3rd shift and sticking to food plan

Savanna2015mfp

Any 3rd shifters out there that are struggling with 3rd shift hours and sticking to food plan???..If any of you have any advice I welcome it...Help..lol..

emmycantbemeeko

Advance planning is key- eating slightly smaller meals during days when I knew I'd have to work that night to account for more snacks was helpful. Being realistic was also important- I'd rather pack maintenance calories worth of snacks than have a meltdown at 2 am because I only brought salad and I'm so hungry I eat the entire vending machine's supply of cookies.

Recognizing the difference between tiredness and hunger is also important although challenging.

rabblescum

I work third shift as well. It tends to leave me feeling hungry all the time. My best bet for meal plans is a larger meal before work in the evening. And then only small snacks like yogurt and fruit when at work. If I am terribly hungry in the morning a small something before I sleep. That's assuming you sleep day and are awake in the evening before work. It may not be the best in general for your metabolism, but stacking my calories earlier in the day when on third shift has always left me feeling less tired irritable and hungry.

ladyraiah

I've been working 3rds for a couple years now and I feel I actually do better sticking to a meal plan since there's no going to the cafeteria for little junky treats. I sleep in the afternoon, usually 10-5 or so. When I get up, I have a normal dinner around 6. I am at work at 9:30. Then, around 1-2 am I have my lunch which is usually around 400 cal (goal is 1450). Then I'll have a small breakfast around 6:30-7, I'll bring oatmeal in a ziplock with raisins and/or brown sugar usually. I get off work at 7:30, so I go to the gym on my way home and then if it was a good workout I usually have a piece of toast or a hard boiled egg before bed. Since I've started logging consistently again, I haven't had complete control over my meals since I'm not the one cooking every night, so I've learned to work around a potentially high calorie dinner, but I have still been able to fit in the occasional dessert or glass of wine. So 3rd shift takes some planning but can work in your favor if there isn't much for alternative food options.