Commute and Eating Healthy

Ryan9764

I about to start my first job in the IT field. Yes, I am very excited and anxious. The problem is that I have to commute about hour and thirty minutes both ways (Until I move closer and hopefully be around beginning of next year.) I just wondering if anybody got any suggestion how I can eat healthy? I trying to lose some weight.

I found some youtube videos that teach me how to meal prep my meals. I taking look at them, but if anybody got suggestions, I'm all ears.

Thanks.

* Sorry if I post this in the wrong forum.

Jon_Cisco

For the commute I would try to find a snack like a healthy trail mix. They are not perfect but it is better then eats things like candy and fast food.

TechGromit

And remember the engine gets hot as you drive, makes for a perfect cooker, just put your food securely on the engine in tin foil, by the time you get to work, instant hot meal.

draught

That's a bad situation to need to eat healthier in. My greatest temptation would be to get fast food to eat on that long drive home. I can only say that from what I've seen the people who are actually successful at fitness and weight loss make it their way of life. Might not be a bad idea to join a fitness forum to help with the motivation and planning.

Otherwise I'd be more skilled in telling you what foods are good and how to gain weight. I'd be getting breakfast at macdonalds or starbucks most days and getting burger combos on the way home.

E Double U

What I always leave the house with to keep me from buying unhealthy snacks:

- unsalted nuts
- variety of fruit

That's it, that's all.

tedjames

Does your new workplace have a kitchen/breakroom with a microwave? On Sundays, I cook enough meat (grilled or crock pot) for at least four meals and chop up some fresh vegetables and add some grains, beans, sweet potatoes, etc. I make four healthy lunches each week. Low calorie, low carbohydrate, high protein, etc. I leave one day open in case we have a group lunch or something. I avoid bread, and I'm trying to quit soda. Also, my office building has 11 floors, so I take a break every once in awhile and get some exercise in the stairwell. If the weather's nice, I walk around downtown. For snacks during the day, I eat bulk, unsalted nuts (except for the wasabi almonds, which I love), fruit, cheese, etc. Sometimes on the weekend, I make jerky to munch on during the week.

Like others have said, avoid road food (burgers, chips, candy bars, etc.) if you're faced with long commutes. It's really easy to get into that habit and look down 10 years later and see a massive gut.

N7Valiant

Don't know about eating healthy, but a 3-hour commute a day kind of rules out exercise away from the weekend. Also cuts into time to cook.

I generally cook enough meals for the week during the weekend. Would typically just consist of chicken (or whatever else is on sale) and broccoli or mixed vegetables. Generally some greek yogurt if it's not mealtime, I'm home, and I'm hungry.

I also munch on pork jerky at work, basically trying to move away from carbs and sweets.

MeanDrunkR2D2

I meal prep pretty much every week and will search for recipes that sound good. If you check out the reddit sub, /r/mealprepsunday you can get a ton of ideas. Once you get closer to your job, join a gym and start up a workout routine. Right now you have too much involved with your commute to dedicate much time to exercise as you'll be dead tired by the time you get home and you'll be leaving early enough in the AM to get to work to want to work out early.

Basic85

Holy cow 1 hour and 30 min each way? I'm so use to under 20 min commutes. You don't necessary have to eat anything as long as you had a good healthy breakfast but if you do eat something have something healthy with little to no sugar because you'd crash and burn.

UnixGuy

Learn how to cook. it's a lot easier than you think, but you need to keep on doing it and optimising it until you're good at it, youtube is a good start


if you're trying to lose some weight, get a 'GOOD' personal trainer and start a proper exercise regimen. Again it's a lot easier than we're made to believe, but you need to find a good professional to help you with that. Just meal prep on its own is not enough for a healthy weight loss

Ryan9764

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

I meal prep pretty much every week and will search for recipes that sound good. If you check out the reddit sub, /r/mealprepsunday you can get a ton of ideas. Once you get closer to your job, join a gym and start up a workout routine. Right now you have too much involved with your commute to dedicate much time to exercise as you'll be dead tired by the time you get home and you'll be leaving early enough in the AM to get to work to want to work out early.

My new job has a gym. So I am golden there.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Ryan9764 wrote: »

My new job has a gym. So I am golden there.

Hmm. Is it near a racetrack?

thomas_

Pack a lunch and drink a lot of water.

DatabaseHead

I love eating fruit and eggs in the morning, eggs might not do you good, but the fruit is do able.

Gamesta400

I started a new sysadmin job in September that is a 75-minute drive each way. I am also still working at my old job on the weekends. As a result, I get to the gym like once a week, if even that. Even so, I have dropped 10 pounds since starting the new job because I have been doing intermittent fasting. During the week I fast all day until I get home. So, about a 20 hour fast with a 4 hour eating window, 5-times a week. When I get hungry at work, I take a few swallows of black coffee, it just KILLS my appetite. This really has been the easiest and most convenient way to loose weight I have tried. I only wish I had done it years ago.

draught

That sounds unhealthy though. Any diet is only going to work on the short term. You have do the fun exercise and hard work to get real benefits. I'm lazy as hell and don't but I've tried diets and they work for a while I'll drop 10 or 15 pounds but sooner or later the habit breaks and the weight comes back.

Gamesta400

Unhealthy? Fasting has been practiced by humans for thousands of years for health and religious reasons. And more and more studies come out every day showing the benefits of intermittent fasting. Check out the r/intermittentfasting forum on Reddit. There are tons of studies posted, as well as many individuals posting their long term results.

But if you think about it, intermittent fasting really is the perfect way to lose weight. You don’t have to buy expensive pills or supplements. It is all natural and completely flexible with the scheduling. And did I mention it is free?? In fact, I found myself saving money on food as well as eating healthier. And I save so much time each day not having to deal with Breakfast and Lunch. And I can still eat normal food in the evenings and weekends, so I don’t get any cravings. Like I said, I only wish I had tried it years ago.

Ryan9764

What do you mean by a race track?

Ryan9764

I think it will be different when I start working. Right now, I don't have a job and just sit on my ass studying. Once I get in an environment, where I can't go to the kitchen all the time, probably will help me out.

I guess I will see how it goes for couple days and come up with a plan. Maybe, like somebody suggest, take some fruit and start meal prep.

Thanks everybody.

Ryan9764

One other thing, will most companies provide you with a desk or device that you can stand up? I was thinking about this, and that might help little bit. Does anybody have encounter this? and how is it?

Thanks.

SteveLavoie

Well, eat healthy at breakfast before leaving or cut your breakfast in 2... one part before home and the other part at your arrival.

Also don't take the habit to stop at a drive-thru.. or at gas station for a pastries or anything. It will get hard to undo the habit. Keep healthier snack in your car. (nuts, protein bar...)

Meal prep for your lunch on the weekend.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Ryan9764 wrote: »

What do you mean by a race track?

A nascar track. I was making a guess on where you will be working at, but probably am wrong. I live in the KC area and one of the major employers has a gym and one of the locations is close to the race track. Figured since you are in Kansas that it would make sense to me since they hire people from all over.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Ryan9764 wrote: »

One other thing, will most companies provide you with a desk or device that you can stand up? I was thinking about this, and that might help little bit. Does anybody have encounter this? and how is it?

Thanks.

I do have a standing desk if I choose to do so. I usually don't use it all the often though, but I do hit the gym at work daily.

10Linefigure

Got you covered.

Bachelor Meal #1: Chicken and Rice

2lb of chicken thighs cooked up in a big saute pan covered in some kind of sauce you like. I'm on a Spicy Szechuan kick.
2.5 cups uncooked brown rice. Boil it until just barley soft.
Empty chicken into a Big container. Put cooked rice in your big skillet and move it around a bit to coat in left over sauce.
Pour your coated rice over the chicken in the Big container.
Stack your fridge with roma tomatoes, avocados, and broccoli.
Eat the same thing all week, switching out which veggie you use as a topping.


Bachelor Meal #2: Slow Cooker Chicken Stuff

1 can each of corn and 1 of black beans - strained.
1 jar of salsa
2 chicken breasts
Put all that in your slow cooker, cover with some other spices you think might be good. Let it cook all day.
Use a fork and shred the chicken, use a ladle to get out some of the excess water in there
Boil brow rice. Add cooked brown rice to slow cooker and stir it all up. Move the entire mixture to a Big container.
Stock your fridge with roma tomatoes, avocados, broccoli, asparagus.
Get a whole wheat tortilla, put your mixture on there, some low fat cheese and your veggie of the day. Down it.

Bachelor Meal #3: Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

1 bag pre cooked meat balls (get the good ones, don't be cheap)
1 bottle russian salad dressing
1 jar of grape jelly that is about-ish the same size as the dressing
A lot of white rice that you will boil and set aside
Bake the meat balls however they say on the bag
Mix the dressing and jelly over low heat until it hardly bubbles, stir a lot so its mixed and deep purple color
Add your finished meatballs to the sauce.
Take a plate, put a mound of rice on it, put some meatballs and sauce over it.
Have veggies, broccoli and brussel sprouts go good with this one.

Bachelor Meal #4: Cooking for a Special Friend

Order in, because they don't want any of that voodoo trash you got in your fridge.
Enjoy a happy night in.

Ryan9764

I live in Atchison, ks lol small world. Close, but southern KC.

tedjames

This will solve all of your problems.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Ryan9764 wrote: »

I live in Atchison, ks lol small world. Close, but southern KC.

I used to live in Wichita as well, but moved here when I got the job I got here.

You'll love KC, it's a great place. If you need any advice on the area, feel free to PM me.

Ryan9764

MeanDrunkR2D2 wrote: »

I used to live in Wichita as well, but moved here when I got the job I got here.

You'll love KC, it's a great place. If you need any advice on the area, feel free to PM me.

I moving back to lawrence in couple months. So won't be to bad. I just have to find a way to eat healthy, just for couple of months. I love KC.

Jon_Cisco

Ryan9764 wrote: »

One other thing, will most companies provide you with a desk or device that you can stand up? I was thinking about this, and that might help little bit. Does anybody have encounter this? and how is it?

Thanks.

I have a tall desk and a good stool/chair. It allows me to stand up often but I usually sit when I am focused on work. I don't think I would like to stand all day but having flexibility helps.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Ryan9764 wrote: »

I moving back to lawrence in couple months. So won't be to bad. I just have to find a way to eat healthy, just for couple of months. I love KC.

If you work in South KC (I'll assume the KS side in the OP area) it's not too terrible of a drive. You'll probably eventually want to get closer to the metro area though because that drive will still be a pain, plus the tolls if you take 70 in. When I meal prep I will frequently get recipes off of budgetbytes.com or skinnytaste. Many of them can be scaled up to make a weeks worth of meals with no problems. I also pack up healthy snacks too so that I can have energy for my gym workouts too.

NetworkingStudent

I have lost some weight recently , so I can give you some tips.

Also, I drive roughly one hour or more each way to work.


Get the following items:
Lunch bag
Water bottle

Look for a water bottle that is easy clean. Try to find one that does not have a straw.

Healthy snacks:
-Baby bella cheese

-String cheese - Look for a light version

-Greek Yogurt -

-Nuts Emerald brands nuts are low in calories.

-Peanut Butter and Celery sticks.

---If you have some extra money I would look into PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter. This peanut butter has less calories than normal peanut butter, and the same amount of
protein.

-Hard boiled Eggs.




-Sargento Balanced Breaks: You can try these until you get a rhythm going of healthy snacks. These can get expensive.

Fruits and Veggies:
-Bananas are always good because they're cheap.


More tips:
1) Do you drink pop?
-Try switching to diet pop or just plain water.
--If you need a fruit flavored drink, then switch to the flavored crystal light drink mixes.

2) Eat a good breakfast, you will have more energy throughout the day.
I would say aim for 15-20 grams of protein.

Some ideas are..
Eggs
Breakfast shake/protein powders.
Oatmeal
English muffin, peanut butter, and some milk.





After 6 months into your new job, start looking into losing weight. I say this, because starting a new job is hard enough by itself.
Losing weight:
You body needs a certain amount of calories to function each day. Also, it needs a certain amount of calories to maintain your current weight. You need to cut back on the amount of calories you take in, so that you can lose weight.

Here is a good link on that:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/calories/art-20048065

Try the app My Fitness Pal when you're ready to lose weight.
-You will need to track all the calories you're taking, but the app will help you lose weight if you track all of you're calories.

Another good link:
30 High-Protein Snacks That Are Healthy and Portable
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthy-high-protein-snacks#section29

Good Luck!

I hope this helps