Anyone work shifts 5pm-9pm?

1992Leigh1992

Hey everyone,

Firstly I realise that to many people this will seem trivial, particularly for those who work overnight or 24-hour shifts. However you do it, kudos to you.

Anyway, I started a new job in retail. I find long shifts easier because there is a break normally at least every 3 hours.

Tonight I am working 5pm-9pm. I usually eat dinner some time between 6pm and 8pm. I know these times are arbitrary but they are also the pattern my body is accustomed to. Dinner is usually my largest meal in comparison to others.

I want to have enough energy to make it through the shift but if I go to bed hungry I find it difficult to sleep.

Anyway, I figure my options are:

1. Eat half of my dinner before the shift and half after.
2. Have 'dinner' (a meal equivalent to my dinner calories) at say, 4:30, and a snack after work.
3. Have a snack at 4:30 and eat dinner at 9/9:30.

When I was at an earlier job, I explained to my doctor that I found shifts of 11am-4pm difficult because I usually eat/snack regularly and after a certain point I lose my ability to concentrate. She suggested I might have a glucose instability. I have been tested for diabetes so that is not the issue but I have similar symptoms.

Anyway, I think this is more manageable as during my day-time shifts (like, 9am-5pm) people seem to get lunch breaks that are actually near usual 'lunch time'. I realise this will be mostly trial-and-error for me but does anyone else work a similar shifts? And how do you incorporate your diet regime into this?

JoRocka

TL;DR: I eat late at night often times or not at all.
You do what works for you- there is no RIGHT way to eat.

Now- for the uber long winded- so sorry for me version:

I work M-F 8-5
Monday's I have dance class from 7 PM- 10 Pm
Tuesday Dance 5:30 - 10 PM
Wednesday = boy friend day (he's only here wed/thur)
Thursday Dance 7 PM- 10 PM
Friday's/Saturday I work at a resturaunt from 7-12- sometimes from 9 PM to 2 AM
Saturday morning 9:30AM - 1:30 PM Dance class
Sunday- 8:45- 12 Dance

So my workouts- are either Monday 5-7 PM o r5 AM- 7 AM
Wed- 5- 7 AM or 5-7 PM
Friday- crap shoot on if I'm working my gig- if I'm working my gig- I get up and go at 7 Am- or I go after dance class.... sunday's usually a day off- I only lift 3 times a week.


For this ridiculous schedule- I eat around noon- 2-3 ish- and one quick snack between 3:30-4 as a pre-workout- then I have a snack around 8 PM for dance just to get me through. Then come home and have popcorn- and or eggs.


On 'off days' its' usually BF day and he wants to go out- so I don't eat almost all day- and then go have a giant meal around 7.

you just have to make it work... there is no right answer- really it's just what works for you.

amor3l

Hi there, I just found this post and I apologise for commenting so many years later... I was just wondering what you ended up doing in the end to resolve the issue around meal times? I have a very similar problem in terms of blood sugar issues (not diabetic) and I have lectures starting in autumn that go from 6pm-9pm, which means I will have to be out of the house from 5pm-10pm most weeknights.

Is there any way to make this schedule work in a way that doesn't affect your hunger and blood sugar concerns / what did you end up doing for meal times during this period?

Thanks