Shift work making dieting difficult -

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nreuter1
nreuter1 Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I do shift work at a busy theatre and alternate between doing week a of day shifts and then a week of evening shifts.
During the week I do day shifts I find sticking to my diet is fairly easy, but when I do evening shifts I fall off the wagon a lot because I get so hungry.

I try to make sure I shift my eating pattern around when I'm doing evenings, so that I eat 'breakfast' at midday, 'lunch' (normally a hot meal) at around 4pm and then have dinner at work (a sandwhich or salad), but I still find I get ravenous and end up eating something else when I get in from work and going over my cals (I'm on a 1,500 limit). This is also the case even when I bring in healthy snacks.

Does anyone who does shift work have similar issues? What foods do you bring with you that help fill you up? Or should I try upping my cals a bit? Suggestions please!

Replies

  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
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    Use to do shift work & my grown son also does it, so familiar w/the issues. Just a question, do you try to shift your sleeping pattern as well as the eating pattern when you are working nights? I find if I stay up too late, that's when I'm most like to get my 2nd wind appetite-wise & start eating again. If you're up, when you should be sleeping, even if it's day time, that can throw you off. My go to snack when I'm over on calories, but really craving something is Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Naturals Garlic Butter & Sea Salt Popcorn...only 25 calories/cup, and fills me up. I wouldn't up your calories though...just have some very low cal snacks to eat if you are REALLY hungry & know you'll go over...cucumber, celery, carrot sticks, popcorn, etc.
  • swkwac
    swkwac Posts: 6
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    make a high protein smoothie ill give you the recipe! it fills me up till lunch!

    1/4 cup almonds
    1/4 cashews
    2 dates
    soak these in water overnight to soften fill water to just above
    use the water from the nut/date mix and add it to:
    blend in a blender with 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 cup almond milk, 1 ripe banana, 1 tblsp almond butter
    and 3 tblsp of coco powder. blend well

    this not only fills me up but its packed with protein and if your looking for that sweet or chocolaty fix this hits the spot minus all the calories and garbage!
    good luck my dear!
  • nreuter1
    nreuter1 Posts: 8
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    Yeah I do shift my sleep pattern a bit dependent on shifts. It's difficult not to because my day shifts start at 7am, so when I'm doing evening shifts I'll go to bed later and sleep in for a bit longer, as I don't want to get up at 6am when I don't have to!
    Will defo make sure I have more low cal snacks to pick on - thanks for the suggestions. And that smoothie recipe sounds delicious. I often get a craving for something really sweet late at night so that might do the trick!
  • jshay295
    jshay295 Posts: 110 Member
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    I eat in this order : breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, so when I work evenings (usually 3-10, 2-10, or 4-10, something along those lines) I eat my lunch about three hours before my shift starts, and then I bring a reasonable size snack to work to eat right before my shift, to tide me until my dinner break two-three hours later. My snack is usually any two of the following :yogurt ,a piece/serving of fruit (typically berries, sometimes oranges or clementines) , or a high protein granola bar. (and I drink about half a cup of water with it to help fill me up). For dinner, if I am being good , I eat a salad , another piece/serving of fruit , with a small chocolatey type treat usually ( for me I need a little 'treat' too look forward to on my break LOL) . Sometimes I will swap the salad for a non-frozen microwave dinner of tortellini , or if I'm feeling really bad I have a microwave dinner instead, but I only try to get them if they are under 300 calories, and do not rely on them. Again, drink water with your dinner to help fill you up.

    hope this helps.
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
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    One thing I recently learned to stop snack cravings and the cycle of...eat something sweet, want something salty, eat something salty, want something sweet...is vinegar. Visited one of those great stores that sell flavor infused vinegars & the owner said when she gets snack cravings, she'll drink 1-2 Tblspoons of one of the vinegars & it cuts the craving. I usually only need 1 Tblsp to do it. The flavors are amazing (I could drink them like wine) and only 10 calories a Tblspoon.
  • nreuter1
    nreuter1 Posts: 8
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    I eat in this order : breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, so when I work evenings (usually 3-10, 2-10, or 4-10, something along those lines) I eat my lunch about three hours before my shift starts, and then I bring a reasonable size snack to work to eat right before my shift, to tide me until my dinner break two-three hours later. My snack is usually any two of the following :yogurt ,a piece/serving of fruit (typically berries, sometimes oranges or clementines) , or a high protein granola bar. (and I drink about half a cup of water with it to help fill me up). For dinner, if I am being good , I eat a salad , another piece/serving of fruit , with a small chocolatey type treat usually ( for me I need a little 'treat' too look forward to on my break LOL) . Sometimes I will swap the salad for a non-frozen microwave dinner of tortellini , or if I'm feeling really bad I have a microwave dinner instead, but I only try to get them if they are under 300 calories, and do not rely on them. Again, drink water with your dinner to help fill you up.

    hope this helps.

    Hi - yeah it is useful to see how other people plan their meals when working shifts - got some more ideas of how to curb the hunger pangs. Thank you.
  • marypatmccue
    marypatmccue Posts: 521 Member
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    make a high protein smoothie ill give you the recipe! it fills me up till lunch!

    1/4 cup almonds
    1/4 cashews
    2 dates
    soak these in water overnight to soften fill water to just above
    use the water from the nut/date mix and add it to:
    blend in a blender with 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 cup almond milk, 1 ripe banana, 1 tblsp almond butter
    and 3 tblsp of coco powder. blend well

    this not only fills me up but its packed with protein and if your looking for that sweet or chocolaty fix this hits the spot minus all the calories and garbage!
    good luck my dear!

    This sounds pretty good -- but... it's definitely not going to be packed with protein. It's packed with carbs and fats, and the fats are probably what are keeping you full. Still, sounds yummy, and IIFYM, why not?!
  • nreuter1
    nreuter1 Posts: 8
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    Never heard of flavour infused vinegars, will check them out. I know apple cider vinegar and honey is supposed to be good for you.
  • swkwac
    swkwac Posts: 6
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    the smoothie outlined does have "fats" good fats, and good carbs both in which are important during the weight loss process and is by far better than reaching for unhealthy fats and carbs ;)
  • swkwac
    swkwac Posts: 6
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    yup a good post workout smoothie!
    ps..happy birthday soon! 30! you spring chicken you! ;)
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    I might be wrong here but how much sleep do you get on a day when you work night shifts VS. day shifts? I am assuming you are getting less sleep on the night meaning you are awake and burning more calories throughout the day. In addition, the night shift is busier generally right? So you would be up and around more thus burning more calories and being more hungry?

    I would look into a fitbit or something like that to track your sleep and steps/workouts. Some days I go crazy and I am hungry but my fitbit tells me I burned 2300 calories vs other days at 1900. Of course I am hungry I was running around like a crazy person and I need to eat!
  • nreuter1
    nreuter1 Posts: 8
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    Actually I get more sleep when I do evening shifts - because I can sleep in the next day! But yes I think staying up late and doing more in the evening/ night must confuse my body and is quite likely one of the reasons I feel more hungry. What's a fitbit?
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    A fitbit is a pedometer that tracks your movements so it tells you how much you are burning in a day roughly. It does a ton of other things too. It comes in a wrist band or belt clip. It won't pick up cycling or things of that nature but running and your daily movement it tracks great. Then I know where I am at for the day.

    I like it because with kids, I can end up walking 20k steps in one day and burning 2400 calories on this small 5’2 body. Then other days I could only walk 7k steps and only burn 1800 calories. It helps me know when I can eat more based on my activity level and when I need to go take a walk and burn some more calories because I am way behind!

    I also like my fitbit because it talks to my fitness pal and then my fitness pal automatically adjusts my calories for what I am allowed to eat that day so there is no guessing. I have it set to a 750 deficit so anything I burn extra after I eat.

    http://www.fitbit.com/home

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