It's Hard to Stay on track when you work nights!

I know when I worked nights, I just gained weight slowly - mind you my eating habits were not as clean as they are now... Exercising wasn't as much either... I am not sure what the balance is, but I can tell you that I scrambled for a day job as I'm definitely not made to work nights! I really feel for you... Maybe talking to a nutritionist would help?

Hmmm I don't know, I actually found when I did shift work and worked nightshift that I ate less and hardly ate during the day due to my horrible sleeping pattern... saying that however I did drink a lot of coffee which isn't good for you in the quantities I was drinking it.

I don't know the answer or the science behind it.... I'm guessing our bodies are different at night, would be interested to find out what the deal is though.

I am also a night shift worker and I do think that my metabolism is slowed due to my carzy sleep and eat cycle. I try to be keep it as scheduled as possible and that has helped alot.

I work graveyard. 5 days a week. have had the same work sechdule long before I started on my weight loss. have it as of now. I don't find it hard.

I work rotating shifts. The only problem I have is due to my 12 hour shifts, I only get about 6 hours of sleep.

My sister got really thin, and grey haired working nights (for 10 years). She didn't have the time or energy to eat properly. Apparently at the BBC (where my sister was) most people who work night shifts their whole working life don't live to make retirement. It is really bad for your health.

I worked nights for years. It is easy when you accept the fact you are working nights. You wake up in the evening, it's breakfast time, you have breakfast, you buy or take a lunch to work the same as you would in the day, it's YOUR lunch time, you come home from work and you have a dinner as it's your dinner time. Don't go straight to bed, unwind a little bit, do some exercise or whatever it is day people do when they get home from work. People who work the ordinary day 9-5 don't come in and go straight to bed so don't you do it. I found it so much easier to be good on night shift. My downfall is takeaways and you can't get a takeaway at 8am *lol*

On weekends i'd finish work friday or saturday morning and i'd stay up till friday or saturday night (i quite often did 6 nights a week) then get up sunday morning as normal and just have an afternoon nap before sunday night shift. Granted the food can be awkward that day.

I used to do 6, 12 hour night shifts. I'd get my *kitten* down the gym before a night shift (before 7pm) and if I was up to it, I'd hit it again at 7am after. Rinse and repeat.

If you want something enough, nothing will stop you.

I know what you mean. I work all 3 shifts. My Mondays flip between 2nd & 3rd shift. Wednesdays is 3rd shift (11pm-7am). Fridays is 2nd shift (3pm-11pm). And every other weekend is 1st shift (7am-7pm). As you can see, between my Friday and Saturday I only have 8 hours off inbetween so I usually only get 3-4 hours of sleep that night. I love my job but hate my schedule.

I've been doing nights for almost 7 years and I don't really have problems with it. I am ready for a day job, but mostly because I miss sunshine.

I work 10pm to 6am. I sleep from about 8am-4pm. So, I get my full 8 hours of sleep. then I wake up, do a 30-60 minute workout and shower before my hubby gets home from his day job at 5:30. Then I have a regular evening like anyone would, go to work at 10pm.

I log everything I'm going to eat after I eat "breakfast". I do typically eat a dinner-type meal for breakfast as they say you should eat the biggest meal early in the day anyway. Then I have a snack shortly after I get to work (usually veggies or cheese & crackers). then I have a sandwich or something for lunch (around 2:30am) and have an apple and an ounce of almonds around 5am. Then a bowl of cereal or just a glass of skim milk about 7am and go to bed by 8am.

I think the previous comment "day shifters don't go to bed when they get home and you shouldn't either" is just ignorant. Do whatever works for you. I don't want to sleep all evening and never get to do anything with people who work different shifts (I only have 1 friend who works night shift). That would kill me. I don't go to sleep the second I get home, but I usually come home, eat a bowl of cereal, talk to my hubby before he leaves for work at 7:45am and then get ready for bed. It works very well for me. I don't feel deprived in any way and I am steadily, although slowly, losing weight and building muscle.

I work 3 nights/week as well. The nights aren't usually all in a row. I have been struggling with a routine for my exercise and eating as well. Last week, I worked out on my days off and the morning of one of the days I had to work. Usually, when I get home in the mornings, I eat some cereal (special K- protein plus), take a shower and go to bed. I get up around 5, get ready for work, and end up eating "dinner" between 7 and 10 and not eating anything else for the rest of my shift (drink water). I know I'm not eating enough. I liked some of the ideas here like eating a meal before going to work and then 2 small meals during shift. I'm not gaining weight but it's really slow coming off. I see now when working @ night, it's all about planning and scheduling meals/exercise. If you guys have any other ideas, please share! Thanks!

How would your metabolism change being on a different shift? Are we solar powered?

How would your metabolism change being on a different shift? Are we solar powered?

Nope, not solar powered, but that's pretty funny! However, our bodies have a natural rhythm and night shifts, or shift work in general play havoc with that. Sleep, and quality sleep, are important for overall health, not just weight loss. Try screwing around with your sleep patterns and just see how you feel physically, and some of the things that happen to your body and mental state. I worked shift work for ten years. 2 days, 2 nights, 2 off, 12 hour shifts. Crazy, crazy! There were times at the end of a cycle of shifts I'd be messed up for my two days off, and not really sleep at all...then start over again.....then I got a day job Monday to Friday 8 to 4, weekends off. I'm so much better off for it.

Hats off to those of you who still pull it off. Nurses, cops, firefighters, steam engineers, cleaners, maintenance people......all of you, without whom, most of society would shut down. Thanks folks!