Night Shifts

Ercha7

I'm doing awful when I work night shifts... too much free time during night shift... then I get tired and loopy being awake all night and it weakens my decision making, so it's much easier to give in to cravings. ... HELP? any experience with this?

RenVan

Feel free to add me as a friend. I'm a shift worker. (2 days then 2 nights, all 12 hr shifts)
My diary is open so you'll get a good idea of how I manage it.
Good luck!
R

Everchanging84

I woke night shift as well so I know exactly what your talking about.Especially if I'm having a quiet night then there is not much for me to do.What works for me is I have snacks(nuts,fruits,popcorn) and that usually helps me and I drink a lot of water.I also chew gum because that helps with the hunger for me.Sometimes I also take my dinner to work with me and have a late dinner so that way I feel full throughout the night.

Pip_squeak

In the boat with you. I take my lunch/dinner when I'm on night shifts. Get home from work in the a.m. and then start the crockpot and go to bed and wake up with my dinner prepared or I'll take a salad or something. I always try to have nuts, nut butter and apple or sunflower seeds available.

krystle_swope

My fiance is on night shift 3 weeks out of the month. I pack his lunches/dinners with lots of small snacks (especially because he's so swamped most of the time and doesn't have time for big meals) which seems to help. He has trouble with eating as well because he's so tired when he gets home that he doesn't eat as much as he should. Try the snacks and see if it works!

Boingo1

I'm also a night shift worker (I work every Sat and Sun 7p-7a). I find it extremely hard not to eat crap at work, esp when people bring in food or families give us gifts of chocolate, etc.

I bring some easy snacks , and try not to concentrate too much on calories , instead, just making healthier choices. If I limit myself to calories, I end up self sabatoging.

These are some example of my snacks , plus I bring a healthy lunch.

Pure Protein Bars (very filling and chocolatey, so I get the best of both worlds!)
Chobani Fruited Greek Yogurt
Instant Flavored Oatmeal
Banana
Apple
Cereal

Any of you guys can friend me! Always could use night shift buddies!!

~Chris

Halloch

I agree with Pip_squeak, its great to prepare your meal in the morning and have it ready when you get up. Must, must, must, bring your meals with you to work. I have my big meal at midnight then snack at 3am and then again a very small snack at 5 or 6am. I try not to get up during the day to eat because I just end up feeling hungrier on the night shifts. If you can have low cal snacks at your job location then make sure to bring some. I am not able to have snacks at my work location since I work at a Nuclear facility and food is forbidden (including gum) out in the plant. If you can, go for a walk when you are bored or hungry. During those times when I am hungry and have a bit of down time I go outside for a walk around the plant. Helps clear the head and usually my hunger pangs go away. Remember though, you do need to eat regular meals during night shift. You are still expending as much calories on the night shift as you would during the day shift, only thing is your circadian cycle is all screwed up. Please add my as a friend if you like I have been a shift worker for several years. You will see from my diary I plan my meals around Midnight, 3am/3pm, 5am/5pm, 9am/9pm, Noon

michiganer

I work 6pm-6am and I get how hard it is to eat good. I wake up about 3:30 in the afternoon. What works best for me is to make a turkey sandwich on low cal bread with some veggie chips that I take to work. I usually get to work and have a cup of coffee then eat my sandwich and chips by around 7pm. Then I'm good until about midnight for dinner. Then I eat something small around 3am. I keep raw veggies in the work fridge in case I get hungry in between. I also drink a ton of water which helps. Feel free to add me as a friend! I'm not as good as some people with their workouts etc but I really try!