Any fellow graveyard workers here?

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cassandranken
cassandranken Posts: 129 Member
edited December 2015 in Social Groups
When I worked afternoon shift it was so much easier to avoid temptation, mainly because I was too busy to eat. I work as a Resident Assistant at an Assisted Living Community. I typically work with Alzheimers/Dementia patients in the Memory Care Unit.

When I worked afternoons, like I said, I had no time to eat. But there's usually an hour lull between doing laundry and answering call lights that I can give in to my cravings, and order a pizza, or run out to Wendy's or WHATEVER. I made it through my day off yesterday, but tonight is going to be hard, especially because I get paid Friday. I've armed myself with a 7oz Coke Zero, a big Smart Water bottle, cinnamon gum, and I'm making This recipe for dinner tonight.

How do you guys make it through the night? Or work day? I'm a notorious binge-eater, and this is all new and terrifying to me. Everyone says KETO helps with cravings, but as someone who is ALWAYS HUNGRY I find this so hard to believe.

In other news, they just took the vending machines out of my work, so I have that going for me, which is nice.

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  • MDAPebbles67
    MDAPebbles67 Posts: 181 Member
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    My husband is an overnight RN. In addition to dinner, He packs a snack tray that includes his favorite low carb portable foods. Hard boiled eggs, hard cheese, pepperoni or salami, olives, celery with almond or sun butter, pork rinds, low sugar jerky, nuts etc. That way he can say no to temptation.



  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    I am in gov't and business office security and am on the move all night (beat walk & 80 km driving) 2100-0500. I eat my 'breakfast' at 1300 when I get up, eat dinner with my husband at a normal 1800 time, and make midnight break my other meal. I always take leftovers (LCHF), or buy the awesome Bacon Caesar Salad at Tim Horton's (it's open 24 hrs, I get to sit inside and they give me free hot drinks - tea, herb tea, coffee, cocoa). At times when I'm feeling hungry for no good reason at 0300 (coffee break) I will run into 7-11 and get their devilled/stuffed HB eggs - 2 med for $1.40. It's just enough protein & fat to make me happy and savoury with a packet of their hot sauce. Sometimes I get the bacon, cheddar, broccoli salad and add sauerkraut juice from the hot dog bar as the dressing. LOL, the graveyard crew there knows my quirky tastes as I am a regular - they make the eggs up just a little while before I come in. They also have Quest bars there that are 35% cal from fat and lots of fibre to cancel out a lot of the carbs.
  • ettaterrell
    ettaterrell Posts: 887 Member
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    I promise if your eating the right macros you will get to the point u don't crave food, I am one who eats all day and now I only have 2 meals! Well I do have my BPC in the morning and afternoon. And I cut all sugar!!! I get no more than 10g a day others will have to comment if they don't have cravings and eat more sugar I have no idea but one time I did try artificial sugar and it set my cravings off. Good luck!!!!!!
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    When I worked afternoon shift it was so much easier to avoid temptation, mainly because I was too busy to eat. I work as a Resident Assistant at an Assisted Living Community. I typically work with Alzheimers/Dementia patients in the Memory Care Unit.

    When I worked afternoons, like I said, I had no time to eat. But there's usually an hour lull between doing laundry and answering call lights that I can give in to my cravings, and order a pizza, or run out to Wendy's or WHATEVER. I made it through my day off yesterday, but tonight is going to be hard, especially because I get paid Friday. I've armed myself with a 7oz Coke Zero, a big Smart Water bottle, cinnamon gum, and I'm making This recipe for dinner tonight.

    How do you guys make it through the night? Or work day? I'm a notorious binge-eater, and this is all new and terrifying to me. Everyone says KETO helps with cravings, but as someone who is ALWAYS HUNGRY I find this so hard to believe.

    In other news, they just took the vending machines out of my work, so I have that going for me, which is nice.

    Also, be careful with that coke zero and cinnamon gum. The artificial sweeteners can actually stimulate your appetite and make you feel hungry. I know you likely use the gum to keep your mouth occupied and such, but I find that if I find the grossest gum I can barely tolerate, it helps to keep the gum binging at bay, even.

    And honestly, once you've been eating this way long enough to get adapted, doing some intermittent fasting through my "trouble time zone" really helped me gain control over the snacking urge over that time period. Given the binging history, make these windows short at first, gradually adjusting them out 15 minutes at a time once in a while. You'll let your body learn in a safe way that it CAN go without eating... And your body will gain some of it's food sensitivies and such back...
  • SoosannahK
    SoosannahK Posts: 238 Member
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    I work 24hr shifts as a paramedic and there are some shifts that I am up all day and night. I plan my food out and take everything with me for the whole shift making sure that I have some grab and go snacks. I don't know what the consensus is around here on Fat Bombs, but I make these and always take 2 with me to work. I don't necessarily eat them every shift but they are there if I need them. They are self limiting for me as I can only tolerate 1-2 and they keep me full feeling for hours on those days that I find it hard to actually sit down and eat my food.

    I also agree with the others. After eating LCHF, I have very few cravings and seldom feel that ravenous hunger I used to have back in the high carb days. I also found I can go longer times without eating and not getting "hangry" because my blood sugar is crashing. It definitely has stopped that roller coaster.

    This is coming from a fellow binge eater. I haven't had a binge since I started this WOE. It really does control those cravings, just hang in there. Being prepared goes a long way so take food with you. I find I am not tempted to eat out at all when I have all my food and snacks, plus I am a tightwad that doesn't want to spend my money on food that usually taste like crap ;)
  • cassandranken
    cassandranken Posts: 129 Member
    edited December 2015
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    @KnitOrMiss I'm happy to report that 14 days in and I'm doing great. I started cutting out regular pop and replacing it with Coke Zero. I had 2 a day, then went down to 1, and now it's a couple times a week--maybe. I'm not craving it often at all, I find. Usually only when I see someone else drinking soda, or when I eat certain foods (LC pizza, hamburgers -bun). And I stick to the 7oz cans. I'm very picky about my soda. When I get it at the store and they bag it and it falls over and I hear or see it fizz...ughh. I'm like, I don't think I can drink that anymore lol. I find that 20oz goes flat if I don't drink it fast enough, and I don't like to be rushed. So the 7oz cans work great for me. I keep an 8pack in my car and it lasts me a while (unless my fiance gets into them lol. That's why they're kept in my car!)

    Eventually I'll probably quit the diet pop all together.


    @SoosannahK I'm finding similar results to you and I love it! Question though, do you throw your keto bombs in the freezer, or how do you keep them from melting? I just picked up some unsweetened hershey's cocoa powder at the store, so I'm going to try and make PB cups soon. I also want to try a LC cheesecake. Maybe for Christmas.

    I generally have to eat every 4-5 hours, even after 14+ days LCHF. So I try and pack my dinner, a desert (sugar free jello) if I'm feeling like it, a 7oz coke zero, water bottle, a baggy of 24 almonds, and a beef jerky stick if I feel like it. Seems to be doing pretty good at holding me over.
  • SoosannahK
    SoosannahK Posts: 238 Member
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    @cassandranken We are stationed at bases and I have a small dorm fridge in my room at one of my bases as well as a full size fridge in the kitchen/day room at all of our bases. We also have electric coolers on the ambulances and I may or may not have tossed something in those once or twice (I'll never tell ;) )

    My fat bombs are peanut butter chocolate flavored and I usually use homemade peanut butter or organic peanut butter with no sugar added. I did try some made with cream cheese over weekend and seen right quick that those were going to be a binge trigger so I quit making them into balls and threw the bowl in the freezer. Hubby has been having a scoop now and then but I am not overly fond of frozen things and have not been tempted once to touch them. Fat bombs are about the only frozen thing I eat. I don't even like ice cream :o

    I haven't made a keto cheesecake yet, but will more than likely make one for dessert for our Christmas Eve lunch.

    As far as soda, I love those little cans. It takes me almost 2 days to drink a 20oz and it is usually flat and hot and I end up throwing half of it out. Like you, I like soda with certain foods. I refuse to give them up completely because every once in awhile I need that fizzy, but I don't drink near as many as I used to and they don't give me the sweet craves or anything. And as a general rule, I have to be near my water goal of 8-8oz a day to be able to have one (usually hit this around lunch time). I usually have plain water or if I want a little more taste I put a slice of lemon and a squirt of liquid stevia, taste like watered down lemonade. I have a Zerowater pitcher at work and I have the big Zerowater fridge box thing at home. And then my black coffee. They'll have to pry my coffee mug out of my cold dead hands!!

    My favorite snack-sandwich size pepperoni 1oz (have them thin slice it in the deli) and 1oz cream cheese to make rollups. Smear cream cheese on pepperoni, roll'em up and eat'em. Smooth and savory. Try it. Dill pickles, cream cheese and ham rollups are good too. 1oz of cocoa almonds make a good dessert too.

    Glad you are doing well!
  • mcpostelle
    mcpostelle Posts: 418 Member
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    I work afternoons 1530-0000 sometimes will stay on til 0730 on an ICU unit. Cut out the AS, they will make you crave more sugar. I eat <10 grams of carbs so my to go meal is typically uncured lunch meats and cheeses. I just found a low carb sausage jerky that I use as snacks.I will also bring in steak/hamburger and just heat it up with butter. My go to for delivery is Jimmy John's unwich sandwiches with a no to all the carby options.
  • V_Keto_V
    V_Keto_V Posts: 342 Member
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    Vampire/graveyard shift 7pm-7am...I just fast, consume coffee & zero kcal caffeine sources. I have no appetite at work whatsoever...it's too f'ing busy/too much to do to think about food.