My Newest Weight Loss Secret

There have been some unexpected things I have experienced since retiring from a full career practicing law and taking up my “semi-retirement” career of driving a tractor-trailer. One of them is that I have somehow managed to lose twenty pounds. And I think I have figured out how.

When I was studying for my CDL, one of the topics being taught was how we need to be careful with our health. “Life on the road” is a sedentary way to make a living, and brings with it the well-known adverse effects on health. We got suggestions from “eat more salads” to “go for walks”. And they are good suggestions. But I have done none of those things, and yet have managed to lose weight. So, what’s my secret?

First, I was typically one who never had an intractable weight problem. I could create a weight problem, but I could also un-create it. I was thin as a kid, but managed to pack on quite a bit of weight by the time I was in college. This was done via liberal oral doses of pizza, beer, and pretty much whatever I wanted to eat when I wanted to eat it. When I started law school, I had managed to pack 195 pounds onto my relatively lightweight 5’11 frame. I wasn’t ever “husky”, but had become “fat”. Yes, that is considered an insensitive term these days, but it was accurate in my case.

My first year in law school found me in an odd dorm situation – we had ready access to a dining facility that served generous breakfasts and lunches, but was not open for dinner (or supper, depending on where you live). There was a hospital cafeteria that was perhaps a fifteen minute walk away, but otherwise there was a distinct lack of options. At least options that were convenient. We coped by buying groceries we could heat up in our rooms, and basic student laziness kept those meals simple and small. The result? By the time I got a job the summer after that school year, I was down to 145 pounds, and the 29-inch waist blue jeans to go with it.

The good news was that it probably took me a quarter-century to put that 50 pounds back on, but I eventually got the job done, with some more added besides as the additional years wore on. The unworn pants hanging in my closet showed tags of 32, 34 and 36 inch waists as I eventually settled into my early 60’s (age) 38s (pants), wondering when the latter would break into the 40s.

When I took my first DOT (Department of Transportation) physical (a threshold requirement for a commercial driver’s license) I weighed in at 225. I acknowledge that there are a lot of guys in their 60’s who would love to weigh 225, but I never had the build that would make me one of them. I worried about what a new life that involved hours of sitting would do to me, but I got a pleasant surprise – nearly 25 of those pounds have disappeared. So, now comes the secret: you can’t eat what you don’t have handy.

I have now realized that the roadside drive-up window has been an Achilles heel of mine. A cup of coffee, a soft drink, a burger, some fries, all of these are a five minute detour from any drive. An early morning breakfast, a mid morning snack, lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, dinner, an evening snack, any time of day is good for a quick stop for some pleasurable calories. But now? Those drive-up windows are off-limits because almost all of these places are off-limits to those of us driving a tractor-trailer.

I notice this because I see the billboards that light-off my caloric urges. Trips to Cincinnati take me near Skyline Chili. I love Skyline, a regional treat that is barely available to me locally, but Marianne doesn’t really like it, so I only get it when I am alone. The coney dogs, the chili over spaghetti, both loaded with shredded cheese – I am drooling even describing it for you.

There are also the United Dairy Farmer stores, which are full of really good ice cream. OK, if we are talking Cincinnati, it is Graeters that has the REALLY good ice cream, but UDF is some of the best “regular” ice cream there is. But not for me, because there is no convenient place to park.

Fort Wayne trips take me within a few blocks of Fort Wayne’s Famous Coney Island, which I have written about before. It is still going strong at over a century in business, and has even opened a little shop full of Coney Island swag next door. But not for me, because I cannot easily get there.

The only really accessible fast food stops are at the truck stops, but parking is tight and some of them are closed during the middle hours of the night when I am often on the road. There are places I could park along the road and hoof it to a restaurant, but that takes time I don’t have and is, frankly, kind of dangerous.

I bring things like beef jerky and cut celery, things that won’t make me drowsy, and are coincidentally not high in calories. The same goes for bringing bottles of water in lieu of sweet drinks. These things are far less pleasurable than my favorite drive-thru windows. But then again, they are far less caloric, too.

I love it when good things happen more or less accidentally, and this would be one of them. Now I need to start exploring the back of my closet in search of those smaller pants.

26 thoughts on “My Newest Weight Loss Secret”

  1. Love, love, love Skyline chili! None in my state, but when I lived in Indianapolis, I used to go all the time, usually my Saturday lunch! Fell in love with it, When I lived in Chicago, and my brother was working in the Cincinnati area, we used to go when I was visiting him. For me, absolutely no weight loss associated with Skyline!

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    • I know, right? My former law partner was a born and bred Cincinnati guy and we used to go there for lunch every couple of weeks. The problem is that the location is not so convenient for me now.

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  2. An envious, but heartfelt, congrats to you.

    I’m finally doing something about the extra pounds I have accumulated and it’s nice to see progress. But mine’s been discipline and hard work that I don’t think I’ll be able to quit at any point… (Hence the envy).

    From what I can tell, most truck-stop fare isn’t really worth stopping for. I know the ‘real appeal’ of a truck stop is a place with a lot big enough to park the truck and has a toilet; most of the food options seem to be designed to dissuade people from eating it.

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    • I actually had a decent personal pan pizza (brand unknown) from a truck stop while waiting on a tow truck after hitting a deer a couple of weeks ago. But yeah, if there’s no name restaurant attached, the food offerings are grim.

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  3. Well that is certainly a nice perk of your new career. It also sounds like a good way to recycle old pants!

    You have inspired thought. Having had a salivary gland removed three years ago, dry mouth can be a thing. Water tastes like sand paper thus I have packed on some weight from drinking things that taste better. Perhaps celery needs to enter my life.

    What you describe as forgoing things while on the road is something I have wondered about for truck drivers. You see all sorts of attractions, restaurants, etc. yet are generally unable to experience them. Does the temptation diminish or are these various attractions something you mentally file away for future adventures?

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    • I would not have expected that side effect from drinking water. I wonder if some of those flavored but unsweetened seltzer waters would be better.

      There is a temptation to hit some of these spots later, but traveling alone is rare and Marianne is pretty successful at being a good influence and having higher standards for dining choices.

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    • When I went online and checked, I was dismayed that my “local” on 86th and Michigan was permanently closed! Wha happened? It was always busy! Can’t believe they lost their clientele in the 5 years I’ve been gone!

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    • Yup, my old law partner (from Cincinnati) and I went there frequently. Unfortunately it is not a very convenient location in my current situation. You remind me that I have a gift card for Skyline that I need to use.

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  6. JP, the pictures from Skyline Chili make my mouth water, especially the chili over spaghetti with all the cheese – yum. I’d not heard of it, so I Googled – they’re not in my state. We have “The Detroiter Truck Stop” that is in Woodhaven, Michigan, which I assume is still in business but has been a well-known stop for many years as there is room for several hundred big rigs to park and then gas up. At least you aren’t a long-distance hauler and are able to go home every night. I mentioned when you got this gig that a high school friend and her husband were both long-distance drivers and spelled each other driving. It was their own truck and they had sleeping arrangements in the truck and cooked many meals in a crockpot. It was a unique way to see the U.S.

    Congrats on the weight loss! Look at all the French Burnt Peanuts you can eat now! I worry about sitting too much as well. It is not good for you and I’m parked in this chair weekdays from the time I start work and except for a half-hour break at 3:00-3:30 p.m., I am here until I go to bed, by the time I catch up on social media, etc. and here on WordPress. All the walking that I do is essentially wiped out by all the hours sitting. Like you, I am tall and not overweight, but age is creeping up on me so I have to watch it.

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      • Yes, you can score more candy now JP!

        Unfortunately, as to exercise, there are only so many hours in the day and with your new schedule flip-flopped from your prior career, it requires some finesse portioning out work, sleep and visiting with your better half at one mealtime daily hopefully. At least Marianne gets to see you when you’re home without you glancing at the clock as you brought work home or were late getting home from the office.

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  7. Positive unintended effects are always welcome, I have had somewhat the opposite effect from mostly working from home, which has a stocked kitchen.
    I went away for a weekend with Dad and siblings, my sister and I were shocked that my brother still eats a 4th meal before bed. He outweighs me by 50 pounds, maybe he should quit pastoring and drive a truck at night.

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  9. Fascinating. I would’ve expected the complete opposite from your driving J P, but I never considered how you really can’t just drop in to any of these places. For me, it’s always a battle against the “last ten”; the pounds between today’s me and college me. It would take more than just cleaning out the frig and even more exercise, neither of which I’m willing to commit to. So I’ll settle for today’s me but always keeping an eye on the number, especially as we approach the holiday season.

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  10. I went a few pounds over my average recently because the whole month of October, the office had a big basket of Halloween candy in the lobby. Including full size Kit Kats and Reese’s peanut butter cups. And they kept it topped off regularly.

    I’m only one man! 😀

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