truck driver has to stop their truck for a period of ten hours and for 15 minutes every 5th hour. Adam, what did you do with this time? Whether you work for someone or you work for yourself, this is a Federal mandate to all drivers. During this ten hours, Adam, you could have exercised. Maybe you got out of your truck and walked an hour. Maybe you strapped a bike to your truck and took it for a rife down the nearest country road. Maybe you removed the passenger seat in the truck and fastened down an exercise bike (I have seen this in about eight trucks now). These are things that can be easily done, and Adam, you could have chosen to do these things at any point and time before your stroke. I hope that this becomes a lesson to all the drivers reading this. Don't wait to make these choices AFTER you have suffered severe medical complications. Start now, to AVOID these dangerous health affects. Both good nutrition and exercise enable drivers to, not only handle, but avoid the health complications induced by stress. Nutrition and exercise are directly related to the amount of stress one feels themselves under. A body that is healthy, due to good nutrition and exercise, is able to handle life more efficiently, reducing stress related situations. The OTR lifestyle is unique!! It is a very difficult life. We are away from the ones we love, people are hollering for their freight, we work very long hours, and get paid very little for our efforts. However, I think most drivers remain drivers, becasue they love the job! So, why would you not want to give your body what it needs to be able to continue doing what you love best? It all comes down to personal choices!! As for the sleep patterns of the OTR lifestyle, they CAN be irregular. However, here again, it is the choices we make as drivers how we utilize our time. Do you stay up and watch television on your down hours? Do you sit in the restaurant and shoot the breeze for several hours each morning or night? What are you doing with your 10 hours? Perhaps, some choose to get out of their truck and walk for an hour. Then they get a nutritious meal while relaxing for an hour. Then, they get cleaned up and hit the bunk for eight hours. Perhaps, others squander their time away and leave very little time for taking care of their bodies. However, either way that you choose to be, is still YOUR CHOICE!! Now, some of you might think that this may seem a little harse to write to someone who has just had a stroke. Just the contrary. I feel very sorry for Adam and his current situation (as you will see in my next posting). However, I do not want drivers to read this and think that they are powerless to change their own lifestyle and current health situations. So, here are the steps that every driver should take to ensure that they don't end up like the hundreds of Adams I have spoken to over the last nine months. 1.) Get to the nearest PDMD clinic or your own personal doctor and get your body inspected. You inspect your truck yearly, why not give your own body the same care and maintenance. 2.) Get out of your truck and move your body. Stop every two to three hours and walk as fast as you can for five minutes to get your blood circulating. Each evening or morning, walk for one hour (start slower if advised). You should walk fast enough that you can still breath, but could not carry on a conversation. If you can talk, then walk faster. 3.) Make the restaurants prepare your meals as you request. Just becuase something is not on the menu, doesn't mean you can't order it. Swap high fat, high calorie, high sodium foods for better options. Change from real eggs to egg beaters. Stop putting salt on your foods at the table. Cut down on the butter, fried foods, chips, candy, and fast foods. If you can, prepare your own meals ahead and vaccum seal. Voice your disapproval of the foods the restaurants are serving and let them know what you would like to see. After, all restaurants are in the business of selling food....simply decide what you want to pay for. These things CAN be done. You CAN change your lifestyle and still be an OTR driver. Quite simply said, isn't that what I have been trying to prove to all of you since January |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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Well, I guess you all are wondering if I REALLY am doing as well as I say. Well, just look at what I started at.......and look at me now!!
I used to look like this....................................
 and now I look like this......................
I'm getting the job done!!
Can I please help you do the same???????? |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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Well, that was my question. Does a driver burn more calories while sitting in the seat and driving as opposed to sitting in front of the television watching the tube?
Well, everybody has a different metabolism, but utilizing the BodyBugg (my new diet tool), I put that question to the test on myself. While watching television for several hours, I burned (on average) 1.3 calories per minute for a total of 78 calories per hour. While driving, I burned an average f 2.8 calories per minute for a total of 168 calories per hour. (This was calculated over a five hour period with one fueling and window washing and two stops to check and shift the load on the trailer).
So, as you can see the difference between driving a big rig and sitting on your bumm watching the tube on the livingroom sofa, is just 90 calories per hour. Now, if you figure that a truck driver is only supposed to drive for 11 hours out of the day, then you can figure that your job enables you to burn only 990 calories more than if you sat on your couch for those same 11 hours.
Now, we all know that a truck driver does more than just drive their rigs. There is fueling, loading, unloading, walking to and from the truck, cleaning inside the cab....and that all burns calories too. On my best, my most active day, I am able to burn about 3200 calories. On those days, I loaded and unloaded in the same day and wrestled tarps for 3 to 5 hours. I also walked 4 miles at the end of the day. That is a lot of activity, yet, I only expended about 3200 calories.
So, what does that mean? Well, if I got up in the morning, ON MY MOST ACTIVE DAY, and ate 2 fried Eggs, 2 slices of Toast with Butter and Jelly, two strips of Bacon, 2 cups of Coffee with 4 tablespoons of Creamer, and Home Fries. I would have consumed about 972 calories.
If I ate a Bacon Cheeseburger, French Fries, and a 20-ounce Coke for lunch, then I would have consumed another 1383 calories.
Getting hungry in the middle of the day, a driver might grab a Snickers bar, adding another 280 calories to the daily total.
For many drivers, dinner might be Country Fried Steak, Baked Potato with Sour Cream and Butter, Corn, Roll with Butter, and a slice of Apple Pie with one scoop of Ice Cream. That would finish the day out adding another 2880 calories.
If you typically eat this way, you are consuming about...5515...calories a day!!
So, if this sounds like a typical days worth of food for you, let me ask you this question. Did you throw tarps for 3 to 5 hours today? Did you walk 3 to 4 miles today? Did you have more than 2 solid hours of constant and strenuous physical activity today (you know, the kind that makes you drip sweat from all your clothes)? Did you take more than 13,000 steps today? If not, then it is not likely that you burned off the 3200 calories I was talking about earlier. But, for the sake of this entry, let's say you did, but you ate as I described.
If this was the case, you would have consumed 5515 calories worth of food and only burned off 3200 calories through physical activity and metabolic expenditure. That means that you only GAINED a total of .66 pounds on this day. How many days can you afford to do this?
So, if you keep asking yourself why you are gaining weight, perhaps I have answered this question for you! Now, you ask, how can I stop this spiraling weight gain in it's tracks?
FIRST....you must go online and order a BodyBugg so YOU know each day EXACTLY how many calories you are burning. The BodyBugg will tell you (with 92% accuracy) the total number of calories your body is expending each day, or even hourly. This information will help you to make better food choices to let you know how many calories you have left to eat in order to meet your own personal goals. Further, the customer support that Apex provides to it's customers will ensure that you have all the help you need staying on track and meeting your goals. YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS TO DO THE JOB!!
SECOND...call the customer service department of your favorite truck stop and ask them to stop making you fat, making you unhealthy, and killing you with their fat laden, sugar laden, salt laden foods. Did you know that I was at the Petro the other night and couldn't even eat the pinto beans, as the cook had put sugar in them to...."make them taste better"....as he said. Hey Petro, do we really NEED sugar in our pinto beans. Do you add sugar to YOUR pinto beans when you cook them at home?
THIRD.....park your truck and get walking. This is probably the hardest thing to do. As a driver, I know that you are tired at the end of the day and walking is the last thing on your list to get done. So, maybe just one lap per day should be your goal for this week. Learn to get in one lap each day. It is one lap more than you were doing yesterday or last week. Then, maybe next week you can add one more lap to your day....until this has become a routine daily event that you are used to. Some of you drivers may be so heavy, that the thought of making one lap around the lot is terrifying. Try a few laps around your truck then....ANYTHING....no matter how little you are able to do, is better than doing nothing at all and allowing your waistline to increase further and your health to decline faster.
FINALLY....take a few days to join us (the Fit For The Road participants) at the Great American Truck Show in Dallas, Texas on August 24 and 25. We would love to share our experiences with you or just get you in touch with the right people if you need help. I will have a BodyBugg there for you to see...as I really feel that all drivers with weight and health issues needs to get one right away. I will be staying at the Dallas Hilton if you would like to get together outside the show and talk about things you can do to change your life on the road.
So, the answer to the question.....DO DRIVERS BURN MORE CALORIES.....the answer is YES.....but, it wasn't as many as you thought, was it"? |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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I have had my BodyBugg for almost a week now and have been using it daily to track my calories in, calories out, and calorie defecit (no calorie surplus allowed, that means weight gain). I was home for almost a week and have been out on the road for the last two days.
You are all going to be amazed at the data I have been able to collect. I will be posting this weekend so you can see EXACTLY what I ate, what physical activity I did, how many steps (on average) I have been taking per day, and how much weight I am losing.
Stay tuned............and keep movin' that body. |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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Well, it has now been 197 days since I began on this journey to loose weight and regain my health. I have lost a total of 56 pounds and am now in my size 18W everyday with room to spare. I will be going down to the Wal-Mart to buy my size 16W, but there is a big difference between to two sizes, so it will be a while before I can get into them and be comfortable. A few more months, and I will be in "normal" peoples clothes again.
And, with that in mind (being "normal" size, I mean) I have armed myself with some new tools to make sure that I meet my goal of 100 pounds lost by Christmas 2007. My ultimate goal is to get down to 160 to 165 pounds. Having started at 293 pounds and now weighing in at 237, I can tell you that I can no longer recognize the woman that stares back at me in the mirror. The transformation has taken place faster than my brain can catch up with the new look.
The first tool I armed myself with is the BodyBugg. This is probably the most revolutionary tool for weight loss I have ever found. If there is any doubt left in your mind whether you are exercising enough or reducing your caloric intake enough, this tool tells you for sure!! Today was my first day using the BodyBugg, so for those of you that are not aware of this product, let me tell you what it does.
The BodyBugg is an armband full of sensors that are placed against the skin. After putting the unit on (and installing/downloading the proper software provided by the company), it keeps track of the number of calories you are burning. Whether you are sitting in your sleeper watching television, throwing tarps, lumping your own load, driving, or chaining down....you will get a very clear idea of what your calorie expenditure has been for the entire day, part of the day, hour, or as often as you want to download the data from the armband to your computer via a USB cable.
The software program they provide allows you the option of entering the food and portion sizes you have eaten to give you a total calorie count for the day. It also calculates fat, proteins, carbs, cholesterol, sodium, and a myriad of other nutritional facts. So, if you are a driver who has high blood pressure and needs to keep track of your sodium intake, this will do it for you. If you are a driver that needs to keep your cholesterol in check, this tool will help you, too!
There are also tutorials which assist even the most uniformed novice with the information you need to be successful with your health goals. Various screens allow you to goal set and data is displayed in charts so that you can visually see how close and how often you are reaching your goals. This is something I use, as I am an over-achiever and WON"T let myself fall short of my goals.
But, in a nutshell, the BodyBugg tracks your calorie expenditure (what you burn metabolically and through body movement) and tallies it up for the entire day. Then, by entering your food and portion sizes, calories are calculated and added up for each of your meals and snacks for the entire day. At the end of the day, you are given a number that represents either a calorie deficit (weight loss) or a calorie surplus (weight gain). This deficit or surplus can be checked any time of the day and as many times as you could possibly wish to do it.
For example, I started my BodyBugg for the first time in the middle of the day, so I was interested to know how many calories I was using versus how many calories I planned to eat for my last meal of the day. Knowing that my personal goal was a weight loss of 3 pounds per week (2.5 pounds is the max recommended weight loss for one week), the program calculated that I needed to burn 2900 calories per day, eat 1400 calories per day, and have a deficit of 1500 calories per day. So, I started my BodyBugg and just sat and watched television for one hour and found that I was burning 1.4 calories per minute just sitting around and breathing. Then, I worked out for 61 minutes and was able to see that my calorie expenditure spiked. What was REALLY neat, was to see how long my metabolism stayed actively burning at a higher rate after my exercise.
After eating dinner, I downloaded again to see how my progress was doing. Based on the numbers, I decided to do a 10 minute power burst of exercise, taking my heart rate up to 80% of max. This helped me burn a few extra calories to cover some of what I ate for dinner. Had I not had the BodyBugg, I would never have known where I was regarding calorie expenditure and probably would not have done my little exercise burst after dinner. It was the "knowing" of where I stood calorie-wise that motivated me to get up and move. Remember, loosing weight is all mathematical. Calories in, calories out....and that's a fact!! BodyBugg gives you the facts!!
Having to hook the unit up to download the "calorie expenditure" data is a bit cumbersome, but don't sigh too loud. The manufacturers of the BodyBugg have informed me that they are unveiling a model that has a display right on the armband and all you will have to do to find out the number of calories you have burned....is look down at your armband. WOW!! A minute by minute, constant reminder to cut those calories and move that body. Getting excited yet? For those of you that have e-mailed and plan on meeting me at the Truck Show in Dallas, I will try to have one of these new display models for you to see. So, armed with this new and valuable tool, you will all have to look harder to find me......'CAUSE I'M GOING TO BE SKINNY !
You can find out more about the BodyBugg...or get one for yourself by contacting Apex Fitness Group at 800-656-2739 or going to www.bodybugg.com or www.apexfitness.com . Make sure to tell them that you are a truck driver and that Nancy sent you!!
The second tool I have armed myself with is a fancy new LifeFitness 93xi Fit Stride Total Body Trainer Elliptical machine. As I spoke of before, this machine was the only machine that I was able to exercise on with the medical problems that presented with me knee. Walking became almost impossible for me and the ONLY exercise I was getting was on a LifeFitness Elliptical machine when I could find one at a health club wherever I was. Luckily, I found them just about everywhere and was able to continue working out at least a couple days per week.
I was so enamored by these machines and the amount of calories I could burn in one hour (versus an hour of walking), I simply decided I HAD TO HAVE ONE. The calories I can burn on the elliptical machine, at high impact, for 30 minutes, is the same amount it would take if I walked at a pace of 130 steps per minute for nearly one and a half hours. Plus, the machine works out more than just my legs as my arms are also put to work. Heart rate can be continuously monitored and intensity levels can be increased or decreased at any time during your workout without having to stop. Pause mode lets you take that call from dispatch or the broker and resume your workout after a brief pause.
Most importantly, I can watch the display tally up the number of calories I am burning as I work out. What more motivation can you get? When I want that 1/2 cup of ice cream, I look at the nutritional label, find the calorie content and then hop on the machine BEFORE I eat the food. That way, I enjoy my treat knowing that I have burned it off even before I ate it. Again, I say, calories in, calories out. That's what it is all about!
But seriously, what I like most about the machine is that it is easy, I don't really feel like I am working very hard to burn between 600 to 700 calories per session. It is so low-impact that I enjoy exercising on the machine several times per day. Sometimes, I just sit in the living room in the evening and wait for the commercials to come on. As soon as I see a commercial, I climb on and go until my show comes back on.
LifeFitness makes a full line of exercise equipment, so there is something for everyone. But, I recommend the LifeFitness 93x as the best machine for truck drivers based on it's ability to be gentle on the knees....and if you have driven for more than 10 years, you all know why this is important. UltraShifts haven't been around that long!
If you need more information about the LifeFitness elliptical machine or other machines that might be available or appropriate for your truck or your home (yes, I said YOUR TRUCK, as I have seen quite a few drivers who have removed passenger seats and installed equipment in their trucks), you can contact LifeFitness at www.lifefitness.com and tell them Nancy sent you!!
Finally, the last of my new tools is a DonJoy knee brace....which I got today. So, as you are all already thinking, I no longer have an excuse for not exercising while on the road. I am hoping to have my surgery to repair my knee just before Christmas, but in the meantime, the knee brace should protect my knee from further damage while I continue on with my exercise program. Thanks to Dr. McGilligott at the PDMD clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, I was able to get a prescription for my brace sent to a local vendor and pick it up while we were down for a little rest. It is such a treat to have a physician care so much about his patients and understand the life and intricacies of the trucker lifestyle. Doc is my angel and he takes very good care of me.....no matter where I am at.
Finally, the last of my news....and the real reason I haven't blogged for so long is that while I have lost 56 pounds, I have also gained 58 pounds. Confused?!? Well, let me explain. We will have a six year old friend with us for the summer and part of the winter months. Robert, our newest addition, is learning how to be a trucker dude and is going to keep us company for a little while. Actually, we found out he is really good at rolling straps, climbing up and down off the trailer, and fetching chains and binders. Of course, he tells us that all that work requires a large allowance, though. Boy, they really are learning about money young these days. So, now that I have a walking partner, you can all look for the two of us at the truck stops and come join us for a little exercise.
New Personal Goal: 75 pounds lost by August 25...the truck show date.
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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Brian, I am glad to see that you have taken the reigns of your food consumption and gotten that horse under control. How is your exercising coming? Did you get your pedometer and your walking shoes? Since I have gotten my knee brace, and become accustomed to it, I will be resuming my walking this week. Hope to see you on the road...or walking in a truck stop. Listen for me to holler on the radio for a walking partner.
Yes, I agree it is difficult when companies utilize fuel options from places that do little to assist their drivers with food choices. Is your company amenable to considering other options if you explain the situation? It might be that they are unaware how their contracts with certain fuel suppliers is affecting the very people who generate their revenue for them and keep them in business. Perhaps, a mention would get them thinking about the situation. However, until then, I would suggest stopping to eat at a Petro first and then fueling at your designated fuel sites...or visa versa. There is nothing that says you have to eat at these places, so simply plan in the extra stops if you can.
Definitely, the Cheerio's and skim milk are a better choice than the "Big Rig Breakfast Special", but do you find that one serving of Cheerio's does the job of filling you up and getting you to your next snack time? How about adding a piece of fruit and and some extra protein....like a boiled egg or a handful of nuts? Three grams of protein in one cup (one serving) of Cheerio's doesn't seem like enough to fill an active male truck driver. Perhaps, you should blog Pam Whitfield about some breakfast, lunch, and dinner choices you could make to ensure that you are getting the right amount of calories and nutrition. If you cut your calories too far, you will fail at losing weight. Your body will think that it is starving and will hold on to all the fat with it's last dying breath. I should know, I starved myself to obesity for years!!
That said, I wanted to address a comment you made as I feel that it is time we began speaking out. Your comment was...."I think the "I'm in a hurry" mentality really wrecks havoc on one's eating plan".
Yes, it absolutely does! This was one of the main reasons I put on so much weight in the last year before I started in the Fit For The Road program. Gaining over 45 pounds in that last year, I can totally contribute it to that type of mentality. I struggled for a long time regarding how I wanted to reply to you regarding this issue. It is a key issue affecting the health of thousands of drivers across the country and it doesn't appear that change is in the near future.
So, how do you reconcile this with a healthy diet? I remember a time when drivers could stop and unwind around a hot nutritious meal. I remember a time when I could stop in the middle of the day, when I became drowsy, and take a 45 minute power nap. I remember a time when I could afford to drive when I was alert and awake and stop when I was tired and fatigued. That all changed with these new hours of service, didn't it?
Now, you start the log book and run like hell to get as far as you can before your hours run out. Meals?!? Yes, we eat. We stop at a truck stop, only because we need fuel, rush in to pay for our fuel, grab whatever greasy, fried, fast food is nearest the pay counter and run back out to our trucks to get rolling. Then, while trying to drive 80,000 pounds of truck and freight down the road, we try to choke down the calorie packed, dried out, greasy, fast food we just bought. Long gone are the times when we could visit a restaurant in the middle of the day, unwind, relax, re-energize, and eat a nutritious meal. Who has the time? No one!! Time, which we can not get back, continues to tick away, and while time is ticking away, so is our revenue as the dollars we might have earned during that time, is forever lost.
Nap during the middle of the day to rest our bodies and return to driving awake and alert?!? Sounds like a good idea, but who has the time? No one!! Instead, we now have drivers weaving across the roads, running over rumble strips, and getting honked at by other drivers. Why? Because they are falling asleep behind the wheel. In all the years I have been driving, I have never seen so many trucks weaving all over the roads at night. I followed five trucks over the last week who's drivers were so tired they were all over the road. One truck continually ran between the rumble strips on the right shoulder to the extreme left shoulder. For nearly 15 miles, the truck ran split down the middle of lanes two and three. I found myself driving like this all the time last year. My solution? I opened the bag of chips, peeled the wrapper off the candy bar, opened the honey bun, and downed it all with cup after cup of coffee. What was this doing to my health?
Until the hours of service changes, I was able to at least maintain my then weight. After the changes, I put on pound after pound and was buying bigger pants on a monthly basis. I seldom had the chance to eat correctly and I seldom had the chance to get enough sleep. So, when I started my journey to better health, I made a dangerous business decision. I decided to become a "conscientious objector" to the hours of service regulations. Now, I don't recommend this line of action to my readers unless the change in regulations are truly affecting your health in such a negative manner that your decline in health will make you unable to continue driving.
I tried to drive under the regulations, make a decent income, and lead a healthy lifestyle. I found it to be impossible! Finding time to order nutritious food (which always seems to take longer to cook), finding time to sleep properly, and finding time to exercise, all took a real financial toll on our little companies revenues. So, I had to make a choice. With my diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and cholesterol all out of control, I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would no longer be able to get a medical card. I had to make a choice. Do I follow the regulations, go down the road asleep with blood pressure so high I could hear it pounding in my ears and sugar so dangerously high that I could pass out? I didn't feel like this was an option.
Do I drive under the regulations, take the down time, and loose the revenue? With fuel prices out of control, a downturn in available freight, and the competition simply "cut throat" out there, it wasn't going to take long and I would be out of business. Going out of business didn't seem like a good idea either, as I still have a child for which I am responsible for. So, then what was I to do?
Thinking on this one day, I decided that what I REALLY needed to do is to take my health in hand first. I figured that if my health was in check, then I would simply have to be a better, safer, and more alert professional driver. I needed to sleep when my body told me I was tired or when I failed to be alert behind the wheel. I needed to take time out throughout the day and sit down to a good meal while taking a little time to de-stress, regroup, and relax. I needed to take time to park the truck and get out for a little fresh air and exercise. Most importantly, I needed to be able to do all these things without loosing the hours that are available for me to drive and earn a living.
The only way I could figure out how to do this was to simply and peacefully object to the new hours of service regulations. I drive safe!! I drive awake!! I drive with a healthy and rested body!! If someone wants to fault me for that, then let them do it in front of God, the driving community, and all the people who would have faced me coming down the road when I was sick, tired, and in poor physical shape. I crossed a scale one day and had my log book called out. I handed it over to the officer who asked me if I was aware that I was driving out of my hours. I replied that I was aware of the situation and went on to explain what I have just written to all of you. After talking with the officer for a while, he told me to go on down the road, and replied that if all drivers were given the opportunities to do what I was already doing, then there would be many fewer accidents and many more healthy drivers on the road.
I don't know what the answer to this problem will be to each of you readers. I know that if you suffer from the same problems, then you are going to have to take a stand and change your lifestyle on the road. Your alternative is death from stroke, heart attack, diabetes, or simply falling asleep and driving off the road and/or crashing. I believe that our government took a very myopic point of view when they changed the regulations. I believe that there needs to be an immediate change to the regulations until which time driver's health becomes a factor in determining the rules to be handed down. I believe that until something is done, drivers will continue to weave dangerously from lane to lane while struggling to keep their eyes open and their minds alert.
Until that time, I have a responsibility to the traveling public to be behind the wheel in the best possible physical and mental state that I can be. Until that time, I have a right, as an American, to make a fair and honest living. Until that time, I will continue to operate with my health and, subsequently, the driving publics safety as primary concerns........even if that means that I can not follow the current hours of service regulations. Look through history....peaceful objection has historically made changes to rules made by the government that were later deemed to be unjust, unfair, or unsafe to the American population. I believe that the hours of service regulations are such a case.
For each of you, you will have to make your own decisions. As for me, my diabetes is under control, my blood pressure is down, and I've lost 50 pounds.....all while using common sense with my driving lifestyle. If that isn't reason enough for our government to revisit the hours of service regulations, then I know not how to change their minds. Perhaps, they should come and spend a month in my truck with me!!
Keep healthy, keep happy, keep safe.......(and yes, I'm going to say it)...PARK THAT TRUCK AND GET WALKING!! |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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Okay, I finally got a chance to take a look and try out the Iron Skillet menu that has the new nutritional options in it. I must say that I was impressed and surprised at the care they took to develop the menu. They were also very careful to make sure that the new foods they carry ARE actually nutritious for you.
For breakfast, I tried their new vegetable omelet. I requested the egg substitute with sides of sliced tomato and one slice of the new hearty whole grain bread (an exchange for two slices of the regular whole wheat bread) lightly buttered, of course. I also asked for some salsa to "flavor up" the omelet. I ordered a glass of 2% free milk to complete my meal.
The new hearty whole grain bread got a pass from Pam Whitfield, as she explained that the fiber content was excellent. One slice contained 30% more fiber, the same amount of sugar and less sodium than two slices of regular whole wheat bread. The calories were a little high, so factor that into your diet but don't avoid the bread. The nutrition it offers outweighs the caloric content. Just cut back some place else. The taste was fantastic and I look forward to ordering much more of it in the future.
Also for breakfast on the bar, they are now offering two excellent cold cereal options; Allbran and Rice Crispies.
Fresh fruits abound for buffet options, but avoid the canned fruit if sugar is a sin for you. The canned fruit IS in light syrup, so will add the carbohydrates on fast, as well as the empty calories. Opt for the fresh fruit and you will be just fine!! Yogurt is offered on the buffet, but until they get another brand, watch the sugar content. It is very high in sugar for the serving size it offers. Opt for the fresh fruit with some of the cottage cheese and you will increase your calorie to nutrition ratio.
One thing I was very happy to see (although, because of my diabetes, I could not eat it) was the new hearty whole wheat french toast topped with bananas and offered with sugar free maple syrup. Wow! What a way to get your protein, fiber, fruit, and with a glass of 2% milk, a great breakfast. Ask for some toasted pecans or some walnuts to add on top and you will add to the flavor as well as getting some of those "good, heart healthy" oils into your diet.
Lunch was equally as impressive. I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich on whole grain bread with a side of vegy style soup. I ordered all the fixin's on my sandwich...lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and....no, I held the mayo and opted for mustard. It was great, but a little too filling for me as I could only get through about half of it. A great, low calorie option for the extremely hungry truck driver. Just make sure you opt for the broth style soup and avoid the cream style ones.
If you head for the salad bar for lunch, go get it! Even though I would not have thought it possible, they actually improved their salad bar. Now offered is whole boiled eggs, which seemed to be a desired item to us truck drivers. They were flying off the bar. The vegetables seemed fresher and the number of fresh vegetable options has increased, while decreasing the number of mayo-laden mixed salads. They are still missing the nuts and seeds, but we will work on them with that. If you would like to see a few sliced roasted almonds or some sunflower seeds on the bar for your salads, then you have to keep asking for them.
Dinner was also great. I had the grilled salmon with the vegetable medley side. If you are not much of a vegy eater, don't strum your nose to this mix until you try it. Steamed just right, the vegetables actually took on a sweet taste without all the calories. I also ordered a baked potato with one teaspoon each of butter and sour cream. I got a salad off of the bar and used their new fat free ranch dressing option.
Iron Skillet is now offering "pouches" of fat free reduced calorie dressing. But, as I warned before, when manufacturers remove one thing, they replace it with something else to make it taste better. In the case of the Ken's Low Fat Italian Dressing, drivers with blood pressure or sodium issues should avoid it altogether. Packing 700mg of sodium in one packet, it takes up one-third of your daily allotment of sodium. Too high a cost for the calories you save. Opt for a lower sodium, higher calorie dressing and use the fork dipping trick I have taught you.
Although they did the job right, there is still much to be done. Iron Skillet needs to get a light brand yogurt with a much lower sugar content. Also, their canned fruit needs to come packed in water and sweetened with Splenda. The hearty whole grain wheat bread needs to be offered as a "toast" option with breakfast platters, and not just as a french toast option. They are still over-salting their broth based soups and I can not seem to convince them that people will add their desired amount of salt from the shaker on the tables. Fat free mayonnaise is still missing from their menu as is skim (fat free) milk. Also missing from the buffet (which is much improved, by the way) is desserts that are diet friendly. Some kind of baked pear or baked apple offered with sugar-free caramel topping in a squeeze bottle and sugar free/fat free whipped topping would do the trick while offering the conscientious eater an opportunity to pick up another fruit serving.
So, in all, because their changes were so significantly to the benefit of the driver and the driver's health. Because they were so careful to take total nutrition in consideration while maintaining the highest level of taste, I give the Iron Skillet located on Watt Road in Knoxville, Tennessee a complete and well earned FORKS UP!!
I will continue to monitor the changes this chain has made and will report to you on their ability to maintain the food and nutrition across the country at their other sites. If you have the opportunity to enjoy the new menu options, please let me know what you think, so I can post your notes to the other drivers who are seeking to change their lives, their bodies, and their health.
Pick up your forks, drivers, and enjoy!! Keep healthy, keep happy, keep safe, and keep moving your body. Park That Truck!! |
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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How is everyone doing on their journey to better health? I hope that you are all well.
I wanted to share with you a new snack I found at my local health food store. It is called EDAMAME. For those of you not familiar with it, it is pronounced, eh-dah-MAH-may.
Edamame is simply soy beans that have been harvested while they are still green and just before they harden. Many of you already know about the health benefits of soy, but for those of you who don't, here are some of the facts I read about:
Green soybeans are a great source of Vitamins A, B, Calcium, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids and are an excellent source of fiber.
Edamame is a good choice for diabetics as it is believed to help control blood sugar levels.
Consuming Edamame is believed to reduce cholesterol levels and help prevent heart disease.
It contains eight of the amino acids and is a complete plant protein.
For women, soy offers some estrogenic benefits. (No, guys, you're NOT going to turn into a woman by consuming this great snack!!)
You should always look for soy products that say, "Non-GMO", which means that the product you are buying is NOT a Genetically Modified Organism. As often as possible, you should look for these snacks that are grown Organically.
I found a great Edamame product distributed by Seapoint Farms. Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame provides 70% less fat and 40% more protein than peanuts. It contains no cholesterol and no trans-fats while giving your body 14 grams of soy protein per 1/4 cup serving.
Each 1/4 cup serving only has 130 calories (only 40 from fat) and only 150 mg of salt (for those of you with blood pressure or sodium issues).
As for the taste, both Bill and I love them. They taste kind of "nutty" and we love the crunch. It doesn't take much more than the 1/4 cup serving to curb just about any type of craving. I had been looking for a "crunchy" snack that I could snack on at night when I got tired and needed to stay awake. I pour a 1/4 cup of these into a cup and chew on one "nut" at a time. The protein provides me with energy and the crunch gets me through the droopy eye period (you drivers know what I am talking about).
Better than chips, healthier than nuts, a true guilt-free snack for any driver. Try them and let me know what you think.
You can e-mail this supplier and ask where to find the product in your home town: www.seapointfarms.com
Keep healthy, Keep moving!!
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Posted by Nancy Younger at
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