I work 12 hour shifts- any tips/ meal ideas to help me lose weight?!
sarahgriff21
Posts: 3 Member
I work 12 hour shifts 4 times a week as a health care assistant. As I don't have set meal times or breaks, I was just wondering if anyone has any tips or recipes I can use for my dinner/ tea whilst at work on a weight/ fat loss diet. Any information & ideas would greatly be appreciated :-) thank you! X
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You don't need to eat on a schedule to lose weight. Eat food you like, Just less of it.0
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I work 14-16 hour days doing construction. I would have an average bowl of real grainy cereal before work, and then id have celery/carrot sticks, apples, bananas, trail mix, pb& j sandwich, more cut up veggies or fruits, and then I'd go home and make dinner (1/2 plate was some veggies, 1/4 some kind of carbohydrate like rice or baked potato, and then 1/4 was my protein like steak or fish.)
Precut all your veggies the day before you have to go to work on a day off.0 -
I think planing ahead is key. Try to stick to healthy snack but beware of the sugar in fruits. Don't just snack on bananas each time you feel peckish. That's what I'm trying to do...
My_Butt advice to precut the veggies the day before is a great tip I'm going to try to apply to my food prep!0 -
Frenchers11 wrote: »I think planing ahead is key. Try to stick to healthy snack but beware of the sugar in fruits. Don't just snack on bananas each time you feel peckish. That's what I'm trying to do...
My_Butt advice to precut the veggies the day before is a great tip I'm going to try to apply to my food prep!
Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar.0 -
Frenchers11 wrote: »I think planing ahead is key. Try to stick to healthy snack but beware of the sugar in fruits. Don't just snack on bananas each time you feel peckish. That's what I'm trying to do...
My_Butt advice to precut the veggies the day before is a great tip I'm going to try to apply to my food prep!
Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar.
I thought the same. I eat a lot of fruit. I always feel super energized if I go over my sugar and carbs because of fruit.0 -
Would you say stick to 3 meals a day or 6 small/ medium. My shift is 8am- 8pm. With 2x 15 min & 1x 30 min break.
Thank you everyone- really appreciate all your comments! Keep them coming :-) Everyone will have different pointers :-)0 -
shadowfax_c11 wrote: »You don't need to eat on a schedule to lose weight. Eat food you like, Just less of it.
+1. Calculate your estimated TEE, consume less. A 500 calorie deficit will put most folks on target for around 1lb/week. Take a weekly rolling average of your daily weight and adjust cals as necessary to hone in on that target. Meal timing and frequency are irrelevant in the big picture. Eat when you're hungry/when your schedule allows, of course keeping your totals in mind.
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Planning is they key for me. I work shifts so have to plan properly or I end up having nothing at work and hitting the tuck shop.
I take a lot of carrot and cucumber sticks to work, which keeps me from snacking on other food. I try to have something with protein to keep me fuller. A favourite is a Linda McCartney red onion and rosemary sausage frittata. Low on cals and keeps me full. I also prepare things like overnight oats as I know that will keep ,e going to. I try to avoid anything that isn't freshly prepared as I get sluggish with processed stuff.0 -
Frenchers11 wrote: »I think planing ahead is key. Try to stick to healthy snack but beware of the sugar in fruits. Don't just snack on bananas each time you feel peckish. That's what I'm trying to do...
My_Butt advice to precut the veggies the day before is a great tip I'm going to try to apply to my food prep!
Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar.
I thought the same. I eat a lot of fruit. I always feel super energized if I go over my sugar and carbs because of fruit.
Nothing wrong with fruits and sugar?
Well, sugar in moderation, like everything else, is awesome, but if you eat 7 bananas a day and gorge on other sweet fruits, I can assure you you won't lose weight. I know I didn't. I am not saying to ban fruits, but just bring mindful about how many portions of fruits you get per day.
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Same here, long night shifts and not eating enough throughout the night. then starving when I get home and blow the whole days food intake.. TEE is 3930, and Im still gaining weight even with working out 3-4 times a week!!!0
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I work nights also, and am on nights tonight. I have prepared all my food for overnight so I don't get hungry when I get home. I treat it as any other shift really, although I wouldn't have anything heavy on a night shift.0
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I work 12 hour shifts with completely unpredictable break times, and I always eat the same things on the day shifts that I work. A medium banana for breakfast, then a pre-cooked jacket potato with cheese for lunch (I buy them pre-cooked and pre-packaged from Tesco) with a whole tin of tuna and 1tbsp of light mayo. I love this meal and always look forward to it, plus I know that the high protein value of the tuna keeps me full for most of the shift.
On night shifts, I eat dinner before I start my shift, and will then have a snack around 11pm to see me through the night. This is normally around 500 calories, and will generally include a piece of fruit with a small high-protein wrap.
It took me a long time to work out how to balance healthy-eating and shift work... just play around with different foods, and find something that works for you!
Good luck.0 -
Frenchers11 wrote: »Frenchers11 wrote: »I think planing ahead is key. Try to stick to healthy snack but beware of the sugar in fruits. Don't just snack on bananas each time you feel peckish. That's what I'm trying to do...
My_Butt advice to precut the veggies the day before is a great tip I'm going to try to apply to my food prep!
Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar.
I thought the same. I eat a lot of fruit. I always feel super energized if I go over my sugar and carbs because of fruit.
Nothing wrong with fruits and sugar?
Well, sugar in moderation, like everything else, is awesome, but if you eat 7 bananas a day and gorge on other sweet fruits, I can assure you you won't lose weight. I know I didn't. I am not saying to ban fruits, but just bring mindful about how many portions of fruits you get per day.
Why would you 'gorge' on fruit after eating 7 bananas? You only have a limited amount of calories anyways, and those 7 nanners are already pushing 800 calories. How much potassium do you need in a day?
Have a variety so you're getting your nutrients. By avoiding fruits because of the sugar, you're also avoiding certain nutrients.0 -
Unpredictable break times are the worst but as long as you keep within calorie allotments you should be fine. Just make sure you have a decent breakfast and keep snacks and packed lunches with you. Lots of protein rich snacks and meals are good for stopping hunger pangs and keeping you fuelled. Even havin boiled eggs in your bag are good to quickly eat but are healthy and filling.0
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Wholegrain bread + tuna. Boiled brocolli. Pack these up to workplace.0
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I will agree with those who say to prepackage your allotted meals and to keep protein high. Protein slows down digestion, which is why they usually tell bariatric patients to eat their protein first. Plan your meals on your days off, have your post work dinner made, pre-planned quick fix, or cooking in a slow cooker so it's not another hour of work just to eat because that's when you're more apt to going for drive through. And when all else fails, there's nothing wrong with a bowl of cereal for dinner. It's still better than a big mac and fries.0
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NJGamerChick wrote: »I will agree with those who say to prepackage your allotted meals and to keep protein high. Protein slows down digestion, which is why they usually tell bariatric patients to eat their protein first. Plan your meals on your days off, have your post work dinner made, pre-planned quick fix, or cooking in a slow cooker so it's not another hour of work just to eat because that's when you're more apt to going for drive through. And when all else fails, there's nothing wrong with a bowl of cereal for dinner. It's still better than a big mac and fries.
Slow cookers are great. I like to make a big pot of something so I can slightly alter it throughout the week, and spend very little time each night cooking. If I get tired of having the same meal, I'll just wrap it up and freeze it for later.0 -
NJGamerChick wrote: »I will agree with those who say to prepackage your allotted meals and to keep protein high. Protein slows down digestion, which is why they usually tell bariatric patients to eat their protein first. Plan your meals on your days off, have your post work dinner made, pre-planned quick fix, or cooking in a slow cooker so it's not another hour of work just to eat because that's when you're more apt to going for drive through. And when all else fails, there's nothing wrong with a bowl of cereal for dinner. It's still better than a big mac and fries.
Slow cookers are great. I like to make a big pot of something so I can slightly alter it throughout the week, and spend very little time each night cooking. If I get tired of having the same meal, I'll just wrap it up and freeze it for later.
HAHA! I just bought a 3 qt so I can poach chicken more effectively. I now have 3 different sizes. The small 1.5 qt is also great for parties to keep dips warm. We love a good taco dip here. And I make sauce sometimes in my 6 qt. The husband LOVES pasta sauce/gravy, and that stuff can go all day in one. Easy to make and makes like 3+ jars. Best part is that I can go out and do things while food is making itself.0 -
Slow cookers are great. I like to make a big pot of something so I can slightly alter it throughout the week, and spend very little time each night cooking. If I get tired of having the same meal, I'll just wrap it up and freeze it for later.
I bought a small slow-cooker last year, but until now still unused. Just don't know what to cook with it. Normally do my cooking with a multi-cooker.0 -
sarahgriff21 wrote: »Would you say stick to 3 meals a day or 6 small/ medium. My shift is 8am- 8pm. With 2x 15 min & 1x 30 min break.
Thank you everyone- really appreciate all your comments! Keep them coming :-) Everyone will have different pointers :-)
That's purely a matter of personal preference. Meal timing is irrelevant to weight loss; all you need is a calorie deficit.0 -
I make stuff in batches on the weekend (quinoa, grilled chicken breast) and make little mini-meals I can microwave during the day by adding beans and veggies. I also have a couple protein shakes on hand and other snacks like nuts and protein bars.
I eat many mim-meals. MFP has a max of six, so sometimes I need to combine them depending on my day.0 -
Frenchers11 wrote: »Frenchers11 wrote: »I think planing ahead is key. Try to stick to healthy snack but beware of the sugar in fruits. Don't just snack on bananas each time you feel peckish. That's what I'm trying to do...
My_Butt advice to precut the veggies the day before is a great tip I'm going to try to apply to my food prep!
Nothing wrong with fruit or sugar.
I thought the same. I eat a lot of fruit. I always feel super energized if I go over my sugar and carbs because of fruit.
Nothing wrong with fruits and sugar?
Well, sugar in moderation, like everything else, is awesome, but if you eat 7 bananas a day and gorge on other sweet fruits, I can assure you you won't lose weight. I know I didn't. I am not saying to ban fruits, but just bring mindful about how many portions of fruits you get per day.
Weightloss comes from a calorie deficit. Yes, you can run a calorie surplus with eating fruit. Just because it is healthy does not mean you don't have to watch the calories in fruit.
That being said-it was the calorie, not the sugar, in the fruit that caused you not to lose weight.
Once again-nothing wrong with fruit or sugar.0
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