Any Advice for a girl who works overnight??

jinxxxfit
jinxxxfit Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Overnight shift is HARD.. i find myself hungry and snacking and i work for the post office.. I feel like my eating is out of waco and i would like some advice for anybody out there. I been doing it for 6 years and i been about 180 for that long as well. Currently doing P90x again. Any advice out there ?

Replies

  • MsSashaFire
    MsSashaFire Posts: 49
    Just make sure you have some healthy snack options available, and plenty of water.
  • CStowell1654
    CStowell1654 Posts: 10 Member
    I work shifts aswell and nights are really hard! A lot of people I know say they 'don't eat on nights' and by that they mean they don't bring a meal and just sneakily eat chocolate or crisps all night. What I do is pack something tasty that I know I'll fancy- like a bacon salad or chicken wrap. I wake up and have 'breakfast' about 3 or 4 pm, then have another meal at about 7pm then take my 3rd meal with me and that's my dinner! Not ideal eating at that time of the day but I find that's my best way to stay on track! Good luck!
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    Sleep is key for me. Use dark curtains if you have light leaking into your bedroom. Try to get a consistent sleep schedule. During my work week, I typically sleep from 3pm-10:30pm. Some people I know that work nights sleep in broken up chunks of sleep and it works for them. I tried it but it never worked for me. I need 6 to 7 hrs of straight sleep to function. When I lack sleep, I overeat to help me stay awake and don't bother working out since I am too tired. I also found that if I go to bed right after eating, 9 out of 10 times I find myself needing to get up to go to the bathroom, interrupting my sleep so I avoid eating at minimum 2 hrs before going to bed. I also track via a 24hr period. I eat 2x usually. Once at work and once at home. There are days where I am so busy that I will sometimes just eat once a day. It can be hard at times but it's not impossible.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Plan your food ahead of time for the week. Cook and take your food as much as possible. It's cheaper and helps keep the sodium under control. Do you have access to a microwave oven?

    Get some fruit, cheese sticks/blocks at 80 calories, yogurt, low sodium trail mix, fiber/protein bars, tuna fish. Cook a chicken for salad, same with eggs. You could still buy entrees like Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine but you have to make sure you keep under your sodium level. You could add the entrees with a homemade side salad. I use Bolthouse salad dressings. Those are made with yogurt, taste good, and run about 25-45 calories per 2 tablespoons. Giants and Walmart sells them.
  • jiggipop
    jiggipop Posts: 9 Member
    I work nights too, I've always taken lunch to work, have my dinner before I go and have something for breakfast when I've been awake about an hour. Recently I've let things slip and I've just recently re-downloaded the app to track my food. I was also a vending machine shaker thinking I could go through the night without taking food. I just used to find it hard figuring out how to log my food for the right day and I always worry I run the risk of over eating when it comes to the weekend and my shift pattern changes. How do you cope with it?
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    I just used to find it hard figuring out how to log my food for the right day and I always worry I run the risk of over eating when it comes to the weekend and my shift pattern changes. How do you cope with it?

    In the "Nutrition" section of the phone app, you could track your calories by the day or week. As long as you don't go over your calories for the week, you could have high and low days. In addition, you could set your our 24 hour period. For example 11pm-11pm the next day.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    seems like you need to switch your diary time zone to a different county that the day doesn't end until like four or six am. I did that when I worked this shift. have your day planned out just like you would if it was a day shift. snacks, meal, snacks. these three should cover your work shift at least. then of course supplement the rest of your day with the remaining snacks and meals. so at work you probably will eat a "lunch" and two snacks. plan for these. bring a packed lunch and two snacks that are low cal but also filling and nutritious. its all about choice. make the choice to get this under control. you can do it.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Agree, preplan your meals and bring them to work and as someone else suggested have dinner prior to going. I have my diary listed as morning, afternoon and evening, you would just have different times for those meals to be taking place. My evening would be your morning.
  • jinxxxfit
    jinxxxfit Posts: 13 Member
    THANK UUUUU
  • jinxxxfit
    jinxxxfit Posts: 13 Member
    seems like you need to switch your diary time zone to a different county that the day doesn't end until like four or six am. I did that when I worked this shift. have your day planned out just like you would if it was a day shift. snacks, meal, snacks. these three should cover your work shift at least. then of course supplement the rest of your day with the remaining snacks and meals. so at work you probably will eat a "lunch" and two snacks. plan for these. bring a packed lunch and two snacks that are low cal but also filling and nutritious. its all about choice. make the choice to get this under control. you can do it.

    Great idea!! THANKS
  • jinxxxfit
    jinxxxfit Posts: 13 Member
    I just used to find it hard figuring out how to log my food for the right day and I always worry I run the risk of over eating when it comes to the weekend and my shift pattern changes. How do you cope with it?

    In the "Nutrition" section of the phone app, you could track your calories by the day or week. As long as you don't go over your calories for the week, you could have high and low days. In addition, you could set your our 24 hour period. For example 11pm-11pm the next day.


    I didn't know that great advice!
  • jinxxxfit
    jinxxxfit Posts: 13 Member
    Sleep is key for me. Use dark curtains if you have light leaking into your bedroom. Try to get a consistent sleep schedule. During my work week, I typically sleep from 3pm-10:30pm. Some people I know that work nights sleep in broken up chunks of sleep and it works for them. I tried it but it never worked for me. I need 6 to 7 hrs of straight sleep to function. When I lack sleep, I overeat to help me stay awake and don't bother working out since I am too tired. I also found that if I go to bed right after eating, 9 out of 10 times I find myself needing to get up to go to the bathroom, interrupting my sleep so I avoid eating at minimum 2 hrs before going to bed. I also track via a 24hr period. I eat 2x usually. Once at work and once at home. There are days where I am so busy that I will sometimes just eat once a day. It can be hard at times but it's not impossible.

    GREAT and BTW way to go on the weight loss

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