Night Shift

I'm there with you. Straight 12 hours nights for me. I often eat breakfast and crawl in bed. Wake up have a coffee, fruit and pb, Then and dinner. Eat lunch around 10:30 pm and then a yogurt or fruit at 5ish. Its hard to get the calories in sometimes and I am tempted to choose unwisely if there are chips or cookies. Had I stuck with the proper choices I am sure I would not be the size I am. Let me know if you find a good system that works for you.

wow that would be really hard. I'd eat to stay awake!

I work nights as well, 7p-7a.. Im a runner too. I get up around 3pm, drink a cup of coffee, run my route, get ready for work, eat some carbs and protein, and go to work. I work for about three to four hours (depending on how busy we are) and have a protein bar and coffee around 10pm. I eat every two hours through the night, I pack healthy stuff I can eat on the run. I eat salad with tuna, greek yogurt with AllBran buds, nutella with whole grain bread or wrap, steamable quinoa or brown rice, raw fruits and vegetables, etc. When I get home, I'll have some cereal or cheese sticks.. I sleep from about 7:30 am to 3 pm again and do it all over. I've worked nights for 10 years, 4 years ago I lost 50 pounds and have kept it off all this time. This schedule works well for me.

LesliePierceRN, you're my HERO!!!! I can not be near Nutella without eating the entire container!

Ok, so fellow night shifter here. I, too am struggling with this schedule. I work 6p-6a friday/saturday/sunday. My position offers no opportunity for consistency. There are nights where I have no calls and I can eat (and have) all night long. Then, there are nights, like tonight where I just ate for the first time.

I'm also a HUGE soda nut, so I am working very diligently to exchange the soda for the water.

I have a Vivofit, and it resets at midnight. So, I will go on one of the hospital floors and walk to get my steps in. My goal is to begin taking the stairs. :-)

Trufels24 im in the same boat with the busy block time. Sometimes it's super busy the other times i can get a 15 min snack break in.

I work 11pm to 7am. On nights that I work I'll sleep from 3/4pm to 10:30pm. I log my food midnight to midnight. I typically eat 2x during a 8 hr window. Once at work between 4-6AM, and then again around 11am-1pm. I avoid eating and drinking 2 to 3 hrs before I go to sleep because personally for me, I've found I need to wake up and go to the bathroom in the middle of my sleep if I don't. 3 to 4x a week, I'll hit my gym in the mornings after work for 1 to 2hrs. I also have nights where I am not super busy at work and will go outside and walk for 15-20 mins through out my shift.

I don't have a SO or kids I need to worry about, so I know it can be difficult for those that do. I've been doing the night shift thing for 5 years now though I didn't focus on losing weight and getting healthy and fit until I was nearly 1.5 years into the job. For me sleep is the biggest contributing factor for everything. When I have crappy sleep, everything suffers. I tend to over eat to help me stay awake while at work and don't bother to exercise. Everyone's different, you just have to find what works for you.

Get yourself a 6 pack bag for carrying your food to work. I got one a few months ago and it's great for carrying all of your pre prepared food with you. I always have a quest bar or two for the early hours of the morning when you crave sweet stuff. For meals I have basmati rice with either chicken or fish and lots of veg or a chicken pasta bake to fuel me through the night. Also drink plenty of water to make me feel fuller and have a few protein shakes on hand instead of fizzy drinks. When I get home I have a big breakfast of eggs and or oats with coffee then sleep. Exercise wise I sleep after night shift for a few hours and then train before starting night shift again. Hope this helps and good luck on your journey. Steph.