The Retail Life

UcallMeJay · February 2011

I live the retail life. I don't have a regular 9-5 type of job. I'm an assistant manager at a "big box" retailer, and I work at least 50 hours a week, during the holidays it is usually about 60 hours a week. And just like the job you probably have, mine is full of stress.

So I'm looking for some "best practices", as we call it in the retail world, from anyone else that has a similar lifestyle.
I usually work from 11am-9pm or 12-10pm and 1pm - 11pm on weekends. So usually I find myself sleeping in since I don't get to sleep until late. I have exercise equipment buried in my garage that I need to uncover. But even when I was able to use it, it was hard to find the time to get out there and make it happen.

One big challenge for me is my eating schedule. When i get off work at night I'm usually starving, but I know it is bad to eat right before you go to bed, but I don't want to get to sleep hungry. And on the flip side, i often wake up late and have to get ready for work, so a good breakfast usually doesn't happen. It is more like whatever I can grab on my way out the door.

Well if there is anyone in the same boat, any advice you have is welcome!

oxnina · February 2011

i think as long as your giving your body 3 or so ours to digest before bed, i think its fine to eat after work.
"They" typically say that you shouldn't eat anything after 9pm. That'd projected for people who go to sleep somewhere between 11-12pm. So if you get home at 11pm and are starving and you have a full dinner, wait till 2 in the morning to sleep. If that's not ideal, than just snack on nuts. Nuts are great protein, high in calories, but fill you up really fast. If you have like 1/2 a cup or so and snack on them slowly, that might do the trick. Or have some veggies or fruit, something light so if your going to bed at midnight or 1 am, you'll be able to get a healthy sleep.
Another option too now that i think about it, is you can make yourself a smoothie. There are great recipes that call for like frozen yogurt and frozen berries (or fresh). Depending on the smoothy, it may fall anywhere from 50 calories to 200 hundred calories but it will fill you up for sure but won't sit so heavy on the stomach.
Hopefully this helps

(i work at a retail store where i come home at 11-12pm a couple times a week, and hunger calls

)

lodro · February 2011

Why not make breakfast your biggest meal of the day, and make sure to eat sufficient protein then. You can then plan lunch, and "dinner" will be something small, mainly to take the hunger away so you can go to bed comfortably.

Edit: that's a bit like how buddhist monks eat: the bulk of food before noon, then something called "medicine food" before bed.

Jain · February 2011

Until recently I worked until 9pm every night. I just adjusted my meal times to suit. And my main meal was in the evening, but I usually went to bed around 1am.

The 'rule' of never eating after a certain time isa bit of an old wives tale & certainly not practical for people working odd hours.

Lakerlady5747 · February 2011

I worked retail at a "big box" store, so I definitely know what you're talking about! It can be very hard to get on a regular schedule because it seems like your schedule is almost always changing. However, I think there are some things you can do that could help.

First, I would make sure that you get up early enough before work to get some exercise in (try doing this for at least 3 days a week). You'll probably have to set your alarm, but try telling yourself about all of the benefits you will get from that exercise when you just don't want to get out of bed.

As far as meals are concerned, make sure you eat a healthy breakfast before you go to work (and if you're working out, before you work out). Make sure this breakfast is large enough to fuel your day. On lunch (probably while you are at work), make sure you have a healthy lunch. I know it's tempting to eat out all the time when working retail (there is a Wendy's very close to where I worked, and I know that most employees ate there way too often), but you have to force yourself to pack a healthy lunch. You could pack some healthy sandwiches/wraps, cut-up veggies, yogurt, fruit, etc. On breaks, make sure you have healthy snacks and that you don't visit the vending machine in the break room. Then, after work, have a dinner. Make sure it is healthy, but also make sure you don't go to bed right after dinner.

Since you mostly work the "late mid-shift" or "closing shift," I think it would be wise to change your sleeping/eating schedule to fit with your work schedule.

Don't give up, and you can be succesful!

MzBug · February 2011

I worked in retail for years as a manager so I know your pain. Some weeks it was 50 hours, some 80+. I would get up early and make sure I had a good breakfast at least. It wasn't often that I had the opportunity to sit down and eat durning my shift. I would load a "lunch bag cooler" with easy to grab and eat snacks. Nothing that couldn't be consumed on the run. Boiled eggs, chicken breast strips, baby carrots, apple quarters, string cheese etc. I would also have a bag of trail mix at my desk. When I got home I would usually have a light dinner of soup, salad or small sandwich.

My issue became NOT eatting. When the new DM came on board he took my assistant and most of my shift supervisors away for a different store. I ended up working open to close (7am-11pm) 7 days a week for a long while. Every time I would get a supervisor trained he would take them! He took 8 months to assign me another assistant. I would be sooo busy that I would forget to eat. By the time I got home I just wanted to crawl in bed, and usually did. He was doing the same to another manager, and when they went above the DM's head to get another assistant assigned, they were terminated for insubordination and going outside the "chain of command". I finally did get out. Found that I was existing in the semi starvation mode, and with the help of my doctor, nutritionist and a dietician we got me back on track. I found MFP a couple months later.

sprinkledlove · February 2011

I work as a shift and my schedule changes daily. Sometimes I work 730-4, sometimes 2-10, and sometimes 9-6. It varies all throughout the week. Recently I've been planning my meals ahead of time. Yesterday I worked 10-6 so I got up early and had a good breakfast, packed my lunch (though I didn't eat because I was sick) and came home and ate dinner around 8. Today I work 2-10, so I ate breakfast around 9am, had lunch at 1pm, and I'm packing a turkey sandwich and fruits for dinner which I'll eat around 7 tonight. We're supposed to take 30 minutes at work for break, so I never come home hungry raiding the refrigerator. The thing that helps me most is planning it out. And tomorrow I work 730-4, so I have to wake up earlier to make sure I pack my lunch.

The Retail Life

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