Graveyard shift workers????

lannahgirl
lannahgirl Posts: 96 Member
edited September 28 in Food and Nutrition
Ok I work modnight till 8am, so my question is how do one stay away from the vending machine, I try my best on my luch break I eat a pack of Ramon noodles and if I get hungey again I might eat another pack and drink plenty of water..........anyone else work nights and what are your snacks though out the night!

Replies

  • I would try low sodium soups. They have veggies (fiber) with noodles to help keep you fuller longer. Ramen noodles really don't have anything good in them lol. I work midnights and I always take apples and oranges (very portable), some low sugar granola bars, and carrot sticks and pea pods. If you have a fridge at work, yogurt is a good snack too.
  • My husband works graveyard shifts and what he does is he makes sure he eats dinner an hour or two before going into work and then takes a couple snacks of around 100 calories or so. If he feels he needs something more he takes a slimfast shake with him (we're doing a partial slimfast program to help with weight loss). And then throughout the day he just really watches his calories. Hope this helps! (Oh, and from our past experiences Ramen noodles have TONS of sodium which will make you retain water and weigh more. We cut those out and both dropped at least 10lbs the first week.)
  • kim_mc
    kim_mc Posts: 321 Member
    I work 7-7 overnights. I treat my dinner before work as "lunch" and then eat my "dinner" sometime in the night since the next day I'm sleeping and sleep through the real lunchtime. Then I bring healthy snacks so I can eat something every 3 hours or so through the night. I track everything so that I'm still eating the right amount of calories. I also bring breakfast with me and eat that before I go home and I'm not tempted to buy breakfast at work.

    That being said, it's really hard to stay away from all the snacks if I have a bad day calorie-wise it's usually if I'm at work and cave into all the goodies!!
  • MellowGa
    MellowGa Posts: 1,258 Member
    yes we have a bunch of us that work the overnight...here is our thread, feel free to join us

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/251107-official-nightshift-thread
  • Hello!~ I know what you mean. I work nights on a 12-hr shift, 7pm-7am. It's hard to have a normal eating pattern, period. I usually pack my own lunch and snacks, just so I'm not tempted to hit the vending machines. Fruit, veggies, and yogurt are my favorite snacks!~ I wish you luck on your journey!~ :)
  • Cocolopez78
    Cocolopez78 Posts: 1 Member
    I work the graveyard shift but my struggle is a little different. I have a hard time knowing when I should eat my meals. I usually come home and go straight to bed so I don't eat then go to sleep. When I wake up (around 1pm) I usually grab a snack then I fix and eat dinner with my kids. When I'm at work I bring a lot of small snacks such as 100 calorie popcorn, yougurt, fruit, peanuts, or 100 calorie snack packs. My biggest strugggle is when the girls I work with run out for fast food and offer to pick me something up. It's often hard to refuse...but it's getting easier. I think the key is to have snacks handy at ALL TIMES It keeps me from running to the vending machines and grabbing junk food.
  • brocantrs
    brocantrs Posts: 273 Member
    I work 7p-7a and take a Lean Cuisine dinner, Crystal Light, oatmeal and Cream of Wheat in my
    Thermos bag. Working so far.
  • glserr
    glserr Posts: 6 Member
    I work 8pm-8am and I'll have dinner before I go to work, have a small snack before 1am, eat my "lunch" sometime before 1am and have snack the rest of the day with lots of water. I will usually have a small meal before I leave work to count as breakfast.
  • joeysrib
    joeysrib Posts: 158 Member
    I work 11-7, and around 1:30 or 2, I eat lunch. Usually a sandwich, on double fiber wheat bread, cottage cheese, tomato, and maybe some chips, and if I'm having a hard time staying awake, baby carrots, or fruit. And LOTS of water! I love working nights.
  • BuffTexan
    BuffTexan Posts: 270
    I work 3rd shift too. I keep a tub of whey protein powder at work, half gallon of milk in the fridge to mix together. I also stop at the store and buy a carton of large eggs, either a dozen or 18 eggs, and I microwave 6 whites in a bowl for about 2 to 2.5 minutes. Finally, I'll take a couple of cans of low-sodium peas, the smaller cans (forgot the oz), a can of tuna, and a boil-in-bag brown rice. I can mix any of those ingredients together to get a nutritious meal. I also eat about every 2 hours.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I think I would treat it just like a normal day (your hours are just different). I dont' work 3rd shift, but I do work second shift.. so I am up late and sleep late.

    I eat breakfast when I get up - even if it is everyone else's lunch time.

    I eat lunch usually around everyone else's dinner time

    I eat dinner when everyone else is thinking about going to bed.

    I eat snacks in between and I always eat before bed.

    Don't focus on what time it is -- that'll throw off your day.

    As for lunches -- if you have limited access I would buy Healthy Choice dinners (they aren't the best, but better than ramen noodles). Or buy some tuna and make a tuna sandwich.
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