Maintaining A Healthy Lifestyle

Wow. Thanks for the replies everyone.

So something is bothering me now. Crockpots and electric coolers?? Are there outlets inside these trucks or something? Or do I need special equipment. (Yeah, as you can see, making the decision to go into trucking was...Random). But if there are those of you who are living off of greens and are going to walmart, then I can see how beneficial that would be. I guess I would spend the first few paychecks eating out before I could purchase myself some of the good electric stuff you're recommending.

Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it. I'll def invest in some dumbbells and get my work out on.

Wow. Thanks for the replies everyone.

So something is bothering me now. Crockpots and electric coolers?? Are there outlets inside these trucks or something? Or do I need special equipment. (Yeah, as you can see, making the decision to go into trucking was...Random). But if there are those of you who are living off of greens and are going to walmart, then I can see how beneficial that would be. I guess I would spend the first few paychecks eating out before I could purchase myself some of the good electric stuff you're recommending.

Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it. I'll def invest in some dumbbells and get my work out on.

My truck, like most, has multiple outlets. USB, 12v and 110v. I run Satellite TV/DVR, laptop, microwave, built in fridge/freezer, crock pot, phone/tablet chargers, etc.

Old School, what is the brand of crock pot you use? Would you recommend it or has it let you down? You wrote about cooking several Cornish hens in it once, so the size seems perfect. Thanks!

Pete, the one that I use is the "Crock Pot" brand. Mine is a 2.5 quart size. You can Click Here and take a look at it. I purchased mine at a Wal-Mart for about twelve or thirteen dollars. I think it is the perfect size for small meals, and it doesn't take up a lot of space. I use a 400 watt inverter plugged into the 12 volt power outlet to provide 120 volt electricity, and have had no problems with that combination.

I do not recommend the 12 volt units available at the truck stops. They are okay for warming up canned soups and such, but if you really want to cook with them like I do, the heating elements in them will not hold up to that kind of work. I burned up three of them before I went to a standard household unit, and it has worked flawlessly. I keep mine going for hours at a time. I cook pieces of meat, like chickens and smothered pork chops. Those things require a good amount of time to be done properly. The one I got at Wal-Mart was actually less than half the price of the 12 volt truck stop models.

Jonathan, here's a link to the thread where we talked about Cooking the Cornish Hens in the truck. I think the hens show up somewhere on page 2 of the discussion.

I have lost 20 lbs of pudge by living off of kind bars, yogurt, blueberry juice, walnuts, grass fed/free range meat (cooked on grill). I don't eat/drink anything with citric acid or preservatives. I get fresh veggies from stores nearby and have a foldable electric bike I use to get a mile or two to that location if one is nearby otherwise I go to Walmart. I've been stuck in this one area running hard. Finally, got a load out of there today. I also do jumping jacks, pushups, use 50 lb resistance band for weight exercises. I also do a quick set of curls on the way to bathroom at Walmarts because the dumbbells are on the way LOL. Oh, stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, wear a hat in sun, invest in legit sunglasses, and avoid negative people.

Blueberry juice? I don't think I've ever seen that in a store.

grass fed/free range meat

Yuck! I raised beef steers for a number of years, and will be again before long I hope. If I'm worried about the fat content in meat I'll eat turkey or chicken breast. But if you're eating lean beef you're basically eating beef without all of the tenderness and flavor that you eat beef for in the first place. Might as well be eating venison (yuck again!)

avoid negative people

Those are seriously words to live by. That should be in everyone's playbook for sure.

I also do a quick set of curls on the way to bathroom at Walmarts because the dumbbells are on the way LOL

Now that's funny!

Thanks Old School... Big Orange limits me to a 200w inverter, but the link you provided shows me that slow cooker uses 140w, so I should be fine. You have jimmy-rigged a strap to keep the lid on tight? It doesn't appear to have a locking mechanism. Never mind that question, I can figger it out!

In the year since I started I've lost 75lbs. I wish I knew the secret, as I didn't get a cooker or 'cooler' until recently, and I suppose saying to eat fast food frequently and sit on your butt all day would be poor advice. Though, as has been mentioned, that last part isn't entirely true. There's quite a bit of exercise you get in even as a door slammer. Now and then you might get a dock right next to shipping/receiving, but I've found the general rule is to identify the one furthest from the office, and then they'll show you one a little further. Not to mention even at truck stops, which are naturally designed for trucks, getting to the store or bathroom is often a bit of a hike even if you land the closest spot in the lot. And at places NOT designed for trucks, we're relegated to as far out of the way as possible. That stinks if you really have to use the facilities, but it's just another way to get accidental exercise.

But the general idea regardless when it comes to maintaining your condition is to burn as much as you take in. Burn more if you want to reduce size, burn less if you're that one trucker that could benefit from gaining a few pounds. I tend to eat one meal per day, with some trail mix to snack on the rest of the day. Apparently the exercise I get from just doing the job itself burns off more than I'm taking in. It's really that simple, strange health issues or chemical balances aside.

Let me put this out there, too, because I see this all the time and it bothers me a bit. Walking on flat ground is not exercise. If you're not breathing heavier with an elevated heart rate you're not getting any sort of real exercise. And as I mentioned before, exercising burns far fewer calories than people realize.

Example......jogging at a solid pace, about a 9 minute mile, burns about 100 calories per mile. Think about that. Go jogging for an entire mile and then reward yourself with one half of a low fat granola bar or one scrambled egg. That's it. That's how many calories you've burned jogging an entire mile.

Walking from the furthest point in the parking lot and into the truck stop and back might burn 20 calories. Now look at foods the next time you're in a grocery store and tell me what you can eat that's only 20 calories.

Now it's incredibly healthy to move as much as possible, and that includes walking, but don't mistake all movements for being real exercise. You need to strain your muscles, including your heart and diaphragm (which works your lungs), to consider it real exercise.

But the general idea regardless when it comes to maintaining your condition is to burn as much as you take in.

That is true for the most part. Of course it depends also on the type and timing of the calories you take in, but controlling your food intake is the key to controlling your weight.

@Bret I have a couple of Knudsen Blueberry juice glass bottles. There is another brand that is organic, unsweetened, and non-concentrate. I'll have to get back to you on the organic one. There are places like Sprouts, Whole foods, and I think some trader Joe's that carry them.

I do enjoy eating gamey meat from goat to bison. I do usually get grass fed ribeye steak though, which is nicely marbled. I notice that I feel more satiated.

I forgot to mention the canned Amy's soups. To me, I think they are pretty good. I don't like high sodium gravy-like soup. The Amy's soup tastes more akin to something made at home. A big plus is that the cans are BPA free