The waitress dilemma.

I suggest using a pedometer during your shift, it would tally your steps and you would at least know how many steps you took and possibly how many calories you burned. I'm sure with the bending and lifting you should get a pretty good total workout.

Hope this helps.:blushing:

yes, yes it does.
I used to bartend and it can be REALLY hard to keep in your calorie goals. I have 2 peices of advice. 1. bring food 2. take your breaks.

If you bring food at least your not eating your shift meal which isn't going to be as healthy for you as what you bring from home. pack snacks.

Most places won't let you eat while you're serving but OSHA requires that if you work four hours you get at least a 10 minute break (paid) I'm sure you have a couple smokers on your team that sneak out for a smoke break at some point during their shift... Develope a "smoking" habit and sneak out the door with a lettuce wrap or something quick and easy stuff it in your face and get back to work. It's not the ideal lunching conditions but it'll keep you from STARVING by the end of your shift.

Just some thoughts!!
:drinker:

I wait tables and though you do burn more calories than someone at a desk job you need to be careful. It is easy to over estimate the amount calories burned- especially if you are planning on logging five or six hours of walking. It will dramatically increase you intake for the day, but may not be entirely justified.
MFP suggests setting your status as lightly active or active if you are a waitress. This allows you a few hundred more calories per day. However, if you log that walking it will give you more like 1000. I would suggest just paying attention to your body. Do you feel like you need to eat more? Or are you still not losing (or gaining)? Just be reasonable and if you log the exercise make sure it seems right. If it seems like too many calories, it probably is.

When I waited tables, looking at all the food kind of made me lose my appetite. But maybe your restaurant is amazing. I lost weight that summer, but I also got up and walked a couple miles before work most days. I'm sure all of those steps are great exercise. I just logged in 2 hours of leisurely walking and it burned over 500 calories!

There are laws that allow you your scheduled breaks. Something like a half hour if you are scheduled 6+hours, and an extra 15 minute break if you are scheduled 8+.
Pack healthy foods and eat them on your breaks. If you don't get breaks and aren't "allowed" to eat for your WHOLE shift, then RAISE HELL and demand your basic human rights. They can NOT stop you from EATING for like 9 hours straight.

If they insist you can't eat for 9 hours straight, quit, and report them to the Better Business Bureau immediately. Hell, you could even sue for suffering and win a ton with the right lawyer...people love to sue these days! :laugh:

There would be no point to reporting them to the BBB for working condition issues. Your state's Department of Labor and Industries, or whatever agency oversees labor laws and working conditions.

Good luck with your fitness goals. I would be in big trouble if I had to work around food and couldn't eat some of it. LOL

There are laws that allow you your scheduled breaks. Something like a half hour if you are scheduled 6+hours, and an extra 15 minute break if you are scheduled 8+.
Pack healthy foods and eat them on your breaks. If you don't get breaks and aren't "allowed" to eat for your WHOLE shift, then RAISE HELL and demand your basic human rights. They can NOT stop you from EATING for like 9 hours straight.

If they insist you can't eat for 9 hours straight, quit, and report them to the Better Business Bureau immediately. Hell, you could even sue for suffering and win a ton with the right lawyer...people love to sue these days! :laugh:

When I worked at the Juvenile Detention Center we worked a straight 8 hours and only got one 15 minute break the whole shift. If we were short handed you were lucky just to get bathroom breaks let alone the 15 min break. I was a State Employee at that lol. I'd bring quick healthy snacks I could eat really quick on my break. If you feel hungry though you should eat a healthy snack even if you're going a couple hundred over your calorie limit. Your body tells you when it needs fuel and when it's satisfied.

I work part time in a kitchen, and on occasion I wait tables when a shift change is needed (Starting next month I'll be waiting tables more regularly again, I'm waiting for someone's 2 week notice to dry up so I can take her shifts). We ARE allowed to eat there, which makes it so hard.. especially since I just started there again after not working for a year and there's so many NEW items available.. tator tots, chicken strips.. and the classic things I love: onion rings, fries, shakes, malts... if you couldn't guess I work in a 50s style 'fast food' restaurant.. any advice for NOT eating while working in the kitchen?

I just want to say that you are settling in a position that your selling yourself short.
You have experience, look for another job and get outta there. No one deserves to be treated this way.
Unfortunately there are many restaurants that run this way. The turnover rate is high.
As long as you allow them to treat you this way that's what they will do.

I can tell you Im a Chef, I know what its like to be on my feet for 10 hrs straight, would I allow any business to treat me like a stray dog? Hell No. Theere are so many other options. Stick up for yourself.

You could wear a pedometer to try to calculate a burn. What I used to do when I was a waitress is stick a larabar in my apron. You can cram one of those in your mouth in three bites (that's why I picked the larabars, they are really small by high cal) if your blood sugar plummets mid shift. I mean, you can even do it on the way to the restroom or something. I know you aren't allowed to... but employers also aren't allowed to make their staff work without mandated breaks and lunches (a common practice in the restaurant industry).

LOL! i'm a chef...and since changing careers from programmer to chef, I've gained 40 pounds...! The food industry is just one of those places where you catch your breaks when you can...

But, yes, you do lots walking, lifting, bending, etc. A pedometer is a great idea. I also think you should carry something in your pocket that's easy to eat...packets of nuts, beef or turkey jerky, freeze dried fruit, etc ...to keep your blood sugar stable.