Middle of Nowhere Alberta and Trying to Eat Well

[dannie]

Right off the bat... sorry for the winded post, but I figure it's best to get all the info in here.

I have been stuck in the middle of nowhere alberta for the last 4 weeks and will continue to be stuck here for another 4-5 weeks. The town has a subway, a and w, dairy queen, kfc and a 7-11 for fast food and it has a handful of the worst restaurants I have eaten in, in a very very long time. The only benefit to this specific contract is that I have one of my sisters and her family living here. So I have been crashing at their place. However....

I have gained 11lbs in the last 4 weeks and I am not happy about it. Normally, at home I have a routine. Certain foods, breakfast etc that have helped keep me on my game. Here... I don't have the same luxuries.

In the morning, breakfast seems near impossible with their full household. Lunch is something that I don't have time for, I am eating while training people; and supper is whatever my sister and her husband made for dinner and had leftover.

I guess what I am hoping for are some suggestions on what basic things I can buy at the tiny grocery store to lose these extra lbs and keep them off while I am here. I can cook in the kitchen after the rugrats go to bed, but I dont want to be in there all night either.

Any and all suggestions you guys have would be great!!

TIA!

[project240]

Not sure why you can't eat the same foods as your normal "routine" at home?

Breakfast is simple. Eat cereal.


Lunch... Make a sandwich or two to take to work before you go to sleep the night before.


Supper. What do you normally eat for supper? Why is it you can't eat the same thing now?

Maybe I'm not understanding your post, however, doesn't seem to me like it should be too tough to eat as normal for the most part.

[dannie]

It's a combination of no time and the grocery store not carrying basic things like spinach or balsamic vinegar (as an example). I'm having a little trouble thinking out of the box and keeping it healthy. For example, I can make a sandwich but they carry white bread or Texas sized white bread lol. No other choices. I can buy carrots, but there isn't asparagus or zucchini. Little things like that that are staples to what I have at home but don't have here.

[4lti]

Originally posted by dannie
It's a combination of no time and the grocery store not carrying basic things like spinach or balsamic vinegar (as an example). I'm having a little trouble thinking out of the box and keeping it healthy. For example, I can make a sandwich but they carry white bread or Texas sized white bread lol. No other choices. I can buy carrots, but there isn't asparagus or zucchini. Little things like that that are staples to what I have at home but don't have here.

Are you a child or something...
You cant possible be living somewhere with 5 food choices.
If theirs no spinach eat some lettuce.
I dunno improvise?

[revelations]

I work in rural places all the time - with shitall for food selection. It really takes a LOT of effort to eat somewhat healthy in these places.

You CAN eat fast food, you just have to be careful what you order - eg. A&W has a 1/2 decent breakfast consisting of REAL bread, etc. (at least they used to).

Dont order *any* soft drinks, get the juices they have instead - or water. Grilled chicken breast sandwiches are the best of the worst - if you hold off on the mayo.

The other secret is, surprise, physical activity.
I make time to jog at least 1-2 times a week - even if I an working 80 hr weeks. My job involves a lot of sitting around during the day (in an airplane) so its doubly important to keep moving otherwise I WILL turn into a butterball quick.

Pound back water, and try to eat a light snack (eg. nuts, fruits) every couple of hours - instead of one or two giant meals.

[max_boost]

11lbs in 4 weeks? You are eating too much? LOL

1lb=3500 calories

So you eating a 9600 calorie surplus per week? Almost 1400 extra calories per day? :eek:

Yes.

Breakfast=Cereal

Snacks=buy some oat meal bars

Lunch=Subway, no cheese, no sauce sub

Dinner=lean meat, salmon, chicken breast, steamed veggies and brown rice

Yes. Exercise too. You got pics? :)

[ericchoweg]

Originally posted by max_boost

Yes. Exercise too. You got pics? :)


isnt that the emacks job lol

[TomcoPDR]

Originally posted by max_boost
Yes. Exercise too. You got pics? :)

:confused: I think OP's a guy.

[Suey]

at first when i read it i thought the same tomco, but at the end, it's signed, TIA. so im sure its a girl:poosie:

[msommers]

If the store doesn't have fruit, chicken, canned tuna, milk, eggs, vegetables, pasta and rice, it isn't a grocery store, it's a fucking gas station.

Your 'routine' has gone to shit because they don't sell balsamic vinegar or asparagus? Seriously?

Buck-up and enjoy the fact you aren't eating shit camp food while being in the middle of no where.

Camp food = grease with 'food'

[J-hop]

.

[broken_legs]

What I do at the rig or on teh road...

Stop drinking all sugar drinks - Sweetener only, or just unsweetened black coffee, water etc...

Try to eat all the carbs in the morning - If dinner is leftovers, just eat the meat and the veggies.

^^ Same for lunch.

Cut out the bread if you can.


"Eat Clean" - Go to safeway (or Xtra foods or w/e) and buy a big bag of broccoli. Just eat that and chicken. Even the smallets shittiest towns have broccoli and chicken.

[revelations]

Originally posted by msommers
If the store doesn't have fruit, chicken, canned tuna, milk, eggs, vegetables, pasta and rice, it isn't a grocery store, it's a fucking gas station.

Your 'routine' has gone to shit because they don't sell balsamic vinegar or asparagus? Seriously?

Buck-up and enjoy the fact you aren't eating shit camp food while being in the middle of no where.

Camp food = grease with 'food'

Even gas stations sell fruit bars (probably compressed apple core leftovers) and healthy snacks like nuts, raisins etc.

Camp food is as bad as you make it, many offer alternates to the greasy spoon or dirty bird.

I recall one camp in the Key Lake mine area where they stuck the dessert area all the frikin way in the back of the mess hall... out of the way. Apparently it helps quite a bit.

[thepyrofish]

Originally posted by msommers
If the store doesn't have fruit, chicken, canned tuna, milk, eggs, vegetables, pasta and rice, it isn't a grocery store, it's a fucking gas station.


Haha, I live in fucking Barons and our general store stocks everything you've listed.

[Q-TIP]

I have been in some small towns before and it really isn't impossible to eat somewhat reasonably. If there really isn't anything in the store where you are I'm sure you can make time once a week to run to the next biggest town to get some groceries. When I am living on wellsite I can make time to run into town every so often for fresh veggies and meat; quite often I'm technically working 24hr shifts for a week before I can call in a second geologist to help me with the horizontal part of the well.