Tips for Night shift workers

hellonursejamie
hellonursejamie Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I currently have been shifted back to night shift 7pm-730am 3 nights a week. Last time this happened I found that i gained 25 pounds and had no sense of schedule etc. This time I want to stay focused and good on tracking. Anyone have any suggestions how they were able to successfully diet while working these crazy hours? I am a very active individual. I do several 70.3 ironmans, marathons etc a year but I think it is my nutrition that needs the most work. It is very frustrating because of the weight gain it has become harder to enjoy the long distance races I enjoy. Please help.

Replies

  • jenrn1970
    jenrn1970 Posts: 1
    I think Janet is on the right track by not eating between midnight and end of shift bc that's when your cortisol (? or some hormone that regulates metabolism) level is at it's lowest (i.e. you should be asleep) and therefore your ability to burn calories is at it's lowest despite running around. Janet is fortunate that she does charge so she's able to take a break that early. But as you know on the IMU, you rarely get to sit down except for frantic charting until after midnight. I like to get my patient's midnight stuff done around the 11 o'clock hour so they can get more sleep. So I'm not sure of a solution. Except for limiting calories even more than the allowable amount by fitness pal. Half the time I don't know what day I'm recording on?? Is it dinner yesterday, is it breakfast today?? It's so confusing. And also I have no ability to get any exercise in between shifts bc I'm completely toast when I get home and don't want to wake myself up by exercising, & I usually wake up not too long before it's time to get ready for work. It's a conundrum. I hope you get some answers here...

    Jenny
  • hellonursejamie
    hellonursejamie Posts: 4 Member
    I know what you mean. On my unit we do not get breaks until after midnight and honestly I am so hungry at that point. I think that I just eat my first meal when I wake up and call that breakfast. Lunch is before work and dinner is 1-2am. On my normal days I just treat it the same. I just pretend that it isn't the next day until I go to bed and wake up. i think that is the only way that I can keep sanity. I think the best way is to keep from grazing during nightshift. Potlucks are always the end of me but have been really good about avoiding those lately. I think whatever we are doing Jenny is working cause the scale is going down. So I guess we will stick with that. :smile:

    As for training on the days that we work I completly agree. I am so tired and I just plan workouts ahead of time and I know that I probably won't do much on the days that I work. If I do I will work out before my first shift and then take the next two days off. Because I have the marathon I am able to dig deep and force myself to get up and workout but man it is not easy and it takes every strand of will to make me do it. I always feel better after I am done. I just try and remind myself that as hard as it is to get up and do it, I know that I will regret it more if I don't. You are doing awesome. I think that it helps that we motivate each other.
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
    I work a regular shift, but I plan everything I'm going to eat ahead of time, and only if it fits in my lunch box. I REFUSE to eat anything out of the vending machines, and anything that isn't in my box. I log it into MFP ahead of time, so there are no surprises.

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