1200 Calories when working 12 hr days

LivvieO
LivvieO Posts: 164 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello,

I'm relatively new to MFP and to watching my caloric intake in general.
I work 2 12hr and 2 8hr shifts per week and I'm finding it extremely difficult to eat within my calorie goal on the long days. Part of my problem is that on those 12 hour days, when you factor in travel to and from work I'm generally awake for 16-18 hours so I tend to eat alot to keep myself alert and functional. I've started snaking on vegetables but I don't find myself comfortably filled while trying to eat within my limint. i've also resorted to working out twice day (I do 30min of Tae Bo before and after my long shift since I cant go to the gym) just so that I can give myself some eating room but I still find myself hungry.

I would appreciate any advise you may have to offer.

Thank you

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    what does your work involve ?
  • d3mon4ngel
    d3mon4ngel Posts: 242 Member
    Am I correct in assuming that you have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week? According to your ticker, you only have 20 or so to go, so I would suggest setting it lose 1lb a week. This will give you a higher daily calorie goal, while still being in a deficit to lose the weight.
  • LivvieO
    LivvieO Posts: 164 Member
    what does your work involve ?

    I work in a control room at a local television station so I literally sit all day and watch tv.
  • LivvieO
    LivvieO Posts: 164 Member
    Am I correct in assuming that you have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week? According to your ticker, you only have 20 or so to go, so I would suggest setting it lose 1lb a week. This will give you a higher daily calorie goal, while still being in a deficit to lose the weight.

    Thank you for the advise. I have changed to lose 1lb per week which has given me an additional 80 calories per day.
  • luvriden
    luvriden Posts: 52
    concentrate on a weekly calorie goal, not a daily one. When you go to lunch try a quick 15 minute fast paced walk, eat lean meats and lots of veggies (raw carrots with a loud crunch will help keep you awake). On your short days try for a long walk, or job, zumba or any exercise, days off, exercise more. Try to make sure you eat at a deficit over the whole week and don't worry a single day to much :-) Oh, remember to eat back 1/2 to all of your exercise calories too, 1200 should be your minimum "net", you should be eating more.
  • LivvieO
    LivvieO Posts: 164 Member
    Thank you luv,

    You make such a valid point that I've totally over looked. Instead of worrying about the two days that I go over my goal, I will focus on the overall week and on doing more exercises on the other 5 days to compensate. I do try to get 30-60 mins of exercise on my long days as well (on my lunch break I use one of the edit suites and do a Jillian Michaels or Tae Bo workout) so in reality I was just too focused on the number 1200.

    Thanks again for your sound advice.
  • SerenaFisher
    SerenaFisher Posts: 2,170 Member
    don't forget to eat back your work out calories.
  • LMick1986
    LMick1986 Posts: 431
    Since you're at such a low calorie intake, make sure you eat back your exercise cals. You don't want your body only taking in a total of about 800-900 cals at the end of the day.
  • jeniredlin
    jeniredlin Posts: 2
    I work three 12 hour shifts a week, and struggle with this problem as well, esp with the 3rd day. However, I do not workout the days I work. I tend to have a higher sugar count, and so I try to follow the following:

    Eat eggs or oatmeal for breakfast with crushed walnuts and berries - gives me energy and the nuts help fill me up
    Snack on1/4 cup of almonds in the am and pm, usually with an apple or some type of fruit,
    Try to drink a lot of water,
    I usually pack a sandwich and I add a couple more ounces of protein, but only use 1 slice of bread and lots of vegies
    My late afternoon snack is a bag of edemame, or apple with almond butter

    Can't wait to see what some other suggestions are.

    jen
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    Have you calculated your TDEE instead of going by what MFP shows?
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
    Am I correct in assuming that you have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week? According to your ticker, you only have 20 or so to go, so I would suggest setting it lose 1lb a week. This will give you a higher daily calorie goal, while still being in a deficit to lose the weight.

    Thank you for the advise. I have changed to lose 1lb per week which has given me an additional 80 calories per day.

    how does it only give 80 calories? thought it was a 500 calorie deficit to lose a pound a week, if you had 2 pounds a week and change it to 1 pounds a week shouldn't it give you about 500 calories more?
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    Am I correct in assuming that you have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week? According to your ticker, you only have 20 or so to go, so I would suggest setting it lose 1lb a week. This will give you a higher daily calorie goal, while still being in a deficit to lose the weight.

    Thank you for the advise. I have changed to lose 1lb per week which has given me an additional 80 calories per day.

    how does it only give 80 calories? thought it was a 500 calorie deficit to lose a pound a week, if you had 2 pounds a week and change it to 1 pounds a week shouldn't it give you about 500 calories more?
    Because it won't go below 1200; setting it for a 2# loss probably resulted in it computing 780, but it won't ever give out a number below 1200.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Because it won't go below 1200; setting it for a 2# loss probably resulted in it computing 780, but it won't ever give out a number below 1200.

    +1

    Makes a real mess of "eating back calories" when that happens too.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I work in a control room at a local television station so I literally sit all day and watch tv.

    Truly sedentary then !
  • LivvieO
    LivvieO Posts: 164 Member
    Am I correct in assuming that you have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week? According to your ticker, you only have 20 or so to go, so I would suggest setting it lose 1lb a week. This will give you a higher daily calorie goal, while still being in a deficit to lose the weight.

    Thank you for the advise. I have changed to lose 1lb per week which has given me an additional 80 calories per day.

    how does it only give 80 calories? thought it was a 500 calorie deficit to lose a pound a week, if you had 2 pounds a week and change it to 1 pounds a week shouldn't it give you about 500 calories more?

    Honestly I'm not sure why it only gave me an 80 calorie increase but thats exactly what happend. I changed from losing 2lbs to losing 1lb per week and my dialy goal went from 1200 to 1280 so I eventually changed it back to losing 2 lbs.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    you would be better with the 1280 especially if you eat back calories. That way you'll keep a deficit for 1 lb/week without MFP's 1200 limit screwing it up.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    Try substituting small portions of protein for vegetables when you snack. You will find them more satisfying. The vegetables are a good idea -- how about a salad or some vegetables with a small piece of cheese, or a slice of avocado, or a sprinkling of nuts (you need to weigh what you add.) ? I'm very fond of good quality sardines in olive oil. King Oscar is a good brand.

    I would not eat back exercise calories unless you're ravenous or can't function. If you must eat more food, be conservative, otherwise you are going to completely undermine all your efforts.

    Your job is stressful and sometimes we look for distractions in situations like that. Make sure that you are mindful of whether you are actually hungry, or looking for a way to deal with the tension.

    Drink lots of water. it's good for you and will give you a feeling of fullness.

    I feel for you. Stress and sedentariness is a bad combination.
  • GrandMaKandy
    GrandMaKandy Posts: 259 Member
    Take it one day at a time and don't beat yourself up if you do over eat once in a while your stomach will soon get used to less food. I would say to eat your extra kcals that you get from your workouts especially high energy foods.
  • Sunitagt
    Sunitagt Posts: 486 Member
    I work long days too, I would also recommend incorporating more protein into your snacks. I usually do string cheese for one, yogurt for another, maybe some hardboiled eggs, and bring a really, really big salad for lunch which keeps me full. Apples have a good amount of fiber, and they seem to help as well. Popcorn is a great, lower calorie snack that you can munch on for a little while.
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
    Have you tried more adding protein to your diet? That solved my hunger pains. On a 1200 calorie diet with that exercise, that's real rough. I am on a 1200 calorie diet too, I eat about 60g of protein, and I never feel deprived of anything. I walk at least 20 mins a day but I noticed when started I lift weights, I seem a bit more hungrier. So I pretty much have protein 3 times a day.

    Just listen to your body. if you need something heavier, try seeking a good healthy snack bar (or make a breakfast cookie that you like), and just try to NIBBLE on that instead. My favorite snack right now is a serving of Wheat Thins. No, not the best choice, but it does have dietary fiber, and it fills a hole should I get one.
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    I work 24 hour shifts. Eating at work was a big problem for me. I did relatively well at home, but those shifts would kill me. I've started packing all of my meals and snacks. It lets me figure out my macro's/micro's before I ever leave the house. As for snacks, veggies are great but try adding some peanut butter with them. Almonds are also great. Cottage cheese, yogurt and cheese are all options too. I don't really worry about going over on my work days. I just add some exercise on my days off if I'm that worried about it.
  • cupcakes_and_cardio
    cupcakes_and_cardio Posts: 369 Member
    I've had this problem before and I was told to eat more protein and fiber. I now eat a protein powder mixed with liquid and some eggs in the a.m. and it keeps me pleasantly full until lunchtime, sometimes even longer. I know I can't be at work and scramble some eggs, so if you're going to eat veggies/fruits, celery and peanut butter or yogurt. Also, mix some protein powder with water, that can do it, too. I know it's not much of a help, but I try :)
  • laurasuzanne2006
    laurasuzanne2006 Posts: 103 Member
    i work 3-5 12 hour night shifts. Maybe try breaking up what you eat. Example if you have a few snacks and then lunch on top of it break apart lunch and only have the main part of the meal and whatever accompanies it spread through out the day as well. I usually pack a bag of pretzels. or maybe even divide up popcorn into a few bags. And i always eat my activity calories.
  • MAYates80
    MAYates80 Posts: 1 Member
    I am not sure, but as you lose weight, if you reset your calorie goal, I think it will take off calories. This is similar to WW where you lose points as you lose weight. I was playing around with mine and even though I had set it back to lose 1.5 lbs a week, I had lost some weight and it took off about 40 calories.
  • d3mon4ngel
    d3mon4ngel Posts: 242 Member
    Am I correct in assuming that you have MFP set to lose 2lbs a week? According to your ticker, you only have 20 or so to go, so I would suggest setting it lose 1lb a week. This will give you a higher daily calorie goal, while still being in a deficit to lose the weight.

    Thank you for the advise. I have changed to lose 1lb per week which has given me an additional 80 calories per day.

    how does it only give 80 calories? thought it was a 500 calorie deficit to lose a pound a week, if you had 2 pounds a week and change it to 1 pounds a week shouldn't it give you about 500 calories more?

    Honestly I'm not sure why it only gave me an 80 calorie increase but thats exactly what happend. I changed from losing 2lbs to losing 1lb per week and my dialy goal went from 1200 to 1280 so I eventually changed it back to losing 2 lbs.

    How tall are you?

    Just to let you know so you have a comparison, I am 5'3", have 16lbs to go and have it set to lose 1/2lb week. I net 1500 on average over the week and I'm still losing. I am a programmer so sat all day and most of the evening.
  • ddellner
    ddellner Posts: 58 Member
    Lots of great advice here. Thanks! one question every recommends eating nuts and I am allergic to nuts and peanut butter. I do eat some sunflower seeds. Does anyone have any other suggestions
  • DesdemonaRose
    DesdemonaRose Posts: 190
    I eat cheese when I want something that will fill my belly. You can buy single serving cheeses that are less than 100 calories.

    Would your job let you bring in an exercise ball? You could sit on that instead of a chair. You won't burn an excessive amount of calories but it will give you a few more. Enough for one more small snack. If you have moments at work where you can stand up and job in place that is an option too. If you google around you can find exercise ideas for desk jockies.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/310665-calories-burned-sitting-on-an-exercise-ball/

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