Any 3rd shifters?

alsarve
alsarve Posts: 34 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Wondering if you find you have to do things a little different than the norm. Whether it's diet or exercise related. I have been night shift at Walmart for 10 yrs. That's about the time I started putting on my extra 100 lbs. Working on my slow journey back down to a healthy weight. Would love to hear what you guys do...

Replies

  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    When I worked third shift, I packed sandwich stuff in a cooler and treated the mid-shift meal as if it were lunch. I tried to arrange sleep so that I went to sleep not long after I got home and had free time in the afternoon before work, rather than having free time relatively early in the morning.

    I have to admit, though, if I could have afforded it, I'd have eaten Whataburger every night instead.
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    We have an employee fridge here that gets emptied out once a week by maintenance people. I usually cook food at home, weigh and log everything, stuff it into tupperware and bring it to work. When I'd get hungry, I'd microwave and eat it. Some days I'd just order out, but order things that would be easy to weigh and log (steamed shrimp with broccoli, brown rice, or dumplings, egg drop soup) restaurants stay open 24 hours where i am so it's fairly easy to find food if it's late and i didn't bring anything in, but it's so much cheaper to cook.

    For a while i was on a rotisserie chicken kick. I'd buy a rotisserie chicken, make brown rice and roast veggies and have a quarter of the chicken with 195 grams of brown rice and 8 oz of whatever roast veggies I'd make. That is super cheap and requires very little prep.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Sleeping enough is really important to weight loss. Do what you can to keep up with your sleep. :)
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    I track midnight to midnight so no matter what time my shifts start I am consistent and it matches with my Fitbit. I work overnights (either 6p-6a or 9p-9a). I bring all my own food for the shift, and some extra since I can be mandated to 16 hours. I exercise when I get home, before bed.
  • 1juaguirre
    1juaguirre Posts: 8 Member
    I eat at 2 am packed lunch, whole cucomber and avocado, sardines/ salmon. 5am yogurt and berries, sometimes 4 oz of coffie, 8am sleep, 3-4 pm snack 2, fruit and protien bar dinner 6-8. hope this helps
  • BrianaDuBois
    BrianaDuBois Posts: 48 Member
    I consider my "day" to be from when I wake up to when I go to sleep. On the first night of my week (Friday) I'll wake up at my normal hour, and stay up until the next morning (Saturday). Anything I eat in that time gets logged. I typically log my food before my shift and leave myself a little leeway since there is always some sort of treat I happen upon that I'll want to snag.

    I find that keeping a bag of carrots in the middle of the work area is great. Snacking while working is much less of an issue when it's carrots or mango instead of chips. I leave it out so we can all snack while we work.

    I have a coworker who is also looking to lose and she goes by the midnight rule. The only reason I don't abide by that is because I don't always get to consistently eat. Some days I can sneak a few minutes at 10p but other days I won't get a chance to eat until after 4am treatments. When I abided by the midnight rule, it made my calories look really wonky from day to day (800 one day, 1600 the next).
  • alsarve
    alsarve Posts: 34 Member
    Yeah I understand the midnight thing. I decided when I log my food, I would skip ahead to the next day for the breakfast log, even tho its still 10 pm the day before. Then my lunch log is usually either 1230 am or 3 am depending on when I am hungry. Supper is my last meal of the day, usually around 9am. My bf and I both have the same schedule so it's easy to work the household around that. Usually sleep from noon til 8pm. The hardest part for me is when I start my weekend which is Fri and Sat nights off. Fridays I like to stay awake all day so I can sleep at night like a normal person. I tend to overeat a little to compensate for less sleep but then I sleep through a normal meal or 2 so it seems to make up for it in my mind lol.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    edited July 2015
    I've been working nightshift 5x a week for nearly 5 years now. I've been working on my weight for 3 of those years and I have lost a little over 200 lbs, gained some back and plateau the past few months. I slowly have been chipping away at it again.

    A typical "day" for me is
    Wake up at 10:30pm
    Work from 11pm-7am
    1st meal between 4 and 6AM
    Workout/Gym: 9am-11am (it varies depending on what I do)
    Shower/Errands/2nd meal 11am-3pm
    In bed to sleep at 3pm

    I track midnight to midnight. I focus on hitting my calories and macros goals. I don't stress over food types. If I want to have as my first meal a.k.a. what normal day walkers would call "breakfast" to be meat loaf and mashed potatoes, then I will. Above all else a consistent sleep schedule is key. I typically eat 2x in a day. I've tried many different things and found when I have a nice chunk of sleep, 6 to 7 hrs, I function the best. I found it works for me. I usually avoid eating 2 hrs before going to bed otherwise my sleep gets interrupted with bathroom breaks. It's a bit of trial and error. What works for some people may not work for others.
  • lindaloo1213
    lindaloo1213 Posts: 283 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    Sleeping enough is really important to weight loss. Do what you can to keep up with your sleep. :)
    This has not affected my loss at all thankfully. I sleep about 2-3 hours a day during the week. I only get 8 hours 2 nights a week on the weekend.

    I work 9pm-6am. M-f. I log from 6am to 6am. I usially eat "lunch around 11am, dinner at 5 and then soread a few 200 calorie or so snacks throughout the night at work.
    Ive lost 102# over 10 months and only have about 15-20# to go.
  • alsarve
    alsarve Posts: 34 Member
    Some of my co-workers split up their sleep hours, like 4 hours in the morning and 4 in the evening. That doesn't work for me, especially w sleep apnea. But I also think they have spouses that work day shift so I know that changes things.
  • BrianaDuBois
    BrianaDuBois Posts: 48 Member
    lacroyx wrote: »
    I've been working nightshift 5x a week for nearly 5 years now. I've been working on my weight for 3 of those years and I have lost a little over 200 lbs, gained some back and plateau the past few months. I slowly have been chipping away at it again.

    A typical "day" for me is
    Wake up at 10:30pm
    Work from 11pm-7am
    1st meal between 4 and 6AM
    Workout/Gym: 9am-11am (it varies depending on what I do)
    Shower/Errands/2nd meal 11am-3pm
    In bed to sleep at 3pm

    I track midnight to midnight. I focus on hitting my calories and macros goals. I don't stress over food types. If I want to have as my first meal a.k.a. what normal day walkers would call "breakfast" to be meat loaf and mashed potatoes, then I will. Above all else a consistent sleep schedule is key. I typically eat 2x in a day. I've tried many different things and found when I have a nice chunk of sleep, 6 to 7 hrs, I function the best. I found it works for me. I usually avoid eating 2 hrs before going to bed otherwise my sleep gets interrupted with bathroom breaks. It's a bit of trial and error. What works for some people may not work for others.

    Bless your soul. When I come in from my shift, I change and I pass out within 10 minutes.
    I make time for the gym when I wake up again. On nights like tonight when I'm off but can't sleep, I really wish my gym was 24 hours!
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