How to Implement Diet During Work

[Bkworm]

My son has asked me to write and get advice for him. I have been following this WOE for 27 months. WFBP food is all he gets at home because I don't prepare food any other way. Since eating the food I prepare at home, son has gotten where he really cannot stand most SAD food. He knows he needs to lose weight and get back to a healthy lifestyle and wants to figure out a way to make to follow this WOE when working.

Son is employed in the events field. Nothing unusual for him to work 12 to 18-hour days, tremendous amount of stress. Can either be going to work or coming home around the clock depending on the event, works all hours, days, and locations, all of which vary from one day to the next. At some events they feed the employees, usually pizza or nachos or other as bad or worse SAD food which the employees are expected to eat on the run, seldom allowed to really slow down to eat or only get 30 minutes to eat. When actually served some veggies, they are usually swimming in butter or cheese or both. Seldom do employees have access to a microwave or refrigerator or the time to use them when available.

I have made suggestions on how he can pack food to take and try to always have leftovers in the refrigerator that he can pack. Further complicating matters, he already carries a very heavy backpack loaded with tools and depending on the job also takes a large rolling took kit. To cover an 18-hour day of hard, physical work, it will take a large amount of food to keep him satisfied.

Due to health challenges, son does not drive so I provide transportation when the bus and/or train are not available which is frequent in our area as there is no dependable transit system. When using the bus or train, depending on the location of the event, he could be on the bus/or train 3 to 4 hours just to get to work or again to come home. So I usually drive him to work and many times pick him up as well. Try working an 18-hour day and using a mode of public transportation in our area. There aren't enough hours in a day to do so.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

[colonyofcells]

Maybe eat starch during work hours and at home, eat the vegetables and cooked mushrooms. Convenient starch is whole grain bread like stiff german rye bread (pumpernickel) that looks like brick (can look for low salt bread) :
http://images.iherb.com/l/MES-00072-1.jpg
2 to 3 bricks of german rye bread should be enough for most active people. I have tried eating 1 brick for a meal and it is very filling. It takes several months to expire.

[Bells]

I agree with the above reply and add he needs emergency alternatives. In a pinch, I turn to the best alternatives available - today I was stuck without anything but an apple and at least 6 hours til dinner. I had only a dollar like store nearby and water and pumpkin seeds (ingredients: pumpkin seeds and salt) were the only thing wfpb and oil free available. So I had water, an apple and pumpkin seeds. I was fine, although too much sodium needed extra water to dilute! He needs some lightweight, small, emergency stash for sudden situations in his pack to get him by. Not ideal, sure, but a more healthful way to remain as true as one can under duress.
Also, I admire his asking for help, I have a hard time with that.

[Dougalling]

Hi

Sitck some soft velcro on the large rolling took kit. Wrap hook velcro around a thermos or two. Fill thermos with food. Stick it to the large rolling took kit.

[pundit999]

All good ideas. Food filled thermos is especially a good idea.
He can also try simple foods that will not spoil over 12-18 hrs:
- Microwaved potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Easy to open canned beans such as Garbanzo, black (may be he can carry a can opener if easy to open cans are too expensive)
- Carrots
- Steamed veggies and potatoes with rice/barley spiced with lemon juice, black pepper and salt
- Apples, Bananas, grapes and other easy to carry/eat fruits
- Dried fruits

Since he spends so much energy, it should be OK for him to eat some nuts. Nuts are easy to carry and pack a lot of calories to keep him satisfied. But that may make it more difficult to lose weight.

[bbq]

Oatmeal should be king since they're super filling for many hours. No need for microwave at all, soaking oatmeal in water at room temperature should be good to go after several hours. Having access to hot water and Thermos will be fantastic since it won't take much time for the oatmeal to be ready.

Black rice could be eaten raw:

http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/raw-organic-lotus-forbidden-black-rice-recipe/

http://www.lotusfoods.com/index.php/categories/rices/organic-forbidden-rice/

Some fresh fruits don't require refrigeration are peeled and served.

Dried fruits, nuts, and seeds as the last resort since we should be trying to lose some weight here.

Dr. McDougall already sold this company, obviously these choices aren't the best but still acceptable when we've got limited options:

http://www.iherb.com/Dr-McDougall-s

Usually we don't recommend energy bars or meal bars but it's always good to have a backup plan instead of succumbing to SAD foods at work. I wouldn't go for that particular option unless I really have to, not to mention how expensive they are:

http://www.iherb.com/Bobo-s-Oat-Bars

http://www.iherb.com/Organic-Food-Bar

[Karen58]

I would make up some wraps/burritos. You can easily vary the fillings to provide some variety. I second the oatmeal and thermos idea. With a thermos, the possibilities are endless...soups, stews, chili, rice casseroles, scalloped potatoes, ...

[normaltraffic]

I have a similar problem when I have to go to the field to work.

I find that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches work the best for me.

I buy natural peanut butter which you can get at many health food stores via a grinder that makes the peanut butter at the press of a button, or if you are at a regular store you can buy a prepackaged brand of natural peanut butter such as Smucker's. If you buy the prepackaged peanut butter make sure to check the ingredients. They should only be peanuts and possibly salt. Also, you will have to stir the prepackaged peanut butter because the oil will be at the top. To do this, I will first pour off about half of the free oil (trying to cut the calories), and then I empty the remainder of the jar into a bowl. I mix it together in the bowl and then I put it back in the jar. I have tried mixing it in the jar and it is just too difficult.

Now for the "jelly"... Instead of jelly I prefer to use jam. Jam spreads better and I find that because it is less clumpy, I tend to use less. I like grape.

As for the bread, I find that it is very difficult to find bread in a regular store that is 100% McDougall. In an attempt to make the best choice, I select the most whole grain bread I can find that has the best ratio of calories to fat. For example, if a serving has 100 calories and the "calories from fat" are 25, then 25% of the calories are from fat. If I can find another whole grain bread that has 100 calories and the "calories from fat" are only 20, then I would choose that one because then the fat is only 20% of the calories.

Because I am trying to lose weight, when I make my sandwiches I only use a thin layer of peanut butter and a thin layer of jelly. That way the majority of the sandwich is the bread which is the least calorie dense.


Now here is the secret... Go to the bread isle of the grocery store and find the hard sandwich cases. These are usually put out by Wonderbread and will often be marketed to kids. I try to find the most "manly" looking case I can, but several I bought recently were purple with smiley faces on the lid. These little containers will easily fit in a backpack or toolbox. I have found that it is prudent to put a little piece of tape on the lid just to make sure it doesn't pop off.


Depending on how long I think I may be away from having access to McDougall compliant food, I will make 2, 4, or even 6 of these and put 2 of them in each container. You have to smash them down to get 2 in a container, but that just makes them easier to eat.

I honestly can't tell you the recommended shelf life of a PBJ, but I know that I have eaten these several days old (with no refrigeration) and other than the bread being a little stale I had no issues.

I hope that helps. Good luck!

Joe

[dailycarbs]

Assuming work means regular, daily meals, I can't agree with you, Joe. Weight loss will stall with regular meals made up of those sandwiches. These are high reward foods and high on fat— not in the spirit of this woe (except as occassional treats for those who have reached maintenance weight). Here is a more detailed breakdown by Jeff.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=27333

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Sometimes, there is also another issue that comes into play in these situations, which I have seen often...

.. as someone loses weight and gets closer to their recommended weight, the weight loss becomes more difficult because the "margin of error" in the "energy balance" equation becomes much more narrow.

(I will be using certain averages and rules of thumb here to make a point. They are not perfect but they will highlight the issue)

For instance, if someone is around 300 lbs, their Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is burning about 3000 calories a day, even if they just lay in bed all day. Let's also add in about 500 calorie per day of just a basic low level of activity over the day.

Most any attempt to eat healthier will result in a lowered calorie density, lower caloric intake, and weight loss. So, lets say, they are consuming around 1800 on their best day and 2300 on their worst day. While that is a 500 calorie difference, either one would still result in weight loss. Even if they were not very compliant and adherent and had a few more indulgences than ideal, and took in 2500 to 2700 calories, they would still lose weight as they are burning about 3500 calories per day with little to no activity so .it would be hard not to.

As you can see, they have the capacity for a large margin of error in their calories and food intake and could still lose weight. So, even though it is not what is recommended, if it is what they are "hearing," they could actually be eating all the wanted whenever they wanted and still be losing weight.

They are loving it.

But, time has passed and they know weigh 200 and so their RMR is about 2000 calories a day, not counting any activity. They are still not very active so lets give figure around 350 calories per day (as there is much less of them, they burn less at the same activity level).

If they are consuming the same foods, on the days in which they consume 1800 calories, they would still lose weight though it would result in some much slower weight loss. However, on the other days that they are consuming close to 2300, they may not lose any weight and on their days on indulgences, at 2500 to 2700, they wouldn't lose anything and would even see some weight gain.

Suddenly the weight loss slows down and even stops. They dont get it. They are confused, scared and troubled. They start hearing all kinds of myths and tales about why they are not losing weight some actually saying it is them. They ruined their metabolism over the years through a lifetime of yo yo dieting, their in starvation response, they need to kick start their metabolism again, they dont work out enough, and many other damaging statements.

They used to be able to eat any of the healthy food they wanted and even get away with junk foods and some not so healthy food and maybe not even exercise, because their RMR alone was 3000 calories. But now it is 2000. They lost 1000 calories in the equation.

The reality is, they are experiencing a very normal metabolic adaption. It is normal, to be expected and one that has a solution.

So, they would now have to make adjustments to the calorie density of the diet to lower the overall calorie density of their intake and to also look at whether they are really understanding the concepts of MWL and Calorie Density correctly. In addition, it may be time to consider a moderate amount of some formal activity/exercise as part of their life.

This would be the same principle if someone successfully went from 200 to 155 and now was having a harder time trying to get below 150.

The margin of error has become very narrow know and it is important to really understand the principles and to be much more compliant and adherent to them.

This is why the last 5-10 lbs are always the most difficult.

There is literally, no more wiggle room

Of course, this is where sometimes people go elsewhere, thinking the program has failed, and as explained in the earlier thread, they may find some new tricks or gimmicks to use, that, in the end, will work only if they end up in helping them to eat less calories. There is no magic.

They could have also just done a very honest and thorough appraisal of the guidelines and principles of the MWL program and calorie density and their understanding and adherence to them.

Then, make the recommended adjustments as needed.

Remember, the program always works because it is based on sound science and the laws of physics.

In Health
Jeff

[normaltraffic]

dailycarbs,

Nothing I said is in contradiction to Jeff.

In case you didn't notice, I weigh about 350 lbs so I can still lose weight eating the sandwiches.

However, even if I weighed only 200 lbs I would still be MUCH better off eating the sandwiches than I would going through the drive-thru at McDonald's.

I am trying to make the best choices I can given the circumstances. Which I believe was the question/topic in the original post.

BTW, nothing I have described is anti-McDougall. It may not be McDougall weight loss, but it still falls within the guidelines for the regular program.


Joe

[colonyofcells]

Peanut butter sandwiches are also approved by the amazing Mumford the Magician. Maybe throw in some sprouts. Can also use oil free hummus as a spread. I've tried putting beans on top of bread but the beans like to spill out.

[dailycarbs]

In case you didn't notice, I weigh about 350 lbs so I can still lose weight eating the sandwiches.

I did see your current weight and progress. Congratulations on the good work. I'm glad the PB&J sandwiches are working for you.

[veg tom]

I zap baby potatoes with veg brought till done and put them in a baggie when cool and I'm good to go

[colonyofcells]

Corn tortillas are convenient bec. they probably won't spoil in a day.

[Bkworm]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and input. DS went to the store and purchased a lunch box/cooler and several containers along with a wide-mouth thermos. Never knew there were so many choices in lunch boxes and coolers. Unreal.

He packed his food three times this week but only got a chance to eat what he took yesterday. Was full and also had to make several trips to the bathroom. Was still too full to eat dinner when he got home. So off to a good start. Also ate breakfast at home so that was compliant, too - steel cut oats. Still eating stuff he shouldn't, but at least he is more aware of what he is eating and working towards 100% compliance. A big challenge for him is giving up sodas. We never kept them around the house so wasn't something he was used to having around when growing up. DH and I never drank sodas much, occasionally a root beer a couple times a year. But DS became addicted to sodas once he started college and now at work - it is the sugar in them.

Thanks again for your input.