Yes, I can see how being a truck driver would really throw lots of things - even what hours you're allowed to drive through town on a big cross-country trip, I expect - and truckstop cafes are notoriously poor places to find healthy food. Earlier this year I was catching a few inter-city buses in Australia, and their toilet breaks were invariably at such places - hopeless for healthy! (When travelling I have taken to carrying packet soups with me, and a cup and spoon - then at a pinch all I need is access to boiling water - I carry apples, too, because the body has got to have freshness somewhere along the line.)
Being stuck on that 351 threshold must feel horribly frustrating, but hang in there! I see you exercise inside the truck - are you going to be driving in snowy weather over the next few months? I ask because I think taking a break out of the truck might somehow shake things up a bit - but obviously the snow or driving rain, or even light rain would make that unfeasible. How far ahead do you know where and which days/hours you'll be driving?
I don't know where or what I'll be doing until I talk to dispatch. They put me on single loads of 200-800 miles so I can work my eating/exercise schedule in pretty regularly. It's just when thing's change up that I get thrown for a loop. I'll give an example. To understand you have to know how a truck drivers log book rules are. Simplified once I start my clock (driving) I have 14 hrs to complete 11 hrs of drive time before I have to take a 10 HR break. I'm not allowed to drive more than 8 hrs without taking a 30 min break. So here we go, sorry for the length but this will give some insight.
So I started my week mon woke up at 7 am (exercise/Eat breakfast and prepare lunch/dinner)
Didn't get a load til 11 am which delivers 411 miles (roughly 8-9) away at 2 am. Run the 8 hrs to delivery and arrive at 9pm. Delivery is in 5 hrs so I started my 10 HR break. I do my delivery during my 10 HR break they finish unloading at 4:30 am. I have to fit my sleep in between running paperwork inside, backing into dock, getting a call when paperwork is done and finding parking for the rest of my break. Which ends at 7 am
Breakfast 8:00 am ish
2 Scrabbled eggs, 2 strips bacon, glass of milk= 315 cal
breakfast snack 11:00 am ish
1 Banana, 1 cheese stick= 185 Cal
Lunch 3:00 pm ish
Crock pot Chilli= 414 Cal
Lunch snack 7:00 pm ish
Larabar= 210 cal
Dinner 9:00 pm ish
Crock-Pot chilli=414 cal
Dinner snack 11:00 pm ish
Breakfast essentials Bottle = 230 cal
Tue, wake up 7 am
Call in get a load that picks up at 8:00 am 90 miles away (2 hrs) no time for exercise/prepare lunch/dinner
Breakfast 7:00 am ish
Larabar and breakfast essentials= 450 cal
Arrive late to pickup 9:30 am and get a dock. Do exercises prepare lunch/dinner, They finished loading 11:00 am, gotta go get paperwork load delivering at 3:00 am 485 miles away (9 Hrs)
Breakfast snack 10:30 am ish
Orange, Yogurt and grapes = 172 cal
Lunch 2:00 pm ish (30 min break)
Crock-Pot Fajitas= 392 cal
Lunch snack 5 pm ish
Banana, spoon of peanut butter = 295 Cal
8:00 pm arrive at delivery
Dinner 8:30 pm ish
Crock-Pot Fajitas= 392 cal
Grab 6 hrs sleep deal with delivery at 3:00 am go back to sleep on dock. Finished unloading at 8:00am
Wed
Wake up at 5 am exercise, breakfast, prepare lunch/dinner
Breakfast 6:00 am ish
Bowl of Rasin Bran, banana 337 cal
Delivery finished, call dispatch they give me a load that picks up at 3 pm 100 miles away (1.75 hrs) and delivers at 4 am 468 miles away (9hrs) I remain off my clock until 1 pm then head to delivery.
Breakfast snack 9:00 am ish
Watermelon, grapes, yogurt= 156 cal
Lunch 1:00pm ish
Beef stew = 380 cal
Arrive at pickup 2:30 pm and get a dock door at 4:00 pm. Finish loading at 5:30 pm. Head to delivery.
Lunch snack 3:00 pm ish
Larabar= 210 cal
Dinner 7:00 pm ish
Beef stew= 380 cal
Dinner snack 12:00 am ish
Breakfast essentials= 240 cal
Arrive at delivery 3:45 am start break deal with delivery
And so on and so on. Sometimes I run out of food, sometimes I don't have time to do exercises, sometimes my clock runs me so ragged I just want to sleep. It's a hard life, and losing weight while doing it is one of the hardest things I've ever tried. I lose focus, when I take hometime it drops me put of my routine and I don't maintain diet OR exercise. (A problem I'm trying to fix) I'm VERY routine oriented, If taken out of the environment...I falter. Which just means I need to develop a routine form hometime. (Possibly a gym membership where I can really hit strength training and toning exercises) I live in the Harrison OH area if anyone wants to be gym pals lol. Admittedly I know very little about what I'm doing. I just know I'm doing it.
Currently I have NO food on the truck and haven't had time to get to a Walmart. For some reason, this ALSO drops me put of my routine. Need to go grocery shopping
Sorry for the long rant. Hope it gives some insight into the life of a trucker and the obstacles I'm contending with. I appreciate your advice and time thank you.
P.s. I am doing Calorie pulsing every week to keep metabolism guessing and a gallon of water a day.