I work night shifts...unsure on how to score calories..

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Kristina661
Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I work 6pm to 6am shifts. I usually wake up around 2pm whether working or not and have my "breakfast" by 330...snack at 7 and so forth every 3 hours or so. So I do not need to jam 1200 calories in by midnight right? Can I log everything I eat from waking to sleeping even though its 2 days technically into one day log?

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  • emmalousmom1
    emmalousmom1 Posts: 121 Member
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    I work nights all the time, my new day starts at 12 midnight, and log for the 24hours, I eat day and night, just keep within my calories:)
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    I work nights as well and do the same as emmalousmom1.
  • Kristina661
    Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
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    So is it ineffective to log from wake to sleep? Its just like a normal day just reveresed.. Seems like youd lose eating hours that way while sleeping?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    It's not ineffective. It's a matter of preference. I also work backshift, I log from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed as one day. I've had no issues. Your body doesn't go by the clock, it's more of an average of calories.
    I work 2 days, 2 nights then 4 off. On the day I work my first backshift, I often log more calories because I am up early, eat, workout, maybe eat again, nap, then go to work for 7pm. I log all of that until I go to sleep the next morning. So on that day I might be over. But on my first day off, I'm often under because I sleep late and don't eat as many meals.
    Just be consistent whichever way you pick.
  • Kristina661
    Kristina661 Posts: 32 Member
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    that sounds about right. cool thanks :)
  • Snooozie
    Snooozie Posts: 3,447 Member
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    I work 3 different shifts in rotation (days, evenings, midnights) and on nites I have found for me it's sometimes easiest just to log from wake up to bedtime under one meal... especially on changeover days my diary is just one big list of food under breakfast for the whole day LOL.. because I tend to sleep for a few hours, get up and do stuff including eating.. then go back to bed for a few hours, repeat as necessary.. my MFP's all know my diary weirds out now and then because of it so I don't get comments about a 1400 cal breakfast anymore :laugh:
  • betheaft3r
    betheaft3r Posts: 9 Member
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    When I worked Graves I would Log all my calories on the day of the week I wake up. Because those are your regular hours, it will all work out. Like wake up a 2pm on Monday and log everything until you go to bed on Tuesday, on Mondays log. Good luck!
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
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    midnight to midnight is the easiest in my experience.
  • skankamaggot
    skankamaggot Posts: 146 Member
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    I used to work nights, and you really have to decide to log your days as midnight to midnight, or sleep to sleep, and stick with it that way every single day (even non-work days).
  • brilynn79
    brilynn79 Posts: 86 Member
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    I log from sleep to sleep. I have a co-worker that does WW and she keeps normal logging hours, but cracks me up when she is starving and waits until midnight when her points magically appear again.
  • ladyrider55
    ladyrider55 Posts: 316 Member
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    3rd shifter for 8 years. Set up your meals that works best for you. Seems each of us has a different way of doing it :wink:
  • baoneill29
    baoneill29 Posts: 138 Member
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    I worked a rotating shift for over 8 years. Eating healthy was the worst for me back then, hats of to all of you who are able to do this AND lose weight!

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