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Sometimes I am up for over 24 hours! Help!

poppycooo
Posts: 49 Member
Hi all!
Just a quickie.
I am on a 1200 calories per day plan..... And this is working fine most days.
However once a week I am awake for around 35 hours straight as I have to care for my twin girls all day then work a 12 hour shift as a midwife over night and then care for my girls again until 2 when my husband gets in (I know)
Do you think I should eat extra calories over night or try to stick to my plan of 1200 in a 24 hour period? I do try to run before my shift to earn some extra calories, but even these don't seem to cover my needs. If I stick to 1200 I feel sick and really cold and weak when I get home, but even when I eat more I am still just as hungry!
Any advice would be welcome and this is a regular Monday night/Tuesday morning issue, every week, so really need to work out what to do!
Just a quickie.
I am on a 1200 calories per day plan..... And this is working fine most days.
However once a week I am awake for around 35 hours straight as I have to care for my twin girls all day then work a 12 hour shift as a midwife over night and then care for my girls again until 2 when my husband gets in (I know)
Do you think I should eat extra calories over night or try to stick to my plan of 1200 in a 24 hour period? I do try to run before my shift to earn some extra calories, but even these don't seem to cover my needs. If I stick to 1200 I feel sick and really cold and weak when I get home, but even when I eat more I am still just as hungry!
Any advice would be welcome and this is a regular Monday night/Tuesday morning issue, every week, so really need to work out what to do!
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Replies
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BUT come September they'll be at school and I can sleep when I get in which will solve all my problems!0
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Yes, definitely eat more! And you should eat more on regular days too as obviously caring for young children means you are not going to be sedentary. I would eat at least 1400 regular days and closer to 2000 (or more) on your long days.0
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I am thinking you should be eating more than 1200 calories in a 24-hour period. Without knowing any of your stats, I can't help with any actual numbers.0
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I've not put myself down as sedentary I have put it as lightly active. And the. I add on my calories earnt through jogging. I run outdoors typically 3-4 times per week. I never have a problem eating my calories
even with the profile on lightly active it still comes out as 1200 calories. My current weight is 74kg and I have asked to lose 2lb per week.
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I've not put myself down as sedentary I have put it as lightly active. And the. I add on my calories earnt through jogging. I run outdoors typically 3-4 times per week. I never have a problem eating my calories
even with the profile on lightly active it still comes out as 1200 calories. My current weight is 74kg and I have asked to lose 2lb per week.
I would change to 1 lb per week + eat back exercise calories. This will likely help with your energy overall. If you are hungrier on those days you are up for a long time, then eat something. Even if you go a little over on those days, it is likely you are still maintaining a decent weekly deficit. Give it at least a month or two before reassessing.0 -
You are not that heavy and don't need to lose a lot. I would change your settings to lose 1 pound a week.
MFP is not always great at estimating losses. I manually changed my calories to be at 1800 cals a day (standing job, with no exercise currently) and if I eat up to 1800 cals it thinks I will lose maybe a pound in 5 weeks, when I actually usually lose a good pound a week, sometimes more.0 -
Thanks guys, Great help, I think I will stick to 1200 calories Wednesday-Sunday but on Mondays and Tuesday increase to say 1800-2000 calories and see how it goes
74kg may not sound heavy but I am only 1.6m tall and before I had my girls and before I started working nights to cover childcare I was 14kg lighter!0 -
Doesn't really matter that you think it's big, it's not. People that have 100 pounds to lose can go for bigger deficits/bigger losses per week, us smaller people with only 40-50 pounds have to take smaller losses. Especially since MFP thinks that people need so few cals to lose 2 pounds a week, when really most people tend to lose more weight/steadier weight when eating more cals.
I was 168 pounds (at 5'4) when I started and I still ate/eat 1500-2200 cals a day and am losing weight easily. I am currently 140 and have lost 28 pounds.
I just don't understand why people don't want to EAT!! I love food, I couldn't stand barely being able to crunch on a few baby carrots before I reached my calorie goal for the day!0 -
I really love food, and that's why I always find it a struggle, I'm a carb beast, always over on my carbs EVERY day but under on my fat (give and take!) haha!
Have decided Saturdays will be treat day where I have a sweet treat and not add it onto my daily total, not caring if I go 300-400 calories over for the day. Gotta stay same!0 -
Stay sane rather0
This discussion has been closed.
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