Funerals and Food

bonniedalberg

Hi everyone!

I'm your typical funeral director which means I have no "life" as serving others through my industry is my life.

I can work between 8 - 24 hour days, sleep is more of a concept than a reality although I'm the queen of catnaps, and planning to eat is also something you try to squeeze in when possible.

I'm literally always on call to immediately jump back to work since there's no way to predict when someone may die.

I'm not complaining because I'm quite blessed to be able to do what I was meant to do, but I'm desperately struggling with my diet.

Some days I struggle to eat more than 900 calories and others, I could easily go into 5000 or more. There are a few days where I sleep on and off all day and just eat or use the bathroom (no TV, exercise, nothing but sleep).

I bet there are people that can relate to such a demanding and odd schedule. Moms, doctors, maybe other funeral directors?

Gaining weight as quickly as I have will kill me. I have too much to live for to let my eating habits break me.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Best wishes to everyone on your journeys to better health!

RodaRose

Put priorities on sleep. Sleep much more than you are now.
Consider looking at a weekly calorie count rather than a daily calorie count.

Christine_72

Hire someone who can pick up some of your workload??
You need a life and some serious sleep...

JossFit

You definitely need to prioritize sleep, and rather than watching TV in your free time, use that time to cook up some healthy food you can keep in the fridge or freezer to grab-and-go when you need to run to work.

Use a crockpot to make stews, chili, steel cut oats, etc. and put them in tupperware containers.
Portion out proteins and veggies
Keep healthier snacks on hand; tuna in water, apples, almonds (pre-portioned), protein powder, hard boiled eggs, etc. and keep a small cooler nearby so that you can just grab some of your prepared foods and head out when you need to.

It's not hard to do, but you have to prioritize your free time a bit better.

LovingLife_Erin

I agree with so much that has been said already. Sleep is crazy important, and so you might need to find a way to juggle your life to get a decent amount.

Crockpots are also fantastic, and I so agree with JossFit. I use mine all the time as it takes 5 min. to throw stuff in, and then I have dinner ready when I want it. If you have a day off, make some freezer crockpot meals (you can find recipes online) and then use those when you want to make a quick meal.

Healthy snacks are also a great suggestion. I always have lunch meat on hand (try to find stuff with less sodium) as I can eat a couple slices to fill me up, and gives me the protein that I know I need. Fruit and yogurt (greek is good as it does have more protein, which makes you feel more full) are great grab and go snacks.

I'm also not sure if this would work with your job and lifestyle, but maybe check out a meal planning app to see if that helps you. If you spend an hour 1x a week planning out your meals, then the rest of the week you don't have to stress about it as you know what you have for each meal/snacks, etc. Then do your shopping, stick to those items. If planning a week is too much, then try 1-2 days in advance. Then you might have a rough idea about what your days will look like, and you can plan.

I'd also try to start working some light exercise into your life. On your days off, go for a walk... it doesn't have to be a long, hard walk, but even a gentle one around the neighbourhood. It sounds like you have a stressful life, and doing some activity might help you relax more, and you will feel better from it. I know that I feel so much more relaxed and happy after I workout... especially when I go for walks outside.

bonniedalberg

Thank you guys, I have a crock pot but didn't even think about using it (haven't pulled it out since my college days).

I could definitely bring a cooler with snacks to reach for.

I do need some deflation, but I could definitely watch my shows on a tablet or phone while meal prepping.

Super good advice, again, thank you!

Christine_72

What about getting one of those meal delivery services? Just until you get things sorted and get into a routine.

bonniedalberg

Well, unfortunately, funeral directors aren't the richest people in the world and this has been my routine for the past 5 years. I'm just an employee so I wish more help was available, but I don't entirely have control over that department. I definitely like the idea of prepping healthy food on my down time. I think that'll help oodles. If I had more money though, that would be an amazing suggestion! Thank you Christine.

samanthapugliese

bonniedalberg wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I'm your typical funeral director which means I have no "life" as serving others through my industry is my life.

I can work between 8 - 24 hour days, sleep is more of a concept than a reality although I'm the queen of catnaps, and planning to eat is also something you try to squeeze in when possible.

I'm literally always on call to immediately jump back to work since there's no way to predict when someone may die.

I'm not complaining because I'm quite blessed to be able to do what I was meant to do, but I'm desperately struggling with my diet.

Some days I struggle to eat more than 900 calories and others, I could easily go into 5000 or more. There are a few days where I sleep on and off all day and just eat or use the bathroom (no TV, exercise, nothing but sleep).

I bet there are people that can relate to such a demanding and odd schedule. Moms, doctors, maybe other funeral directors?

Gaining weight as quickly as I have will kill me. I have too much to live for to let my eating habits break me.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Best wishes to everyone on your journeys to better health!

samanthapugliese

samanthapugliese wrote: »

bonniedalberg wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I'm your typical funeral director which means I have no "life" as serving others through my industry is my life.

I can work between 8 - 24 hour days, sleep is more of a concept than a reality although I'm the queen of catnaps, and planning to eat is also something you try to squeeze in when possible.

I'm literally always on call to immediately jump back to work since there's no way to predict when someone may die.

I'm not complaining because I'm quite blessed to be able to do what I was meant to do, but I'm desperately struggling with my diet.

Some days I struggle to eat more than 900 calories and others, I could easily go into 5000 or more. There are a few days where I sleep on and off all day and just eat or use the bathroom (no TV, exercise, nothing but sleep).

I bet there are people that can relate to such a demanding and odd schedule. Moms, doctors, maybe other funeral directors?

Gaining weight as quickly as I have will kill me. I have too much to live for to let my eating habits break me.

Any tips would be appreciated.

Best wishes to everyone on your journeys to better health!

Hi Bonnie! I totally understand your struggle as I work tons! Although I will say that with a lot of effort you can achieve anything you want

bonniedalberg

Thanks Samantha, it's so nice to hear that. It gives me hope that I can do better.