Official Nightshift thread!!!

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  • KnightOwl
    KnightOwl Posts: 38
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    Oh sweet calorie disaster! Fall semester starts tomorrow. Combined with work, this equates into a huge decrease in sleep for me and an annoying urge to binge eat to stay awake. :(

    Any suggestions of how to stay alert for calculus after working the night before?


    I hear you, my classes start back today too. I actually had the night off but have been up since 2:am should be an interesting year, taking 18 credits and working at night. Ugh where do I fit exercise into that!

    Story of my life... also why I've been AWOL from this whole thing for a while. Moving into a new apartment, starting classes again and still working 40+ hours overnight... how do you even begin to manage? :( I'm gonna give it another go after almost 3 weeks of not doing anything... wish me luck!
  • leanmass24
    leanmass24 Posts: 304 Member
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    I had no idea how important protien is to loose weight/be healthy until recently. Once I started calculating it I realized I am WAY under what I should be. Just had some tuna for a snack... How you do guys get in your protein? Any good food ideas?
    -Meg

    There are alot of ways to get more protien. In the past few days I have discovered some great wraps that are high in fiber and protein an have omega 3. It called Flat Out flatbread the multigrain w/ omega3. Its only 100 calories 2.5grams of fat, 17g carbs, 8g of fiber, and 9g of protien. I made some chicken wraps yesterday with them they are great. Just chopped up some chicken breast, threw it on the foreman grill with a little seasoning, grabed a handful of spring mix salad, 1/3cup of lowfat mozzarella, and a TBSP of ranch... It made a great lunch that is good for you.

    I like the chocolate protien shakes also. I like to add frozen fruit to them and throw them in the blender. Makes a great smoothie, just watch the calories. chocolate with peanut butter and bananas is one of my favorite, chocolate with bananas and almonds. Just mix it up and have fun with it.

    Nuts have a decent amount of protien, just watch the fat.

    Beans are great too.

    Light yougurt is good for protien and tastes good.

    Eggs are great. I like cooking egg beaters for breakfast with mutligrain toast. The great taste of eggs without all the fat and cholesteral.

    Today I sauteed some shrimp and made a shrimp sandwich for lunch. I am about to go bake some salmon with lemon pepper to take to work with me tonight with some mixed veggies. with that I will take some yougurt, an apple , an orange, and a banana.
  • suzie1983
    suzie1983 Posts: 65
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    I am so happy to see this thread!!!! Since working the overnight shift for 4 years I have gained 40 lbs. Its really hard to find other people who understand my issue. I am so glad to find the support from this page.
  • nicu0227
    nicu0227 Posts: 12
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    Well...I have been doing this weight loss journey for a while...but for the last month I have gotten really serious about it...I have been working out with a trainer and taken what I have learned from a nutrionist and hit the road...I still have problems figuring out my transitioning from nights to days...but I am really trying hard...I have diabetes, hypertention, and high cholest...so I have to work really hard to get myself into better shape...No excuses this time....So I lost 5% body fat and 14.25 inches over the last month...I am proud of my #s...I schedule my 2 trainer appointments for every other Monday after working all weekend so that I can be accountable...So although I am sleepy I make myself start the week off on a positve note...3 times a week I do a full body weight training workout and then an 1 hour of cardio the other 2 days....I want my A1C level to be below 6.0...That's my goal....So I am reading the night shift blog and hoping that I will be able to pick up points and info on what you guys do...blog with you later!!!
  • nicu0227
    nicu0227 Posts: 12
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    Eggs...WOW I love eggs...I've been having a whole wheat bagel as well so I am going out to buy some eggs when I get off of the computer...and guess what I will be having for breakfast in the morning....
  • allie7383
    allie7383 Posts: 865 Member
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    ok guys i'm off this week so i hope everyone's nights aren't too bad!! i made turkey chili today from a recipe i saw on here in this thread about soups.. check it out, it yields a lot, so you'll have leftovers for a few days!
  • nicu0227
    nicu0227 Posts: 12
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    Suzie...I am happy as well...my fellow night shift coworker told me about this site...I finished nursing school 20 years ago and have been on nights ever since...all of my doctors have "suggested" that I come off of nights....but I can't see myself working the day shift in a hospital....but my health has suffered from it....but it's nice to have a support system that understands our shared issues...YEA!
  • kmc3986
    kmc3986 Posts: 18
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    Thanks for the recipes, leanmass24. That's a great thing to add to the thread...especially the night shift when you try to cram life in between sleep and work. I get in a rut sometimecreatives and don't take the time to "be creative" with what I bring for my lunch. Your chicken wraps sound great. Can't wait to try. I'm a former Weight Watcher and I notice that I tend to document my food and exercise better on MFP. I used an old WW recipe for low cal vegetable soup and made a great big pot yesterday....great to take to work in addition to a sandwich or salad. Good luck this week to all.
  • kmc3986
    kmc3986 Posts: 18
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    :love: Congratulations, Drea on the weight loss and especially the inches lost. Keep it up, girlfriend. That bikini is only a short time away,....
  • MegJo
    MegJo Posts: 398 Member
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    Wow congrats Drea! That must be so rewarding - lots of hard work it looks like.

    LeanMass -Thanks SO much for that chicken wrap recipe. The main reason I started seeing a nutritionist was because I have a lot of trouble coming up with healthy things to eat. Espcially coming up with more then just one thing haha. I grill chicken on forman alllll the time. So I'll be doing that soon!

    Also had day 1 of zumba today - Phew, that is one crazy workout! I am so excited that its at a time I can do it! 1845-1945 - its perfect because I don't go into work until 2100. I looked up online aprox how many calories people burn doing zumba but next week I'm going to bring my HRM to see.
  • leanmass24
    leanmass24 Posts: 304 Member
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    Thanks Allie. hope you enjoy your days.

    Your welcome all for the ideas. You can use whatever kind of meat you want in the wraps. I have done them with steak and/or shrimp before also. Ranch is high in calories and fat and it is really not needed, but it does taste good with the chicken. You can make some nice marinades with a little oil and vinegar and whatever seasonings you want to make the meat taste better/different. I grill chicken alot so I am always experimenting with ways to make it taste different so I dont get bored with it. Also low soduim soy sauce and worcestershire make a good base for marinades, but they are still kinda high in the sodium department. When all else fails and I dont have time to cook there are some good healthy choice dinners that I keep around.

    NICU- I know what you mean about working days... I have been either on nights or a swing shift ever since I started working. It would be weird to be a day person... I might like to find out what its like one day though. It would be nice to have a normal social life.
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    ok guys i'm off this week so i hope everyone's nights aren't too bad!! i made turkey chili today from a recipe i saw on here in this thread about soups.. check it out, it yields a lot, so you'll have leftovers for a few days!

    Awesome! was the chili good? I love this time of yr because I love chili and soups, and theres some good low cal ones out there :smile:
  • leanmass24
    leanmass24 Posts: 304 Member
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    Eggs...WOW I love eggs...I've been having a whole wheat bagel as well so I am going out to buy some eggs when I get off of the computer...and guess what I will be having for breakfast in the morning....

    A ba-egg-el...lol
  • bjpkwiltz
    bjpkwiltz Posts: 12
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    hey everyone,
    MegJo, I am in the same boat as you with the protien thing....feeling so much better with 4x as much protien and 1/3 the carbs.....
    eating fish for lunch, and chicken or more seafood for dinner. Made a turkey rice and beans casserole for dinner tonigth and enough leftovers to get me through the next 3 days of work. My son called it "comfort" food....quite a compliment from a 19 year old!
    Drea nice numbers...getting motivated to move is my next challenge...
    Barb
  • leanmass24
    leanmass24 Posts: 304 Member
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    HI LEE.... :tongue:

    How are you tonight?
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    Lean, (and others of course) heres some recipes I found for shakes. I agree with watching the calories. Some of these are loaded with calories, for bodybuilders, but you can motify.

    http://www.projectswole.com/diet/70-protein-shake-recipes/

    I have a question though. Does anyone know if its better to have shakes before or after lifting?
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    HI LEE.... :tongue:

    How are you tonight?

    Hey Lean! Im good how are you?
  • leanmass24
    leanmass24 Posts: 304 Member
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    Thanks lee,

    I was always told to drink the shake within 30mins after lifting cause it is supposed to help with muscle recovery, but I dont think it matters that much if you drink it before your workout unless you burn through all the calories while you workout. I have a pre workout drink that I drink to give me tons of energy to go workout so I always drink mine after a workout. If anyone is interested I take Isatori Morph megadrive fruit punch flavor. It is a powder you mix with water. It gives you unbelieveable energy, no jitters or crash, and it doesnt taste bad. On those days that you dont want to go to the gym/exercise, mix some of this up and you will want to go...lol.

    I am great! Havent felt this good in a long time... Just wish I wasnt stuck at work with nothing to do. I cant wait to get my sexiness back... lol. Been told that I am starting to get it back. :bigsmile:
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    Thanks lee,

    I was always told to drink the shake within 30mins after lifting cause it is supposed to help with muscle recovery, but I dont think it matters that much if you drink it before your workout unless you burn through all the calories while you workout. I have a pre workout drink that I drink to give me tons of energy to go workout so I always drink mine after a workout. If anyone is interested I take Isatori Morph megadrive fruit punch flavor. It is a powder you mix with water. It gives you unbelieveable energy, no jitters or crash, and it doesnt taste bad. On those days that you dont want to go to the gym/exercise, mix some of this up and you will want to go...lol.

    I am great! Havent felt this good in a long time... Just wish I wasnt stuck at work with nothing to do. I cant wait to get my sexiness back... lol. Been told that I am starting to get it back. :bigsmile:

    I was told drink it after too, that drink sounds good. I usually just have coffee before the gym because I go when I wake up around 3pm. But that looks better, Ill look for it. Im finally able to life weights again, so thats why I am really trying to eat a lot of protein. Im excited because I am starting at golds gym this wk ( was at planet fitness). PF was ok, but I had to drive there. Golds I can just walk...more convinient and burns more cals! I have a bad habit of being intimidated in the free weight section...this wk, Im just gonna walk in there like I own the place LMAO. JK its tough for a girl though, all those meatheads...not that its a bad thing though, they can be good motivation lol

    Glad u are feeling good! 18 lbs is awesome, u should be proud. Hey, you never lost your sexiness, it was just in a bigger package! :smile:
  • leanmass24
    leanmass24 Posts: 304 Member
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    Its always nice to be able to walk to the gym... dont think that I will ever have that luxury cause I like the sticks too much... well if/ when I go back in the Army I might... dont let the free weights scare you. Start out at what you can do and go from there. they are the best way to get results. The machines dont give you good tone like the free weights do. I used to be one of those meatheads...lol(i used to squat about 600lbs, bench 340, could only curl about 180 though.) (I weighed about 180 at the time )

    Yeah that stuff is awesome, but it is kinda expensive. I think the cheapest place to get it is bodybuilding.com but it is still 40 something dollars. the good thing is that it is a 6 week supply if you use it as directed(5 days on 2 days off). One scoop is plenty enough I am a big guy 287lbs and one scoop has been enough for me. I have been using it for 6 weeks now still give me a good kick.

    I did lose my sexiness. I used to be all ripped up like Vin Diesel before. Not quite that big, but the muscle tone was there. I am just happy to see that my chest is starting to look bigger than my stomach again.... :bigsmile:

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