Working overnights for a month!

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jvhall83
jvhall83 Posts: 35
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all

I am having a job change where i transition tonight from working nights 2:30 - 11pm to 11pm - 7:30am. Can anyone offer advice on my having to change how i count calories? Should I count when i wake up before i go to work and i eat something and then stop counting when i go to bed the next day? How can I change up my eating as well? Anyone who has any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks

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  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    I would count a day as you described - from when you get up until you go to sleep.

    No real advice, but good luck! I worked overnights for a while - my biggest issue was getting enough sleep! I wasn't on MFP at the time so logging food wasn't anything I had to deal with.
  • jvhall83
    jvhall83 Posts: 35
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    Thanks. That it what i was thinking as well. It will only be for a month but of course its changing how I do everything. I appreciate it.
  • g4genn
    g4genn Posts: 58 Member
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    When I worked nights, I found keeping up my life as f it was still normal jut shifted by 12 hours.

    On off days, I would sleep 4 hours after my last shift then wake up (around 12:30) until 8pm go to bed and get up at 7 am the next morning. If you can't sleep, keep melatonin on hand.
  • FMHAMBY445
    FMHAMBY445 Posts: 4
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    I also work nights, 12 hr rotating shifts. When you awake in the PM and eat, enter your foods, at midnite it defaults back to your given calorie intake, you're starting over. I go from midnite to midnite on entering my foods, when I hit my given amount, I quit and wait til midnite if I want something else to eat. Hard to do when you're sleeping days.
  • Alyexxa
    Alyexxa Posts: 8 Member
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    The biggest thing is to remember to get your 3 square meals in, everyday. It is hard since you likely do not work 7 days a week so there will be days when you need to make the "turn around."
    When I worked midnights, I would have my meals in reverse...I would eat dinner at about 6pm, have a lunch around 10pm, and breakfast at 3am. A small snack on my drive home and then straight to bed.

    On my turn around days, I would still eat my breakfast at 3am, but then I would eat breakfast again at 7am, lunch at noon, and then dinner with my family at 5pm. I would then go to bed at a regular time and repeat a normal day for the next day.

    Hope this helps...good luck :wink:
  • jvhall83
    jvhall83 Posts: 35
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    Thank you all for the advice. I really appreciate it. I think that I'll try the midnight to midnight approach as when I get off work, i'll more than likely work out before I go to bed roughly around noon. Then ill wake up between 7 and 8 and have something then before i go to work, then start over while im here. Gotta love changes! Again, thanks everyone.
  • MerBear1985
    MerBear1985 Posts: 131
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    I agree with the midnight to midnight thing. I work 12 hour rotating shifts and I have my tracker split up into times instead of meals:

    Midnight-4am
    4am-8am
    8am-Noon
    Noon-4pm
    4pm-8pm
    8pm-Midnight

    This works for me because I never have to remember when to start and stop counting. Plus the tracker resets at midnight anyway.
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member
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    I agree with the midnight to midnight thing. I work 12 hour rotating shifts and I have my tracker split up into times instead of meals:

    Midnight-4am
    4am-8am
    8am-Noon
    Noon-4pm
    4pm-8pm
    8pm-Midnight

    This works for me because I never have to remember when to start and stop counting. Plus the tracker resets at midnight anyway.


    this...

    I only work nights... 12 hr shifts 3 days a week... and if I count like this then on my non-work days I don't have to figure out what goes where...
  • BrookeOB777
    BrookeOB777 Posts: 28 Member
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    This summer I worked overnight 3 nights a week (7pm-7am). Usually I counted the things I ate "overnight" on the previous day. However, if I went over on calories for that day I would sometimes count it as breakfast for the next day.
  • lucy2fat
    lucy2fat Posts: 40
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    hi i've worked nights for 23yrs i've been doing this program for 40 days i count my day from Mn to Mn that works for me one mans breakfast is a nothers mans dinner i work 7p to 7a
  • asystolern
    asystolern Posts: 21 Member
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    ive been on nights for about 2 months now. ive found that going midnight to midnight works best for me. it helps to keep me consistent on my days off also. i do like the idea of splitting it up into 4hr increments though! i think im going to change mine to that. it will help to identify the "problem times". good luck!!
  • jvhall83
    jvhall83 Posts: 35
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    thank you all for the information. Yes i believe the midnight to midnight will work better for me and will be the less complicated option as well. Its only for a month at the moment, may go longer im not sure but im happy that im not letting this change cause me to sink back into old habits. Thanks again

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