shift work and weight loss...ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE

jenluvspancho

Hi all who read this... Here is my delima ( any and all advice would be very appreciated)
I am currently working 2 jobs and it is shift work. Two days a week I work graveyards there fore it is really hard to get on a schedule of when to eat. I do not want to eat right before bed or wake up just to eat so what should I do. Also since I go into work one day and when I get off it is 7 am the next how do I even track my food I am eating my "lunch" when most others are peacefully sleeping. If I worked everyday graveyards it would not be so difficult because I would just flip my schedule around as if 7 pm was 7 am and vice versa. So here is my schedule so maybe someone will be able to give me some advice
mon 11p-7a
tue 11p-7a
wed off
thur7a-3p
friday 11a-11p
saturday 9a-11p
sunday 9a-3p
also one of the girls that I work with on Mondays would like for me to take over her after noon shift on mondays... I haven't decided if I am going to or not but that would make mondays 3p-7a(16 Hours)
PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE AT ALL I WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT ... I AM AT A COMPLETE LOSS

RaineyLaney

Hi, I have an open food diary.. so take a look, I put the times I sleep, and eat in my notes along with the hours I work.

I work Mon 11pm to 7am
Tue 11pm to 7am
Wed 11pm to 7am
Thur 11pm to 7am
Fri off work (but just got home at 7am from thurdays shift)
Sat. off work
Sunday 10:30am to 7pm (complete switch on shift)

I eat 3 main meals and 3 snacks a day. So take a look at my food diary, you can add me as a friend too if you like.

tigersword

When you eat makes no difference. Just keep track of your calories, stick to your goals, and don't worry so much about the "when." I work overnights, and I usually eat when I get home until I go to sleep, and then eat again when I wake up before going to work, and occasionally eat at work.

GrannyGwen1

PLEASE BE GOOD TO YOUR SELF AND TAKE SOME "ME" TIME! GG

ArroganceInStep

I believe it is more difficult for folks on shift work to lose weight precisely because of what you're talking about. Scheduling can be a huge pita.

I've never worked shifts like that (except for a short stint in college and I wasn't worried about diet then), so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Plan out your ENTIRE week ahead of time, and look at calorie allotments and macro targets in terms of your weekly totals rather than your daily targets. This will make some things easier, like you'd be able to cook in bulk to cover some of your meals during the week, and then bring a sack lunch or whatever. This is far and away the most difficult part, and will take some getting used to, but if you can do it effectively and can adjust your weekly goals to fit you you will see success.

The second thing is the part that's a bit more difficult. For adherence, many people find that a consistent schedule helps them stay on their diet. If they eat at the same time they get used to it. This is MUCH harder in your case, but is something to keep in mind. If you can get yourself onto some kind of schedule that works for you and that you can get used to with your working hours, you might find it easier to stick with it.

Good luck.

nurseceejai

I work totally night shift so many days i eat during day and others at night. I have set up y meal plans as 6 snacks and try not to go more than 3 hours without eating something and i do 6 mini meals rather than large meals. Hope this helps

missourinurse

Take time and go to IIFYM.com. Read everything there. You don't have to worry about when to eat. The bodybuilders know that you only have to eat a certain amount each day. They count only proteins, fats and carbs for their day. I work night shift and day shift and I see how beneficial this way of eating is. If you need some assistance let me know. I am learning but have the help of sons who are doing great. I have to try what they are doing after seeing their results. My husband and I started together. There are alot of weight loss myths. This site (IIFYM) is a good one as well as Livestrong.com and Bodybuilders.com.

keltee15

I work swing shifts too, each week different shift and one week i work all 3 shifts. My 2nd shift week is the worst. I end up not eating dinner. I end up with power bars at work for my dinner, Day and last shifts i eat my dinner at the regular times, and again I snack on protein bars at work. I always eat a big breakfast which helps me the rest of the day. even if i work last i never go to sleep when i get home. I stay up most of the morning then eat breakfast, skip my lunch then have my dinner before work

Charli4fun

I switch shifts every two weeks, days, nights, graveyard. When I am on third shift, 11:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. I have the most difficulty logging my food, because my Thursday is already over when everyone else's is beginning. I have also noticed I eat more sweets and carbs on that shift, part I am sure is the extreme switch in sleep hours. I also have more difficulty timing my workouts, etc. But I still should be fine doing a 24 hour calorie count, correct?

Charli4fun

Does anyone else get strange food addictions? Like for the last two weeks it's been homemade tuna patties and green beans or broccoli to almost the exclusion of all else. Not sure why that combination seems to strike my fancy, but the calorie hit is super low, even if you throw in some whipped butter. Dark green vegetables and salads also seem to eliminate my sometimes almost uncontrollable it seems sugar cravings. Anyone know why or is it just me?