3rd shift weight loss

kristencarder21
kristencarder21 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm kinda working a 24 hour shift....not the healthiest. I go to work at 9pm and get home at 7am (I usually eat only once at work, maybe a snack). From 7am I'm getting one kid to school and then I'm taking care of 2 kids until my husband gets home at 5pm and then I go to bed from 6pm to 9pm. I'm sometimes too tired to exercise and I snack a lot. How do I go on a diet and get some exercise in?

Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    I would work on getting more sleep first.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I agree that your biggest concern should be your unsustainable schedule.
  • kristencarder21
    kristencarder21 Posts: 14 Member
    Monday- Thursday I get 3 hours of sleep. Saturdays I sleep for about 6 hours and I sleep 8 hours on Sundays.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    kristencarder21 wrote: »
    Monday- Thursday I get 3 hours of sleep. Saturdays I sleep for about 6 hours and I sleep 8 hours on Sundays.

    That's still not sustainable or healthy.
  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
    "At present, there are no restrictions on the number of hours a nurse may voluntarily work in a 24-hour or a 7-day period in the United States."
    This leads to significant wear and tear on your body and mind. The impact to your health over the long haul and your safety, too. Driving safety. Burnout. Weight loss is the last of your worries.

    In my locale, many have already thrown in the towel. We have a real shortage of people who are willing to do this. They're being paid well but it comes with a real price. Expecting people to do this is beyond the bounds of human limitation.
  • kristencarder21
    kristencarder21 Posts: 14 Member
    I understand I need more sleep. At this point in time I can't. I at least get 3 hours of sleep some times it's more when the kids take a nap. I don't work overtime I usually work my 40 hours. I do not work with the public. Ever since I was young I had trouble sleeping. Before I went to 3rd shift I would usually sleep 5 hours a night. I know and understand my sleep schedule sucks but it's what I gotta do at this time. I'm asking help with dieting and exercise.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,885 Member
    Dieting: to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. So I would start by logging your current food intake for a week or two, to get a baseline of your intake. Then use that as a starting point to reduce your intake: reducing portions, swapping out some snacks for equally filling but lower calorie snacks,...
    If snacking too much is because they're convenient foods you have on hand, you might consider looking for lower calorie alternatives (for example: a boiled egg, some Greek/skyr yogurt) or perhaps look into meal prepping (preparing a number of portions of food, meals or snacks ahead of time, which are then ready when you need them): you could do this on a calmer day of the week.

    As for exercise: honestly, considering how busy your schedule is, I'd hesitate about forcing it into that schedule. Exercise is great for health, but not necessary for weight loss. If you really want to add exercise, I'd try to make it short sessions when it would most suit you: something at home would be easiest probably (easier than going to the gym)? Going for a walk with the kids? Some sort of exercise or movement you can do while your at work, during breaks for example? It's not precisely exercise, but you can try to be more active by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away when you go shopping,...
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    kristencarder21 wrote: »
    I understand I need more sleep. At this point in time I can't. I at least get 3 hours of sleep some times it's more when the kids take a nap. I don't work overtime I usually work my 40 hours. I do not work with the public. Ever since I was young I had trouble sleeping. Before I went to 3rd shift I would usually sleep 5 hours a night. I know and understand my sleep schedule sucks but it's what I gotta do at this time. I'm asking help with dieting and exercise.

    Understand that dieting comes from a calorie deficit, and if you're already beating your body up from lack of sleep, it will not be pretty in the long run nor healthy. 🤷‍♀️
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    edited August 2022
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Dieting: to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. So I would start by logging your current food intake for a week or two, to get a baseline of your intake. Then use that as a starting point to reduce your intake: reducing portions, swapping out some snacks for equally filling but lower calorie snacks,...
    If snacking too much is because they're convenient foods you have on hand, you might consider looking for lower calorie alternatives (for example: a boiled egg, some Greek/skyr yogurt) or perhaps look into meal prepping (preparing a number of portions of food, meals or snacks ahead of time, which are then ready when you need them): you could do this on a calmer day of the week.

    As for exercise: honestly, considering how busy your schedule is, I'd hesitate about forcing it into that schedule. Exercise is great for health, but not necessary for weight loss. If you really want to add exercise, I'd try to make it short sessions when it would most suit you: something at home would be easiest probably (easier than going to the gym)? Going for a walk with the kids? Some sort of exercise or movement you can do while your at work, during breaks for example? It's not precisely exercise, but you can try to be more active by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away when you go shopping,...

    If you must continue your current brutal schedule, I agree with this.

    One addition: Absolutely do not try to lose weight fast. Try to lose weight slowly - like half a pound a week - getting maximum nutrition while you do it. Yes, it can take weeks for that to show up on the bodyweight scale, amongst normal daily water weight fluctuations. Ignore the scale's lies: If the calorie level is right, the slow loss is happening, and it'll become obvious across the months. Half a pound a week is 26 pounds in a year. That's worthwhile.

    You have mega mega stress in your life, the sleep issue and more. A calorie deficit for weight loss is just another stress, and stress is cumulative across all sources. A large calorie deficit - an attempt for fast fat loss - is a major physical stress. Don't go there.

    Very high stress has terrible consequences for your physical being, let alone your mental health. Don't just ramp it up, ramp it up, ramp it up, saying that "it's what you gotta do". Manage it as best you are able.

    If you do add exercise - which I agree you'd be better off setting aside for now - keep it short, mild, and generally less stressful, too. Even though exercise may be seen as "good stress", it's still stress. Don't fall for myths that exercise must be intense to be valuable, or that intense exercise is the ideal because it has big benefits for people short on time. (It also has big down sides in terms of fatigue, physical stress, and needful exercise recovery.)

    Consider forms of exercise that can be broken up and fit into a busy day in small chunks of time that are less fully utilized now: Waiting for things, watching things, etc. - use those times to move. Consider forms of exercise, like yoga, that are useful physically, but that can also help to moderate stress.

    But exercise is optional, for weight loss, even though it's good in other ways. If you're on your feet in your job, that's a decent contribution already.

    Best wishes - please take care of yourself, model self-care for the others in your life.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited August 2022
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

    I've worked night shift while having little kids. It's so hard. When I was tired, I reached for caffeine and sugar to help me stay awake. Not at all helpful for weight loss.
  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
    kristencarder21 wrote: »
    I understand I need more sleep. At this point in time I can't. I at least get 3 hours of sleep some times it's more when the kids take a nap. I don't work overtime I usually work my 40 hours. I do not work with the public. Ever since I was young I had trouble sleeping. Before I went to 3rd shift I would usually sleep 5 hours a night. I know and understand my sleep schedule sucks but it's what I gotta do at this time. I'm asking help with dieting and exercise.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10766358/losing-weight-on-night-shift

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10762879/working-overnight-shift

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/538365/work-the-night-shift


    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/sleep-mindfulness-wellness


  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Wow. What a tough schedule. My rule for myself is sleep comes first. I have no business exercising if I'm not getting enough sleep. But that is me and my situation.

    My idea for your situation would be extremely short "workouts" while your kids are awake. The New York Times has a couple 7-minute or 11-minute workouts that combine a little bodyweight strength training with high intensity cardio. IIRC the NYT published these alongside articles about studies showing the benefits of even very short exercise bursts. Or something mellow like pushing the kids in a stroller around the block.

    Have to agree strenuously with the suggestions above to make your deficit small and your loss slow to minimize additional stress, especially on your adrenal system.

    If you could possibly arrange childcare for the 2 kids only for 2 hours 3-5PM, that would give you closer to your baseline 5 hrs/day. As others said, this would be what I would work on first. Best to you.
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    I agree with Lietchi.
    You are active enough.
    Food — track what you eat.
  • petitexphysique
    petitexphysique Posts: 5 Member
    Tough schedule for sure. I thought mine was rough. Mine is just busy though.

    For diet, I would really eat very close to maintenance - very small deficit if you must. Focus on the quality your food, get balanced meals including proteins, fats, and fibrous carbs. Eat regularly on a schedule so you don't crash and reach for a sugar/caffeine boost.

    I would focus on exercise you can do with the kids, playing at the park, taking walks, running around the yard - active lifestyle rather than intentional exercise.

    I would also suggest arranging some kind of afternoon childcare so you can sleep more - sleep is when your body repairs, sleep is when your body recovers from exercise (where it rebuilds better) - without quality sleep, exercise is of little value.
  • LaraeTX
    LaraeTX Posts: 674 Member
    kristencarder21 wrote: »
    Monday- Thursday I get 3 hours of sleep. Saturdays I sleep for about 6 hours and I sleep 8 hours on Sundays.

    I also work midnights. I only sleep from 730am-noon. I’m a 911 operator/police dispatcher by night and a realtor by day. However I have set my alarm for 2 pm and it never fails my body wakes me at noon everyday.

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