Night shifter, looking to lose 50 pounds

askipper2789
askipper2789 Posts: 4 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi. I'm Ashley. I'm 25 years old and I'm looking to lose 50 pounds by October. I work night shift, 7p-7a in the hospital so my eating and sleeping patterns and habits are not that of a normal 9-5 person. I usually eat a meal around 5pm, 2am, and 9am. I rarely have time to snack if I'm working because things are very busy. I'm married with 2 small dogs, no children yet.

I want to become a healthier and happier. I'm at my heaviest weight right now and feel so disgusting in my own body. I've always loved food. My weaknesses are chicken tenders, mac and cheese, anything chocolate, cake, and sweets in general. I've tried my fitness pal before but just find myself "cheating" by not logging every single thing I eat.

I want to work out..financially a gym membership is not an option at this point. I dont do very well with home workout videos because I like the "pumped up" atmosphere of the gym and we live in a second floor apartment and pounding on the floor isn't very thoughtful of me.

I would love to have some support people, night shift people also, and any thoughts, tips, and tricks to help me achieve my goals.

Replies

  • mizbubblz
    mizbubblz Posts: 11 Member
    i work night shift also and the key is to log ABSOLUTLY every thing that goes into your mouth. i set up my logs by time, ie 0000-0400, 0400-0800 and so on because of the odd hours that we do eat. when i logged before i lost over 60 pounds. i had so issues in my life and told myself logging wasnt important, i could do it with out logging. boy was wrong. ended up gaining everything back and then an additional 15pounds on top of it. but i started logging everything again at the begining of the year and i am already down 4 pounds. no matter how many calories i eat, i make sure to log it. good luck.
  • askipper2789
    askipper2789 Posts: 4 Member
    Awesome. Like the time idea. Can you change those settings in the app?
  • jebeier
    jebeier Posts: 3
    edited January 2015
    I agree; log everything. I work a swing relief shift and gained weight because I would eat extra at night. I've tried to stop eating between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., which has definitely helped me to stabilize my weight. Otherwise, sometimes I log everything beforehand, which helps me stay on track, and other times I simply choose between sweets and real food.
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
    Yes. You can. I also work the night shift at a hospital in a large city. Lost 36 pounds that I have kept off. Logging is essential. It keeps you accountable and you gain a lot of knowledge from mistakes as well as success. I too love sweets esp after a stressful work of night shift. You can have your chicken tenders and mac and cheese, just in smaller amounts. Add some veggies and fruit also to help you feel full. I will send you a request. Another absolute must is getting sleep, any way you can.
  • askipper2789
    askipper2789 Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks for the tips. I'm on the right track. I'm having a hard time feeling full. I'll eat fruits and veggies and be hungry again in 2 hours. I know it'll take time to adjust, just want to do well. I'm so ready to be done with this overweight body
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    askipper2789 wrote: »
    Awesome. Like the time idea. Can you change those settings in the app?

    Yes, you can. Logging your food intake is very important and I would suggest in getting a food scale to help with accuracy.
    ereck44 wrote: »
    Yes. You can. I also work the night shift at a hospital in a large city. Lost 36 pounds that I have kept off. Logging is essential. It keeps you accountable and you gain a lot of knowledge from mistakes as well as success. I too love sweets esp after a stressful work of night shift. You can have your chicken tenders and mac and cheese, just in smaller amounts. Add some veggies and fruit also to help you feel full. I will send you a request. Another absolute must is getting sleep, any way you can.

    This is also key. I have adapted my eating and exercise schedule around my sleep. If I lack sleep, it all goes downhill. I constantly eat while at work to help me stay awake and don't bother to exercise since I am too tired.
  • devinrola
    devinrola Posts: 1 Member
    I am a night shift worker with 4 children . I flip flops schedules on my days off due to daycare and what not. I find myself seeking carbs at the wee hours of the morning to keep myself awake. I don't drink coffee, except when I wake and when I wake I like to drink my calories. I have gained 30lbs since starting night shift. I am scared because I used to weigh 300lbs and don't want to be this weight again. So this is helpful. I started taken steamed veggies to work along with other frozen meals to help with weight loss. I have seen a 4lb difference, but I am terrified of 'regaining to 300lbs I am now 220. Eeekkk.
  • askipper2789
    askipper2789 Posts: 4 Member
    I've got a food scale that I love. It helps me portion my meats if it's too much. I also find that if I can eat my most "expensive" calories on my lunch break and eat a lighter meal when I get home I don't feel quite as stuffed and going to bed on a super full stomach.

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