Setting up odd hours/schedule

kvalmera

I am trying to set up my daily food schedule and I work odd hours. I work either 5p-2a or 7p-4a so my eating schedules are not the norm. I usually eat my first meal of the day around 1-3pm after i wake up. I eat my "lunch" around 9-11pm at work and then I sometimes eat something small when I get home at 2 or 4am.

This makes logging hard because my lunch is right before the end of the day on here. You can check to see how I have it set up on here but I would love some idea's on other ways to set it up if possible.

BTW, I am on a low carb plan and in induction. I've seen the way this lifestyle of eating is bashed on this site so please no LOW CARB HATERS. Please keep the comments relative to my question. Thanks!!

myfitnessval

your body knows no difference between 12am and 4pm so i would say just log as you go and go by a weekly calorie goal because it should all even out at the end as long as you are staying consistent (as much as you can) with eating. I have odd days too (not as odd as yours but some days my days start at 345am and dont end until 2am) so i eat like 4 or 5 meals that day and it seems to even out by the end of the week. you could try relabeling your meals as meal 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. and making notes of the actual times of your meals (which is what i do in my notes)

bamachyck3

Have you thought about having it listed as Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner and having a time frame in parentheses? Good luck with the low carb thing. My husband does that off and on and it really works for him.

If you want the 24 hrs to line up with when you get up, you could change your time zone. Just a suggestion.

Pebble321

I have my diary set up by hours rather than by meals - so I enter food in the time frame where I eat it, because it got too hard do decide if something was breakfast or a snack etc.
Working your hours, I think you just need to decide whether you want to call each "day" from sleep to sleep or whether you want to stick with 12am - 12am. It really doesn't matter, you just need to pick something that sounds good to you and stick to it.

PS. Not sure why you needed the low carb disclaimer.... I don't have the need or the desire to eat that way but I don't care what anyone else does!

Nixenne

This would be kind of a wonky way to do it, but if you really wanted to have all your "daily" food logged together...could you just set MFP to a different timezone? Or, if it's possible to plan what you're going to have for your last meal...just enter it in early? I don't work night shifts anymore but my body still prefers that schedule, so my last meal of the day often falls after midnight, and that's what I do.

As for low carb, I'm on a ketogenic/very low-carb diet myself...and though the general MFP population isn't very accepting of that, there are a few active groups here if you'd like some extra support. The Reddit Keto, Keto, and Low Carber Daily Forum groups are all pretty awesome. Feel free to add me as a friend too, if you'd like another low-carb buddy.

thisisjl

If you look at my schedule I do not go by the 12-12 schedule they ahve here. I go by a 7am-7am schedule since I work 11-7. Makes it easier to not have to cut my day up for logging. When I leave work it's a new day this week has been bad for snacking after work but usually I either have somethign small before going to bed or I don't eat anything at all.

The only problem with doing it my way is that it doesn't post on my wall that I completed my diary since I complete it duringthe next day. Unless you prelog before midnight what you'll plan on eatting and complete it and then make changes as necessary.

Railr0aderTony

If you look at my schedule I do not go by the 12-12 schedule they ahve here. I go by a 7am-7am schedule since I work 11-7. Makes it easier to not have to cut my day up for logging. When I leave work it's a new day this week has been bad for snacking after work but usually I either have somethign small before going to bed or I don't eat anything at all.

This^^^^^^^^ , I work a swing shift and when I am on nights, I log from 7-7, works the best for me.

kvalmera

Great ideas, thanks!!! I like the idea of prelogging my after hours snacks, that way I will stick to what's logged and not be tempted.