Night shifters...how do you log food?

efriling

I've been doing really great with logging my food this past month and have even been able to lose 14 pounds doing so. :bigsmile: But I just started a new job where I will be doing rotating shifts, sometimes at night....like the next 3 days, all 7p-7a shifts. How do you log your food? Just log it all ahead of time? :huh: I don't want to change my meal names to times because I won't always be working night shifts...ideas? I'm also worried about getting enough sleep on these swing shifts because I don't lose as much weight when I haven't had enough sleep :yawn: Thanks everyone! :drinker:

trimformecmb

i have a night shift meal that I added to my log and i start at midnight for logging.........
good luck

JDNOX

I switched my meals to hours.. check out my diary. I broke it up into hours then liquids.

kouzzzz

I work nights, I log it before midnight.

SportySpiceVT

I don't work shift work but I have my diary broken down to time sections. It helps me make sure I am eating throughout the day and not let myself get over hungry. You could set yours up the same way and use it for your different shifts.

FireMama_24

I log it midnight to midnight Hope this helps has made it a lot easier for me since I sometimes do swing shifts too!

Brooke1542

I log the same way I would if I worked day shift. I log from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed. I do it the same way on my off days also.

twiztedgrl69

I work 6p-6a and I log mine from the time I wake up to when I go to bed...and I stick with the same breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks...b/c technically when I wake up and eat even though it's 4:30pm it's still my breakfast

snkeller24

I log 0700-0659 the next day (working 12's 7p-7a) It's broken down in 3 hour groups with an entry for supplements. I have access to a computer at work so I either log ahead of time or as I go.

moodymarble

I work 2 wk rotations(days/nights). When I'm doing nights it's just easier to work it midnight to midnight. It might be easiest for you to start it at your first break that you would normally eat at. Just an opinion. Good luck with this!

MissMollieK

I sometimes pick up an overnight shift and I try my hardest to not eat during that time period- I am allowed to sleep but I need to check in on people I work with (I work with special needs individuals). I do find that I don't get a lot of sleep though during these shifts and it is really tough to not give in to temptations- if I need to I will list a snack under the next days "snack" catergory because it does end up equalling out in the end. I sleep then during a part of the next day and during that time I obviously won't be eating. I also get home between 6 and 9 depending on place working at- and I immediately eat breakfast upon getting home- I will drink lots of water while on my shift and when I get home- then get my much needed rest. Not sure if this helps- I am not the usual night shifter:)

jarrettd

I'm on 12 hr nights right now, and we swing-shift. Days next week.

I plan and pack my food, and go ahead and enter it. I can always remove something I decide not to eat it. (Not that it happens often!) I kind of imagine that the day changes at 8 am. Food I eat during the night is logged on the day before. My "dinner" before sleep ends up being my breakfast for that day, and I don't worry too much about where I put the other meals as long as I log them.

As far as sleep, it requires discipline. Black-out curtains, and earplugs or white noise are a must! Even then, day-sleep just isn't as restful as regular sleep, probably due to circadian rhythms and hormones and such. You can try melatonin or Sleepytime tea if you have trouble falling asleep, but I don't know how to tell you to stay asleep. Some people do better than others.

Good luck!

twiztedgrl69

As far as sleep, it requires discipline. Black-out curtains, and earplugs or white noise are a must! Even then, day-sleep just isn't as restful as regular sleep, probably due to circadian rhythms and hormones and such. You can try melatonin or Sleepytime tea if you have trouble falling asleep, but I don't know how to tell you to stay asleep. Some people do better than others.

Black out curtains are definitely a must in my house and dogs that will sleep through the day too lol...and I have an air purifier that is good for white noise

gdr1976

I work 7p-7a, and just do midnight to midnight. Broke down my diary too fromm 0000-0600, 0600-1200, 1200-1800, and 1800-2400. Works pretty well

sandi228

i do it from the time I get up until I hit the bed. I rotate from nights to days then back to nights; I may eat dinner when I wake up and eat breakfast food before going home. I still log those foods where they belong but it doesn't matter when I actually ate them. On the day I wake up from nights I may only eat 2x's and can't always eat 1200 calories (that's the lowest allowed) I make it a cheat day and eat whatever usually. My first night shift I eat something in the day and sometimes go over calories by morning. I have been doing this since January, mfp since March, I hit my goal of 150 in July and this past weekend was 148. I would say what I'm doing is working fine. Good luck.

Whitneylol

My schedule is crazy too so I understand. This is what I do:

Work midnight-8am
*free time/school/whatever* like 9-2
Sleep 3-11
Work 12-8.. etc etc

I log it just like I would if I was on normal hours. Before I go to sleep I "finish my day" and complete my diary. If I was on a normal schedule I would log until I went to sleep, starting the next day when I wake up.

This is what works for me!

FireMama_24

As far as sleep, it requires discipline. Black-out curtains, and earplugs or white noise are a must! Even then, day-sleep just isn't as restful as regular sleep, probably due to circadian rhythms and hormones and such. You can try melatonin or Sleepytime tea if you have trouble falling asleep, but I don't know how to tell you to stay asleep. Some people do better than others.

Black out curtains are definitely a must in my house and dogs that will sleep through the day too lol...and I have an air purifier that is good for white noise

I will totally second the black out curtains I have some and thinking about just duct taping it up on the window since my fan blows them. But they are a must for night work becuase I never thought it would make a difference until I got a set.

Lyadeia

I work third and have for going on 4 years now. I just log whatever I eat from waking up to going to sleep in the same day, even if it's technically not the same day. So what if I eat my omelet at 3 pm? :bigsmile: I don't rename the meals or plan to eat at a certain hour. I do make my meal plans and log them before the day even starts, but that's not because of the shift...I have done that for years. I find pre-logging and planning makes it a lot easier for me to stay on track and even hit my macro goals very close.

And the black out curtains has seriously helped me out ALOT! When I get off work late and it's sunny outside, those curtains make me "think" it's night time, lol.