Night shifters - do you allow extra calories?

agibsonky

On they day you are awake for 24+ hours, do you allow yourself any extra calories, or just stick to the plan? I always try to stick to the plan, but some days it is really difficult...

dawgmaven

I've been working 1 overnight shift (ER physician) a week for 8 years. I do not eat at night -- I don't get hungry at 2 or 3 AM, so even though I'm working 9 hours, I go on caffeine alone. Then I come home and crash asleep for 6 hours. All told, my night shift day is usually under my calorie allotment. The next day though, I do struggle with junk food cravings. And I don't do 24 hours awake -- I take a 3 hour nap before my shift starts.

halphord

My husband works graveyard shift- 8 nights on, 6 nights off. Man, his schedule screws him all up. But, I do make him a "lunch" to take to work at night, that way if and when he gets hungry at 2 or 3 am, he has something healthy to eat instead of going to the vending machine and getting junk. He logs it as breakfast, then when he comes home, he usually has a bowl of cereal which he logs as lunch and then when he wakes up, he eats dinner....he is usually able to stick to his calories this way.

agibsonky

I work 7 on, 7 off...the day that I'm up is the day I come off...I don't want to sleep all day or I won't sleep that night, so I get up for work at about 6 pm the day before, work all night, then do my grocery shopping, go home and change, go to the gym, pick up the kids from school and start dinner and usually go to bed about 8 pm. I eat my usual "lunch" at work, my usual meal when I get home from work, then a snack right before the gym, then dinner with the family, but still, I find myself hungrier than usual...