My schedule is a mess :(

Work is work, either find a new job, or deal with the schedule you have.

Only you can change you family life setup. But I can't believe that you can not spare an hour every day or so to go for a run.

Nothing you have posted above should dictate the foods you choose to put in your mouth.

Hello

I work both day shifts and night shifts (6:30pm - 6:30am) I get two breaks one for an hour and one for 30min, the best thing I do is prep my food one meal and one snack. By prepping I avoid binge eating. When I get home from my night shift it normally takes 30-45min to get home I have breakfast then go to bed. When I wake and am well rested i then find time to workout. I hope this helps you

Heyfa

People who have never had to flip their schedules throughout the week maybe don't understand why it is so tough. It is physically incredibly challenging and for many I can absolutely see how it leads to chappy eating, and the exhaustion from asking g your body to change its rhythms every other day makes exercise seem impossible.

My advice: prep snacks in advance. Have healthy choices portioned out already so you can grab them easily throughout the week. Meal plan and prep. With the flipping schedule your body is not able to get into the habit of regular meal times at roughly the same times. You'd really likely do better with eating every couple of hours, small meals/large snacks.
Get the sleep you need however you can fit it in. After you figure that part out, then worry about exercise. For now, try just walking more.

i would focus on calorie intake. prepare snacks ahead of time (raw veggies in particular will fill you and are very low cal) and stop buying the higher calories ' faster' options.

i dont have a flip floppy schedule, but due to a death in my immediate family and moving, its been over month since i ccould work out. ive had to be much more cognizant of what (rathter, how much) i eat. for the most part as long as i eat at home its not an issue but we eat out a lot. ive still lost over the past month, though not at the rate i *usually* do.

needless to say, i am very happy to be rejoining the gym today

I know your pain as only another shift worker can! Night shift is so hard on your body, mind and spirit! I have worked 12 hour days and night (flipping 2days 2 nights) for years! I absolutely hate the nights, I find I want a carb fest! My only solution is prep, I only take healthy food for nights, I cannot eat a full meal so I snack all night on fruits, veggies, a protein smoothie, oatmeal, anything that is light and easy and healthy. I do not take crap and I leave my money at home so I am not tempted by the vending machine or ordering out! Some nights I eat everything some hardly anything. When I get home I will have something light then hit my bed. It is then difficult to get up and feed your family! I do not sleep well so that makes it worse. My kids got used to breakfast for supper when they were growing up! The most difficult day for me is my turn around day, I go to bed at 7:30 and I am up by noon. I have no energy or ambition to cook or workout so it is a putter day around the house and my hubby usually make supper. The next day I spend feeling hung over but I try to do something physical and eat healthy. Trust me it is an effort but in the end you do feel better.

I have no concrete advice, you sort of have to find your own groove and what works for you. I know people who can eat full meals on nights, this nauseates me, others who can go to they gym before or after work, I am too tired for this!! I hope you find your groove! Good luck and know that people who have never worked shifts have no idea how it feels.

I've worked split shifts and swing shifts for years while raising two kids so I can relate to the struggle to adapt to the new schedule and balancing family/life responsibilities that really can't be altered. What works best for me is to prep snacks and meals in advance - easy to make a week's worth and freeze them, just remove one the day before and let it thaw in the fridge. Cutting out simple carbs and increasing the protein in the my night shift meals also helped boost my energy for a 14 hour stretch (12 hr shift + 2 hr commute). Without enough protein, the lack of sleep really made my cravings for candy and junk carbs - donuts/pastry/cookies/soda - leading to some very poor food choices.

I agree with others who recommended focusing on sleep and fitting in exercise where you can. While I don't have time for a run or full workout on my overnight days I always squeeze in a quick "energizer" workout during my 30 min break, it literally takes 5 minutes and helps me power through the the last few hours. If you can get more than 5 minutes you can do multiple cycles. Here's what I do - yes I sometimes get funny looks in the break room soemtimes - 10 squats, 10 pushups, 10 spider lunges, 1 min jumping jacks, 45 sec plank, 10 side lunges. After my shift, most nights I walk or walk/jog the perimeter of the parking lot twice (it's a big lot - about 1/2 mile) to wake myself before driving home and to squeeze in a bit more exercise.

Give yourself a break and focus on quality foods, increase general movement, and sleep until you find the right groove for you, then you can work on fitting in more exercise and getting back into running. Good luck!

I work a crazy on-call schedule and sometimes I'm here at like 2:30 in the morning. I wear a step counter. If I get to 10,000 steps for that day (which I often can do in a regular shift), then I'm more worried about getting enough rest. When I don't get sleep I make poor food choices! I hope that helps!