Night Shift Weight Troubles-Help Please!

1musicgrl

Hi. So I am wondering if any of you work the night shift 7pm to 7am. I am a full time student and I only do on the weekends. But it seems like every time it messes my weight up. I eat some light meals through the night but try not to over do it, but no matter what I do, whether I eat or not, I always gain weight when I work nights. I don't know what to do and I would like to have advice from anyone else who has dealt with this. Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks!

progressnotperfection84

I've worked nights for 7 years. I didn't gain the weight because I work nights, I gained the weight because I wasn't more careful about what I was putting in my body. Are you active at your job? Or is it a desk job? That might factor into things as well. Are you measuring and recording accurately? Are you being consistent with your eating?

If you could provide us with more info and opening up your diary you'll get much more helpful responses I think. :bigsmile:

Elliehmltn

I worked night shift as a nurse for years. I snacked a lot and gained weight. I went to Weight Watchers. The leader there told me her daughter was a night nurse in another hospital and just didn't eat while at work. She ate breakfast at the normal time when she got home in the morning, a light snack on waking in the afternoon, dinner with the family, and lunch before she went to work at 10pm. I started this and lost the weight. It was hard at first but I got used to it. On my "lunch" break I set the timer on my watch and took a power nap.

You work 7-7, but you could still eat a normal dinner before work and a lunch later, whenever your lunch break is.

When you think about it, a lot of people set a time limit on their eating habits and don't eat after 6, 7, or 8pm anyway. It's OK to go from 7pm to 7am without eating.

lucyprunner

Hi there,
I'm a nurse and my shift patterns are all over the place. I just make sure I space out my meals depending on which shift I'm doing and never let myself go hungry. Logging my intake means that I know whether I'm craving something because I'm tired or I'm actually hungry. Experiment with your calories and see what works best for you x

kathystrauss1

I work 7p-7a too. I eat dinner right before I leave for work, a light snack around midnight or so and breakfast around 4 or 5 am. That way I get to eat at work and go to sleep as soon as I get home.

reginachapman35

Yeah, I've worked nights before and agree with the other posters. I would eat my dinner before work around 5pm. At 9pm I would eat my "lunch", midnight and 3am snacks, and around 4-5 am I would eat breakfast. Once I was done with report by 7:30, I was home by say 8ish am and time for bed.

darkrose20

When you think about it, a lot of people set a time limit on their eating habits and don't eat after 6, 7, or 8pm anyway. It's OK to go from 7pm to 7am without eating.

Wait. What? She is up and working for 12 hours. I'd pass out from being so famished. If 7p to 7a is your normal day, eat a normal breakfast, lunch, dinner. This statement is like telling someone who works 9am to 5pm that it's ok not to eat between 7am and 7pm. Are you nuts? Seriously. Are you?

As for the OP: I work 3pm to 7am twice a week and 11pm to 7am once per week and really, I can't say if My weight fluctuates upward on the days I work versus the days I don't work. I know I eat things that are more "unhealthy" when I'm at work due to the poor choices at the cafeteria and my being too lazy/uncoordinated to bring in a lunch more than once in a blue moon. Meanwhile, I've been noticing a steady pound a week weight loss...BUT It's a major sawtooth on a graph. I'll get to a new low then gain a few pounds the next day and then work those back off during the week to get to a new low again the next week. IDK, I find it strange, but it is what it is.