Wake up 3:45am and bed 10:30pm 6 days a week. How to deal?

pinkypr0mise
pinkypr0mise Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I get up at 3:45am usually 6 days a week for my job and work from 4:30-10 or 11:30 so since I'm up so long I've found it hard to lose my last 15 pounds. I have been in the same weight area since the end of April, when I started my new job. I don't know how to spread my limited calories throughout the day since I'm up for so long. I get 1300 right now, and make myself work out almost everyday just so I can have more food to eat. Lately I've been eating breakfast throughout the first half of my shift. I will usually have a container of 6 ounces of chobani, a banana, and a cup of coffee and an apple if I'm starving before I get off shift. Right after I will workout and go home and eat my lunch, shower, and make myself sleep for a few hours just so I don't mindlessly binge.

Anyone in a similar situation? How do you deal?

I won't reply tonight. I'm heading off to bed as soon as this posts. Any ideas will be appreciated. Any low calorie and yet extremely filling meals/foods etc I can try?

Replies

  • pet1127
    pet1127 Posts: 572 Member
    I also am up early like you are.

    I make sure I have protien with every meal and snack as it helps keep you fuller longer.

    I always always have baggies of veggies on me so that is I am truley hungry I will eat them.

    I would also sugest start going to bed 10 min earlier untill you are in bed at 930 you need to hit REM sleep for a :wink: certain amount of time to feel refreshed in the am. If you are sleep deprived your body will not function well and will hang onto those last few pounds.
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
    You need more sleep. Try getting 8 hours of sleep and see how that affects your weight.
  • atag2011
    atag2011 Posts: 45 Member
    I work a similar shift and have the same problem! I'm interested in hearing what others have to say.
  • twinteensmom
    twinteensmom Posts: 371 Member
    Oh boy, can I relate to you!! I get up at 2:30 AM to start work at 4:00AM five days a week with bedtime at 9:00PM. I have learned to break up my snacks during the day. Luckily, my breaks at work actually help. I will start my day with an apple as soon as I get to work. First break is usually around 6:00. I will eat a normal breakfast but I stick to things that will keep me filled up. Raisin Bran or oatmeal plus a little fruit. My second break is usually around 9:00AM and I have my lunch then. Tuna or a chef salad that I make myself and a banana. Just before I go home for the day, I have another snack, usually a granola bar or some trail mix. Plus, I force myself to drink a lot of water. When I get home, I will read e-mails and log onto MFP. I try to nap around 2:30 for a couple hours and then get up for dinner. Any exercise, whether it is walking, biking or working out is done in the evening. I try to have everything done by 8:00PM so I can relax and de-stress before bed. So far it is working for me.
    Add me as a friend, if you would like. Since our schedules are so similar, any advice you can give me would be appreciated. We can bounce ideas off each other, if you would like. Take care and good luck!
  • saratogaaileen
    saratogaaileen Posts: 11
    I'm up at 4.30 am and have a cereal bar and a coffee before work. When I finish at 11am I have breakfast, lunch at 12.30 (yes, I'm hungry again!) Dinner is between 4 & 5. I aim to be in bed by 9pm at THE LATEST, but some nights I'm done by 7.30 and so head to bed then. I usually hit the gym in the afternoon, but sometimes go late morning. I think you need to tweak until you find what works best for you. x


    And I drink LOADS of water all day long!
  • justjenn1977
    justjenn1977 Posts: 437 Member
    I have a similar problem... I work nights though... I get up at 430 pm and work 645pm-730(ish) am... I am generally home by 8-830am and in bed by 9 ish... I get roughly6- 7 hours sleep on work days... I find that the lack of sleep makes me very hungry and munchy... I like to carry fruit/veggies for snack at work... I also try to do stretches/body weight exercises on "breaks" (I am a nurse so I don't get many.... but at least once an hour I try to make it to the break room and do a couple lunges or dips or wall push ups...) I find that doing a stretch makes it easier for me to not snack...


    I also find that on off days I have to get 9 or 10 hours of sleep.... helps me feel much more energized... :)
  • bizorra
    bizorra Posts: 151 Member
    I'm in a similar boat! My weight has stalled since working 12hr shifts (3 days, 3 nights, 6 off). I snack a LOT, try to eat a lot of veggies and lean protein, and drink lots of water. I'm definitely more hungry when I don't sleep enough - I only get maybe 6hrs on work days - and on my days off it's like I just can't get enough sleep (upwards of 12 hours, gross, but necessary!)

    But, I haven't lost any weight since being on this shift (haven't gained any either, which I see as some sort of miracle to be honest)
  • mamaward64
    mamaward64 Posts: 143 Member
    I get up at 3am daily to commute and be to work by 6:30. I was having some of these same struggles. I talked to my nutritionist who said to have protien with every meal and snack and to eat it first. Drink as much water as you can to get 6 to 8 or more glasses a day. I just got this advice on Thursday and haven't had the opportunity to try it out yet at work. I am hoping this will help me drop and give me the energy I need to even exercise just 10 minutes a day. I get to bed anywhere from 7pm to 9pm in the hopes to get enough sleep but my body starts waking about 1:30. I t hen feel crabby and tired and I head for food I shouldn't be eating.
  • dia77
    dia77 Posts: 410 Member
    I am up at 4 am and work until 2 pm
    I always take a nap in the afternoon (3pm to 5 pm ) and I am in bed at 11pm.
    Works for me .
    You cannot replace sleep with anything. I tried and the damage to my body was ireversible. Get 7-8 h of sleep in 24 hours Make sure is quality sleep ( dark room . quiet ) and your sleep is deep. Avoid alcohol before bed . It doesn't help.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    I can pretty much guarantee you need to eat more. 1,300 is rather low for most people, and the closer you get to goal weight, the harder is to lose, and the less aggressively you should go at it. Set yourself up for .5 lb loss per week and eat more.
  • DorothyLowry
    DorothyLowry Posts: 7 Member
    I just started a job where I am up at 4am to be to work by 4:45am. I get off at 1:00pm. I eat a small breakfast before leaving the house - offer a rice cake with almond butter and some fruit. I take 2 meals and a snack to work and try to eat bout every 3 hours. Most of the food I take would be considered breakfast food - yogurt and fruit, hard boiled eggs and a few triscuits. For a snack, I will take extra fruit or a Lara bar. Notice that each of the meals contains protein, some carbs and some fat. All three work together to help keep me going. I have a salad for lunch when I get home, a. I'd afternoon snack and then dinner around 4 or 5 depending on the kids schedule for the evening. I try to be in bed by 9:30 at the latest.
  • MogwaisGrandma
    MogwaisGrandma Posts: 195 Member
    I wake at about 3.30am most days. Try and stay in bed for 4.30 and then up and dressed to get to work at 6am.

    I have a horrible problem having breakfast as not hungry in the mornings but if I do not have it before I leave then I will not get a chance to eat properly until 11am. I then work any time up to 2pm - 7pm (without a chance to eat), not getting home till between 4-8pm.

    My work schedule is ridiculous too and it plays havoc at eating at times that stops me from getting ravenous. Add into that that I teach young children to swim on some afternoons, plowing up and down in the water with them for hours on end my diet fails are always in the evening.

    I took my lunch in a snack box to eat while I was getting changed from working in the pool today and it has worked as I have been able to come home and not pig out.

    I think I am just going to make my meals up and even if I have to eat them in the changing room to fit them in at a decent time, I will.

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