tracking food on night shift??

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danapenguin
danapenguin Posts: 161
in Health and Weight Loss
So I was wondering how everyone working night shift tracks their food intake on here?? I track mine backwards, since I eat backworks (dinner when I wake up at 4/5pm, Lunch at 11pm or 1am, and the breakfest at 5/6am). Is this right?? Also, how do you squeeze in time to workout on the days you workout. I usualy workout on the days I am off (monday, tuesday, wednesday, and sunday) and take a break on the nights I work. Is this effective?? What is your advice?

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  • FittyFitFitFit
    FittyFitFitFit Posts: 25
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    Yay another night shifter! I have found it pretty tough with exercising / tracking, etc doing 12 hour shifts including nights. Yea, I tend to do like you and just track in reverse. From the time I wake to the time I sleep I consider one day - it gets a bit muddly though on the first day off! As for exercise.... woah it is tough! I had been working out on my days off but felt like it wasn't enough / too much resting in between. Have actually just started Insanity (week three) so am forcing myself to just get up and do it. Even though I get pretty tired I'm enjoying the Insanity and have so far managed to do all the workouts.

    Sorry I don't have a food diary or anything 'cause I've just been tracking and exercising on my own for the last 12 months or so - really just use MFP 'cause I like reading the forums! :)

    Good luck - oh and do you find you absolutely crave sugary stuff on your last shift/s??? It sucks, have to really use all my willpower not to shovel chocolate and sweets in my gob!
  • BabySparkles81
    BabySparkles81 Posts: 7
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    Its just the same way as you wake up. So don't do it backwards do it like you would normally do. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. Start from the next day though or it would mess up your calorie intake
  • danapenguin
    danapenguin Posts: 161
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    i do tend to want something sweet too! but i have found a way to kick that craving! I get those crystal light flavor packets (rasberry lemonade is the best) and those kick the sweetness craving as well as the fiber one 90calorie brownies and other snack bar related items like the atkin's bars and special k bars. also the atkin's shakes are great!! if that isn't in my budget though, i get yogurt cups at work in the cafeteria and that usualy helps as well. =)
  • Froody2
    Froody2 Posts: 338 Member
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    I try to keep to as normal a routine as possible. Breakfast when I get home, sleep and then lunch when I wake up at about 3pm, dinner after I've been at work for a few hours which is usually at around 8-9pm. Works for me.

    As for exercise, I find it impossible to get to the gym on night shifts, so lately I've been riding my bike to work. It's about 20mins either way so that's 40mins per day - better than nothing.

    If what you're doing is working for you, then yes, you're doing it the right way. It's all about sustainable lifestyle change and finding what works for you.





    ..
  • danapenguin
    danapenguin Posts: 161
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    soon I will be able to ride my bike to work as well. I could now, but traffic worries me. We are moving closer to where i work at the end of the month so I can ride my bike then.

    I literally just ran in place for 4mins and did some jumping jacks ;) my nurse thought i was nuts!
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
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    I track from the time I get up til the time I go to bed, just like I would if I worked 8am to 5pm. I also exercise before work, lucky me I have a gym and locker room where I work so I work out, shower and then it's a walk around the corner to start working. I know a lot of people who work night shift that log from midnight to midnight as that's what works for them. It's about figuring out what works for you and sticking with it. Don't put too much thought into it though, that will just drive you nuts.
  • silverlining84
    silverlining84 Posts: 330 Member
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    When i'm working night shift I track my food as i normally would, sometimes it's a bit skewed because most of my calories will be in the later portion of the day. For exercise when i'm working a dayshift i'll go to a gym that's just around the corner. I manage to get in a quick 45 min workout. On nightshifts I sleep during my lunch break in our "nap room" and then head to the gym after shift.
  • danapenguin
    danapenguin Posts: 161
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    When i'm working night shift I track my food as i normally would, sometimes it's a bit skewed because most of my calories will be in the later portion of the day. For exercise when i'm working a dayshift i'll go to a gym that's just around the corner. I manage to get in a quick 45 min workout. On nightshifts I sleep during my lunch break in our "nap room" and then head to the gym after shift.

    you guys have a "nap room"?! wow, that must be awesome! I work in a hospital and there is no napping here! We don't have a gym either but I do have one at my apartment that I use on my days off. I am thinking about trying to get up a bit earlier to get in at least 30mins of cardio but I'm not sure how that would effect my overall sleepiness during the shift =\
    I think I am going to try to track like I normally would because I was looking at my tracking from previous nights and its confusing just looking at it! So I sat my times differently as well to help me keep track.
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
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    I find it hard when I'm on night shifts. I have dinner around 5pm (have to leave the house at 6pm ish) and get home 9:30-10am when I just jump into bed. I'll then be up anytime from 1pm to 3pm if I have another night shift, so there isn't much eating time. I tend to snack till dinner, then snack at work :(
  • jdad1
    jdad1 Posts: 1,899 Member
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    When i'm working night shift I track my food as i normally would, sometimes it's a bit skewed because most of my calories will be in the later portion of the day. For exercise when i'm working a dayshift i'll go to a gym that's just around the corner. I manage to get in a quick 45 min workout. On nightshifts I sleep during my lunch break in our "nap room" and then head to the gym after shift.

    You have a frickin nap room.............I want one of those.............grrrrrrrr
  • erinleigh76
    erinleigh76 Posts: 62
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    I'm just jumping back in today with MFP after time off but I'm a night shift worker too 11pm-7am 6 days a week. I track backwards but also a day ahead if that makes sense, like when I wake up later today I will be tracking for the 5th, I also may just be able to follow that one :) excersise...boy , yes it's tough I find I can do some excersise about the 630-7pm time frame after I've eaten dinner (breakfast) and before getting ready for wortk.
  • jiroos
    jiroos Posts: 15 Member
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    New to night shift, new to MFP, New to dieting, New to excersice aand all is going BAD except for excersicing. I do a 60min at the gym before shift and walk back from work end of shift.
  • bryt0412
    bryt0412 Posts: 32
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    I wasnt sure how to track mine at first either I work11-7, so I just try and track it as normal as possible . I eat breakfast when I get home and I TRY to get up for lunch sometimes I dont get up until 4 or 5 so I just eat dinner and then Ill just take something a little extra with me to work. I usually only take a snack or two to work like a yogurt and 100 calorie pack of something. Also , I try working out on my days off too . Im just starting out so I only work out about 2 days a week or sometimes I workout @ work bc we have a fitness room with bikes and weightlifting eqip. just depends on how busy of a night it is.
  • krystina_letitia9
    krystina_letitia9 Posts: 697 Member
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    I worked nights for 5 years and when I started tracking on here, instead of "breakfast", "lunch", "dinner", etc I broke down my food logging categories to 7a-12p, 1p-5p, and 6p-6a. Weird ranges but it worked out for me. 7a started the next day. I always tried to eat breakfast when I got home too - but this is what worked for me :)
  • silverlining84
    silverlining84 Posts: 330 Member
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    When i'm working night shift I track my food as i normally would, sometimes it's a bit skewed because most of my calories will be in the later portion of the day. For exercise when i'm working a dayshift i'll go to a gym that's just around the corner. I manage to get in a quick 45 min workout. On nightshifts I sleep during my lunch break in our "nap room" and then head to the gym after shift.

    you guys have a "nap room"?! wow, that must be awesome! I work in a hospital and there is no napping here! We don't have a gym either but I do have one at my apartment that I use on my days off. I am thinking about trying to get up a bit earlier to get in at least 30mins of cardio but I'm not sure how that would effect my overall sleepiness during the shift =\
    I think I am going to try to track like I normally would because I was looking at my tracking from previous nights and its confusing just looking at it! So I sat my times differently as well to help me keep track.

    Nap room is kind of like a large closet with a recliner in it and storage stuff lol. It gets the job done though (I work in police dispatch)
  • skinnylady2014
    skinnylady2014 Posts: 101 Member
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    I'd say to figure out what methods work for you! I work 3-11 pm shift. For me my day begins at 12 midnight and ends at the next midnight. I clock in my meals as breakfast, lunch, dinner irregardless of when I eat them. You can change the names of your meals on here. Figuring out a time to exercise is hard but I am fairly new to it.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
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    I track midnight to midnight and renamed my diary using time periods. It's open if you wish to look.
  • AprilRN10
    AprilRN10 Posts: 548 Member
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    My diary looks like this:

    0000-0400
    0401-0800
    0801-1200
    1201-1600
    1601-2000
    2001-2359

    I just track midnight to midnight.

    I work two jobs twelve hour nights.
    I workout when I get home before I do anything else. I will not get up early to do it.
    Hope this helps.
    You can ultimately track however you like.
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
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    When i'm working night shift I track my food as i normally would, sometimes it's a bit skewed because most of my calories will be in the later portion of the day. For exercise when i'm working a dayshift i'll go to a gym that's just around the corner. I manage to get in a quick 45 min workout. On nightshifts I sleep during my lunch break in our "nap room" and then head to the gym after shift.

    you guys have a "nap room"?! wow, that must be awesome! I work in a hospital and there is no napping here! We don't have a gym either but I do have one at my apartment that I use on my days off. I am thinking about trying to get up a bit earlier to get in at least 30mins of cardio but I'm not sure how that would effect my overall sleepiness during the shift =\
    I think I am going to try to track like I normally would because I was looking at my tracking from previous nights and its confusing just looking at it! So I sat my times differently as well to help me keep track.

    Nap room is kind of like a large closet with a recliner in it and storage stuff lol. It gets the job done though (I work in police dispatch)

    I work police dispatch too and I'm jealous that not only do you have a nap room but you get a lunch break. We eat at our consoles.

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