Life on the road can make it difficult for truck drivers to maintain healthy diets. While you can try to eat healthy in the moment, it helps to have some guiding principles, which is basically what a diet is. Here are a few popular diets for truck drivers that can be sustained and that will work to keep you healthy and help you shed any extra weight.
Calorie Counting
Calorie counting is basically tabulating the number of calories burned versus consumed. This way of dieting only works if someone can be diligent with keeping a food diary, or updating an app such as Under Armour’s MyFitnessPal.
When counting calories, it is important to establish a starting point. It is helpful to spend a week logging everything you consume, both food and beverages. Seeing the initial log will give you an idea of your baseline.
It is also necessary to find out how much your calorie intake should be. The amount of calories needed to fuel a body depends on factors such as gender, height, weight, and lifestyle. Not everyone needs 2,000 calories; that is only an average. The more active you are, the more calories you need. If you don’t consume enough calories, your body will stop burning fat and start retaining it instead. There has to be a happy medium.
Low Carb
The low-carb diet— or Ketosis die — has gained popularity again in recent years.
The basis of the low-carb diet is keeping your carbohydrate intake low. Excessive carbs in your diet are turned into sugar and fat if they are not used up or burned. When your carb intake is low, it requires your body to burn stored fat for fuel instead of carbs.
The term Ketosis is a metabolic state that means the body is burning stored fat and the result is a buildup of acids called ketones. This method is an effective way to lose weight as long as you are consistent.
Paleo
The paleo diet tries to mimic how our ancestors ate, but it isn’t to be confused with the caveman diet.
The premise of the paleo diet is to eat higher amounts of protein and fiber, but less carbs. Eliminating or cutting back on foods that are packed full of sodium and sugars is always a good idea.
This diet also focuses on eating food that is found in nature, with little to no processing. While you might not have a noticeable weight loss immediately, the paleo diet will work on making you healthy from the inside out.
Vegetarian or Vegan
A vegetarian will not eat meat but will eat animal products such as milk and eggs. A vegan, on the other hand, will not eat any animal product, including milk, eggs, or even honey. These categories can be vague or blurred from time to time, but if someone says they are one or the other that is commonly the difference.
Eating a meatless diet may help you drop some weight but a plant-based diet is primarily helpful in lowering cholesterol as long as you don’t replace meat with bad choices such as snack cakes.
It’s Not One Size Fits All When It Comes to Diets for Truck Drivers
If you’re looking to find a new way to fuel your body, maybe a healthy diet for truck drivers is the way to go.
As with all diets, it is important to remember that the longer it takes to lose the weight, the greater the chance the weight will stay off. Conversely, if you lose weight in a short amount of time, it is more likely the weight will come back and bring friends!
Bottom line: Find what works for you and keep at it. And establish realistic expectations. If you fall off the proverbial wagon, get back on. We do best with progress, not perfection.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered advice or direction to participate in any specific diet program. PAM Transport recommends that readers seek advice from a licensed medical professional before beginning any diet program.