For those that work crazy hours....

savvynurse

I need help! This is the worst thing on my lifestyle change makeover! Today is one of those days that I am gonna screw up. I am a nurse and am going to end up working A 16 hr day. I got up at 10 am. Will be at work by 2 pm. And don't get off till about 630 in the morning. That's an awful lot of hours and needless to say I will eat during that time frame. I know to pack good food and snacks to eat however without much time or energy to work out I always end up way over by the end of these two days. Does anyone else have this problem and if so how do u deal
With it? Dont just tell me to drink water.... I got that one down with nearly a gallon a day. Please advise

Sairaanhoitaja

I feel your pain! I am Cabin Crew and work stupid hours, so my body clock is all over the place. Theres only so much a pre-prepared lunch can do!! Sometimes when feeling lethargic and bored, I will eat just to pass time. But one tub of pringles turns into a muffin, then a sandwich, and the calorie count just goes up and up...

Help needed too!

Samanthalovesher2boys

I'm a nurse too. I pack little snacks like 1 oz of almonds, cheese strings etc. The almonds are 160 calories for 1 oz, but I find they keep me full for a long time since they are high in protien. They're also very portable and you don't have to keep them in the fridge so it's easier to get to them during your shift!

McKayMachina

My circadian rhythm has it in for the earth's rotation. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, they don't get along. :laugh:

I find myself awake for 35 hours and sleep for 10 after that. I work from home, so it's not such a big deal.

But the best way to handle it is to log within a 24 hour window. Consider your day in the food diary the same as the calendar day. MFP calculates based on a 24-hour period. Your sleep patterns have nothing to do with the number MFP tells you to net. So just stick to that net per day and you should be golden. Be sure you've selected the appropriate level of activity in Goals (mine are sedentary as I work exclusively at a desk but it sounds like you move a lot more than that so Active or Lightly Active may be more appropriate for you).

Good luck. Hope this helps!

EDITED TO ADD: Consider zig zagging on long days. If you find yourself 300 over net on a 16-hour workday but the day after is day off, net 300 under. That should help you balance it out. I have luck with intermittent zig zagging.

psb13

i am also a nurse. my problem on those kinds of days is being too low due to not having time to eat!! i always pack my lunch and log everything in prior to going to work-keeps me on track. we have mandated overtime where i work, so sometimes you end up staying over when you hadn't planned to. i started keeping healthy snacks and an emergency microwaveable non refrigerated meal in my locker. try packing a huge salad and lots of finger food type veggies for snacking. just load up on the healthy stuff. if you still go over, look at it as zig zagging and try to come in a little low on another day. good luck-have a good shift!! :bigsmile:

wbond

As a flyer for the US Air Force we sometimes have long days 16-24 hrs long....I plan my meals and God willing and tough determination stick with what I planned and packed. I also take my daily calories and divide that by 5 (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner) to spread my calories throughout the day. Chew lots of gum and drink lots of water to help too...I hope it helps a bit.

mrsdouglas1

I work overnight shift taking care of mentally handicaped, I work from 1030pm to about 9am in the morning monday-thursday nights....the only thing I can really recomend is keep track the best you can on what you eat. Heck if you even have a phone that has the MFP app use it....I do and it helps. Its all about sticking to your alloted calories. Im sure being a nurse your also always on your feet so your probably constantly moving. So if you are eating the right foods I really don't see the big problem because your constantly burning. I also get in my workout before going to bed to in the mornings. I don't go stright to bed. Do you? As much as I hate it I push myself to get in my 45 to an hour workout and its done for the day and then I will take my shower then I will settle down for some sleep. I also from time to time will set out my foods of what I will eat for that day/night that helps me not consume more calories then what I had planed. I hope this helps in some way. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

pittsblue99

Hey, I'm a nurse too so I feel your pain. String cheese and almonds are great for a quick snack. Greek yogurt is really good too and it has lots of protein so you stay a little more satisfied longer. If you like dried cranberries, Ocean Spray has 100 calorie packs of crasins and I like to mix those with 100 cal packs of almonds. I can "graze" on them if you will but I know that I am only going to eat what is in my baggie. I like water but I also need to drink something else sometimes, too. Propel has fitness water that does not have calories and they do not have a lingering taste of artificial sweeteners. The peach is decent but very sweet in my opinion, I find the berry the best. Good luck with your weight loss journey

DJBug

I will totally agree with you that working nights really stinks when you're trying to lose weight. I'm also a nurse and I work 12 hour night shifts twice a week. As a mom with two young kids, I really don't get to sleep much on the days I work. This was truly the hardest thing for me to figure out how to work around, especially since several of my coworkers tend to bring a ton of junk food to share. I swear, some nights the nurse's desk looks like a buffet table!
Anyway, I try to "schedule" my eating throughout the night, with lots of small meals/snacks. For example, I worked Friday night into Saturday. Friday i was up at about 7am to get my oldest off to camp and do my grocery shopping; for breakfast, I had plain yogurt with fresh berries and some Kashi cereal. Then for lunch I had a salad with some grilled leftover chicken (I always grill extra and save it for salads). Both of these were pretty low-cal. I had dinner with my family, which was probably my highest calorie meal of the day...pork kebabs with pineapple rice, grilled peppers and green beans. Then it was off to work for 7pm. I plan my first snack to be around 8 or so, usually about 3 oz. of baby carrots and 2 tbsp. of hummus. Around 9 I have my first cup of coffee (with Sun Crystals and half & half). Then around 10 or so I have some cheese and crackers. Anything after midnight counts for the next day which I will (hopefully) spend some time sleeping during.
Shortly after midnight I have my sandwich, made with Thin N Trim cold cuts and no condiments (you do get used to it amazingly). Around 2 I have a fruit and another cup of coffee. Around five I have yogurt again. When I get home, I usually shoo everyone out the door to work/school/etc. and sleep til noon or so. Then it's another salad when I get up and dinner with the family before crashing shortly after the kids are in bed. If I need a snack, it'll be another fruit.

I hope this helps and wasn't too much detail. It's taken me a while to work out just what will work while working the night shift. And I know I'll have to revamp a bit as I lose more weight, but I do have some plans for that: switching to light bread, low-fat cheese, etc. Truly the hardest part has been resisting all the brownies, cookies, candies, cheese, and other junk that surrounds me while I'm doing this; when it's slow, I find if I can keep my hands busy, it's much easier to stay away from the junk, so I make sure to bring my knitting with me as well as a book and a puzzle book. Seems like a lot to haul to work, but if it works to keep me from overeating, it's worth it.

Sorry, this got waaaay longer than I intended. I just hope something in here helps. Good luck!

johnnieb

I work 3- 12hr shifts a wk. I pack healthy food and snacks like you said and still usually go over at least a little (sometimes a lot). I just try to work out and be careful the rest of the week. So far that's working out alright for me. I made it to my goal and am maintaining with this routine.

Tereztaylor07

I work third shift and log midnight to midnight, so it helps keep my calorie totals in check. I also eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Knowing that I have a meal or a snack within a few hours keeps vending machine binges at bay. It just sucks working midnights and you just have to plan healthy. I also take my 20 minute break and walk the hallways to get some exercise and keep me awake at night lol.

Amo_Angelus

My fiancé works 12 hour shifts, so I pack him a light lunch, and a pack of mixed fruit uually raisins and suchwhat to eat when he's bored or just feels a little peckish.

savvynurse

Thank all of you for some truly well thought out answers!!! Will take everything into consideration!!

Walt75

Six small meals...That's how I do it.