No one’s life has ever been easy. No matter the type of work they do, most people eventually get occupational diseases because of the long-term accumulation of certain habits they’ve developed over the process of their employment. Weight loss has never been simpler for over-the-road truckers and other drivers who spend all day behind the wheel. Due to this, seeing truckers or drivers with huge stomachs is extremely prevalent. Will they experience obesity and other issues throughout their lives? If so, their lives appear to be too difficult and boring. Is it feasible for them to overcome their weight and embrace a healthy body? Of course, YES.
But how can they lose weight and keep healthy as well? Intermittent fasting may be a good choice, which has gained a lot of attention recently for its simplicity and good effects on losing weight.
Losing Weight Seems Especially Difficult for Truckers and Drivers
Have you ever noticed a funny trend in life, such as the preponderance of obese truckers and drivers? Being a truck driver while trying to lose weight is incredibly challenging. In fact, it should be noted that gaining weight as a truck driver is really simple! Well, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED) reports that the adult obesity rate in the US is close to 40%, making it “the fattest country” in the world. More than 90% of them work as truckers or drivers. According to a research published in 2015, the high prevalence of obesity among commercial truck drivers may be attributed to their sedentary work environment, lack of access to healthy foods, and lack of exercise. Obesity and crash risk may be related, hence this demographic needs an intervention to reduce obesity.
Here is some more specific information about the reasons that make weight loss particularly challenging for truckers and drivers.
They keep remaining seated for an excessive amount of time.
Long periods of driving can be monotonous, but sitting in front of the wheel for an extended period of time is even more so. Drivers who don’t get enough exercise cannot consume the calories they have consumed and instead turn them into fat. Due to their sedentary jobs, over-the-road truckers and drivers will easily convert the calories they consume into fat, which is primarily stored in their thighs, stomachs, and buttocks.
They lack enough water intake.
Water is vital for living and also plays a crucial role in weight loss. Drinking water helps people feel full more quickly by filling up the empty space while also curbing their appetite. It is quite simple and normal for people who work in offices to drink water whenever they are thirsty. However, for truckers or other drivers, it appears to be challenging. On the one hand, drinking water while driving is risky. On the other hand, excessive water consumption leads them to often stop at restrooms along the road. That most likely prevents them from rushing to their destination in time.
They develop unhealthy diets and lifestyles.
Drivers can only eat quick food at a roadside restaurant when they are starving and in a rush due to an emergency towards a destination and the trouble of dieting while driving. Their inability to prepare breakfast and lunch at home prevents them from consuming enough nutrition. Even though the food is well-prepared at home by the cook’s family or spouse, it appears hard to transport it the entire distance because it is difficult to maintain it fresh at all times. Additionally, they can’t get enough sleep due to their late-night driving, which is undoubtedly detrimental to losing weight.
They lack exercise and have constant stress.
Will you go outside for exercise and fresh air to relieve stress when you’re worn out from work? Exercise helps to keep the body in shape and is beneficial for reducing stress. However, since the majority of drivers lead irregular lives, they don’t. Drivers always maintain a high level of tension in order to prevent accidents. Unfortunately, they are unable to unwind either during or after work hours.
Why does Intermittent Fasting Help Truckers or Drivers Lose Weight More Easily?
The technique of intermittent fasting involves consuming no calories or very few calories on a regular basis for a predetermined length of time. Periodicity denotes a break from continuous fasting. This can happen once a week or once a month, but not consecutively for more than one day. The traditional diet of hunger or fasting is considerably dissimilar from this. For 18 to 36 hours, intermittent fasting often entails skipping meals.
Everybody is aware that truckers and drivers often need four to five, sometimes even seven to eight hours to convey a load. Due to their unusual jobs, truckers and drivers often miss meals and don’t follow the recommended diet plan. However, because they have plenty of time to fast, they are ideal candidates for intermittent fasting. The person who keeps intermittent fasting is required to consume no calories or very few calories for a period of two hours. Due to their ingrained eat-stop-eat routine, truckers and drivers may take it with ease.
What is the eat-stop-eat rule of intermittent fasting?
Generally speaking, your body will go through the six phases described below as soon as you stop eating.
- Phase 1 (0-4 Hours). A rise in blood sugar.
- Phase 2 (4-8 Hours). A drop in blood sugar.
- Phase 3 (8-12 Hours). Blood sugar levels stabilize.
- Phase 4 (12 Hours). Burning Fat.
- Phase 5 (13 Hours) (13 Hours). A rise in ketone levels.
- Phase 6 (24 Hours). Autophagy.
The working idea of intermittent fasting is to extend the interval between meals so that there is sufficient time for your body to burn any stored fat, as revealed by the six phases. The majority of individuals typically eat three meals a day, but they don’t stop there. They occasionally eat snacks, most of which are bad for them and loaded with sugars that make people gain weight easily.
What is the lifestyle of truckers or drivers?
A significant aspect of the lifestyle of a truck driver is the number of hours worked in a regular workday. It is no secret that long-haul truck drivers, sometimes known as OTR (over-the-road) truckers, log a lot of kilometers per day. There are certain false beliefs about the typical OTR trucker’s daily activities, though. Contrary to popular assumption, truck drivers get plenty of downtime throughout their work weeks. In order to prevent driver weariness and promote the healthiest possible work life on the road, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) specifies very severe restrictions that control a truck driver’s work day. So their lifestyle is relatively free, which can also provide a great convenience for implementing intermittent fasting.
How Can Truckers and Drivers Arrange Their Intermittent Fasting Plans Wisely?
The conclusion that driving is difficult to work and that losing weight for truckers or drivers has never been simpler may be drawn after knowing the information mentioned above. But is there no way to aid drivers in losing weight? The answer is obviously no. On the basis of intermittent fasting’s operating theory and drivers’ work characteristics, it has been suggested that intermittent fasting works well for truck and taxi drivers. The following advice can help them start intermittent fasting more successfully.
Step 1: Write it down.
Take a pen and some paper to start planning your diet. Writing things down not only helps you remember them but also clarifies and organizes your thoughts. It’s like signing a contract with oneself to put things in writing.
Anything that will help you organize your ideas and come up with a foolproof plan should be put in writing, including your goals, present weight, projected weight, a schedule for success, and so forth.
Step 2: Develop a regular diet from the irregular lifestyle.
One of the most noticeable of the four basic features that have been put out when discussing the lifestyle of drivers is unpredictable work and irregular schedules. The effects of irregular work and relaxation on the human body are numerous. Therefore, developing a regular diet with irregular schedules is the first step and also the most important part of practicing intermittent fasting for trucks and drivers. For instance, it is important to include all of the fundamental and essential components in every diet. Since you can easily make nutritious meals based on the MyPlate model‘s diet structure, it is highly advised for individuals who are unfamiliar with a healthy diet model.
Step 3: Choose a suitable and effective intermittent fasting plan.
Once you have the desire for intermittent fasting in place, you can find that there are many ways to do IF, but not all of them will be effective for you because of your habits and way of life. so that after careful consideration, you may select the choice that best meets your needs. There are four different types of intermittent fasting that you can select from.
16:8 Plan
When following a 16:8 intermittent fasting regimen, you must fast for 16 hours before eating for 8 hours. Basically, when 16:8 is chosen as an intermittent fasting plan, one meal is skipped; the meal that is skipped depends on the circumstances or the needs of the individual. The majority of fasters begin with the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan, which is the most often used.
5:2 Diet
One of the most popular IF approaches is 5:2 fasting, which suggests eating normally for 5 days without a designated fasting period but only consuming 20% of your usual calories for the other 2 days. You can pick any two days to observe the two-day fast. People who may say, “I can do anything for two days, but it would be too much to cut back on what I eat all seven days,” are ideal candidates for the 5:2 fasting strategy.
The OMAD Diet
One meal a day, or OMAD, is a fasting strategy that calls for just one meal each day. It doesn’t say what or when to eat, but it does say that you must only have one meal every day. The highest fasting schedule, OMAD, is around 23:1 fasting. Beginners of intermittent fasting shouldn’t try OMAD because it’s too challenging.
The Warrior Diet
Health and fitness author Ori Hofmekler created the Warrior Diet, an intermittent fasting regimen. In order to follow the warrior diet, you must eat in the evening. Those who are on a fast are only permitted to eat a little amount of fresh produce and a substantial meal during the evening’s 4-hour window. The warrior diet is more stringent than other intermittent fasting regimens.
In conclusion, the 5:2 and OMAD diets are recommended for truckers and drivers because it is still difficult for them to stick to a daily meal schedule.
Step 4: Prepare your food wisely.
A tasty and nourishing meal plan for intermittent fasting and weight loss is simple to make as long as you pick a piece of meat that is grilled or baked in a reasonable amount, along with fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins. More specific information is shown below:
- Pan-Seared, grilled, or baked proteins such as chicken breast without skin, turkey without the skin, fish, seafood, beef that has been raised on grass, Wild Game, eggs, legumes, Greek yogurt with fewer calories, low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, low-fat milk, plant milk, nuts, seeds, Tofu and Seitan
- Healthy fats such as fish oil, coconut oil, olive oil, canola oil, other plant oils, nut butter, nuts, olives, avocados, and seeds
- Low-carb main foods such as peas, dry beans, potatoes, wild rice, brown rice, corn, squash, lentils, and quinoa
- Fiber-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, lentils, whole grains, nuts, and other legumes
Example Meal Plan
Breakfast (300-400 calories)
- 1 boiled egg
- 1 cup of berries
- 1 avocado
Lunch (300-400 calories)
- Grilled chicken salad from McDonald’s
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of Greek yogurt
Dinner (400-600 calories)
- Power Bowl of Korean-Inspired Beef, a Healthy Choice
- 1 apple
Snack (400 calories)
- 1/2 cup of mixed nuts
Meals For Truckers and Drivers On the Road
The majority of a trip for both truckers and drivers usually takes place on or near an interstate. It’s not always practical for them to purchase whole meals or visit a healthy restaurant because they are also constrained by the size of their vehicle.
Eating foods from truck stops and fast food restaurants is part of a healthy meal plan on the road. Fortunately, the demand for nutritious cuisine is rising, and many restaurants are increasingly providing healthy options.
Truck Stops
Salads, fruit, and sandwiches are frequently offered at truck stops. If you want to stock up on the freshest ingredients, arrive early because these premade meals are often supplied in the morning.
Powel Bowls
Power Bowls make a fantastic supplement to anyone’s diet. They are incredibly tasty, calorie-efficient, and convenient. In addition, there are a variety of options, so they may be utilized for a number of dinners during the week. While the Korean-Inspired Beef is a close second in terms of personal preference, the Sweet and Zesty Seasoned BBQ Pork seems more popular.
Fast Food Chains
Salads are available from a lot of fast food restaurants, and many of them are pretty good. The menus at places like Subway, Chipotle, Taco Bell, Captain D’s, and even McDonald’s are wonderful and provide a number of healthful options. But remember to avoid fried foods and bread with a lot of carbohydrates.
Protein Shakes
Protein shakes are a terrific way to mix up your diet. They often have few calories but are substantial enough to substitute a full meal. Select a whey protein supplement without additional sugar, and for an extra boost to your workout, add some creatine.
Bottom Line
- Weight gain in truckers and drivers is a result of poor diet, lack of exercise, and a lack of water consumption.
- Given that they need to reduce weight and lead flexible lifestyles that are conducive to intermittent fasting, truckers and drivers must adapt to it.
- Truckers and drivers can easily complete intermittent fasting if they follow a few helpful recommendations.
- Meal planning is very important for truckers and drivers on the road. Healthy and nutritious foods are most recommended for practicing intermittent fasting.
- Since truckers and drivers may have no chance to buy healthy foods on the road or no time to make it by themselves, having meals at trucker stops or fast food chains is a good choice.
References: