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Night shift workers

K9008
K9008 Posts: 7 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I work 5pm to 5am 4 days on - 4 days off. I have never really been able to get a good eating schedule down. I'm curious what other people who work nights do.

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    my husband sometimes works a swing shift with overnights. what he does is try to keep as close to a 'normal' schedule as possible. so, he eats dinner in the late afternoon before work. he has a lunch type meal overnight sometime. sometimes a snack when he gets off.
  • tlpina82
    tlpina82 Posts: 229 Member
    K9008 wrote: »
    I work 5pm to 5am 4 days on - 4 days off. I have never really been able to get a good eating schedule down. I'm curious what other people who work nights do.

    I worked the graveyard shift for 6 months laying Fiber Optics. 9pm to 6am
    I slept through the day.

    My solution was to do 2 meals a day. My "Lunch" was mid work and a dinner around 8am.
    then a nice sleep 7 - 8 hours.

    Rinse and repeat.

  • sexynurse801ms
    sexynurse801ms Posts: 37 Member
    I work nights 6 to 6 three days a week. I usually have a protein shake when I wake up then around 11 pm I have a meal with protein, veggies, an a small carb such as rice and maybe a piece of fruit. This holds me over until morning and if I'm hungry before bed I will have another shake or a couple of eggs but not always.
  • missjck2
    missjck2 Posts: 146 Member
    OP my schedule is similar to yours but I work 8-8 and rotate from days to nights every 2 months. I pretty much eat around the same time but switch the times depending on whether I’m on days or nights. I feel like a small child eating on a schedule but have found it necessary and helpful...
    I’m up around 530pm and will have a yogurt or protein bar before heading to the gym around 6pm. Breakfast is at work around 9pm, snack 12am-1am, lunch 330am-4am, snack 6:30am-7am and dinner 9am.

    For MFP purposes, when working nights I log my 9pm “breakfast” as dinner, my 330am “lunch” as breakfast and my 9am “dinner” as lunch. I also stay on the same schedule when I’m off which I understandably isn’t always possible for everyone depending on priorities. Thankfully I just have a dog lol. I have it down to a science but transitioning from days to nights every two months is always a little tricky. Changing my gym rest day helps.
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