Challenges of diet for day workers who overwork

[SeanRuel]

Learning in the past few years how important protein is for my body. 4 egg omelet or 40g of whey protein for breakfast. I like a coffee break at 10, and a pb&j or rice bowl for lunch. Simple carbs during work to keep from getting post meal sleepy.

Upping my protein intake combined with magnesium supplementation is the best combo I've found to minimize muscle aches.

 

[evo]

I have to eat within a hour or so of waking, otherwise my day is shot! Same with moving my body, without it I just can't focus in any meaningful productive way.
B-fast has been 2-3 eggs, an english muffin slathered in peanut butter and a bit of honey
Lunch use to be a simple cheese sandwich, but these days its been a small cup of tuna salad or cup of blackbean chili (veggie)
Coffee before noon
a large(ish) portion for dinner most nights (last night was a big bowl of pan rice, topped with tofu asparagus, and mushrooms).. Last few nights I've been plucking away at a very dense (veggie heavy) quiche. A beer or two, then rinse and repeat.

 

[Mowerr]

Veggies carbs protein. I been trying to eat as little to no meat as possible and that has helped me a lot. Love salads that I make and rice bowls which I'll make sometimes from scratch too.

 

[Chris Schultz]

Veggies carbs protein. I been trying to eat as little to no meat as possible and that has helped me a lot. Love salads that I make and rice bowls which I'll make sometimes from scratch too.

What would you say the reduced meat intake does/is doing? I tried full on vegan (eating) for almost 18 months…..

 

[Mowerr]

Better body fat percentage, more cut. More energy. I think it helps me think clearer too, better focus. I think muscle recovery is better and inflammation has gone down.
Again I've never been full vegan, I just always try to eat veggies, grains and fruits more than meats. I try to take the healthiest options I can but sometimes I still end up getting fast food bc I do believe for me it's better to eat more meals that are smaller as opposed to just a big dinner. I find I do just fine missing breakfast and lunch but I have an over eating problem too so I'm finding it best for me to get a breakfast and dinner, plenty of fluids during the day, always something to snack on sometime during day.
Just like most of us, if it's hot and we going hard I don't want lunch and might not wanna snack.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

Veggies carbs protein. I been trying to eat as little to no meat as possible and that has helped me a lot. Love salads that I make and rice bowls which I'll make sometimes from scratch too.

Love salads as well. Try to have at least one salad a day. Add some hard boiled eggs in there and chicken maybe, mhmmm. Also, lots of cayenne pepper so it burns HOT lol

 

[Mark Chisholm]

I think the need for protein and lean body mass in general is way underrated these days. This is especially true if you are doing hard physical work or doing resistance training. I'm currently doing intermittent fasting at least 4 days per week, and getting the right amount of protein is more difficult within a smaller eating window. Still figuring it all out for my body and demands.

 

[Analog]

I heard a phrase a while ago that suits me really well and describes my eating patterns - "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper"

 

[Reach]

I heard a phrase a while ago that suits me really well and describes my eating patterns - "Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper"

I’ve heard that one for years and I try to keep to it, at least somewhat. Dinner tonight was a bowl of soup and an apple. Breakfast was a big pork chop with green beans and au gratin potatoes.

 

[Merle Nelson]

How do you decide how you will eat in the morning or at noon when you are doing physically exhausting work? I've been on a job for the last few days that requires 100% constant concentration with heavy lifting.

My problem is that the tendency is to eat in the evening. You don't want to eat in the a.m., you aren't hungry at noon. You get home and are hungry, and tend to overeat which is not good because it is imbalanced to eat when you should be looking forward to sleep.

How do you manage with diet on exhausting jobs?

Didn't read this thread but will say that my wife packs me a big salad for lunch. That feels so light on the stomach during hard work and or hot days I feel great all afternoon. Always have nuts in my lunch in case I want food to feel a little more filling.

 

[Phil]

Breakfast: half cup of oatmeal made with fat free milk. Add in a scoop of protein powder, handful of blueberries and a handful of walnuts. Carbs are brain food. protein is body food. Can change the protein powder to keep the flavors from getting boring. Right now I'm alternating strawberries/cream and chocolate.

Lunch: rotates between chicken with rice and broccoli. can change sauces/spices to change it up. not bad cold if no way to heat it. Other option is pasta with Italian sausage. can change sauce to keep it interesting. The pasta one is better warm and usually I have this in the winter as I naturally burn more calories just regulating body temp. I always have a hardboiled egg in my lunch as well. Sometimes I'll eat that rather than the main meal if its one of those super hot, don't want to work on a full stomach, days. I also occasionally keep one of those seasoned tuna packets in my lunch bag as an emergency ration.

Dinner: protein shake after workout. Mashed sweet potatoes with honey, cinnamon, walnuts, whip cream topping.

That diet is pretty much during the work week. The weekends are a bit more of a crap shoot and I end up eating bigger dinners and grazing more between meals.

Biggest thing I learned over the years is to meal prep early in the week. I cook my rice and chicken Saturday or Sunday. Both are cooked bland with no spice. I add the seasoning when I pack that days lunch. This allows me to change flavors whenever I want so I don't get sick of the same taste all week. everything gets stored in separate containers so I can make custom portions whenever. Same with the pasta dish. Pasta is cooked and stored with no sauce. Everything is stored separately. I sauce and season the lunch portion when I package it.

 

[data farm 26]

I used to only eat one big meal when work was done around 2 or 3 pm, did me great for many years. I was feeling too lean this summer after some long hot days so I started eating a ham and cheese croissant with the espresso every morning and a waffle or two throughout the day, maybe some biltong. It helped me feel a little more grounded and I gained about 10 pounds which has been nice. I quit coffee and now drink a chai with oat milk instead, feel even better.

Three squares a day has always seemed insane to me, especially for people who don't have an active life. I guess I just have a weird metabolism, I can't really work after eating. It eat big breakfast on weekends sometimes and always fall asleep after.

 

[Vicente]

I don't do a big breakfast usually just coffee in the winter, summertime lady year I had to stay eating something in the morning for my body to cope with the heat.

 

[DSMc]

I wakeup early, as in 2:30 or 3 a.m. Have my one meal for the day at around 4 a.m. Usually a pound of beef, 4 to 6 home grown eggs and a couple slices of bacon washed down with a glass of homemade kombucha and a couple cups of coffee. Liver, 4 to 6 ounces, twice a week. That's it.

Never have a problem with having enough energy to finish a day's work.

 

[southsoundtree]

Pretty wild!

 

[Phil]

Usually a pound of beef, 4 to 6 home grown eggs and a couple slices of bacon washed down with a glass of homemade kombucha and a couple cups of coffee.

I'd have to add in time for shitting my brains out at 4:30 am.

 

[SawGod]

What’s the deal with gluten free diets does any one buy into that?

A couple years ago I sat down and actually read Homer’s The Odessey. Odesseus was a bad dude, the waster of cities. He left an island where he was trapped by a nymph to swim for nine days to get home to Mama. I might have stayed there with the Nymph awhile longer and practiced swimming around the island. . But about all those guys ate was meat and barley, and wine. You know they drank plenty of water tho and probably salad and milk. That kinda stuck in my mind and I’ve found hulled barley we get from the Amish in bulk, it really does the lords work. I think I could live on that and roasted sweet potatoes plus saurkraut to boost the microorganisms. That and water. When I do intermittent fasting to light up the metabolism, those three foods and some hard boiled eggs can really help ya land from the trip. Mmmm blueberries too.
Those Revolutionary War and Civil War vets lived on bacon and beans. Some hard dudes nonetheless. Really if you are working it that hard, I feel you cold do the same.

 

[ATH]

Recently read the book Genius Foods by Max Lugavere. His motivation for the research before deciding to write a book was figuring out his mother's early dementia...

I don't think there is anything revolutionary or new in the book, but he does a great job explaining WHY foods are processed in the body they way they are. I'm less concerned about his 10 specific "genius foods" but the principles he lays out help me eat healthier. It tends towards a ketogenic diet, but not quite. I'm not all in on his exact plan, but have made some improvements:
*I don't eat after 8 pm or before noon. Nothing 2 hours before bed means your body uses the last of the glucose pretty quickly. After somewhere around 12 hours after a meal you start to burn fat for energy.

*My lunches now are usually a small bag of almonds and pistachios along with some veggies (mostly carrots, broccoli, bell peppers).

*Have significantly reduced vegetable oils besides EVO.

He suggests no gluten because of potential allergies. He also suggested lower carbs. I've reduced carbs - mostly by not eating after 8pm...but our suppers haven't changed much mostly because wife isn't bought into it..and to be honest, I really like several carb-based meals, so I'm not going to push the issue really hard!. I've tried to add more salads.

Only been at it for a month or so, but I think I feel less inflammation in my hands/wrists. I'm not measuring short term gains...just trying to do better in the long game.

 

[DSMc]

I'd have to add in time for shitting my brains out at 4:30 am.

I eat zero fiber and have much improved bowel movements. Less bulk, less frequency and less odor. Often, TP turns out to not even having been needed.

No down sides and complete utilization of nutrient imput.

 

[ATH]

I eat zero fiber and have much improved bowel movements. Less bulk, less frequency and less odor. Often, TP turns out to not even having been needed.

No down sides and complete utilization of nutrient imput.

In the book I referenced above, he talks about the difference between fiber from (low sugar) fruits and vegetables and that from whole grain...what I've always thought of as "fiber" in the form of whole grains, etc. is more like eating sawdust - better fiver comes from veggie fiber that provides benefit to gut health.