Do you count a day as 24 hours?

kaylasue_mustlose

I work 2nd shift...so my typical work day is something like 2pm-1230am...because of this I usually get a later start...sometimes eating breakfast at 11am...so does anyone see a problem with me counting my day in 24 hour increments more or less and logging food that I eat after midnight on the previous day? It is really the only way that I can get all of my 1,200 calories in. I eat breakfast at 11...usually make and then eat lunch of the drive to work around 1:30...then eat dinner whenever I can at work...6-7pm...then usually pack a healthy snack and eat it on the way home...and sometimes if I am really under in cals I will make a small meal at home when I get there 1am or so....I am usually up until around 3am. I know everyone says don't eat at night...but for me I am UP at night not eating and going directly to bed...Honestly sometimes I do my workouts at 2am....Thoughts?

meshashesha2012

i've organized my food journal in a 24 hour period, so it's 6 times ranges that last for 4 hours

you can eat whenever. your body uses calories all 24 hours of an Earth day, not just before some arbitrary time

mikey6ft8

I start my day at midnight but I work 6 PM to 6AM. I cannot eat the calorie count I am supposed to. It stinks. But I am so losing weight! I love this app!

hlp423

Thats how i log. I work third shift so what i call my breakfast is actually my lunch break at 3am. I log 24 at a time. I also workout at 3am some days lol.

tami101

There's no problem with it at all. It's not like your body knows it's midnight and you must start over. I work overnights (9pm to 8am) for me the midnight to midnight works best but do whatever works best for you.

sfuller911

Mikey6ft8 night shift is the worst! If it wasn't for this app I don't know how many more peanut butter M and Ms we would have eaten @ my office @ 2am.

Ziggyzambo

I count my day from when I get up to when I go to sleep (which is usually 4 or 5 in the morning) - it just makes more sense to me than arbitrarily starting a new day at midnight. If you're doing this too you may want to change the time-zone MFP thinks you're in. I live in Eastern but switched MFP to Hawaii time, so it doesn't change days until 5am.

notnormallyacaloriecounter

i usually work nights so i eat breakfast around 10:30-12, i diary from when i wake up till just before i go to bed. so mine is roughly 17-19 hours. i don't see the problem doing it by 24 hours.

enewsome2

I am a per diem so I work *weird* hours. If I work a grave, I count my "lunch" as my "breakfast" for the next day. Since I will be sleeping most of the day and need the extra cals.
On regular days, I wake up around 11 or so as well and work evening shift as well. Then I usually count my 11 AM meal as "breakfast".

And then, some days, I work at 5 AM and that is breakfast.

It is all very confusing. So I just kind of simplify it and do what I want. As long as you are netting under cals for the week, you will lose weight.

kaymarie78

I count my day from when I get up to when I go to sleep (which is usually 4 or 5 in the morning) - it just makes more sense to me than arbitrarily starting a new day at midnight. If you're doing this too you may want to change the time-zone MFP thinks you're in. I live in Eastern but switched MFP to Hawaii time, so it doesn't change days until 5am.

Same here! I don't go to bed till 4-5am most of the time, so starting a new day at midnight just doesn't make sense for me.

jlm_getfit

You can do whatever you want! I have a 3 year old son that I take care of from 8:30am until I go to work at 3:30pm-12am several times a week, then I'm usually up til 1:30 or 2am. So my day is long and I definitely need a snack when I get home at 12:30. I count from wake up to sleep as a day.

militarydreams

For me a day contains 16 hours of awake time where I can eat and an 8 hour sleep. A new day starts whenever I have to wake up. I wouldn't get too hung up on it though, you should be more worried about weekly calories rather than daily... your body doesn't keep time in that way.

thisgirls_acowboy87

I start my day at midnight but I work 6 PM to 6AM. I cannot eat the calorie count I am supposed to. It stinks. But I am so losing weight! I love this app!

I'm in the same boat! It is hard to organize working mids!

lacroyx

I work 3rd shift. 11pm-7am. I track midnight to midnight

jessicae1aine

I figure mine at 24-hour intervals. What you consider breakfast doesn't have to be at traditional breakfast time. Do what works for you.

Jacole18

I work from 1:30pm-10pm so my day is turned upside down too....just eat in your "day" and what works for you

kaylasue_mustlose

you guys rock! feel free to add me!

chuckyp

I count wake-up to bedtime as a day, regardless of what time they occur.

AntWrig

I work from midnight to 8am. So when I wake up today around 3 or 4pm, I will use Monday's macro's and meal plan. Regardless time is a human concept and the body doesn't care.

htmlgirl

As long as you're consistent in the way you do it, it doesn't matter. Personally, I don't go by what's on the clock, I go by when I wake up and go to sleep. A new day starts when I wake up and ends when I go to sleep. You could do it however you want as long as you do it the same every day.

sphyxy

I work swing shift at my job in a hospital so I can go from mostly mornings one week to afternoons and third shift the next. I renamed the meals in my journal to First meal, second meal and third meal since I usually have 3 major meals. I also drink a lot of coffee so I have a second added just to drink snacks and then my regular snacks/midmeals. I love that there is the option to change the meal titles!

This has actually helped me log better since before I would try and figure out what I considered what I was eating. I also don't feel silly putting things like leftover vegan lasagna as breakfast when it says First Meal instead.