Advice for a waitress??

jegrillo
jegrillo Posts: 5
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone, my name is Julie and I'm new to the forums. I've been using the MFP app on my phone for about a month and have seen a small amount of progress- my goal is to lose 50 lbs and so far I have lost about 3. I'm not giving up hope, I'm determined to get the weight off. As a waitress in a relatively busy restaurant and working full time, I do have a moderately active lifestyle. But I do have a couple concerns and I wanted to see if any of you could help. First, I'm worried that I'm not active enough, even with all the running around I do at work. But the main concern is the way my work schedule affects my eating schedule. When the rest of the world is sitting down to lunch or dinner, I'm serving them that meal. It's not like I can sit down and join them. It's not really as much of a problem at lunch than it is dinner- what happens is that I get done work at 10 or 11 at night and I'm very very hungry. I try to eat a small meal but I'm worried that any amount of food late at night is going to hinder any progress I could be making. I need a way around it but I don't know what to do, nor do I know if I should be as concerned as I am or if I'm worrying myself over nothing.

Thanks for reading,
Julie

Replies

  • hilhall822
    hilhall822 Posts: 116 Member
    Do you get a 15-minute break? If so, you can pack something good to eat on your break. Either that or eat a more filling lunch or meal before work. Good luck!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Rest assured, you can eat however late at night you want. It will not hinder your progress. What's most important is that you get as close as you can to your calorie goal every day (don't worry if you're a little over or a little under). Best of luck to you.
  • jgoff3003
    jgoff3003 Posts: 189 Member
    What about a protein shake u can drink on the go when you are working, I used to have those when I worked events or meal replacement shakes and I would just sip it throughout my shift.
  • Liatush
    Liatush Posts: 627 Member
    Back when I used to wait tables, I used to keep a meal in the kitchen and whenever I would go in the kitchen, I would take a few bites. I dont think the time of day when you are eating will hinder your progress, but sometimes when you are THAT hungry, you tend to eat more. Drink plenty of water and keep veggies in the kitchen to snack on.
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    i work nights..so my eating schedule is not 'normal' either. there is no set time in the world that you MUST eat certain meals. you'll just have to work your own personal schedule to fit in all the food you need. i am sure you arent denied breaks or dinner breaks. eat then. your body will adjust to the schedule mine has.

    and as far as the workout you get from working..it doesnt count. its counted in your BMR as your activity level. plus, working is usually emotionally stressful, and its intermittent and not condusive to proper health.
    extra uninterupted exercise that lasts at least 20-30 mins is what you need on a daily basis.
  • allimac09
    allimac09 Posts: 33
    I'm a bartender, so I had the same concerns but I've found a successful routine. I have breakfast or a meal replacement shake, a few small snacks though the day, a large lunch and another meal replacement shake for dinner. I bring my protein shake mix to work and use the blender. No matter how busy it is, I can find 2 minutes to make "dinner".... My food diary is open. Feel free to check it out for some ideas. Also, I find about a half hour a day to workout. You can ALWAYS find that much time to do a video or something. I feel like my body is "used" to the normal running around, so I give it a little boost! Good luck!
  • 6Janelle13
    6Janelle13 Posts: 353 Member
    I live on my meal schedule but my schedule is all over the place. I have my breakfast which is about 300 calories. Then I pack quick but good eats such as string cheese and triscuit crackers, which i can eat super quick an easy. my lunch sometimes never happens but that is when the idea of a protein shake works well. I try to eat my dinner before 6 but if i can't it's ok. The biggest thing i have learned is that i gained weight doing my usual stuff (working on my feet all day). I need to do more to lose that weight I gained.
  • Kellee_76
    Kellee_76 Posts: 91
    Rest assured, you can eat however late at night you want. It will not hinder your progress. What's most important is that you get as close as you can to your calorie goal every day (don't worry if you're a little over or a little under). Best of luck to you.

    So true. Count your calories in a 24-hour period and don't worry so much about what time you eat them. And, by the way, you're doing well! You're averaging almost a pound-a-week loss. It's not about speed, it's about endurance. And the past three weeks have proven you have some stamina. Stick with it!
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    You are needlessly worrying about what TIME of the day you eat. Eating late at night does NOT hinder weight loss as long as you are sticking to your calorie total. The reason many people warn against eating late at night is because being tired can lead to overeating. Your guard and your resolve is at it's weakest and people are tempted to eat sugary, fatty food rather than take the time to fix a healthy meal.

    My advice would be to plan all your daily food ahead of time, including some to take to work with you. Eat about 6 times a day, every 3 to 4 hours. When you get home, have your meal already planned and eat that. The fact that you are SO hungry at night tells me you didn't get enough good nutrition during the day.

    Also, it is good you are active, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to include planned exercise like strength training and cardio, too. This really aides in weight loss and allows you to eat more.:bigsmile:
  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
    I'm a waitress too, so I can totally get your drift on "when i should be eating a meal, I'm busy serving a meal instead!" I work nights too, so I make sure to eat right before I go to work. And my bosses are cool about letting us eat when we have time. We don't get breaks, so we just eat when it gets slow. I take dinner to work with me every night, without fail. It's toooo tempting to go there without dinner, especially since I work in a pizza restaurant, and there's always pizza around. if you don't get standardized breaks, then talk to your bosses and ask if they are cool with you eating midshift, at a work-appropriate time.
  • jegrillo
    jegrillo Posts: 5
    This is all very helpful, thank you. I've always managed a healthy weight but over the last year something happened and I packed on some lbs. Dieting is very new to me. I've been bringing some yogurt and fruit to work but it doesn't hold me over. I will definitely try the shakes and meal replacements. Right now its more about breaking habits and adjusting to new routines.
  • hedleyrocks247
    hedleyrocks247 Posts: 185 Member
    Wear a pedometer while you work!! I did this when I worked in a restaurant and on our busiest nights I walked somewhere between 8 - 12 miles in an 8 hour shift!!!
  • raven1114
    raven1114 Posts: 115 Member
    Rest assured, you can eat however late at night you want. It will not hinder your progress. What's most important is that you get as close as you can to your calorie goal every day (don't worry if you're a little over or a little under). Best of luck to you.

    exactly, i'm a night person most days i don't go to bed untill around 4am so a good chunck of my calories gets eaten at night.
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