Weird work hours and diets

Malyndiajc
Malyndiajc Posts: 8 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
I am currently getting back into the "get healthy" game, and one new issue in my life appears to be my work hours.

I wake up at 3am, work from 4:30am to 11:30am with no lunch hour, and then go to sleep around 3-5pm.

I find being up so early, my stomach doesn't want anything and eating before it is ready (or drinking anything) leads to me gagging. Also, I get so busy while at work, that often I don't eat anything at all, then I get home and binge.

To say the least it is a bit difficult, but I am consciously trying to stick to eating more healthfully, and so I ask you wonderful people if anyone give me a bit of helpful advise or at least can commiserate with me :smiley:

Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Are you saying that you can only eat between 11:30 am and 4:00 pm? What do you normally eat? Eat/make one or two meals that fit into your calorie goals for the day.
    Have you considered snack for work between 4:30 am and 11:30 am.
  • Malyndiajc
    Malyndiajc Posts: 8 Member
    It's not that I am saying I can only eat between 11:30 and "bedtime"... plenty of my staff eat during our work hours, it is just that I tend to get to work, and run amuck until all the sudden I look up and it is time to go home.

    I have brought my lunch, there are snacks in my desk, and I have an alarm on my phone, it just seems that my day flies by without me noticing.

    I could definitely try to split the calorie goal between two meals rather than three... not too bad for the first response :smile:
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    There is nothing wrong with only eating once per day. It's not a "binge" if you're eating your daily calorie allotment at that time, either. :)

    As long as the way you're eating leaves you healthy and satisfied, when you eat is completely up to you.
  • Malyndiajc
    Malyndiajc Posts: 8 Member
    edited February 2015
    I am not saying you are wrong, I have just been indoctrinated to think very differently. I mean listen to any "expert" talk about eating and you always hear how bad it is for you to eat all your calories in one sitting and they always refer to it as a "binge". You hear how your body goes into "starvation mode" and how not eating consistently throughout the day will negatively effect your metabolism.

    I guess I really just need to rethink this whole "eating healthy" thing to figure out what works... because with this crazy schedule, the truth is traditional eating just doesn't work :wink:
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    There is nothing wrong with eating all of your calories after you get home, if that works for you. But, from your OP, it seems that maybe it's not working.

    Have you considered shakes while at work? Either homemade or prepackaged?

    Having dinner ready when you get home might also help with the urge to binge when you get home. Crockpot recipes, something easily reheated, precooked meats, precut vegetables, etc. are easy ways to prepare a quick meal.
  • Malyndiajc
    Malyndiajc Posts: 8 Member
    I consider what I do when I get home a "binge" but that is because I am eating so many of my daily calories at one time... even with my "binge" I usually end up 200-300 calories under my daily target intake. So it does work for me, it just goes against everything I have been taught when it comes to "healthy eating" :smile:
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    Read up on intermittent fasting. Many people swear by it.

    I could never do it, but it works for many people.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Malyndiajc wrote: »
    I consider what I do when I get home a "binge" but that is because I am eating so many of my daily calories at one time... even with my "binge" I usually end up 200-300 calories under my daily target intake. So it does work for me, it just goes against everything I have been taught when it comes to "healthy eating" :smile:

    Forget what you think you know. There's no scientific evidence to prove that eating only once per day is "bad" and there is evidence which points to time of day making absolutely no difference.

    Studies which say that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight or ones that say you should never eat after 7pm are done with people who don't calorie count. Sure, if you skip breakfast you'd be more likely to overeat if you get super hungry at lunch and then eat more. If you aren't hungrier at lunch time that wouldn't apply to you. Same goes with the late eating thing. People who don't calorie count and eat after 7pm are usually eating above their maintenance calories by that time of day. If, however, you've saved calories to eat at that time of day then you won't gain weight by eating those calories at that time vs. any other time of day.

    The main thing to remember is, there is no "one size fits all" eating plan. It's what works for you that matters. Eating in a way that keeps you happy and healthy will make it more likely that you'll stick to any plan.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Consider the two meals a day as a type of "intermittent fasting."
    http://www.womensfitness.co.uk/healthy-eating/851/168-diet-intermittent-fasting

    http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/ask-diet-doctor-pros-cons-fasting-weight-loss

    I do not not eat during the work day either. I eat when I come home and then have a snack before bed.
  • MindySaysWhaaat
    MindySaysWhaaat Posts: 401 Member
    I work odd-ish hours myself (11am-730pm) and I only eat twice a day. My first meal is usually around 4pm, and my second meal is around 9pm. I was trying to incorporate a "breakfast" type snack (cliff bar), but I find I like to just eat twice, except for on days when I am finding myself really wanting that midmorning snack. I also usually put it down as a "snack" but I actually usually eat a big bowl of cereal at the end of my day if I have leftover calories. I consider this a kind of dessert.
  • jess1992uga
    jess1992uga Posts: 603 Member
    I have the same issue where I am on the go every day 9 am to 6/7 pm and then have to fit in all my calories. I just figure it's what I have to do and if not stall progress not a problem.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    I think a lot of us were taught a lot of things about so-called "healthy eating" that did a bunch of disservice.

    A huge part of me getting my eating under control has been getting over all the crap ideas I had been taught and instead learning to do what works for me.

    So long as you not eating at work doesn't cause you to come home and eat an entire cake as your only sustenance for the day (which it sounds like it doesn't) the way you are currently doing it sounds fine. (And the all-cake diet is only bad cause you don't want to get scurvy or suffer from some other nutritional deficiency. Otherwise the cake calories would be fine for weight loss, so long as they were low enough).
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