I am looking for advice on how to change my eating habits/schedule. Do to my weird work hours I have put on a few pounds that I can not get rid of, and I am sure it is do to when I am eating rather then what. I really am not sure what to change around but am looking for suggestions. Undersatand that I am a local truck driver. (I was home more when I was over the road!)
My current schedule:
Up at 7 am leaving for work at 8 am with a couple cups of coffee. Usually once I am off the dock and on the road I eat a fiber bar at around 10:30- 11:00. At 12:30-1:30 I eat 1/3 of a peeled and sliced cantaloupe. I have a pickup that I make everyday that I have to be there before 3:30 and am usually out of there around 4:00 and that is when I take my lunch of a salad with sliced up lunch meat of some kind added to it.(there is a microwave there I could use) Then when I get home, anywhere from 8:00 to 9:30 PM I eat what ever the family had for dinner.
I have tried eating the Lean quizine type stuff when I get home, but it just does not satisify me and I am still hungry after eating it. I am just stuck so far as having any idea what to change to keep me from eating so heavy that late at night. Any suggestions?
From what I've read, your body is made up of three main parts. Fat, carbohydrates and protein. If you lower your carbs and increase your protein then your body will burn fat and protein. You've increased that protein so it leaves you with burning fat.
No rolls, pasta, potatoes, etc. - Chicken and fishes are high in protein, low in fat so your body will also burn carbs.
If you are going to eat carbs, your best bet is to eat them in the morning so you can burn them during the day and not eat them and go to sleep. There are many healthy foods that I think taste bad but you need to try the others, wheat pasta and also egg whites are things that I can't even tell the difference.
Change is never easy, trust me. Cutting meal portions and exercise are tough changes but will help the process faster. In other countries, people eat larger amounts of salads and rice with a small amount of chicken or steak to add to the meal. Here in the US, we have our steak and potatoes hanging over the side of the plate. Tastes good but not healthy.
I have found that having healthy food around at all time is a great way to snack. Carrots rather than french fries. Good Luck!
Great replies all, I appreciate the time and effort into posting them for me. Another response I got from my mother that paid big bucks to go to some place for advice and counseling on weight loss was protein, protein, protein, with every meal.
With that in mind and before seeing most of these responses, here is what I did today.
8am- whey protein drink
10:30am- fiber bar
12:00noon- whey protein drink
2pm- 1/3 cantaloupe peeled and sliced
4pm- lunch meat wrap of chicken breast and provolone cheese in a tortilla
6pm-whey drink
8 pm-2/3 bowl of chili
Now tomorrow I am going to replace the 8am whey drink with a packet of oatmeal. Instead of the lunch meat wrap at 4, I am taking a container of chili. I figure there should be high protein and little fat in that with the beans and lean meat the wife uses to make it. A friend at work suggested meat/cheese roll-ups if I need something when I get home at night.
I was amazed how the whey drinks took away hunger during the day! I think I am getting closer to a plan that I can stay with, but still feel I need to figure out something for when I get home at night. Perhaps the larger lunch of chili will help out. Any thoughts on the meat/cheese roll-ups for when I get home? (good or bad idea?)
Bill,
It looks like a great day of healthy eating. Oatmeal is very good for you, Joy eating oatmeal pancakes all the time. One thing I suggest is splitting regular healthy food with the shake/protein bar stuff. That stuff is much more expensive than healthy regular food.
One thing I've heard from others and experienced myself is that when you do the shake or bar, you need to give it a little while to feel full. I've always laughed a little thinking it was expanding in my stomach. Another thing that many suggest is drinking a full glass of water 20 min before meals.
I have to be honest, the girls normally watch what they eat and guys add an extra scoop of ice cream. Paula, Dawn, Joy and Christine are the ones with the good answers. 😉
When I decided to really make an effort to lose weight, I also had to take into consideration my quality time with my family. Planning our dinners togehter is a part of that quality time. I decided to make my sacrifices at breakfast and lunch and eat my main meal at dinner. From breakfast time through to dinner time, I would basically eat nothing but fruits and vegetables. I had them on hand to munch on through out the day. At dinner, I would have a medium portion of meat (I'm not a huge meat eater), a salad, one or two other fruits or vegetable sides, and a cup to cup and a half portion of a starch. I cut out the bread or only had the bread as my starch. Because I am the type of person who can't just eat one, I had to basically cut out any dessert or salty snacks. I give myself credit on that one because I started the diet right at the Thanksgiving/Christmas Holiday time. I cut out all alcohol use accept at Christmas(Rusty and JoeCamper were witnesses to that). I lost 30 pounds in three months. My feet had not felt that little of a burden in years. It is worth the sacrifices.
I gotta make this work! A little more then 2 years ago I went from a 32 waist to 34. Now the 34s are getting tight! I WILL NOT go to 36!!!!!!!! My biggest battle is going to be figuring out how to handle being hungry when I get home so late from work. Tonight I had a small salad with a few pieces of broiled chicken on it with a light ranch dressing. It seemed to satisy me, but I did not eat it until 9:10 pm, I hope this does not take away from all the good I did all day!
I have cantaloupe everyday. I love that stuff!!! For years now I buy 2 and cut and peel them and make up 5 containers, 1 for each day. In the summer I sometimes have watermellon like that instead. I am so busy and on the move durring the day that changing what eat is not a problem, my only hurdle is going to be at night when I get home. Tonight I was determined I was not going to eat, but once again I had to have a salad at 9 PM to keep from being miserable.
Your doing great. It takes your body a while to adjust. Keep saying to yourself "I'm not going to give into the hunger". One day a
week, give yourself a reward of a special dessert or french fries. When you are hungry and craving the dessert or fries, say to
yourself "On ____ day, I will have that dessert or fries". :Dstp
Here it is Sat. I don't know if its imagination or not, but I feel like I have lost some all ready! 6PM, Bev is taking nap before going out to work, I am starved! All most made excuse "hey its sat." and headed off to McDonald's for an easy, fast supper. At last min. looked in fridge and found a couple broiled chicken tenders, a couple pieces of Virginia ham. I diced them up and put into fry pan to heat. Added a can of Lima beans, some mushrooms, garlic salt and pepper. When slightly browned I threw a piece of provolone cheese on top. It was actually pretty tasty!!!
I WILL be cheating some at the ralley though!
Ah man, you should see the creation I just cooked up for my lunches this week! Chopped up a head of cabbage, onion, fresh snap peas, green pepper, mushrooms, and fried them up in 1 tbl. of olive oil till brown. Added a can of pinto beans, and 8 broiled chicken tenderloins chopped up. A bunch of different seasonings, and a tbl. of hot sauce. I know it don't sound real good, but it is DELICIOUS!!!!!
Its funny, I feel like I am doing so well, then I talk to someone else and they tear down everything I am doing! I have been told "concentrate on protein" by one person, someone else tells me its all wrong. I thought 1/3 cantaloupe a day was good, another tells me to cut it out as there is too much sugar in it. I have been trying to take bits and pieces from everything I am told but there is just so much contradiction!
If what you have been doing the last week or so is working for you and satisfies some of the tastes that you crave, such as the cantelope, I say stick with what you are doing. It really sounds like you were really putting great effort into your meal planning and preparation. That is something to be proud of with the work schedule that you have. :Dstp
Everybody's body metabolizes food differently.
Genetics, age and exercise all play important factors in the ability to eat, digest and gain weight.
There is no one answer for everybody. If there was, there'd be only one diet book out there and it'd be gospel.
Having worked as a dietary director in my career I can say this: your body will tell you what it needs and it'll also tell you what it wants. It's up to you to decide how to use that information.
I'm a firm believer in "feed the need". If I want tacos, then tacos it is. If I want bacon, ditto. But since I enjoy making my own food I have control over what goes on my plate.
If you've got specific questions in how to prepare something, swing by the food forums.
Ciao,
Due to medication, I'm now a (hopefully temporary) diabetic. This has meant I really have had to change my eating habits....never met a potato I didn't like! And, there's nothing nicer than the aroma of freshly baked bread.
As I am to take my meds with food, and I can't face fixing breakfast as soon as I'm up and rolling, I will take my meds with sugar free vanilla pudding and that satisfies me for a good two hours, then it's a protien breakfast - an egg and a piece of sausage or 2 slices of bacon (kills me not to have bread). Lunch is generally more carbs (canned spinich, kale, collards, etc) and a meat (love pastrami with a slice of cheese melted over it) and an orange for desert. Mid afternoon snack if I want it might be apple slices or a small handful of grapes and maybe some havarti cheese. Dinner is more difficult - hard to break the meat and potato habit.....so have done small portions of boiled cabbage/kielbasa, or a half steak and salad. Before bed snack is sugar free jello with a dollop of whipped cream. If I stick with this, my numbers are good. If I must eat corn, limas, potatoes, or breads, crackers - it's got to be morning or noon - no later. Beverages are iced tea with sweetner, coffee with sweetner, Sprite Zero. And, if I can get it down a glass of water before each meal which helps me not to over eat.
Although I just started this seriously in August, I've finally managed to lose 30 lbs in the period of a year - and I am unable to walk for pleasure or exercise as I could years back.
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