Better Eating in the Firehouse

Dr. Joe Klemczewski, Dr. Joe for short, has degrees in physical therapy, health nutrition, health education, and literary journalism; he is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and holds prestigious certifications with respected institutions such as the International Society of Sports Nutrition. The founder of The Diet Doc, LLC, he helps others reach their nutritional goals with nearly 80 facilities across the country. Above all that, he genuinely cares about the people he works with.

This past May, I was preparing for another bodybuilding competition, but things were not going as they should have been. My wife decided to blindly reach out to Dr. Joe for some guidance. When my wife told me she contacted him, I was shocked. Having read his articles and research papers for years, I thought Dr. Joe seemed so unreachable, but here my wife reached out to him. Craziest thing yet, he reached out right back. From there, he became engaged in my most critical aspects of years of preparation and went on to help me in the final week before my competition, answering questions quickly and enthusiastically. Since then, we have forged a friendship and maintain contact as I continue to work with his company, The Diet Doc, LLC. Dr. Joe and The Diet Doc staff are specialists focused on client care and client success.

Dr. Joe and I were able to talk about how firefighters can work some of the principles of The Diet Doc into their healthy living.

Ponder: What does healthy eating mean for you? Are there misconceptions about it?

Klemczewski: Eating healthy means considering everything you eat. It doesn’t mean that everything you eat is healthy. One of the great fallacies that keeps people from long-term success is the misunderstanding that “good” nutrition is on or off. Unfortunately, that’s how most people diet: They starve, avoid all sugar or indulgence, and then rebound into an avalanche of bad behavior. We seem to love the extremes of eating with reckless abandon or with unrealistic rigidity.

Additionally, eating healthy means eating most meals from high-quality whole food, allowing room for modest flexibility, and still being able to enjoy decadence occasionally. Being healthy means monitoring my health and body weight in a way that allows me to manage sustainability with the least effort.

Ponder: Is this dieting? Is there a difference between dieting and healthy living?

Klemczewski: Only in food volume. You can still eat in restaurants, eat carbs, eat the foods you like-all while dieting. That’s a tagline we use intentionally in our company. When you reach the point you can transition to maintenance, you’ll note that you have already been eating “normal” food; you just get to eat a little more. That’s another advantage of using a flexible dieting approach instead of a highly restrictive, cookie-cutter plan.

Ponder: Essentially, you are eating as you would but modestly changing your food portions. This may call for some habits to change for firefighters. Are there other habits firefighters can start on duty to help them strive toward healthy eating?

Klemczewski: Absolutely! Firefighters have a difficult job, there’s no doubt about that. You’re called into action at a moment’s notice, laying it all on the line; no one can debate the risk taken and the respect due. Along with that, there is the advantage of downtime in the firehouse. I would take advantage of this occasional downtime for training and bulk cooking. Prepping extra food allows you to be organized for those days that are busy and you won’t be able to cook. For me, if I’m going to take the time to cook a meal, I’m doubling down for the week and can eat out of the fridge for days. Capitalize on those slow days to prepare for the busy days so quick, healthy options are available.

Ponder: Sounds like checking out the rig at start of shift. You prep it without knowing what will happen that day. But no matter what, you are prepared ahead of time.

Klemczewski: Exactly!

Ponder: Okay, but before checking out the rig, we need to know a few things. What are some easy things firefighters can do right now to help them reach their healthy eating goals?

Klemczewski: It all starts with education. It’s like preparing for a promotional exam. If you want to be a driver, you start talking to your mentors and friends, reading, and working to understand policies. I love that you used that phrase; we all know nothing comes to us instantly, but we want that strong, anchoring, powerful first step in the right direction. It helps us commit and encourages growth and progress.

Much like when you were a newbie-a probbie. I assume your development was the fastest in those first, critical years because you were an active student. I get teased a lot for being a career student, but the atmosphere is great and I love growing alongside likeminded people. Firefighters can use that same rapid development toward health goals with just a little learning.

Ponder: As a cub, as we call probies here in Milwaukee, it was obvious right away that food and table talk were cultural aspects of the fire service. All the world’s problems are solved one hour into shift; this is a staple of the culture. What do you recommend firehouse cooks do to support this and not negate it while helping the brothers and sisters make healthy choices?

Klemczewski: I would treat your family the same way I would treat my own family. My home is a gathering place as well; we have our culture and want to make it a place of enjoyment. Promoting poor health and obesity wouldn’t make it a happy place, in my opinion.

Again, a great question, and I think you hit on one of the mindset issues that we all need to rethink. My kids grew up knowing that we eat quality food as a rule, but there is always room for flexibility as long as responsibility is in play. In the firehouse, I would make sure healthy food is always available, I would be creative to make standard foods healthier, and I would promote a culture that celebrates and supports a decision to live better.

Ponder: A lot of fire departments have Friday fish fry, Saturday pizza, Sunday brunch, and other preset meals. Are you saying that we can still eat those foods?

Klemczewski: Yes! With healthy options available. For my family, Friday night has been ice cream night for 20 years. Sunday lunch is pizza. These are traditions that will outlive me; I’m sure of it. We make it fun, we look forward to it, we don’t necessarily try to make it ultra-healthy-we’re not eating broccoli and fat-free cheese pizza-but we don’t use those times as opportunities to binge or overeat. They’re occasional but at the same time planned, because there doesn’t have to be an ultimatum between pleasure and health. We can have both.

This past Sunday I made a Greek yogurt, protein powder, and frozen fruit smoothie before having pizza. I didn’t want to eat as much pizza so I made a healthy option to accompany it. I offered to share the pitcher of refreshing protein goodness with my family, and we all had our pizza alongside this healthy option. On those particular themed meals at the firehouse, if someone is trying to eat really well, such as in a dieting situation, limit the amount you make while enjoying the social time with friends and family. Eating completely different food than everyone else feels too isolative. I feel it may contribute to the negative connotations of eating well.

Ponder: Provided that you are eating the same foods as everyone, snacking is still a habit in firehouses. What are some of the things firefighters can do behaviorally to change this?

Klemczewski: I think two strategies are critical. The first is to understand the power of habit. If I’m used to snacking at certain times or during specific contexts, it’s not as successful to simply stop the behavior. It’s more effective to replace it with a healthier option. What you have available is what you’ll eat. I can gradually change habits completely, but it’s easier one small step at a time.

To make those changes, it takes the second element: thinking about your thoughts-self-awareness. I don’t like to use terse language like, “Just stop eating it!” or “Well, if it means enough to you, just do it!” There is great science in behavior.

Ponder: Self-awareness: What do you mean by that?

Klemczewski: Mindset is a growing public interest, and no one understands it better than our wellness director, Kori Propst, Ph.D. I mentioned “thinking about your thoughts.” That means I don’t have to be a slave to my reactions or first impulses. I can recognize-become aware of-a thought that might trigger a behavior I’ll regret (Oh, cookies, I’ll grab a couple!) and stop. Once I push the pause button on the initial reaction, I can work through alternatives-talk myself off the ledge.

Ponder: In the firehouse, you eat when you can eat because you don’t know when you are going to eat again. This, combined with the fact that firehouse food is just so good, often leads to unbuckled belts, untucked shirts, and a firefighter lying in a recliner until his food settles. Any thoughts on how to deal with this?

Klemczewski: Many of us feel the same, even with less-demanding jobs. Whether it’s the mom who manages endlessly chaotic days with little structure or the person who works by appointment and always has someone waiting, we have to add as much structure as we can and manage the exceptions one at a time.

As hard as it is, we can’t live our lives by what might happen; we can help ourselves by staying present but always having a contingency plan. Create structure by keeping a grab-bag of easy-to-carry snacks if you get called out. I can stuff down a piece of fruit and a granola or protein bar in the truck faster than I can eat three servings of meatloaf at the firehouse table.

Ponder: Almost sounds like a cold weather bag we keep on the rig during winter with dry, clean clothes and hand warmers, but with healthy foods. There’s gotta be some kind of clever name to give this! You got anything, Doc?

Klemczewski: Well firefighting uses a lot of acronyms I’m finding, so H.I.K. Like you take a hypoglycemic intervention kit. Or … you could take a C T.A.B PACK! When a job gets long or you’re at training, have your ‘could take a bit pack’ fully of healthy food options!

Ponder: That’s great! Where can firefighters learn more from you about eating in a way that supports their lifestyle, their health, and more about what you’ve mentioned here?

Klemczewski: Thanks for the opportunity to share with your family of firefighters. We appreciate all you do for us. Our site, thedietdoc.com, has all the info you’ll ever need about us. We have a phenomenal blog subscription and an inexhaustible amount of free resources in the form of webinars, podcasts, and articles. We also love to coach people one-on-one through mentorship. Keep up the great work, and don’t sacrifice your health doing it.

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