midnight shifts

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bdunt2646
bdunt2646 Posts: 99 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
anyone else out there have a crazy work schedule...
it makes it so difficult to track what meal is what, if i went by times, sometimes my dinner should be considered breakfast!!!

does it REALLY matter when it gets logged, as long as i log it down nd keep track of everything!??

Replies

  • ThumperWabbt
    ThumperWabbt Posts: 82 Member
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    I think as long as you get everything you ate logged in a 24 hour period, it's fine. The Spouse Thingy works nights, and his dinner is everyone else's breakfast...he just logs whatever he had before he goes to bed as breakfast, lunch is my dinner, and he has his dinner at work.
  • bdunt2646
    bdunt2646 Posts: 99 Member
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    ive just kinda been placing things where they "should" be i guess...whatever i eat in a 24hr period is logged...just not usually in the "correct" order
  • susiejos
    susiejos Posts: 3 Member
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    I don't think it matters where you write it as long as everything gets written down and you are watching what you eat, that's the most important thing. Good luck with the shifts
  • smittenkitten4
    smittenkitten4 Posts: 41
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    I work 7 pm to 7 am most of the time, and I log what I eat before going to bed as breakfast, lunch is around 4 pm, and dinner is usually between 10 and 11, but I always make sure I'm done eating by midnight. Anything I eat after midnight goes on the next day.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    I work nights too. Meal timing, order etc etc doesn't matter. If you want "breakfast" at 2am, then have it. I track midnight to midnight. I don't stress about having lunch or dinner at certain times. I concentrate more on reaching calorie goals and macros.
  • misskittyfantastico1991
    misskittyfantastico1991 Posts: 145
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    You can actually turn off the meal settings if you feel like it's effecting how you think abouy eating but I'd suggest just logging breakfast as your first meal each 24 hr period
  • Denver_Girl
    Denver_Girl Posts: 3 Member
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    Before I started MFP, I tried calorie counting on my own. When I worked night shifts, a typical day would be: light breakfast at 8:00 a.m., sleep 6-7 hours, light breakfast again at around 4:00 p.m., then lunch at 6:00 p.m., and dinner and snacks during my night shifts (7:00 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.). I think I just counted everything before midnight as one day, and everything after midnight for the next day. As long as you eat around the same time every shift at work, that might work for you.
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 632 Member
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    I would log chronologically but not bother whether the labels are true - you could in fact change the labels to time interval if you really wanted (say midnight-4am, 4am - 8am, 8am- 12pm, 12pm-4pm, 4pm-8pm, 8pm-midnight).

    The reason I would log chronologically is to find patterns easier i.e. hm.. when i have a cheese sandwich around 10pm I usually have chocolate around 1, but if I have some pasta I almost never snack.

    In principle I agree with as long as you log everything it doesn't matter where/when!
  • BelindaDuvessa
    BelindaDuvessa Posts: 1,014 Member
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    I go by the actual time. I log everything that I have from 0000-0600, 0600-1200, 1200-1800, 1800-0000. Since I switch from days to nights every 2 months, this has really cut down on the confusion for me. Since I switched, I have successfully logged in for 65 days in a row and tracked meals for almost 2 months straight. It really helped. As you can see from the replies, everyone is different. Find a system that works for you. It might take some experimenting, but you can do it!
  • jlburns2005
    jlburns2005 Posts: 331 Member
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    I just mark it in my order. When i wake usually around 3pm i have breakfast. Lunch at around 8pm then i have dinner at work when ever i can fit it usually between 1 and 5 but i dont like to eat after 5 since i go home and go right to bed at 8. It all goes under the date it was when i woke up. Like im still adding for 10/20 now
  • axialmeow
    axialmeow Posts: 382 Member
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    Yes! I work 9pm to 8am. My "breakfast" is usually at 4pm
  • bettyd74
    bettyd74 Posts: 3 Member
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    I work overnights, and my fitness instructor/nutritionist says to cut out carbs before bed, and just do protein to help regulate blood sugar level. I try to do egg whites and veggies, and try to eat within the1st hour of waking up. All meals must contain some form or protein.
  • bdunt2646
    bdunt2646 Posts: 99 Member
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    thanks for your input guys :) and for the advice on switching the labels to times...i think i might just have to do that lol... seems like it may work better for this crazy schedule...

    no carbs before bed!!! ill def have to remember that!!!


    btw...anyone can feel free to add me!!! i love to hear any kind of feedback on my journals etc...and ill do the same!
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I work rotating shifts, so some days my first meal is in the morning, when I wake up, some days it is logged as my last meal before going to bed. I go midnight to midnight for my days. I label my meals meal 1 to meal 6. That way I keep my calories consistent. If I did it any other way, my first night shift, I would be over calories, and my first day back to a normal sleep schedule, I would be under calories.
  • elebel82
    elebel82 Posts: 69 Member
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    I work rapid rotation shift work,2x7am-7pm and 2x7pm-7am shifts each week. I log things as from when I get up until I go to bed, because that works for me (and bonus for me when I come off night shift, have breakfast at 2pm, and about 1100 calories to play with for dinner like tonight), but I think it's about finding what's least confusing for you. It really doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you log it all, no matter what it's going to be the same calorie deficit for the week.
  • suzetters
    suzetters Posts: 25 Member
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    Same issue working nights. I just make sure to log everything. Midnight to midnight is one day. It would probably help to change the labels to time intervals instead.

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