Night Shift

ashleesjones09

Does anyone work night shift? I work from 6pm til 6am at a Detention Center. My problem is, most of the time, I am posted in the control room and I sit there and control the camera, doors, and the phone. I've always been a night person but I know snacking and eating at night can't be helpful. The only up side to it is that I don't eat at night and go to sleep. I'm up at night and sleep thru my mornings. Does anyone have any suggestions of what I could do while at work or even when I'm home at night as far as snacking goes? I have cut out my sweet snacks. Every blue moon, I may give in to a craving. Are there any more night workers out there? I mostly go to gym after work nights, in the morning before I lay down. I'm trying but my day is backwards.

quiksylver296

I worked nights for years. Your body doesn't know what time it is, as it relates to how it deals with calories. Just stick to your calorie goal and you'll be fine. I would count my "day" as the time I was awake, usually about 2 p.m. to 7 a.m.

hillaryjess

I did night shift for about a year and a half in a similar set up--dispatch at a local PD. I see you work 12 hours shifts though so props to you for making it to the gym after all that! I operated just opposite though, gym before work in my "morning" then almost immediately to sleep after work.
As far as snacking goes you can't eat what is not available, which is to say only pack a couple items in portioned sizes. Or are you having trouble with boredom (I'm looking at you cold nights at 3 a.m.) and snacking? That is way tougher to manage for sure. Finding something to keep your mind busy that doesn't traditionally involve food (Netflix, browsing recipes on Pinterest) helps.

ashleesjones09

Yes I try to think of my nights as my days because that's when I come to life... And last night at work, all I took was my dinner and lots of water, no snacks. The water was my go-to if I felt I needed something...it actually was okay. I didn't bring in any money to avoid the vending machines. I was proud.

Firefly0606

You could try pre-logging your calories. So log in tomorrow's food today. You can then have regular meals and snacks, take what you have logged to your shift - actually, you can eat whenever it fits in in a 24 hour window.

Making sure I hit my protein and fibre goals in a day helps me feel like I'm getting enough food, even in a deficit.
Also has completely removed the "I wonder what I should have for lunch today?" question, and the temptation of the vending machine at work....there just isn't any need, I have all my food with me and choose from that pile when it's time to eat.

You can also go into your settings and change the names of your meals. Call them whatever you want...start your day with dinner, add in snacks and completely leave out breakfast. May help you mentally get a handle on how you fit your calories in to your typical day.

LVNF04

The worst part of my work schedule is trying to stay awake. Coffee plays a very important role to me at night. I know it's probably not good to drink a lot of coffee, but it's better than falling asleep and my boss finds me. I don't eat at night, I use my break time to do push ups, sit ups, ab twists.

hillaryjess

Firefly0606 wrote: »

You could try pre-logging your calories. So log in tomorrow's food today. You can then have regular meals and snacks, take what you have logged to your shift - actually, you can eat whenever it fits in in a 24 hour window.

Making sure I hit my protein and fibre goals in a day helps me feel like I'm getting enough food, even in a deficit.
Also has completely removed the "I wonder what I should have for lunch today?" question, and the temptation of the vending machine at work....there just isn't any need, I have all my food with me and choose from that pile when it's time to eat.

You can also go into your settings and change the names of your meals. Call them whatever you want...start your day with dinner, add in snacks and completely leave out breakfast. May help you mentally get a handle on how you fit your calories in to your typical day.

This = spot on. Planning, protein/fiber concentration, eliminating temptation.