any night shifters out there?

victoriannsays

I'm starting a 12 hour nights position 3x weekly, one weekend day. I'm worried about this negatively effecting the good thing I have going right now. I'm terrified my eating is going to get all crazy and that I'm going to be too tired all the time to do my lifting and exercising.

My main question is: I will be getting out at 7am. Would I ..do my Lifting, eat, go to sleep. or wait until I wake in the afternoon?

I guess its all how I feel in that time. I just am curious about what has worked for others in my situation.

LoraF83

I don't work night shift, but my husband does. He stays on the night shift schedule all the time though - and does his lifting at night on his days off work.
However, I know some of his coworkers do their workout immediately after work. I would say do whatever works for you. Try both and see which makes you feel better and if either schedule impacts your sleep or not. You'll probably have to play around with it for awhile until you find what works best for you.
As far as your eating goes, my only suggestion would be to skip meal names and just go for time blocks. My husband's MFP is set up to say the following:

6am-9am (what he eats before he goes to bed for the day)
3pm-7pm (snacks after he wakes up)
7pm-11pm (usually dinner)
12am-6am (snacks overnight)

Obviously, some of the hours run into the next day, but this made the most sense for his schedule. And it keeps his calories in check.

victoriannsays

That's a great way to put it, thank you!

dave4d

I work rotating shifts 5 to 5. I like to workout when I first wake up, so I workout around 1 pm. My wife gets off around 2:30, so I spend 2:30 to 4 with her, then go to work. I plan my meals from midnight to midnight. It seems to make it easier to stay in my calorie range that way, since my first night I'm usually up for 18 to 20 hours, and my first day off, I may be up for around 10 hours.

I've worked this schedule for almost 20 years. While my sleep schedule gets screwed up, and I am tired all the time, it hasn't affected my weight loss. I usually eat better at work because I pre-plan all my work meals, and only eat what I bring.

Erica_theRedhead

I used to work night shifts, and as long as you can stay away from the take out snacking that your coworkers do on a regular basis, you should be fine in the diet department. I'd always bring a huge salad or grapes/fruit/hummus and pita so that I can snack all night but not kill my calories.

When geting off at 7am, I would eat a breakfast of protein and fats, usually yogurt, eggs, avocado, veggies, etc and go right to bed. I couldn't exercise right after work. I still can't work out after work while on day shift without a nap lol.

So after breakfast, I'd sleep 8-3ish, then have a light snack (usually simple carbs) and do whatever errands that I need to do first, then go work out. You can probably be done with this by 5ish, then I'd suggest eating your big meal right before work.

kar328

I work 7P-7A 3 nights a week, some three in a row like this weekend. I'm new to the working out part and still trying to tweak it. I'm currently doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD and am wondering if it's better to do it when I get home before I go to bed or when I wake up. I'm leaning towards when I go home, since for me, I'm more likely to do that. When I work, I get home a little before 8, eat a snack, watch some tv and go to bed around 9. I set the alarm for 4 PM if I'm working that night and 1 PM if I'm off that night. So, I think it's more about what you know will be easier for you. I can talk myself out of anything very easily so I think I'll do that workout as soon as I get home before I sink into the couch and have time to talk myself out of it.

As for the night shifts in general, I use midnight like MFP does, to start fresh with the calories. I changed the meals titles in the food diary to 12A-6A, 6A-12N, 12N-6P, 6P-12A. At work I usually eat at 1 AM so this works better for me.

victoriannsays

these are all great - thanks!

Icanhazsugarnow

Take it from a night owl. You eat the exact same way you would if you were sleeping during the day. Also exercise before you go to work. It's best to exercise before you eat anything.

dave4d

Take it from a night owl. You eat the exact same way you would if you were sleeping during the day. Also exercise before you go to work. It's best to exercise before you eat anything.

I usually wake up hungry, and my workout suffer if I have hunger pangs during my workout, so I will eat something light before my workout. If I eat too big of a meal, my workouts also suffer.

I just prefer working out before work because, no matter what, I get real tired at around 2 AM. If I workout after work, then I have a harder time getting to sleep. Working out before work usually helps with my energy while at work. It's what works for me, but others are different.

When I work days I also workout before work, which means I get up at 2:30 AM to get a workout in.