I work 3rd shift 4 nights a week; no weight loss guru has ever been able to help me

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  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I had gastric bypass this past June. If you have had the surgery, you need to keep a stash of foods handy and when you aren't eating, a water bottle. For the first few months after surgery, I kept a water bottle by my bedside and drank when I went to bed and first thing when I got up. Yesterday my morning urine was too small and too dark so oops, started paying attention to water again.

    My list of portable snacks.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/mid-day-snacks-722504

    It's important not to let yourself get too hungry or too full.

    It is tempting to become a "grazer" following surgery and I've seen articles that frown on that. But in your circumstance, I can't imagine you could do anything else. Graze.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    Sandoo4 wrote: »
    samdavis88, I have renamed my meals and sometime the 11pm meal is breakfast and sometimes its dinner... non the less, I find myself eating around the clock and if I can leave it at 6hr intervals then I won't overeat, but wow sometimes 6hrs is such a long time to go without something.

    I changed mine to "Morning" "Afternoon" and "Nighttime".

    My hungriest time of day is morning, so I eat my largest meal then and don't eat until lunch (only 4.5 hours away). From there, the meals get smaller and more frequent. Dinner is usually a salad at 6, popcorn at 7 and something sweet at 8. It's not grazing if you plan it!

    I also like breakfast the best, so I have it twice a day <g>. Eggs and potatoes in the morning, then yogurt, granola and fruit in the afternoon.

  • Joliekay1582
    Joliekay1582 Posts: 75 Member
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    samdavis88 wrote: »
    I've seen some people break up and rename their food diary like this:

    12am-4am, 4am-8am, 8am-12pm.... etc etc. And just record what they eat during those hours of that day.

    That's actually a really good idea...
  • cocobongo
    cocobongo Posts: 186 Member
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    Snooozie wrote: »
    are there days I want toast and pb at 3am instead of tuna?? absolutely LOL..

    I eat toast and peanut butter on the regular and I'm consistently losing weight and building muscle. On those days you want it, eat it. So long as you stay within your macros it's irrelevant.
  • BlxxdtheFrxxk
    BlxxdtheFrxxk Posts: 29 Member
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    I work 1st, 2nd and 3rd shift each week. My sleep schedule is very strange and unpredictable. My day doesnt end at midnight so thats not how I log. My day starts when I wake up and ends when I go to bed. Some of my days are 24 hours long and Tuesdays are only 10 waking hours. I average my calories for the week so some days I eat 2200 calories and some days I eat 1200. It depends on how long i'm awake and how hungry I get. This is how it's worked for me. Hope this helps. :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    It still comes down to CICO.
  • SBRRepeat
    SBRRepeat Posts: 384 Member
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    samdavis88 wrote: »
    I've seen some people break up and rename their food diary like this:

    12am-4am, 4am-8am, 8am-12pm.... etc etc. And just record what they eat during those hours of that day.

    This is what I did on nightshift. I'd base my calories and what I ate off a midnight to midnight day, even if that meant I started a new day halfway through the shift.
    I also had a completely sedentary job- watching cardiac monitors at a hospital. I had to be able to clearly see all three screens at all times. I did a lot of stretching and position changes and wore compression socks. When (if) I got a lunch break, I'd run up and down the stairs like a mad man or do some yoga in the break room (coworkers loved that...) then actually eat at the monitors.

    I like to graze instead of eating big meals, especially on night shift so I'd pack a huge lunch bag with fruit, veggies, crackers, etc. and keep it by the desk. That way the pizza ordered almost nightly was not as tempting.

    Lost about 30 pounds while working nights. It's definitely doable.
  • Bghere1
    Bghere1 Posts: 78 Member
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    I have worked a 6p-6a schedule for the past18 years. I just pack enough calories for a 24 hour period, and eat them throughout the night as I get hungry. Works for me. So, tonight, I at about 100 grams of chicken at the house before work. I packed about 8 triscuits, about 3 cups of salad mix with bragg amino as a dressing (S A L T). large gala apple, the other half of that chicken breast, and a tangelo or 2. By the end of the night my food is almost always gone. that food leaves me room at the end of the day to still come in under calories, and if I need to eat when I get home, I can
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    JoyeII wrote: »
    Track your calories daily, and check your deficit on a weekly basis.

    this

    my dad works 3rd shift 5 nights a week and has for years. pretty much the ONLY meal he eats is dinner, cause he fixes dinner for him and his wife when she gets home from work. he takes some leftovers to eat at work if he gets hungry. i think he has a snack of sorts when he comes home in the mornings, but its a quick sandwich or cereal or something.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Sandoo4 wrote: »
    I have a unique situation that no dietitian has ever been able to help me with. I work 3rd shift (11 hrs) 4 nights a week and my body clock does a complete 180 twice a week. Adding on to that, this job is completely sedentary and in front of a computer all night. It has made it impossible to plan regular 3 meals and 2 snacks and not get the days mixed up and what calories go for which set of 24 hrs. I know I’m not the only one in this situation but I’ve never seen this dilemma ever presented on any forum. I would love to hear how others deal with it and succeed. I’m looking for those who've been there, because quite frankly, if you haven’t, you can’t know, you can only imagine.

    During the time you are awake you eat to your calorie defecit, accurately weighing and logging your food

    If you can get up from your desk regularly - take a 30 minute walk during your lunch break

    Move more outside of work

    Incorporate a heavy lifting routine

    and stop making excuses, however valid they are still excuses .. just commit and do it
  • LacednLace
    LacednLace Posts: 480 Member
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    Hey so when I work night shifts (we switch at my job) its usually 12hrs/5days a week. Sedentary as well. I mean extremely no movement. We take small breaks to grab coffee or water or use the bathroom but we aren't allotted actual breaks. Try time stamping your log instead. It helps out quite a bit. It suck alternating every other day sleep schedules as it isn't good for dieting or even health in general. But stick to your efforts. You can do this!
  • saires_au
    saires_au Posts: 175 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I'm a nurse and work part time so I only do 2 nights in a row. For me the only way that works is tracking midnight to midnight.

    I do however watch my weekly intake and this allows me the flexibility to have higher and lighter calorie days depending on work, social gathering (which I tend to eat more at and some times drink alcohol).

    So my fist 24hrs tends to be a bit higher as I eat my normal daytime food plus some extra snacks then the next 24 hrs I have breakfast before I leave work, No lunch (sleeping) dinner and snacks at work and the same the following day when I swing back to a daytime routine. It all evens out.

    Fav night snacks are fresh fruit, dip and veg, hard boiled eggs, nuts, light cheese, pop corn, rice crackers and then porridge with fruit for breakfast. I find on nights I like to eat small portions often and have variety.

    While I have an active job I still go for my daily walk when I wake up after night shift even though my motivation sucks on nights. I find wearing my fitbit helps give m the push to reach my daily step goal

    This has worked for me 15kg in 15 weeks
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 791 Member
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    I lose just fine going to school 10-6 4 days a week and then working 9pm to 7am 2 nights a week just count Em as the day before
  • PoundChaser2
    PoundChaser2 Posts: 241 Member
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    I have the opposite problem of you sandoo4. I work a late night job that has me on my feet walking and standing non-stop and it messes with my food schedule for 3 days. I'm so busy most of the time I can't eat on schedule.... I will eat my heavier meal before work and have a light meal during work. My biggest hurdle is not over eating because I'm active and tired at the end of the night.

    Pick your menu track it and then eat it at the same time each night if you can, I would also pack a boredom snack if your sitting most of the night.
  • 007Charlette
    007Charlette Posts: 27 Member
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    It is not that difficult. Like the above comments have mentioned there are chair exercises, and I am sure you get breaks. I worked nights 530PM until 6AM for 4 years and was on Atkins 3 of those 4 years. Don't pretend night shift and 12hr shifts are the same as daytime 8hr jobs it isn't. You have to make adjustments and the people around you have to understand that.

    Prepare a meal for work or eat before work, bring nuts/low carb snacks such as lettuce/meat/cheese and low carb tortilla rolls.. or fruit/nut snacks to work. Keep a pencil paper pad to write your food and log it at home when you wake up.. Any job and task can allow for an excuse but you have to work away from the excuse and start doing the action...

    Good luck

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