Back to mfp and looking for friends

evereves

Hi everyone!

I'm currently trying to juggle work-life balance and I'm keen to connect with others who for whatever reason have trouble with this - whether it's caring for a child or someone else, just something in your life that requires a lot of your time and takes attention away from your own health and wellbeing.

I work shift work with day/evening/nights and often long shifts up to 14 hours where it's way too easy to grab a biscuit, chocolate or some other snack food, or alternatively too busy and end up missing meals (and end up eating rubbish because I need something quick). I find when I get home I'm too tired to even want to go exercise.

I've made it my goal to make sure I eat a nutritious 3 meals a day, plus or minus a healthy snack if I'm hungry. I don't mind having a small portion of "naughty" foods as long as I remain below my calorie limit.

It is also my goal to have some sort of exercise of at least 30 minutes, at least 3 times per week.

Would love to meet people that have advice for trying to meet these challenges, and just want to motivate each other to stay and live healthy!

brander77

hey man,

I am new here as well and am in a similar situation, I work long hours at a restaurant and those free restaurant meals have been killing me. I am rededicating myself to living healthy. Although i do have a long way to go. The hardest thing for me is finding time to cook healthy meals... but i always find time to watch tv and relax after work. Nice to meet you and the best of luck to you

Maddius

Hi there and welcome. I'm only a recent MFP adoptee myself.

Please don't allow you working shifts to stop you in your goals. Shift work as we all know isn't great for a lot of reasons and it's negative impact on health and it's maintenance is one that figures highly.

I know where you're at, as I used to be a paramedic working rotating shifts, inclusive of the dreaded 14 hour night shifts. Over the years the need for quick, easy fixes for food figured highly and over the years the weight stacked on. It was then while still working as a paramedic, that I decided to change and change I did, dropping 20 kgs over 3 months.

How did I do it, I employed the same strategy as I'm employing this time around and it's called Discipline.

I fell over after leaving the job to take a sedentary desk job to be with a Gorgeous lady who was and is a Fantastic cook, hence the weight came back. This time around though the difference for me is I'm marrying the Discipline to include Lifelong Persistance. I'm happy to say my lady is also joining me in our present weight loss and fitness add journey.

Working shifts IS difficult, but it's also manageable. All you have to do is pre plan and pre package, take your meal with you, take your snacks with you, just make sure they're healthy varieties. Drink Lots of water. DON'T succumb to easy options like take away or whatever you can get. Your weight won't change, unless You do. When I was still working as a paramedic and losing weight, I used to do 30 minutes to an hour in the gym at the end of my shifts, be they night or day. Just to get them out of the way.

We're ALL time poor, I work way more hours these days than I ever did as a paramedic, you just have to schedule your health in as Important.

Go for it and best of luck.

evereves

Hi Maddius, thanks for your great reply. I agree - discipline/just do it!

I totally agree that we are all time poor. I really appreciate your advice re: pre-packing meals etc.

The drink lots of water is a fantastic bit of advice too, I find myself ending a shift quite dehydrated.