Food continued

Long time lurker, first time posting. The food thread made me want to post this.

I have a similar but different problem.

I think I eat really poorly. I am away from home most of the time for work. I live in hotels the company rents for me. For breakfast I eat yogurt with granola, maybe some fruit, and some coffee. On the way to the jobsite I'll often get a candy bar and some chocolate milk.

I don't eat lunch. I have a little bag I can put food in. Most stuff would spoil (I work in extreme heat) so I have a little candy in there. I drink loads of warm water and a warm vitamin water or two during the day.

For dinner I'll average between 3-4 piss beers or 2-3 good ones. Depends on the day. With that I'll eat a footlong Subway sandwich, a big Qdoba burrito, or one those City Market premaid sandwiches. I do this 6 days a week and my day off is whatever I can when I get out climbing.

Add to this the occasional pub burger or pint of ice cream.

I'm not gaining weight, my job is too hard. In fact, I might be down a little this month. My concern is not my size, I am skinny, I just think I'm unhealthy. I have lots of upper back pain, lower back pain, and middle back pain. My toes and hips hurt. My hands fall asleep. I can climb about 10+ consistently and I'm getting worse.

The obvious answer is to quit my job and move across the country and become a gourmet salad chef in Boulder, CO. I'm afraid that'll have to wait a little while.

Let me put all the pieces of this puzzle on the table before I ask you to assemble them. I want to eat healthier for immunity,

1. I wake up really early, 6 days a week to work. The one day off I drive at least 3 hours to try to climb.

2. I work in small towns that do not have whole foods or an organic grocer. For example, I had to buy canned pineapple tonight because I couldn't get a real one.

3. I am working on getting a less travel oriented position but that is more long term

4. The little bag I carry to work is usually in 100 degree temps in the sun. The terrain I work in is too rough to take a cooler.

5. There is no lunch break, just eat when you can.

6. I don't have an address long enough to order healthy foods.

7. I'm willing to spend plenty of money on this but not a fortune.

This post violated Rule #1. It has been removed by Mountain Project.

Sounds like you move from town to town... that makes it hard to eat good.

Do you get enough salt? If it's super hot there, you may need to salt-supplement. Get some dried seaweed to snack on like dulse or kombu.

Also can get food in bulk and package smaller for your trips to the backcountry. Nuts, dried fruit, mueseli (skip granola too much sugar), energy bars.

Derek Huff wrote: Was there even a question in all that shit you typed. Have you never heard of an ice pack in a soft insulated lunch bag? Do you also need advice on how to put your pants on in the morning?

Why so hostile bro? I know I don't eat healthy, I want advice on how, and to keep the answers realistic, I let on the details of my life. What is so awful about that?

As for the ice packs, frozen water bottles melt almost immediately. I am not asking you how to put my pants on, just a little advice that would hopefully be more useful than your answer.

Derek Huff wrote: Do you also need advice on how to put your pants on in the morning?

Wait- Derek, are you saying you know how to put pants on? I've been trying to figure out how to put my pants on for the longest time, and I just can't seem to get it right. Wanna give me some tips?

*EDIT*
Oh, and hands falling asleep might be carpal tunnel. Should probably get that checked.

Calm down Derek-

Dude, the hands falling asleep thing sounds bad. Go to a doctor! But seriously, with your pain and what not I would recomend you do some stretching or even yoga. You don't have to go to a class, you can just get a dvd or some shit.

You dont need a whole foods to eat well. Cut out the processed foods, (anything that comes in a box or a add water and cook styrofoam cup) and eat way less meat, especially red meat. Instead eat more rice and grains, plus fresh fruits and veggies. Its a bit more trouble, but well worth it. Plus try to hit the hotel gym to build your strength up and you'll be sending harder in one time!

Hope that helps answer your sudo question. Oh, and keep drinking beer, that always helps ;) It's sending juice!

Edit -
Yeah, lots of nuts for protein! Also, quinoa is dank and has lots of protein.

Derek Huff wrote: Was there even a question in all that shit you typed. Have you never heard of an ice pack in a soft insulated lunch bag? Do you also need advice on how to put your pants on in the morning?

Huff'n and Puff'n and blow the house down. You're the big bad wolf!

Derek Huff wrote: Was there even a question in all that shit you typed. Have you never heard of an ice pack in a soft insulated lunch bag? Do you also need advice on how to put your pants on in the morning?

I laughed.

johnthethird wrote: I laughed.

Good for you. Doesn't help the poster with his question, does it?

I guess if someone was standing in my face and talking what "ropewhisperer" was talking, I would talk back to him (i.e. DISCUSS) instead of spew some worthless shit to his face. I happen to be able to extend that courtesy to the internet. Sorry you can't.

I am in a similar work situation as you. I dont spend as much time on the road anymore, but I do work long hours in the sun and heat.

I take frozen nalgene's to work that by lunchtime are still cold, by mid afternoon its not cold, but wet.

For starters, ditch the candy bar breakfast and try white milk. Skip the beer at night, too. Subway isnt horrible, just dont load the hell out of it with sauces. Dont touch the shity market prepackaged junk, its nothing but garbage.

Like I said, I dont spend much time away from anymore, but I have, months on end. and some of the people I work with still do. In the last 10 years, I have yet to work in a town that does not have at least one motel that has fridges in rooms...great for keeping fresh things fresh and eating a half decent diet. Maybe get on your company to shop around a bit for accomodations, healthy workers are more of an asset.

If you want to eat healthy you will figure it out regardless of geographic work or finances. With that said as soon as lie gets crazy and the shit hits the fan diet and food are the first two things that take a back seat. Its a fact take a look around. Americans and just people in general these days have to work waaaay to hard for waaaay to little thus why we have so many fat people. Shit even skinny people these days are fat in all reality.

Rice and beans man. Throw it in a plastic container let it sit out in the sun and force it down. it wont kill you but it wont be very exciting either. Changing ones view of food i think is key. Food is about function "fuel" and nothing else. Until you the mentality of food being a reward or treat out of your head eating and being healthy with be a pain in the ass!!

APBT1976 wrote:If you want to eat healthy you will figure it out regardless of geographic work or finances. With that said as soon as lie gets crazy and the shit hits the fan diet and food are the first two things that take a back seat. Its a fact take a look around. Americans and just people in general these days have to work waaaay to hard for waaaay to little thus why we have so many fat people. Shit even skinny people these days are fat in all reality. Rice and beans man. Throw it in a plastic container let it sit out in the sun and force it down. it wont kill you but it wont be very exciting either. Changing ones view of food i think is key. Food is about function "fuel" and nothing else. Until you the mentality of food being a reward or treat out of your head eating and being healthy with be a pain in the ass!!

Exactly. Food (as your talking) is about fuel, not taste buds. Warm beans and rice, with some dried mango and dates. Quinoa on occasion for breakfast with left overs for dinner.

John the third, you're getting the hang of it! It's about treating people like people. We're all fucked up in one way or the other, and we all need a little guiding light once in awhile w/o tearing each other up too much. (Even though I still feel we all need a Yarp check periodically)

Derek is hardly anybody here anyway. As per his personal page, he doesn't climb worth shit as it is so he should learn his place. Señor Whisperer, Our bodies respond super well to good health just like a vehicle responds to regular maintenance or a dog responds well to plenty of exercise. Use this ideology for the motivational aspect anyway. I have seen remarkable improvement in everything about me in the past few years or ever since I have given a shit about the food I choose to eat. Best of luck to you my friend.
Life is short, don't work so much. Make more time for yourself than you do for money.

Derek Huff, you're an ass.
Ropewhisperer, I avoid sugars and processed carbs (including breads and pastas), and all processed foods for that matter. As a result, I don't eat-out alot. And in the grocery store I read all of the nutrition/ingredient info. Just like working out physically, working on your diet is hard, especially when you're inundated with the modern american diet of processed sugars (in almost everything - read the labels).

You are what you eat. Take care of yourself.

Assuming you're in reasonable shape, my thoughts are that eating whatever makes you happy is the best food for you. Compared to me, it sounds like you eat pretty good.

Funny me to think that a heady runout lead is good for a person, yet worrying about what you eat is bad for your health.

i second the quinoa, beans, brown rice, etc.

derek............... o_O

Hey, You're not an Eldo Dawg are you?

just curious cuz that sounds ALOT like an Eldo job to me.
I had the same problem
..its just so damn hard to eat right when your too damn tired to cook food!
sometimes I'd fall asleep with my dinner plate and half a mouth full a chow.

for me, the secret was Pr-Cooking.
Every Sunday evening (only day off) I would cook up a shit load of "good grub" for the upcoming week;
rice, blackbeans, chicken (for sandwiches AND dinner meals), burritos (freeze them), pasta, etc...
Get some good Tupperware.

And for those quick snacks--FRUIT! its sweet, its good, most of them have loads of water...

anyway, good luck bro, and remember :
don't forget to have a good time with all that cash you're banking!....otherwise, what's the point?

I don't think food is your problem man. Seriously its a chronic fatigue. Ur falling apart look at your schedule and carve some time to get sleep and eat only when u r hungry. Eat only what u crave. Drink tea for energy. Coffee all day is a bit acidic.

You'll feel a lot better if you only eat real food.

When I'm being healthy I eat a bunch of fruit in the morning (varied and as much as I can scarf down).

Lunch and dinner I either just get a salad (with real veggies and meat, not just white lettuce). Or I pick up one of those rotisserie precooked chickens and steam a bag of broccoli and carrots (you can microwave to be quicker). If I'm not feeling lazy or I need carbs, I put quinoa in the rice cooker, steam veggies, and grill a meat. Mix it all together with some soy sauce or oil and vinegar.

Can't drink beer, soda, or coffee it's all shit for you. I do drink chocolate milk after hard workouts though.

All of this stuff is easy and not time consuming. The problem is that it isn't comfort food, so after a hard day we want the drive through or Mac and cheese. Its just about willpower. Do you want to live a long time with no health problems and lots of energy or do you want to have multiple quick fixes throughout the day. Both are valid choices. I usually cycle back and forth. I climb a lot better on the healthy diet and lose about 20 pounds in a couple weeks.

Do you smoke? Could explain the hands falling asleep.

Organic is overrated. Hey u got extra cash go spend it. If you eat a varied balanced diet. Don't eat cos you are bored, get plenty of sleep and regular excersise to excretion ( to excretion is the key ) u will be cured. Then its time to look back and say: why the hell did I spend all that money on organic kaka!?

bigjuggs-

excretion:
the natural process of eliminating bodily wastes in the feces and urine.