I work Long shifts. Can anyone help?

pbrogowski

I work on an ICU as a critical care provider. I have a few challenges when it comes to eating healthy while working and I'm hoping I can hear from some others regarding what works for them. Here are some of the concerns:
1. I work 24 hours, so I need to sometimes pack a full days meals if I were to actually bring my meals. (most times I don't and end up eating from the cafeteria or eating out)
2. I work 24 hours, so I'm exhausted and we all know Hungry Angry Lonely Tired can lead to poor choices.
3. I travel to different hospitals so I'm on the road often.
4. My work doesn't always allow for consistent meal times as I may be incredibly busy, I then find myself getting dizzy and tired by 3:30 realizing I hadn't even eaten breakfast yet.
5. I'm a poor planner and would love to hear some thoughts on easy to plan recipes. (No salmon or canned tuna for this guy).

Pity party complete. Thanks everyone who reads this and offers any type of support.


Pete

PS: Sign up to be an organ donor and save lives at donatelife.org

Imogensmom

First of all thanks for doing a very hard and very important job. I hope you remind yourself every day how valuable the work you do is and know that it is appreciated though I expect very high stress so you maybe don;t get that message all the time. Second, to your question, how about a large thermos of something like stew -- something hearty but with lots of vegetables to get your vitamens and that gives you comfort but also is less dense than a burger and fries. Other things that go well in a thermos are pastas -- slow cooker meals -- basically things you like that you make will always be measured and less sodium less fat than things that get quickly fried for you. Homemade protein bars might work for quick bites to avoid dizziness. Make friends with fruit and raw veg -- you are very unlikely to over eat fruit and veg -- baby carrots bananas apples cucumber sticks etc. the way you will other snacks and because they are nutrient dense they should help with dizziness and clearheadedness. I hope this is helpful. You have a very demanding life and taking care of yourself is hard to do well when you are taking care of others. But my guess is that you are someone good at committing to hard things.

jessiefrancine

I'd recommend you put together a few standard daily menus that you can rotate through so that you can always make sure you're purchasing those items on your trips to the store and you don't have to expend too much mental effort when planning your food for the day. If you do this, you can also make your logging more efficient by saving particular food combos as "meals" in My Fitness Pal so you don't have to log everything individually every time.

Since you need to be mobile, I would probably pack a cooler for the day - if you plan to use it a lot, it's probably worth investing in a good one that will keep your food fresh for a full 24 hours instead of a flimsy "lunch bag" type. Keeping your food in a cooler means you don't have to waste time putting stuff in a fridge or pulling it out if you're going to move locations. Stock this cooler with items you like that fit into your calorie goals - my faves are string cheese, yogurt, dinner leftovers, deli meat sandwiches, salads, cut fruits and veggies, hummus.

In addition to fresh foods kept in a cooler, I would keep some non-perishable items on hand all the time (either in your car or if you have some sort of cubby, desk or storage area at your various hospital locations). Protein bars, jerky, pre-portioned nuts or trail mix, low-sugar instant oatmeal, etc. I have found that keeping a protein bar in my bag at all time has really helped me out when I have been too busy to stop and eat and need a little boost.

Do some homework on the items that are generally offered at your cafeterias. I find many health care facilities make nutrition information available and attempt to help guide you toward healthy items by marking dishes that are lower in calories, fat, etc. Identify a few "go-to" items that you know are likely to fit in your goals so that you can easily and quickly choose a meal in the event that you need something convenient.

Meal prepping is something that might work well for you. Some people put aside a portion of a weekend day to make a few large batches of food that they then pre-package in containers for the week. That way you can just grab a container on your way out the door and know that you're set. There are tons of resources online for this.

Be strategic with your caffeine consumption. When you have crazy long work hours, it's easy to become over-reliant on caffeine but when it's timed well it can definitely help with controlling appetite as well as alertness. https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-when-you-should-be-drinking-your-coffee-according-to-science
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/how-athletes-strategically-use-caffeine/283758/


Best of luck to you!


*I am an organ donor!

TavistockToad

stop being a poor planner, start bringing in food that fits your calories and macros...

jjpptt2

Identify the root of your problem. Everyone has challenges, and the key to success is figuring out how to work around those challenges by making good decision as easy as possible and bad decisions as difficult as possible.

Some things that might help...
If you're tempted to get take-out, leave your money/credit cards at home.
If you're schedule is unpredictable, have a number of easy, quick foods on hand.
If you tend to fall back on foods you'd rather avoid, stop buying them.

Ultimately, it's a whole lot of trial and error... so if something isn't working for you, try something different.

kcl113

Based on #1, it sounds like you might be making it an all or nothing proposition - bring all of your meals or none of your meals. Consistently bringing *some* of your meals might be much easier and also help you make better choices for the remaining.

Low to no prep items that I like that are very portable and don't require any include hardboiled eggs (I boil a bunch at once and put them in plastic bags of 2 each in the fridge to grab in the mornings - eggs for days in ~20 minutes and ~2 active minutes), small portions of cheese or cheese sticks, baby carrots or grape tomatoes or sweet mini peppers (I usually just bring the entire container for all of these so it's zero effort), bananas, and apples.

Other no-prep items to add could include individual containers of hummus or peanut butter. Or if actually having a spoon is an option, you can add yogurts, individual containers of cottage cheese, and lots more.

Microwave access of course adds more options too.

Consider embracing certain "convenience" foods more at the grocery - is it silly to pay more to not have to slice your own watermelon or portion your own peanut butter into individual servings or cut up your own vegetables? Yes, in theory it is, but if it means I'll actually eat it vs buying food while out because I never got around to actually doing any of the above, I'll still have saved money and eaten healthier. I will buy the ridiculous pre-cut veggies and the "riced" frozen cauliflower and the pre-cut fruit because it saves me enough effort to drastically increase compliance to my goals.

ladipoet

pork rinds, individual packets of any kinds of seeds or nuts, jerky or meat sticks, etc.

missh1967

You need a huge, well-made lunch box and frozen blue ice. Pack enough food to meet your calorie goals. I work night shift, and I always, always, always pack my lunch. You must be disciplined. That's how I was able to lose 65+ pounds while working the night shift. You're right - being stressed, tired, and hungry makes for ridiculously poor food choices.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/131-9928984-6111163?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=lunch+box

JenObRN

Ooh, I can sympathize with you there, although I only work 13 -14 hr days.

ETA: UGGH! It's so frustrating when only one or two sentences of my post will actually show. I had a long post and now I don't even remember everything I said so. Anyways I hear ya! I am an RN and in work 13 to 14 hour nights.

AprilRN10

First thing, first! I already am an organ donor!

Secondly, I am a nurse practitioner student, currently working med surg. I know how it can be. I do not work 24 hour shifts, but some of my friends and coworkers do. I work 12 hour night shifts.

Most of the things already said here are the things that can help you. For me, I had to get serious about doing this. I bring what I plan to eat and I eat it! Pack what you eat and eat what you pack, as the saying goes. That being said, I do occasionally still eat out, I just plan ahead for it and make healthier choices. I look at menus online before I order. I bring things with me that are portable. I do a lot of fruits and vegetables. I have an array of salads that I make, and I keep dressings in the fridge at work. I also make lots of soups in my crock pot. Mostly things that require little prep are the key for me.

tiffaninghs

i work in a hospital.. im here now and talk about a slew of poor choices.. honestly and take it from someone who is down over 100lbs you'll have to turn ur excuses as to why not into reasons why.. ur replaceable at ur job.. they can find another to do that shift. but u aren't replaceable to ur family. so put ur health first and get a meal service asap!! what city are u in? i'll find u one!!

tiffaninghs

pbrogowski wrote: »

I work on an ICU as a critical care provider. I have a few challenges when it comes to eating healthy while working and I'm hoping I can hear from some others regarding what works for them. Here are some of the concerns:
1. I work 24 hours, so I need to sometimes pack a full days meals if I were to actually bring my meals. (most times I don't and end up eating from the cafeteria or eating out)
2. I work 24 hours, so I'm exhausted and we all know Hungry Angry Lonely Tired can lead to poor choices.
3. I travel to different hospitals so I'm on the road often.
4. My work doesn't always allow for consistent meal times as I may be incredibly busy, I then find myself getting dizzy and tired by 3:30 realizing I hadn't even eaten breakfast yet.
5. I'm a poor planner and would love to hear some thoughts on easy to plan recipes. (No salmon or canned tuna for this guy).

Pity party complete. Thanks everyone who reads this and offers any type of support.


Pete

PS: Sign up to be an organ donor and save lives at donatelife.org

a meal service in ur area

https://www.yelp.com/biz/homegrown-eats-rollinsford-2

Heather4448

I would bring assorted protein bars, string cheese, turkey bacon and a few of those little fruit/veg trays from the produce section. You could pre-pack a week's worth into gallon size ziplock bags. Then just grab one out of the fridge, put a freezer pack into your cooler and go.

zingeber

Slightly off topic, but I just discovered a group called "Heal Thyself" for healthcare professionals, and remembered back to reading this thread. The group looks sort of defunct now but could potentially be a great forum to continue conversations like this, if people are interested. FWIW.

ranmalih

I work long shifts too and know how hard it is between cafeteria food and the lovely snacks our nurses bring in (which I'm also very grateful for). Good on-the-go items are jerky, protein balls/bars and yoghurt in pouches. Foods in a thermos are great if you put in the work beforehand, like mentioned before.
On a side note, on night duty we tend to order pizza pretty often, and i can usually fit this in with portion control. Not the healthiest choice, but the social interaction is good for my mental well being.

rheddmobile

When I had to camp out at the hospital during my husband's surgery, the cafeteria was well run and had surprisingly diet-friendly choices, with calories and nutritional information labeled. My husband reports the cafeteria at the hospital where I had my surgery a year ago also had good food. Even a poor cafeteria usually has something which is nutritionally viable - are yours different? Can you make good choices at your cafeteria? If not, can you at least speak to whoever's in charge? There's a movement towards better hospital food. I've seen several local articles about food at hospitals being overhauled.

There's a brand of granola which I keep in my purse for emergencies. It's low sugar and high protein and prevents those dizzy haven't eaten breakfast situations. Oranges and bananas are also helpful.

medic2038

Granted I know this is a few weeks old and OP doesn't look to have come back but....

As someone that's worked almost exclusively 24s for years, I have to say it's somewhat EASIER to keep track that way. Meal prepping and tracking is going to be what you're going to want to do. 1 shift= 1 day, so it's pretty easy for tracking purposes. Meal timing is largely irrelevant, so don't worry too much about that.

For one it's cheaper, but you're also not "stuck" having to eat whatever is around at 3am (take out, vending machine crap,etc). You can get a little "6 pack cooler" instead of a smaller lunch box, to be able to bring a full day's worth of food. I tend to do breakfast at home, before I leave.

Having a finite amount of food also helps you with eating when you're "actually hungry" as opposed to eating when you're bored/thirsty/just for the hell of it. Usually I finish up with all the food I've brought with me by about 7-8pm (I work 8a-8a, with bunk time being 10p-7a). Some days when we have an exceptionally busy night, I'll grab a little something in the 100-200 calorie ballpark. I only do this rarely, and if I'm both hungry AND have been active the better part of the night.