Sleep Schedule and Calorie Counting

NoMoreBlameGame

I didn't know where to put this.

My sleep schedule is abnormal for most..NORMAL for me, it has been since I was a child (not attributed to weight gain or anything to do with my weight).

I sleep about 3 hrs in the middle of the night...then I'm up for a while, then I sleep another 3 hours(ish) during the daytime...and then I'm up for a while, another 3 hours early evening....rinse and repeat.

I don't need someone to tell me that I should be sleeping only at night and sleeping 8 hours and blah blah blah (this sleep pattern is going on almost 40 yrs now...I'm not changing it...I'm perfectly fine with my sleep times being what they are, ty).

What I need to know is...how am I supposed to count calories per day? For the normal individual, it starts when you wake up (in the morning) yes?

So far I just picked a random time (12 noon since it's easy to remember) and said that's the reset time for counting calories "just because".

Is there some other time I should be using as my 'reset' time and if so...how do I calculate that time?

I also don't always eat breakfast foods in the morning, lunches at noontime and dinner food at evenings. Sometimes I do my dinner in the morning, lunch at night and eat breakfast food midday...so when I enter my food into MFP....am I supposed to enter what I eat as my 'first meal' after 12 o'clock in the "Breakfast" category even if it's more like my dinner time? Or...do I enter it into the Dinner category and fill my MFP out bass ackwards?

....methinks I'm making this harder than it has to be. -_-

VeryKatie

I would do what you're doing. Pick a time to reset. MFP does it at midnight, so I'd just do that. Whether you eat dinner at breakfast or any other time it doesn't matter. Only the number of calories. If you want, you could take your daily allotment of calories and divide it into the number of times you'd usually be awake. You'd still have to pick a reset time - ideally a time while you're sleeping.

OH and MFP allows you to edit your meal numbers and names. So you could just rename them "Time 1, Time 2" etc. or whatever works for you. I think.

tiptoethruthetulips

It doesn't really matter, just choose a time and stick to it..its the 24hr period that is important and that you get your daily allowance in that period. That said, if using online tools to count calories, it would be easier to use the same time clock as the site. Midnight being the end of day/ commencement of the new day.

Jemellc

I work third shift 4/7 days... and another job lol so Im going to say calorie counting
as Im doing wonderful.
I do get plenty of rest though!

NoMoreBlameGame

Thank you for the replies thus far. I had NO idea I could change the names of the meals (I've only been here a couple days). I found it in settings; thank you!! Believe it or not that is going to make a big difference for me (however silly that may sound).

I'll start counting from midnight since that's the time MFP set. Thank you very much!!

Mr_Knight

What I need to know is...how am I supposed to count calories per day?

It doesn't matter, so long as you're consistent.