Eating well on night shift

Nursie863
Nursie863 Posts: 55 Member
edited November 8 in Food and Nutrition
I work night shift, 7 pm to 7 am, three nights a week. I find it really difficult to maintain a healthy diet working this shift. Any suggestions? I generally try to go from midnight to the next midnight counting my calories...is that the best way?

Replies

  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    pack your lunch and log it all before hand. working nights, especially 12's can be tough. But packing a lunch to get through the shift helps and keeps you accountable. Vending machines are not our friends.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I'd count from the time I woke up until the time I went to sleep, but midnight to midnight works just as well. I just like to see my days.

    It's really no harder to eat right on night shift than it is on day shift, IMO. I think it's actually easier, as there are few restaurants open when you get out of work, so there is less temptation to stop somewhere and pick up ribs or whathaveyou.

    Buy healthier foods and eat them. Works the same for 7p-7a as it does for 7a-7p. :)
  • alereck
    alereck Posts: 343 Member
    There is no difference. I count what I eat no matter what time of the day it is. When I'm working 13 night hours straight I tend to eat more meals to stay awake but then I go home to sleep for at least 4 hours and many times I wake up and I am not hungry until later, so I skip a meal on a time I would usually eat.

    It doesn't matter when you eat, just how much overall in the day/week. I bring tons of food to work just in case I get hungry I don't have to go out for fast food unless I want to. I bring dinner, then a snack like yougurt, dessert, breakfast and I always have a protein bar or another snack just in case....
  • hiswaywardgirl
    hiswaywardgirl Posts: 42
    Yeah, if you're going to count calories, you have to consider the time you're awake as a regular day with the same calorie limits. I agree with others who have said to pack meals and snacks -- that's really the only way you'll be prepared to eat healthy and not tempted with fast food or unhealthy snacks. Bring things that you like and will look forward to eating. Make sure you space out meals/snacks so that you don't end up hungry at the end of your shift. It's better to pack extra food than to have nothing and give into buying fast food.

    Coffee or tea can be good appetite suppressants & alternatives to unhealthy drinks while on the job, although you don't want to over-caffeinate yourself.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    You can look at your cal goal in a week increment.

    That should make this easier.

    Go a little under your cal goal on every other meal except those three you must have during the night shift. Then you can afford to go that much over on those meals...when taco bell and jack in the box are the only things open.

    Pro-Tip:

    Chicken Fajita Pita with side salad and iced tea is a low cal meal.
    So is Taco Bell taco and side of pinto beans with a diet coke.

  • Chaotic_Weevil
    Chaotic_Weevil Posts: 199 Member
    8pm-8am here.

    I normally just log from waking to sleep, but whatever you find simplest is fine

    My best tips would be to plan a few small meals/snacks out ahead. I like to pack some nuts, yoghurt/cottage cheese, deli meat, veggie sticks- that kind of thing. Or being leftovers if you like.

    If you don't have a fridge at work it might be worth investing in a little cooler.

    Don't bring cash to work. You'll avoid the
    vending machine/late night junk food that way. Maybe just bring your debit card if you feel uncomfortable going out without money.

  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
    Dave198lbs wrote: »
    pack your lunch and log it all before hand. working nights, especially 12's can be tough. But packing a lunch to get through the shift helps and keeps you accountable. Vending machines are not our friends.
    THIS!!!! ++++ Paramedic here, and I work 24's. I pre-log the night before a shift to make sure I will meet "my numbers" and then prepackage/proportion food and pack it in a cooler. If it isn't in that cooler then it doesn't go in my mouth! It works for me. Note: I do take a couple protein shakes with me and a package of nuts so that if work is absolutely insane and I know that my activity is WAY higher than normal, I can add a bit more sustenance to my day.
  • carissaym
    carissaym Posts: 7 Member
    I work at Tim Hortons, midnights 5-6 nights a week. I will usually have a bagel (my choice) with just butter, around 1 am. Around 3 or 4, I'll have either a whole grain muffin with butter, or an egg white, sausage patty and slice of cheese. Then ill sleep when i get home, and eat dinner sometime between 5pm and 8pm. Keeps me content all day, and i almost always stay just below or a little bit over my calorie count. And i drink LOTS of water!
  • soultrouble
    soultrouble Posts: 11 Member
    6p-6a here...I bring a little lunch box with pre-logged snacks (lara bars, nuts, a can of tuna and fresh veggies). I always eat an apple circa 10pm and always have either a quest bar or protein shake circa 3 or 4 am...and I drink a TON of water...breakfast and dinner are easy because you're at home. However, I work in the ER and it's constantly busy so you have sneak a bite in here and there where you can.
  • kitsteroo
    kitsteroo Posts: 13 Member
    11p-7a here! I just started so I'm glad to see other night owls here, too. What I do is just use the same day for all my calories. So if I wake up on Tuesday and put in my breakfast, I put all my food into Tuesday even after midnight. I'm a day off calender wise but my calories are all in the right place. I've found it helpful to take lots of snacks to work, too. Carrots, celery, that kind of thing. Low cal but mouthy. My nights are either crazy or hours of uninterrupted nothingness and I'm used to eating to break it up so the snacks help stave off that boredom hunger! Good luck on your journey!
  • Nursie863
    Nursie863 Posts: 55 Member
    Thank you for all the great tips, everybody! :)
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,159 Member
    Another night shift RN - 7P-7A. I work in Labor and Delivery and getting a break is never a sure thing (it's usually not a thing) so I eat a real dinner before I leave for work. I don't eat the food from the cafeteria because it's mostly fried and overpriced. I bring apples and peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cheese and some "stress chocolate" - (it keeps the coworkers alive if I have it). I log midnight to midnight no matter what day it is. Usually I have the apples/pb before midnight and some of the other items afterwards. It varies shift to shift, depending on how busy we are and how hungry I am. I do eat a light snack when I get home before I'm unconscious. I keep a water bottle at work, it's hard to hydrate at times (you don't want to be in the OR and have to pee, or pushing with a patient for four hours) so I make sure I've gotten in all the cups I drink daily, or am just missing one or two, then anything extra is nice.

    I work in a university hospital and there's a place nearby that makes/delivers fresh cookies between 10P and 3A. Once in a while I'll participate in a group order and get one. I chuckled the first time I went to log it on here, I think their whole menu is in the database. And it's worth every calorie :D
  • jbum68
    jbum68 Posts: 23
    Night shifter here and I have a stock of acceptable snacks in the desk in case I end up being there late or forget to bring something (rarely). I always bring my lunch and a snack and that helps avoid the IT office leftovers (usually cookies, brownies, or pizza).
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