Night Shift Work- When to eat

War4MyBody

just curious if anyone else is trying to lose weight while working a night shift job.

right now my schedule looks like this..

Work 11pm-7am

While at work, I eat a PB & J sandwich around 2:30am and a nutrigrain bar for a snack at some point during the night.

Usually I go to sleep hungry when I get home at 7am because I dont want to eat and then sleep because Im afraid it will turn to fat.

I usually only sleep 4-5 hours and then when I wake up around Noon I have Meal #1.. usually a protein shake or egg whites in a tortilla

I wait an hour or 2 and do my INSANITY workout.. usually have another protein shake (meal #2) after workout around 4pm

then meal 3 "dinner" around 6pm.

then take a nap from 8pm-10pm , get up and go to work, repeat.

and suggestions how I can tailor my eating schedule to optimize weight loss results and not starve my body in the morning??

Ashleacurtice

I work shift work so I run into this problem also...I work the 7p - 7a schedule...so usually my first night back I stay up all day to = ( So Im stuck being up for 24 hours and 1200 calories lol!

But usually I will get up around 3ish
Eat shortly after waking up
Then around 8:30 at work I eat supper
then Ill just eat a snack around 1 or so
then around 5 I eat lunch (usually cereal or a breakfast bar)
so then I can go home and go to bed but have 2 - 3 hours hours before I go to sleep

You can always add FRUIT or VEGGIES for snacks so there isnt much calories that you are counting = ) Hope this helps!

War4MyBody

wow up 24 hours thats rough!! i will try the fruits n veggies suggestion thanx

Ashleacurtice

wow up 24 hours thats rough!! i will try the fruits n veggies suggestion thanx

Yes I have a 3 year old...soo he is usually with me all day my first night back! Ive gotten use to it = )

How is it working for you!?

chazsucks

Ah yes. I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old so pretty hard to sleep in the day! and then night shifts for me are 7pm-8.30am - and then an hour and a half commute on top. Plays absolute havoc with my diet. Especially on the train home I used to just buy anything and everything in the shop and eat all the way home

fatchiick

I have no real advice for you other than just make healthy choices.. my shedule looks very simular to yours except I do not go to bed hungry, I tried once and the pain woke me up...Nor do I work from 5pm-2am without a snack...I feel faint trying to work on an empty stomach...

So Meal 1 at 7am
Sleep 8-12
Meal 2 at 1pm
Meal 3 at 5pm
Nap 6-9
Snack 11:30
Meal 4 at 2am

Recycled and repeated.. freaking Dreadful!!!!! the snack and meal at 2am I hope will soon be gone... if my shift is changed

magerum

Eat whenever you want. I typically eat 1900 cals between 6:30 & 9:30 pm then march to bed as soon as Im done. As long as you're within your calorie goals for a 24 hour period you're fine. Only reason to go to bed hungry is for medical reasons or personal preference. It will not turn to fat unless its excess calories, timing has ver little to do with it.

crazyjlyn

I work 10 hour graves 7 on, 7 off...

I wake up at 300 and have a coffee and something like a power bar, granola bar etc.

I do my work out about 330 then shower about 430

It takes me a while to get ready, picking out clothes doing my makeup getting dressed doing my hair et cetera

I'm in the car by 6 to go to store to get my lunch and I'm usually at work by about 715 I don't start until 8 though so sometimes I can fit in another walk around downtown while I'm there

Then I have yogurt with granola at 8 then a snack around 10, usually baby tomatoes, my lunch is at 130am and I have some fruit or more veggies around 4, I'm off work at 6 then crawl into bed for 7

It took me a couple of weeks of playing around with eating at different times and it seems to work the best for me

The best I can suggest is just try different things and see what works best for you and your own body

ashley67203

I work second shift. I wake up and immediately work out, shower and then eat either an egg or peanut butter sandwich right before I go to work. I eat 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of vegetables and 4 oz. of cottage cheese or yogurt over a few hours in the middle of my shift, go for a long walk on my dinner break, then eat a normal cooked "meal" sitting at my desk about an hour before I go home. Most of the time I'll eat a snack right before bed, hummus and crackers, pistachios, etc - something higher in protein/fat and lower in carbs. I do 1600 calories a day and that schedule keeps me eating pretty much non-stop so I don't ever have a chance to get hungry.

Goal_Seeker_1988

I work 10pm to 6am. I eat as soon I wake up which is my breakfast between 4pm and 5pm. I eat lunch around 9pm before I get ready for work. Eat dinner @ work @ 2am and that's bout it for me. Sometimes I'll have an extra snack @ work or before I go to work or even after I get home. I workout as soon as I get home and those calories are for after I wake up.

the_albino_1

I work 7p-7a. I typically am up by 5:30p and have a small meal then. I then plan out several different options for the night (fruit, vegetables, protein) and just eat periodically through the night. Typically I eat at 9p, 12a, 3a, & 5a. (Sometimes I eat a little something before hitting the hay)
There are days when I am up during the day before I go into work. I try and spread my calories out between the time I am up before work and the time I am up for work. The other day I was up from 9a-2p and I ate a small something before working out and then had a brunch type meal around 11.

This isn't a suggestion just an explanation of what I do.

1LRoy

I go back and forth between swings (2pm to 10pm) and 12 hour graves (6pm to 6am). I was having so much trouble with my diet when I first got started. My daily calorie goal is only 1240 before exercise, which really isn't all that much food! I was eating "rabbit food", still going over my calories, and then I was hungry all the time. Being hungry in the middle of a 12 hour graveyard shift is just awful!

I actually started the Bill Phillips Eating for Life diet which has actually been my saving grace! It boils down to this: 3 "meals" per day and 3 snack, protein and carbs every time you eat, protein portions are the size of YOUR palm, carb portions are the size of YOUR fist, eat as many fruits and veggies as you want, and nothing is absolutely off limits. Following this plan, I am almost always under my calories and sometimes I can't even eat all the food I'm supposed to! It's awesome!

I eat every 2-3 hours depending on how I feel. Each meal leaves me pretty satisfied and I'm not dying by the time the next meal comes around. I think it's really the carbs and protein mix. My "meals" are usually around 200-300 calories each and my snacks are around 100-200 calories each.

Here's how my day runs:

I usually have breakfast right after I get up. I usually have either one whole egg + 1 egg white over easy with a slice of multigrain toast and half an orange, OR 1/2 cup Egg Beaters with 1 cup of Wheaties and 1/2 cup of skim milk.

A couple hours later (post workout, post shower, and usually right about the time I'm heading to work) I have a protein shake made with protein powder and fruit.

A couple hours after that I have lunch at work, often something like a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mustard on whole wheat or multigrain bread, OR a BLT wrap on a whole wheat tortilla.

Another couple hours after that I have another snack of either string cheese or hard boiled eggs whites and some fruit.

On my swing shifts I would eat dinner after I get home. On my graveyard shifts I'm still at work when I eat dinner. Dinner is my "big" meal of the day. I really mix it up for this one, but there's always some veggies, a serving of protein, and a serving of carbs.

And finally, a few hours after that (and usually within about 2-3 hours of bedtime) I have dessert. Lately it's been whole wheat crepes with french vanilla yogurt (with added protein powder) and fresh berries.

obum88

About to start working 7pm-7am.......When i occassional worked 8-hr nights i was too interested in my sleep to even want to eat, but that was when my husband was home to tend to the baby while i slept. I am scared as to what my routine will become once i am on nights full-time. I already know i will be getting less sleep, since it's me and baby, i figure i'd exercise before i get ready for work and the diet i haven;t figured out.

obum88

We should start a night shift group

Candicefunari

I agree- it has been so tough trying to balance my eating/sleeping schedule! Add to that the need to fit in exercise and being the temporary single mom of a 2-year-old (husband is in the Army and not stationed here), and I'm sure you can see why this whole losing weight business can seem frustrating. But thanks for all of the ideas everyone has posted on here- and if a night shift group hasn't already started, it should!

NonnyMary

Hi - if it's any consolation to you, I have been hungry before bedtime, and I eat a bowl of cereal, and I have not gained weight from it. It has no effect on making me fatter. Im still losing weight.

As far as I understand it, its a calorie deficit during the whole day, not necessarily at the hours you eat the food. In other words, not to be afraid of going to sleep on a full stomach, except for digestive issues.

SezxyStef

My husband works 2 12hour days and 2 12 hour nights. He has lost weight (his 34 waist pants are now to big)

not because of what or when he eats while on shift but because of what he eats when he's not on shift and his activity level on his job and at home. (mind you while on shift he does nothing at home....:grumble:

On shift he eats a tonne of food...morning he eats breakfast then most of the day on his turn around day he gets up and eats all day then all night too...then sleep all day...eat all night.

But when he gets home on his last night shift (7am) he eats and goes to bed till noon or later...but then we eat well balanced healthy foods...and he is a carb person...loves pasta, breads etc..not big on protien...

edited for spelling

shadowbluefox

I work from 6pm to 6am. My schedule has me working two on then two off. Then i work friday, saturday, and sunday have off monday and tuesday, then work wednesday and thursday after that i have a three day weekend. I start over with same rotation. Its very hard to stay healthy working this schedule. The way I eat is I eat on my first break at 9 then don't eat through the night. It is very hard with the fact my job is very physical. After working I get up at noon eat stay up for a couple hours then sleep for two more hours and eat before work. On my days off I eat a normal eating schedule. Its worked for me so far but it is hard to figure out healthy meal options. Any suggestions?

rayfu75

I've worked nights for 10+ years. Over the last 3 1/2 I've lost 80lbs and have been able to keep it off. I log midnight to midnight on here. Work Sun/Mon 6pm-6am Tue/Wed 10pm-6am. I'll eat whenever I'm hungry. After a shift I'll get home and have Meal 1 for the day before my kids are off to school. I love breakfast. Sleep 6 hours maybe and get up go to work and while at work I'll eat maybe two meals and a snack or two. At midnight or after midnight I'll start logging for the next day. Usually only have something small like a snack and when I get home I'll have meal 1 for that day which again is breakfast. My 8 hour workdays I'll do the same but usually train 2 hours of kickboxing / jiu jitsu before I have a meal 2 / 3. It works for me because I'll usually just nap a few hours on Thursday and become a daywalker until Sunday.

cppeace

I typically go to bed around 1 in the afternoon. I get up around 9ish. I start work at 10. I eat breakfast at 11:40, lunch at 1:40, snack at 4:40, home around 7:15- 7:40. Eat a snack around 8 supper around 10ish then if still hungry another small snack. Can always be under calories when I choose to be. If I feel up to exercise it typically around 9am.
Kimmy

3dogsrunning

Eat whenever you want. I typically eat 1900 cals between 6:30 & 9:30 pm then march to bed as soon as Im done. As long as you're within your calorie goals for a 24 hour period you're fine. Only reason to go to bed hungry is for medical reasons or personal preference. It will not turn to fat unless its excess calories, timing has ver little to do with it.

This.
I also work nightshift and I have had no issues with losing weight.

AntWrig

just curious if anyone else is trying to lose weight while working a night shift job.

right now my schedule looks like this..

Work 11pm-7am

While at work, I eat a PB & J sandwich around 2:30am and a nutrigrain bar for a snack at some point during the night.

Usually I go to sleep hungry when I get home at 7am because I dont want to eat and then sleep because Im afraid it will turn to fat.

I usually only sleep 4-5 hours and then when I wake up around Noon I have Meal #1.. usually a protein shake or egg whites in a tortilla

I wait an hour or 2 and do my INSANITY workout.. usually have another protein shake (meal #2) after workout around 4pm

then meal 3 "dinner" around 6pm.

then take a nap from 8pm-10pm , get up and go to work, repeat.

and suggestions how I can tailor my eating schedule to optimize weight loss results and not starve my body in the morning??

You optimize weight loss by being in a deficit. Eat whenever you want.

Been working the night shift for the last 4 years and losing OR gaining weight has never been a problem.

RyanJK85

We should start a night shift group

there is go check groups

Railr0aderTony

We should start a night shift group

there is go check groups

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/17370-3rd-shift

RyanJK85

I work 9pm 630am Sunday night through Thursday morning and this is what I do....

Meal one: around 11pm at work

Meal two: around 230-3am at work

Meal three: around 6pm

Workout : 645am-830am

Sleep around 10am - whenever, no later than 5pm

I add snacks in there when I am hungry. I try to avoid eating after I am home. But sometimes hard as I go to gym when I get off work. This seems to work for me.

b218w

when i was working 11-7a( now im 7-3p) i ate my first meal at around 2am then a snack around 5/6a then i got home and did stuff(morning college classes,gym etc) then i ate another meal at around 12/1p then i slept and woke up at 10p to go back to work.....i dont have an appetite as soon as i wake up....it takes about 3/4 hours for me to feel hungry.....

ironmadien

Hello, I am having troubles myself. I work @ 3rd shift @ a bakery. Trust me, after you make all the stuff, you really don't want to eat it. I have a hard time finding time to eat anything anyway, cause of the schedule and what I have to do. I am supposed to eat 1340 calories a day. A lot of times, I will have toast with some PB cause I can eat it fast and go. Other than that, I try not to eat much cause as soon as I get home I go to sleep. Well normally. I try to make sure my other meals are full of fresh veggies, and maybe some hummus or something. Not to much though.
It's funny cause people pick on my a lot, saying I shouldn't be hungry cause I work in a bakery, and before that a restaurant. Let me tell you, the choices....ya, NOT that great! You could eat an ENTIRE days worth of calories and then some in like 2 things.
Does anyone else have a hard time with working out? I do, although I do a lot of running around the place, it isn't the same. Having just moved and such, I have yet to find a gym. Walking is as good as it's getting right now.
Anyone have any ideas for these things? I hate going to bed hungry, 1. a hard time waking up, 2. feel sickish. Good meals to take along that can be eating within 3-5 minutes(not protein drinks, as I get sick every time I drink one), any kind of snacks that would be low calorie. I am almost always hungry, but thankfully if I have to make pate a choux(cream puff/éclair paste) and then smell of the donut grease, it makes me not so hungry. I get through the night, with out eating much. Thank you so much for your help.

Confuzzled4ever

wow...

no...

eat at your lunch break.. a meal.. you sleep during that day and stay up all night.. so adjust your intake so you eat while you are awake..

When I worked over nights I dinner when I woke up, lunch while at work (not snacks) and breakfast when I got home. Actually worked very well in keeping me energized. .. I always needed a snack for the 3/4am drag..

It's really similar to working any shift, you just adjust your meals times to when you are awake and hungry.

EMTFreakGirl

I am a paramedic and work 4 jobs, two of which I normally pull 24-36 hour shifts. Sometimes I get to sleep, but not always. It's usually just a series of naps when I can grab a few minutes. (The trip back to base from the hospital is usually good for 20 minutes or so..and I find that I actually sleep better in the back of an ambulance! ) I find that if I don't have ready to grab "meals" to enable me to eat something every 2-3 hours I can get a bit cranky, not to mention the possibility of dangerous drops in my blood sugar as sometimes my sustained job-activity can be more intense than any workout you could imagine. As I can't really plan a meaI-time, I pack a cooler with protein shakes, preportioned baggies of nuts or grapes, a couple hard boiled eggs, and a greek yogurt. If I am "stuck" up and running for a full shift then at least I can fuel up between calls(and naps.)

Arbeidslyst

When I work night I work 10pm-7am. I eat roughly every 3rd hour when I'm awake. Every second meal is a snack, usually fruit. So three 'meals'.

Fruit
Usually Leftovers from dinner
Sandwich of some sort

I eat breakfast in the morning before going to bed, because I hate going to sleep on empty stomach.

mrmust

I work 6p-6a tuesday through Thursday. I only get 3-4 hrs of sleep because I have 3 rescued chihuahuas that need my attention. I usually try to get an hr. nap in there sometime too. I am so exhausted I have no motivation to work out on the days that i work and then that makes me feel miserable! I bring a healthy meal and eat around 7-8pm but them people bring CRAP! to work and I eat tons of that! HELP!!!