New here...work at Mcdonalds at night.

AmritaDevika

So that's my main problem. I do 8pm to 12am 5 days a week at Mcdonalds. I can stick a diet fine up until dinner and going to work. But around 10pm, having been working my *kitten* off for 3 hours I start to get hungry and that's when I start to nibbled on the food at work...a few fries here, a few nuggets there...Since working at McDonalds for over a year I have gained around 15kgs. I really want to loose that weight but I find it so hard to do so. Any suggestions would be welcome.

JcMey3r

Self control. That would be the main thing you would need to focus on. bring with home made food.

AmritaDevika

Thanks for your reply! Any suggestions on foods? I have been trying things like unsalted nuts and sunflower seeds but they get boring after a while and not all the filling.

kr3851

Make sure you have something filling before your shift starts - and have a snack ready for your break time, and then another snack (or meal, depending on when you sleep etc) for after your shift. If you know you've just eaten, and you know what you're going to eat next, the mindless eating will not have a chance to kick in.

Ideas could be popcorn, nuts, a piece of fruit, cheese and crackers, veggie sticks & dip, a sandwich...

tendzz

Mcdonalds? Tough.. Night Shift? Tough, as a person who used to work there myself all I can say is that its really difficult to eat healthy and be there. If it weren't bad enough that you work there with food frying every few minutes you also work the night shift, which leaves even more time to do less. Which is easy to nibble your way to the end of the shift. All I can say is your better off to pack your own lunch hopefully full of a lot of filling foods and try as best as you can to avoid food while on your shift. At the place I worked at the management offered food incentives to workers for doing specific tasks, which is totally counter productive to your goals if your goal is to lose weight. Good luck and god bless.

Keepcalmanddontblink

Thanks for your reply! Any suggestions on foods? I have been trying things like unsalted nuts and sunflower seeds but they get boring after a while and not all the filling.

I always found raw almonds to be a nice filler. 1/4 cup is more than enough, plenty of crunch, and makes me drink a lot of water as well.

megsta91

i worked at mcdonalds for 2 years when i was in highschool and gained about 50lbs due to poor judgement, plus lack of knowledge about nutrition all together. the temptation is ridiculous, especially since my store let you eat whatever you wanted on break and you could make your own outrageous concoctions.

ugh. but as others have suggested, i would go with small yet filling foods. in the mornings i eat a pack of oatmeal and an apple with a little bit of peanut butter.. it's actually very filling when paired with a glass of water. maybe a tuna fish sandwich if you're into tuna, a handful of nuts or a can of soup. i know the sodium is bad in canned soup but it's nothing compared to what's in your "nibbles"

a four hour shift is really not a long time, so you wouldn't need to pack a lot of food to hold you over until you get out of the temptation zone.

best of luck to you

neandermagnon

Make sure you have something filling before your shift starts - and have a snack ready for your break time, and then another snack (or meal, depending on when you sleep etc) for after your shift. If you know you've just eaten, and you know what you're going to eat next, the mindless eating will not have a chance to kick in.

This

you're hungry and surrounded by french fries and chicken nuggets.... of course you're going to end up eating them. Take nutritious, filling food to eat at work in your breaks and don't let yourself get hungry enough to be tempted by them.

Also, there's nothing wrong with eating McDs while trying to lose fat, but you have to plan for it, log it accurately, and make sure it doesn't take you over your calorie goal. So if you really want some McDs you can have it. But the solution to unplanned snacking on it is to take food from home to eat at work so you're not hungry enough to fall into mindless snacking.

AmritaDevika

So true. At our store if you work late nights or over night they let you have free meals. "Just grab what you want" They say "It's going to be wasted anyway" I'm trying to get them to change my shift to mornings, I think I would do much better if I had morning shifts. But it's in high demand apperantly to I have to wait. Till then I'm doing a cert III in Management. Hopefully it will give me more controll over my hours when competed. In the mean time trying to find a another job as well.

On a side note I only work from 8pm to 12am. It's just those 4 hours, 5 days a week. But it's those 4 hours late at night that suck. Because I have already had breakfast, lunch and dinner with a few healthy snacks between. But like I said, around 10pm is when I start to get hungry again and that's my real issue..

AmritaDevika

I'm hoping that in joining this site I can find good snacks that I like, that I can take to work and not feel bad about eating. This is day one so I guess I'll see how I go.

Chrisiswinning

I'd try shoving a couple of bananas in your bag when you go to work. If you feel hungry, nibble on one. They're filling and really tasty, which should help take your mind off the other stuff that's available. Once you've started to avoid the junk food it becomes easier. And that's me talking as a complete food addict.

AmritaDevika

i worked at mcdonalds for 2 years when i was in highschool and gained about 50lbs due to poor judgement, plus lack of knowledge about nutrition all together. the temptation is ridiculous, especially since my store let you eat whatever you wanted on break and you could make your own outrageous concoctions.

ugh. but as others have suggested, i would go with small yet filling foods. in the mornings i eat a pack of oatmeal and an apple with a little bit of peanut butter.. it's actually very filling when paired with a glass of water. maybe a tuna fish sandwich if you're into tuna, a handful of nuts or a can of soup. i know the sodium is bad in canned soup but it's nothing compared to what's in your "nibbles"

a four hour shift is really not a long time, so you wouldn't need to pack a lot of food to hold you over until you get out of the temptation zone.

best of luck to you

Thank you! I hope being here helps me heaps! Though I do need to find a few friends o.o

oxers

I'm into homemade granola, myself, packed with oats, nuts and dried fruit. It's filling, boasts the protein to keep you satisfied and the energy to keep you on your feet, and it isn't greasy and weird like nuggets. Is there a fridge staff can use for their snacks and meals?

AmritaDevika

Just the main fridge we put all the food in.

likitisplit

You're going to get fired if somebody catches you eating food without paying for it.

It's really hard to bring outside food into a restaurant. My suggestion would be to make sure that you work with your manager to ring up the food that you need at the beginning of your shift, so that you don't waste time on your 15 minute breaks and then eat at every break.

NickeeCoco

I worked at McDonald's throughout university. As a swing manager I got stuck working a lot of midnight shifts. I get you. I gained the bulk of my weight working there with my free meals as a manager. Not to mention if you're the only manager on, you can't just go and sit down to take a lunch, so jamming cheeseburgers into my mouth at the back desk near the phone was my (and many others) solution. Not a good one.

Near the end of my time there I started bringing my lunch in a smaller single person cooler and kept it in my locker. If I didn't bring food I'd eat the yogurt there for a snack (We have yogurt at Canadian McDonald's, don't know about where you are). Bringing a snack to work helps. I lost ten pounds when I stopped eating there. Also, I know pop is free. Don't drink it, or the Fruitopia or whatever 'juice' option your McDonald's has. Drink water.

Mygsds

Have you tried having a ready made salad from Mc Donalds while on break or even a single burger that you could possibly stretch. Always have ice water.. For some reason if I have that handy all the time, I seem to snack less. Just a thought.. Good luck..

lilmisfit1987

I currently work for McD's. I currently stick to getting a grilled salad or a grilled chicken classic and a side salad (exccept for today when I'm trying the new clubhouse). It is possible to eat there if you're eating the right things and fit it into your calorie goal. Feel free to friend me if you need more McD support. :happy:

JenniTheVeggie

Make it a habit to eat before you go to work. 4 hours isn't a long shift so something like a protein bar or nuts at break would hold your hunger off until you are off.

jenniferarnold619

I would suggest not grazing (a few fries here and there for example). It is really hard to keep up with how much you have truly consumed when you are just grabbing a little something every once in a while.In no time you will consume 400- 500 calories and never feel fully satisfied.

I would stick to eating strictly on my break times. If at all possible pack a snack or small meal for your break. Do a mix of something healthy fiber-filled carbs (fruit, veggies, or whole wheat crackers) and low fat protein (serving of cheese, non-fat greek yogurt for fruit dip, hummus or peanut butter). Or pack a salad with a little grilled chicken on it. In Fact, you would be better off eating a McDonald's grilled Southwestern chicken salad at break over eating 5 chicken nuggets and 20 french fries.

Just_Ceci

McD Fruit and Yogurt Parfait, only 150 calories with the granola