Fellow Service Industry Employees - a question!

emaybe

Hi everyone,

So I'm a bartender at a music venue, which means that my workload is never quite the same and my schedule is pretty random. Some weeks I work one night, some weeks I work five. Some nights I stand behind the bar playing sudoku and pour five glasses of wine all night. Some nights I'm running up and down stairs stocking beer for a sold out show. I know typically it's a no-no to count calories burned at work, as you're supposed to factor that into your daily activity level, but with how erratic my schedule and level of physicality at work are... how should I record this? I would feel weird changing my activity level to anything more than "lightly active" because I am, in general, rather lazy if I'm not focused on a work out or particular task... but I feel that I shouldn't have to feel guilty for taking in more calories on days I'm hauling *kitten* at work. Any advice?

...please don't judge me on my diary right now, I haven't been recording at all the last few months and am trying to get back on track.

bananahb33

If you can't count on the daily expenditure from your job, then I would not factor it in on a daily level and just try to find the best exercise equivalent on days when you are hauling *kitten*. That way you always know what you did and you can adjust according to how busy you were and how many nights a week you work. If you're looking for accuracy that's how I would do it.

emaybe

thanks

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DonaGail

I wonder about that too, Im a fedex driver and some days I flat out run my *kitten* off for 10 hours, other days not as much.
I just dont count it and figure its bonus burned calories. If I were to do real exercizes then I would record it. I dont even record strenuous yard work or housework where Im climbing & crawling. I know what you mean though.

emaybe

The thing is, whenever I don't count it I tend to go over on calories because I feel like I need more energy to be able to get through those shifts... But I don't even really know what to record it as. I guess it will all balance out in the long run, but I'm obsessive compulsive so I like to try to "win" my "calorie game" every day... hahaha

notnikkisixx

The thing is, whenever I don't count it I tend to go over on calories because I feel like I need more energy to be able to get through those shifts... But I don't even really know what to record it as. I guess it will all balance out in the long run, but I'm obsessive compulsive so I like to try to "win" my "calorie game" every day... hahaha

You shouldn't have an issue feeling like you need more energy if you're eating a healthy and balanced diet. Make sure that your calories are coming from good sources and you should be fine

enchantedgardener

It's tough. I work in a restaurant, and it's the really busy nights that are hard for me in terms of sticking to my eating goals. When I'm hauling *kitten* for hours at a time, I don't have the time to take a break to eat something healthy. But all that activity is making me feel utterly famished and I feel that I 'need' a snack or two to keep my energy levels up. That's when I'm liable to grab a handful of chocolate from the storage room or inhale half a bowl of fries.

On the nights that I expect it will be busy, I try to have a selection of healthy snacks available that are quick to eat. Peeled and cut fruit and veggies. Low fat cheese. Hard boiled eggs. Sliced meats.

You can definitely eat more on days when you're very active. I don't count it as 'exercise', though you can if you want to.

emaybe

I definitely try to keep healthy snacks or a pre-packed dinner on hand on nights I work, lest I wander next door and order the only vegetarian thing on the menu: grilled cheese (I live in Wisconsin)... But even healthy snacks have calories and I will inevitably go over if I'm scarfing something down between customers...

My diet is extremely healthy except for those grilled cheese lapses when I forget to bring dinner to work! And my digestive system certainly pays for it the next day.