Looking for friends with erratic schedules, like me

godzillaqueen

Hi! I signed up with Fitness Pal a while ago and love it for the food diary. I'm trying to get more involved with other aspects of fitness pal. I've been a yo-yo weight-gainer and loser for years, and I've found the most successful I've been is when I have a great routine: go to the gym every day, go to yoga once a week, etc. Routine has been my best friend. But now I'm currently in a job (field engineer) with an incredibly erratic schedule, so developing a consistent routine has been difficult. I work a 2-weeks on, 1-week off schedule, and during those weeks on, sometimes I work an 8-hr day, sometimes it's a 17-hr. day. If I'm in the field, I can work 17-hour days for 14 days straight. There's no time to get a nice run or walk in at the end of it because I just have to get some sleep! When I'm in the field, I sit for my entire shift in a chair, monitoring equipment, so no way to incorporate some exercise there.

Does anyone have any advice for how to incorporate exercise into a hectic work schedule, or how to focus on maximizing workout routines during the week I have off? Or changing my mindset that I don't need a set routine every day to lose weight? Any success stories from people with similar lifestyles?

churchchipmunk

I have a very erratic schedule as well. Some days, I'm in the office hours on end...some months I travel for days on end. It is very difficult to try and forecast day to day what I can or what I can't do. I just wake up each day and tackle it as it comes. But, one thing I am diligent about doing is logging every day into MFP. It keeps me conscious about my food and is a swift reminder that (if I can) I need to get some exercise in.

Feel free to add me as a friend. Would love to support and have extra support!

britttttx3

I have two jobs, been working five days a week about 13 to 14 hour days. I try to make it to the gym atleast four days a week and do 45 minutes cardio. I would just move whenever you can and work harder at the gym!:)

Linda0S

Haha, my schedule isn't crazy like yours but it is weird. I work from 12 - 8 and when I get home it's around 10. I try to not eat then since it's so late but I just get so hungry!!!

Cp731

Haha, my schedule isn't crazy like yours but it is weird. I work from 12 - 8 and when I get home it's around 10. I try to not eat then since it's so late but I just get so hungry!!!

You can eat when ever you want. Cals don't know how to tell time. As long as those cals fit in your macro's. :drinker:

godzillaqueen

Macros?

ScarletEIizabeth

I have the same thing! I work solid from 10-7 and barely get time for lunch, so it's normally a snack or a small sandwich if I'm lucky! (As I work in a restaurant and we don't get breaks) so by the time I get home I'm so hungry! Then I can't sleep because I've eaten too much before bed! It's like a vicious circle haha

amandaowen596

when yu eat only every once in a while then your body goes into phamon /feast. your metabolism slows way down and when u do eat something then it stores it because it knows you wont eat for awhile. i didnt realize this till last night when i was talking to my DH, he was asking about how my diet was going and i told him i would forget to eat all the time and probably only eat lunch:( he said the best thing to get my metabolism to speed up is to eat 6 times a day but not to go over my calorie limit.

Cp731

Macros?

Yes. Located at the bottom of your food diary. Proteins, Fats, Carbs and what not. Also adjustable, Go into settings and increase or decrease them.

maryrosenavoa

Oh pls feel free to add me. We can motivate each other