Logging food/exercise on PM shifts?

kee9kee9
kee9kee9 Posts: 23
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
To my pm shifters,
I just changed to pm shift (13 hrs/shift) last week and am finding it difficult to know which day to log food under. Before, when I worked pms, I had a set schedule and stayed like that (on pms) even on my days off. Now, with my new job, we rotate am/pm every 3 months and have lots of mtgs on off days so I can't do like before. When I'm working, I count everything I eat/exercise as the day the shift started (ie--working fri pm, so food/exercise all goes under fri no matter if I eat it @ 0400 sat morning). Please let me know if you have any suggestions/tips/tricks. Thanks MFP buddies!

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,332 Member
    Just name your meals however you feel is best.

    6PM-8PM

    11PM-1AM

    4AM-9AM

    ..or breakfast lunch dinner, whatever.


    My meals are named Meal-1, Meal-2, Meal-3, Meal-4, Snack

    24 hours is 24 hours. The day changes at 12AM on MFP.
  • cleo77
    cleo77 Posts: 93 Member
    I hear ya. I do shift work, so this is an ongoing battle. I have to cook and prepare snacks in advance, so there is no guess work in eating. This means sometimes I do my workouts in the am, and other times in the pm, depending on my shift. My coach told me its important to eat every 3-4 hours to fuel my body regardless of my shift.
  • kee9kee9
    kee9kee9 Posts: 23
    Thanks for the help. Shift work definitely makes eating a challenge!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,332 Member
    Yeah, I worked swing for years, and graveyard. I liked swing, never got to bed on time with graveyard. Your insulin production drops off at night (from 10pm-3am) so that's another factor that works against cravings and food choices at night.

    Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    I work shift work. I rotate weekly. name my meals meal1 to meal6, and eat every 3 hours, if possible. I set my eating schedule as midnight to midnight to make up for the days I'm off work or changing my sleeping rotation. (after my last night shift, I will get up at noon that day, and go to bed at around 10, so that wouldn't give me enough hours to get my calories in otherwise)
  • tsukinotenshi
    tsukinotenshi Posts: 5
    I also work nights & have a pretty messed up eating schedule. My shift ends at 2am if I dont have overtime so I tend to sleep in till around 10am. :yawn: By the time I have my 1st meal its usually around noonish.
    I normally dont eat but 2 good sized meals a day. Once b4 work I call that meal breakfast. The 2nd meal is during my lunch time @ work & I call it Dinner.. i have breaks around every two hours so I snack during those times. If I eat a Protien bar during one of those breaks I count it as a meal ( Lunch) due to the calories.
    That is my schedule. Yours maybe very different. Im sure what you call your meals really doesnt matter. When, what & how much you eat matters most.:smile:
  • kee9kee9
    kee9kee9 Posts: 23
    Thanks all for the help. I am finding that I am eating less @ work on the night shift (b/c I'm not as hungry). I worked the other night and just had crackers and a couple pieces of cheese and that got me through the shift. I know that it's not healthy to eat like that all the time and I'm working on it. Thanks again for the tips.
  • Hardemanwifey
    Hardemanwifey Posts: 259 Member
    Hey girlie I work night shift as well 12hrs. I use the 24hr day to log my food. When the clock hits midnight iits a new day so I log on the new day. I personally ddont rename my meals but whatever works for you but be consistent. Hope that helps
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