Night Shift Work and Calorie Counting

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

Hi

I'm new to this site and I was hoping if anyone had any tips on how to use my calories effectively on work days?

I work night shifts and i'm struggling to balance my calories as on my first shift I tend to get up at 7am with my little one and then I don't go back to bed until 9am the following day.

I tend to have 4 meals a day when working, e.g. from midnight I will eat a 'lunch' at 2am then a low cal snack at around 5am then a light breakfast at 8:30am, dinner at 5:30pm then another light meal around 10:30-11pm and i'm struggling to find foods that are filling which will fit in my calorie allowance for this many meals (1300 cal).

When I finished my last shift on Monday morning I'd had my usual 2am/5am/8:30am meals/snacks but then got up at 12:00pm so I could sleep in the evening so I had a lunch when I got up and had dinner as usual at 5:30pm but then found I was starving around 10pm but I had already gone over my calories after having a lunch at 12pm.

Does anyone have any tips about how to deal with hunger or balance calories effectively when working shifts?

Thanks

x

dontwishforit_workforit · July 2013

I work overnights 11pm to 7am so my meals pretty much look like:

Breakfast at 2-3 am
Lunch around 8-9 am when I get home otherwise I sleep through it, sometimes too tired and just get a snack and sleep
Dinner somewhere around 6-8pm whenever I wake up, as I shower for work at 9pm

Joehenny · July 2013

I've been working overnight for years. I usually start eating my first meal around 3-5 then at lunch at work I have my last. Or I might have a snack when I get home.

jdad1 · July 2013

I added a section that i called "at work/nights". Everything i eat at work i put there. Otherwise my "breakfast" is when i wake up and so on just like any other normal person. I tend to go to sleep right after my shift so it works out for me.

dontwishforit_workforit · July 2013

I am supposed to eat around 1700 but I am averaging around 1500 depending on if I actually put work into meal planning.. I am fond of liquid egg whites and sauteed zucchini.. Calories aren't bad, nor the carbs, and you can eat quite a bit. I like to pack small portions of a variety of things for work meal, and I keep it in the kitchen and take it out in stages.. So all my calories are accounted for, but I do not eat it all in one sitting.

A large zucchini is roughly 52 cal, 9 carbs, 4 protein and 4 fiber. 3/4c liquid egg whites [equivalent of 4 large eggs] is 100 cal, 4 carbs, 20 protein. I bet you could fit in a piece of fruit, and even cheese for your eggs and still do o.k.

idream2bgwen · July 2013

My breakfast is my "lunch" at work around 1-3. I usually have a snack on the way home so that is my morning snack. I eat my "normal lunch" at 3 or so and then dinner at 7. Snacks in between occasionally. I go midnight to midnight. I know others that do it differently but this seems to work for me. You will find a way that works for you! Best of luck!!! :flowerforyou:

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

thanks guys, i work 10pm - 8am and i'm sat at a desk all night so i think boredom is probably accountable for the hunger too especially when there are times we literally have nothing to do but wait for the phone to ring

I used to do slimming world but I wasn't getting anywhere with it as there is no portion control and I could be eating 5 pieces of fruit a night plus meals that were 'free' and when i looked back at my food diaries i was probably having over 2000 cals a day even though it was 'free'. i've lost weight calorie counting before i fell pregnant but i worked a 9-5 back then and found it far easier x

dontwishforit_workforit · July 2013

I work in a group home.. Sitting at a desk, buzzing people in. I feel your pain! Can't eat what you don't bring

I also tote to work 2-3 bottles of carbonated flavored water and/or crystal light and see how long I can drink them before I feel the need to eat.

Wonderwomarathoner · July 2013

I work 10p-6a. I wake up at about 4 in the afternoon. My first meal "breakfast" is dinner with the family at 530. Then I have the luxury of grazing at work. I snack on vegetables with a low fat dip. I do eat a "lunch" at work which is either, oatmeal, chili, etc. Add more fiber to your intake and you will feel much fuller. For the days that you are up longer (24 hours shifts), you are probably burning more calories... maybe do not worry so much about going over your calories. Good luck!

dontwishforit_workforit · July 2013

Googled Low Cal-High Fiber foods and this came up:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/low_calorie_high_fiber_lunch_recipes

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

I forgot to mention fluids, I used to drink nothing but diet coke but maybe only 2 cans a day, but since starting this plan i've started drinking at least 2 litres of plain water a day and limited myself to only 1 can of diet coke (i just cant give it up) so hopefully that will help in my journey too x

ncmedic201 · July 2013

I work 24 hour shifts. Trying to do the whole "eat back the exercise calories" was a pain because every day was different. I switched to TDEE-20% instead. Now my calories are the same every day and are higher. It's been a lot easier.

jenna808 · July 2013

Hello fellow night shift workers! I prepare and pack my own lighter meals and snacks so that I can eat every few hours, keeping me full and away from the dreaded vending machines that call my name at 2am...things get pretty boring at the paper mill x_x. I work 6pm-6am 4 nights a week, so I usually wake up at 2pm and eat a "breakfast", do my work out, then eat a snack right before leaving for work. I eat a "lunch" at 9pm, another snack at midnight, and a "dinner" at 3am. I almost always go to sleep at 7am. Might sound boring but what's easiest for me is to stick to the same schedule as much as possible those days, and I usually pack the same foods too.

Madame_Goldbricker · July 2013

I'm also 10pm-8am shifts/ 8pm-8am rota - for me I just go with the flow logging my allowance. Personally in my case it goes better as some days I'm hungrier at different times. As for snacking I tend to hit the protein heavier on shift to curb my appetite, & now take in a protein shake to keep me going too.

LadyConundra · July 2013

I work 9p-6a and I usually eat my breakfast when I get off 7 ish. I eat half of my lunch whenever I wake up 3 ish, and the other half when I get home from the gym. I usually eat dinner around 8 and a snack right before midnight. More snacks around 2a and 5a. The snacks are usually high protein low cal. I count my cals for midnight to midnight. Even on days/nights that I don't work.

HollyWalle · July 2013

i work nights too 11- 7am
My 24 hr eating period to get my calories in is 5pm-5pm
I sleep 9am-5pm

Breakfast at 5.30pm
sml snack at 8pm
lunch/dinner at 1am
snack at 3 am
snack at 5am

VivereDisce · July 2013

I don't usually follow set meal times. Instead I have my food diary set up into four sections. 12a-6a. 6a-12p. 12p-6p. 6p-12a. I don't always stay up at night when I am off work, so this way I just put whatever I eat into each time accordingly. The only rule I have for meal times is that I make sure I eat something in each 6 hour window. (Unless I am sleeping from, say, 11a-7p.) It keeps me from over eating in a certain part of the day, especially considering I used to skip my "lunch" break at work.

Frozen300 · July 2013

I've been on the night shift for the last few months and its completely screwed up my diet and exercise. Too tired to go to the gym, and when I do have the energy, I want to spend my time enjoying the summer with the family. Late night candy bingeing, little activity, blah,blah,blah. I gotta get control of myself or I'm really going to hate myself when I'm finally off these nights in Sept.

nicolaturner1986 · July 2013

Thanks for the advice people :-) Can I ask how people fit in exercise? This is my next demon to tackle as I collect my little boy from Nursery when I get up in the afternoon when i'm working and I have him at home with me when I'm not working. I could probably find time to go to the Gym in the evening when my partner comes home from work but by then I am completely drained from entertaining my Son all day.

There aren't any gyms or pools local to me with a creche

x

VivereDisce · July 2013

I have been trying to go for a walk right after work. I find that if I do that, I can take as long of a walk as I want, and I sleep better than when I don't. The only problem is with the long hours I usually work, I don't always have the motivation to go right after work! (I'm also on my feet all night, so sometimes that's why I don't feel like going!) On days off I like to go in the evening if it isn't too warm out, and I can usually get a friend to go with me! I definitely feel like it is more of a challenge for me than if I were working "normal" shifts.

P.S. Feel free to add me if you would like! I'm not doing as well as I could, but I'm doing better than I was. I could use more night shift friends!

dontwishforit_workforit · July 2013

Sometimes I bring clothes in my car, and if I have the energy then I go straight from work - no excuse. Otherwise I come home and eat, sleep, then go anytime between 3-7 p.m. with my friend three times a week. I try to go a fourth by myself at some point, but am lacking all energy this week despite my good eating habits so not sure what is going on because I am fine at work :-/

I work mainly a desk job - weekends I am by myself and have to do the cooking/cleaning so I get more of a workout, but Monday-Wednesday he prefers to do it all himself, leaving 'office work' to me. Those days I am chilling out in a chair for 8 hours buzzing people in, and browsing MFP to keep from mindless eating!

jennpaulson · July 2013

I work 10pm-6am and I don't have set times that I eat but I've been eating higher protein and higher fat foods to keep me full longer. I've been coming home lately and going straight back out for a 4.5 mile walk/jog (more walking than jogging still). Then I come home and eat, shower and get to bed. On the weekend I've been trying to walk twice a day, the second time being around 11pm when it starts cooling off.

giveMEbeauty · August 2013

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Night Shift Work and Calorie Counting

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