Any advice from other shift workers?

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circesfire
circesfire Posts: 33
in Introduce Yourself
First off, a little about me. I'm 29 years old, 5-9 and weigh 170 lbs. I have had issues with my weight my whole life and have always thought of myself as being fat. When I was in 8th grade I tipped the scale at close to 220 lbs and through diet and exercise got down to 142 lbs. However, I wasn't eating sustainably and slowly the weight came creeping back on. By the time I finished college I weighed 168 lbs. Then I met the love of my life and started a new job which involved mostly sitting (I had always been very active before). So fast toward 4 years and between eating out all the time and feeding myself the same portions as my boyfriend I was up to 195 lbs. I started making better choices and became more active doing chores around the house and very slowly got down to 170 lbs over a year. However, now my weight loss is stalling, so I've turned to MFP for help.

My diary is open; I know my diet could use a lot of improvement but I am starting to slowly turn it around. My biggest obstacle is trying to fit in time to exercise. I just started exercising again and have been doing a combination of JM 30 day shred and 30 min on the elliptical. I work rotating shift work where we work a week of nights followed by a week of days. The shifts are pretty long 12.5 hours and with commuting time I am away from the house for 15 hours on the days that I work. Factor in time to get my meals ready and get ready for work and it is impossible to sleep for 8 hours. I come home from work so tired a lot of the time I don't want to eat let alone work out. I have been working out on my days off, so either 3 or 4 days in a row and using work days as rest days, but it's gets hard to get a good workout in on days 3 and 4 because I'm pretty sore from the previous days. I'd love to hear any advice or get support from someone that's been in a similar situation.

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  • circesfire
    circesfire Posts: 33
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  • foraubs
    foraubs Posts: 263 Member
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    Hi.
    I just wanted to let you know that it is possible.
    I am a 12hr continental shift worker, rotating days and nights .. one week I work 2 12s, and the next I work 5 12s. It's grueling, but it is possible! I also have a 15 month old at home that requires a lot of my attention. My days are 13.5 hours long after the commute.
    On the days that I am off, I do 30DS (28 mins or so), a P90X workout (50-90 mins) and try to get 20 minutes in on the bike. I do everything from home - I don't go to the gym. I am looking forward to the nicer weather to get out and run again. On the days that I work, I try for 30 minutes on the bike.
    I eat healthily, prepare my own meals (most of the time) and have also felt like throwing in the towel.
    I don't kill myself if I am too exhausted or overworked. I simply try harder the next day.

    I am 5'5 and 159lbs. I am a month shy of 28 years old.

    I was 225lbs in December 2011 when I was 9 months pregnant.
    I was 198lbs in February 2012 when I joined MFP.

    I am down 65lbs and over 65" overall.

    I hope you find a schedule that works for you. I have my diary set up in hourly increments:
    0601-1000
    1001-1400
    1401-1800
    1801-2200
    2201-0200
    0201-0600
    This is so I can track my calories the same way regardless of which shift I am working, and when I am off.

    Best wishes!
  • 1fitwong
    1fitwong Posts: 34 Member
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    I don't work long shifts but an early shift then have my little one the rest of the day.Believe in the power of rest, sleep and meal planning on your workdays. You might try more activity and less intensity if you're too sore to workout the full 4 days your off. That is longer, less intense exercise over the course of the 4 days instead of 2 short, fast workouts. The 26 minutes of 30D Shred leaves me exhausted sometimes but 1.5hrs of walking/running with intervals and I'm not sore, I burn calories and I feel energized plus I can't wait to do it again. Then staying active throughout your off days whether its cleaning, laundry, errands and walks can add to your activity level too.
  • circesfire
    circesfire Posts: 33
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    Thank you both for the tips. It's great to know that others are being successful on shift work, as it certainly provides some challenges. I will try not to get so down on myself for not working out on the days I am at work and try to get more exercise in on the days I'm off. I'm typically very active cleaning the house and running errands even when I'm not working out - usually walk about 5-7 miles on my days and 3-4 miles on my days at work.

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