Calling all night shift workers!

nerdfitquest

Working the night shift can be hard in the first place, but I think it is even harder when trying to track our calories and stay active.

I would love to add anyone in a similar boat and hopefully other night shifters can find some supportive friends in this thread. So if you work the graveyard shift or maybe this is just your normal MFP viewing time ( Looking at you people from the UK )drop your name below and add me!

Also if you have any words of wisdom for counting calories as a night shift worker let us know!

Smirnoff65

In all honesty I find it easy enough to keep a track of my calories, I work 12 hour night shifts 3 one week and 4 the next, I get up around 4pm and usually would have a breakfast of toast and banana, my first tea break in work is at 21:30 and I consider this my lunchtime, I would usually have something like a mushroom and bacon omelette that I had made at home heated up in the microwave along with some sliced tomato. My lunch break would be at 1am and this would be when I have my main meal which would usually be a chicken curry and rice that I would have made a large batch off and frozen and are ideal for heating up in the microwave. My 2nd tea break is at 5am and I usually have low fat yoghurt and some fresh fruit. I head to the gym when I finish work at 7am and usually work out till about 08:30, quick 10 mins in the sauna, shower then home to bed. Works really well for me.

Smirnoff65

I ought to say my day for adding in my calories starts when I get up in the evening to have my breakfast and ends the next day when I go to bed. On the mornings when I have had a work out at the gym I always sleep really well them days.

steve0820

Fellow night shift worker here as well!! :drinker:

I log from the time I wake up (9pm) until I go to bed the next day (3pm). Most of my workouts are done right after work, 7am-7h30 ish or after the kids get dropped off at school. The Key I found is trying to keep a routine. If possible, even on weekends.

Currently started a cut this week, from bulking the last 4 months.

Feel free to add me.

nerdfitquest

Wow that is some really good advice Smirnoff65 ( and some good food ideas for me to steal haha ) Do either of you ever have problems with the way MFP tracks for us at night?

steve0820

Wow that is some really good advice Smirnoff65 ( and some good food ideas for me to steal haha ) Do either of you ever have problems with the way MFP tracks for us at night?

I personally log in regards to my sleep patterns during the week. So, my week begins Sunday night @ 22h30, I wake up at 9pm. Whatever food I start consuming from 9pm, up until I go to bed the next day (3pm). ALL gets logged under Monday's stats and not split into Sunday/Monday.

Smirnoff65

That's the way I do it too, also on my first day off when I have came off nightshift that morning I'm inclined to have a drink and/or a cheat night Chinese takeaway, It helps me to keep within my calorie target to do it on that day because I would be coming home from work, going to the gym and burning up about 600 cals, go home and go to bed and get up at about my normal time of about 4pm, don't bother with either breakfast or lunch on this day as I would usually have my take away meal around 6-7pm, then a feed of Smirnoff and maybe a bottle of wine or two later that evening usually I am very close to my calorie target. really look forward to this evening all week and so does my wife and I think it helps to have that treat to look forward too. As I say it has worked really well for me having lost 76lbs in 19 weeks

Roaringgael

I work 10 hour permanent night shifts.
I'm not a big night time eater ie I don't get hungry during the night. I'll eat something though if I get hungry.
I'm flexible.
I eat a breakfast style meal towards the end of my shift (around 0600hrs) because I swim after work.
I have a meal when I get up in the afternoon, sometime a snack, if hungry a bigger meal.
I eat my largest meal for tea (dinner, supper) and have another snack before work.
I record my food in lots ie 0500-0800, 0800-1200, 1200-1600, Tea and snack.
My days off fit into those times as well.
There is a night shift forum here - its a lot of people from america.
I'm Australian so I'm online when you guys are asleep.

stevensdaniel717

I also work third shift. I log my food I eat at work as lunch. The food I eat after work as breakfast and when I wake up is dinner. I also break my exercise up. I do a quick 20-30 minute exercise like walk the dog before I go to bed and than I do another 30 minute exercise after I eat dinner usually something while I watch tv. I try to keep everything normal so I don't confuse myself on days off and when I have to rotate shifts

Dragonborn79

I'm a night person. My boyfriend is a musician so we wake up and go to sleep on a completely different schedule than most. I would like to get some friends on here, so add me if you want. (OP and anyone else, really. I'll just delete you if you get on my nerves.)

My boyfriend was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in November. We completely changed our diet. He's lost 80 pounds in 6 months...I've been less lucky though I'm even more strict on my diet and I'm exercising! Sucks, but I'm hoping something will click soon. Either way, I feel better and I don't feel like I'm "on a diet", I just eat different food now. We're pretty good about our eating habits, but we afford an occasional Cheat Night. I feel bad (physically and emotionally) after each one though, so those might cease soon. I'm still recovering from last night's pizza guilt.

I'm 35 and also a bit of a nerd. I love your profile by the way. I would be a lot better at losing weight if I could level up. If Bethesda and Wizards of the Coast got together and made a weight loss program I would be fit (and possibly save the world) in no time. They need to get on that. Tapping into that market would be wise as most of their fans could benefit.

It's 2am here and he just got home. Dinner time.

lacroyx

Been working nightshift for 4 going on 5 years and all of my weight loss has occured while working on the nightshift.
The most important thing I found is sleep. I make it my #1 thing above all else. I plan my workouts and eating habits around my sleep schedule. I found if my sleeping patterns are erratic, then I'd be constantly tired, over eat in a effort to help stay awake, thus going over my calorie allowance and didn't bother going to workout at the gym because I was too tired.

Typical work day/night for me:

Go to bed around 3-4pm
Wake up at 10:30pm and go to work
11pm-7am at work. When it's not busy I will take 10 min walk breaks through out the night.
Eat my first meal between 4-6AM
Get off work and hit the gym 9AM-11AM the start and stop time varies depending on what I have planned.
Noon-2pm Eat 2nd meal.

steve0820

That's the way I do it too, also on my first day off when I have came off nightshift that morning I'm inclined to have a drink and/or a cheat night Chinese takeaway, It helps me to keep within my calorie target to do it on that day because I would be coming home from work, going to the gym and burning up about 600 cals, go home and go to bed and get up at about my normal time of about 4pm, don't bother with either breakfast or lunch on this day as I would usually have my take away meal around 6-7pm, then a feed of Smirnoff and maybe a bottle of wine or two later that evening usually I am very close to my calorie target. really look forward to this evening all week and so does my wife and I think it helps to have that treat to look forward too. As I say it has worked really well for me having lost 76lbs in 19 weeks

Congrats on the weight loss! 76lbs in 19 weeks, that's amazing!

Trukngrl

Yay for 3rd shift. Perma-graveyarder here. I have had success changing up my food log to list it in 4hr increments, ie: 0000-0400, 0400-0800...ect. That allows me to track my food in the proper window of time, and helps with my days off when I adjust to daylight hours. I also get PLENTY of sleep, I love sleep, I can probably outsleep anyone I know. I try to make getting moving a priority, I take breaks at work and go for a brisk walk - tracked with my fitbit and mapmywalk.com. After work I head to the gym or to the walking trail and then go home shower and sleep. My standard work day is 2300-0700, however we get mandated for overtime w/o notice, so my 8 hour shift can promptly turn into a 12hr shift. Due to the ever changing schedule I always make sure to have healthy snacks that are shelf stable with me - almonds, protein bars(Quest bars) so as not to be tempted by the constant orders for take away or the barage of vending machine food calling my name. I tend to wake up between 1500/2000 depending on how late I got to bed that morning, I also have my largest meal w/my family at night before work, so I snack as the night progresses. Worst drawbacks for me are a desk job, and sometimes desiring sleep more so than working out. Control your mind and you can control your body!

Here's to 3rd shift and dropping some late night weight.

JEDDIE89

I worked 3rd shift (9:30 pm - 8:30 am, Monday - Thursday/Friday morning) for 3 years. I live 45 minutes from work, so I wouldn't get home until 9:15 am or so, then would have trouble falling asleep (sometimes not falling asleep until noon). I had to be up everyday by 4:30 pm so that I could get my son from daycare, then I would do things with him, like go to the park or swim or whatever, until I had to leave for work at 8:30 pm. On a good day, I got 5 hours of sleep - I was always cranky and constantly tired, but I was very active at work and because I was the only person running quite a few machines at the same time, I simply didn't have the time to eat during my shift. I would usually have a pretty big breakfast, then a moderate amount for dinner, but I didn't really eat any other time. Funny thing is, we're so slow at work now that I have been moved to 1st shift (8 am - 5 pm, Monday - Friday), and I have gained almost 10 pounds in 2 months. I'm not as active at work now, but I do a lot more exercise with my son and I also have been eating more healthy (more fruits and veggies & taking herbs like turmeric, cayenne, olive oil, and oil of oregano) and trying to increase my fluid intake (I'm hardly every thirsty, so this has been difficult). I get more sleep now than I ever have and I don't have to switch my schedule on the weekends anymore, so I should be doing better health-wise, right? I will be moved back to 3rd shift in September, so I fear I am on a never ending cycle of confusing my body.

MadDogManor

I'm going back on night shift starting this week. Then, I have vacay scheduled in June. Can't wait!!

I'm planning on 11-7 shift, workout from 8-9 am or so, then cook and clean around the house, then sleep from 1-8 pm. We'll see if the family and I can adjust to this.

dekadai

I've been working 2nd shift (1230-11pm) for 2 years now and it sucks. I do most of my exercise in the morning and do an added 30 minutes when I get home. I prep my food on sunday which also helps. I did gain 15lbs after I started working this shift, but It's gotten better.

otherling

I have just started the night shift a few weeks ago. Its a 6 week trial so will have a choice at the end of it.
I work 11 hour shifts x 4/5 days a week. I live 40 mins from work. I was thinking about joining a gym as previously on the 8am-9pm shift I couldn't. I go to bed at 9.15am until around 4/5pm. I am very active at work cleaning and I find the flexibility of nightshift suits me so far in response to counting calories. I struggle with is what counts as breakfast etc. Maybe routine is the key. I am in awe of those who finish work and work out. I am so tired I struggle to stay awake on the bus.
Does the work out wake you up a bit ? Do you sleep better after a work out.
Although my job is very active I find I only lose weight when I go to the gym regularly so it's something I personally need to make time for if I want to be healthy.

catb58

I work a month of day shift, a month of night shift....complete 12 hour switch. Last night was my first night getting diet and exercise logged into MFP. My workout was before midnight, but my meals didn't end until about 3am, so I just logged all that on Wednesday's info. Hopefully, that was how it should be done. Guess I'll find out as the month goes along! :ohwell:

I'm happy to add any other night shifters as friends!

catb58

And workout time tonight is 1:15am (actually Friday morning). That will be added to Thursday's exercise log.

lenac87

I work 2-3 12 hour night shifts per week 7pm-7:30am, I have just gotten back to night shift about 3 weeks ago after being on days for 4 months so I'm still trying to re-adjust. Right now I have my diary set up hourly 12-6, 6-12, 12-6, 6-12 because I thought it would be less confusing when I go back to a "normal person's" schedule on my days off

mcubed33

I know this thread is a little dated but I was curious...do you leave your settings on MFP to the normal 12am to 1159pm for a day?

Since I was up at 5pm and my shift starts at 7pm then I have changed my FitBit to act as though Noon is actually 12am for me so it shows me getting up at 5am since my days are set to begin in the evening.

Does anyone do this or am I just making it harder to track?

I guess I just felt like I was getting cheated out of time but now that I think about it, it is the same thing. I sleep 6 hours no matter if it is day or night.

Anyway...do you leave your MFP set the same or change to reflect your night shift as your days...

Marissa

MadDogManor

Life doesn't always work out as I plan :-)

I work 11 pm to 7 am, and I can't wait to crawl into bed ASAP when I get home. It's quietest in my house in the morning, so I sleep then. Then I'm up for good around 3 pm or so.

As for logging, I've broken my day into 4 hr increments, from 12 am - 4 am, 4 am - 8 am, etc. When I eat, I just log it in the correct time slot. It works best for me. Good luck to you.

ichbinich

Another night shifter, checking in! Here are my two cents:

As others have mentioned, keeping sleep as your highest priority is a really good idea. I find that when I don't sleep enough, or sleep at erratic times I am a) tired all the time and b) tend to make poor eating decisions. I work from about 11 pm to 7 am and sleep from about 9 pm - 5 pm. I decided to buy some black out curtains a few months ago and have switched all the lights to daylight bulbs and man that alone has helped a lot! When I get home, I tend to eat then relax in my darkened room a bit until I get sleepy. Staying away from sunlight is key. Then when I wake up, I dry my curtains back and enjoy the sunlight I have left then switch on my bright daylight bulbs so I have continuous light. I find it works really well, but by all means, try things out and see what works best for you.

I've had the best luck working out as soon as I wake up -- Just jump into my running shoes and head straight out the door, but I've also done after-work work outs and everything in between. It's really up to the individual.

As far as logging goes, I've renamed my 5 meals to: before (i work out), after (i work out), pre-work, late night and morning. But again, whatever works for you is fine. I also log all of my meals after midnight but before I go to sleep on the previous day; it just makes more sense to me that way.

Oh also, remember to stay hydrated! It can seriously help curb cravings. I usually try to drink at least 5 or 6 16.9oz (500ml) bottles of water per day. Sometimes I make lightly sweetened caffeine free herbal tea to mix things up. It's good hot or iced. Hibiscus and peppermint are my favorite or celestial seasonings zinger teas are all good -- or really any of their fruit blends make a tasty batch of tea.

poisongirl6485

I work 5:30 pm - 2:00 am, but am typically up early with my kids, so I try to keep a relatively normal eating schedule. I don't log my meals as "breakfast, lunch dinner" but by Numbers since sometimes my 'dinner' can be late in the evening for my lunch break at work. Seems to work better since there are times where i don't really eat a traditional breakfast.

jetgirl5000

I work 10 hour night shifts and go to the gym after work. I keep a normal type of eating routine. Even though I wake up at 1 pm, I eat "breakfast" type food and log it as breakfast and so on. When MFP flips to the new day, I just back it up and continue logging my food and exercise on what is now called "yesterday" on the diary header. It works really well. Now....when I tried to link my fitbit account with MFP, that was a whole kind of mess. It made my head hurt. I unlinked the two accounts after one day cause ther is no way that I know of to tell fitbit that my day hasn't ended yet. It's funny cause most of the time I have hit my steps goal for the day before I even go to bed. I hope they come up with a way to remedy that. Has anyone else with a fitbit figured out how to deal with that?

keef1972

I am a 12hr night guy. Feel free to message anytime. If I am working, I will be sure to message you back, and I will talk about pretty much anything.

Peace out//

p90xcorbett

I know this post is dated, however, I also work permanent night shift. 6p to 6a. Since we all work the zombie shift it is hard not to stress and sleep deprive eat. Any of you night shifters can add me and we can keep each other accountable.

BSNRN1987

Trukngrl wrote: »

Yay for 3rd shift. Perma-graveyarder here. I have had success changing up my food log to list it in 4hr increments, ie: 0000-0400, 0400-0800...ect. That allows me to track my food in the proper window of time, and helps with my days off when I adjust to daylight hours. I also get PLENTY of sleep, I love sleep, I can probably outsleep anyone I know. I try to make getting moving a priority, I take breaks at work and go for a brisk walk - tracked with my fitbit and mapmywalk.com. After work I head to the gym or to the walking trail and then go home shower and sleep. My standard work day is 2300-0700, however we get mandated for overtime w/o notice, so my 8 hour shift can promptly turn into a 12hr shift. Due to the ever changing schedule I always make sure to have healthy snacks that are shelf stable with me - almonds, protein bars(Quest bars) so as not to be tempted by the constant orders for take away or the barage of vending machine food calling my name. I tend to wake up between 1500/2000 depending on how late I got to bed that morning, I also have my largest meal w/my family at night before work, so I snack as the night progresses. Worst drawbacks for me are a desk job, and sometimes desiring sleep more so than working out. Control your mind and you can control your body!

Here's to 3rd shift and dropping some late night weight.

I do the same thing! Rather than have breakfast, lunch, dinner (which goes out the window when you work nightshift) I just use military time. I suppose you could do either 4 or 6 hour increments, depending on which works best for you.

nymasonpaul

Night shift worker as well. I found that I could change the standard 3 meal plus snack on the actual web site (not on the app) so that actually helps with the meal time and how many meals I eat. I don't eat 3 meals a day I eat about 5-6 pretty small but pretty darn clean and lean meals as well. So instead of breakfast lunch and dinner I have 1st Breakast; Elevensies; Lunch; Supper; Dinner and then snacks as well which hardly ever need to enter anything in that one. So I start my day of tracking when I wake up at 4pm ish

adtriarios

This thread has been inactive for a bit but has anyone considered trying switching their time zone so their "days" line up?

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

I don't work nights but I do deal with DSPS so I cycle through nights pretty regularly. Just thought to say hi instead of lurking the site as I usually do. I log "daily" but when I'm in between night and day I tend to count during sleep/wake at least 24 hrs. as I can be up for 32 hrs or longer on bad days...that is when weekly goals instead of daily counts help.
Cheers!