Third Shift and Mt Dew

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wubbalubbadubdub13
wubbalubbadubdub13 Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
So I recently started here...day 2 to be exact and I'm having a bit of trouble. I quit drinking mt dew which is awful since I've had the same headache for 2 days but more importantly I work third shift. So the big question is when do I eat? When should I stop eating? I work from 10:30pm to 7:00 am. I usually wake up around 3 or 4 depending on the day but have a hard time eating "breakfast" as soon as I wake up. Any third shift people have any advice?

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  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I'm kinda third shift - 2100-0500. Don't eat your fist meal/breakfast right away, eat it with your significant other at a normal dinnertime - 1700 or 1800. Then have a small snack just before work and have your other main meal at your nightshift dinnertime (0230?). Don't eat when you get home & go to bed, but if you need it have a small snack at your coffee break (0500?)
    I get up around 1300, have a coffee and take my pre-breakfast supplements, then by 2 pm I have a protein shake or other smallish 'breakfast'. Dinner with hubby at 1800, off to work for 2100, light meal of veg & protein at 2400 or 0030, small snack at 0300, at home and in bed by 0545 (without eating any more). Works great for me. I also stick to herbal tea during the second half of my shift so that I can get to sleep easily once I get home.

    Hope it helps!
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    I work 3rd shift too. Unless you have some medical or health condition, it doesn't matter when you eat. I typically track midnight to midnight. I make sleep my #1 thing. I tend to overeat when I am tired to stay awake.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
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    I stop eating 2-3 hrs before bed so that my stomach & intestines don't have to work while my body is resting and rebuilding.
  • wubbalubbadubdub13
    wubbalubbadubdub13 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks guys! It's hard figuring out meals when you work nights but so far I've just ate small and often as opposed 3 squares, this seems to work so far
  • ahoier
    ahoier Posts: 312 Member
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    wubbalubbadubdub13 wrote: »
    but have a hard time eating "breakfast" as soon as I wake up. Any third shift people have any advice?

    When I read that first statement, "Intermittent Fasting" comes to mind.....this may help you.......essentially what intermittent fasting is, you consume all of your "calories" within an 8 hour window......and then you essentially "fast" (no food.....just water.....tea....coffee...etc) for the other 16 hours in the day.....it sounds brutal.....but if you think about it....it's not.....because 8 of those 16 hours you SHOULD be sleeping....the other thing to look at....is plan your meals no later than 3 hours before your "bed time"...you don't want to scarf down a steak, and then go right to bed.....your body needs time to digest.....so I personally do not eat anything within 3 hours of my bed time....
  • cassandranken
    cassandranken Posts: 129 Member
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    I'm third shift too. I usually make whatever for dinner and eat it at 10-11PM when I get into work. Then I don't eat again until 3PM. Usually some cheese, and/or almonds. Then I eat whatever when I get home. I also bring a coke zero to work with me. Sometimes I drink it,sometimes I don't.

    If I get up earlier, I eat whenever I'm hungry. Just a snack to hold me over until dinner.



  • wubbalubbadubdub13
    wubbalubbadubdub13 Posts: 3 Member
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    Since I started here a few days ago I've read a few things about intermittent fasting and it sounds like what my body naturally wants to do. I don't know why everyone is always pushing the eat breakfast right when you wake up. Thanks for the advice guys!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Prioritize your sleep :)

    Look in "groups" for more on intermittent fasting
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
  • igor1187
    igor1187 Posts: 11 Member
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    I also work 3rd shift and don't have regular eating times (sometimes you just can't go on lunch at the moment and I'm never hungry until a couple hours after I wake up). I do try to prioritize sleep more b/c like others , if I'm tired, I make very very poor eating choices. I will always bring a promax LS protein bar to work. They keep you surprisingly full for a good 2 or 3 hours. I'll eat one if it's just one of those nights where I know I won't be able to eat lunch til near the end of the shift.
    I also go workout out after work. Most people aren't up yet so nothing is ever crowded and it's still quiet outside. I'll usually just have a high fiber, high protein shake if I feel hungry before bed. I also just log midnight to midnight so your diary will look a little off ( some days I'm way over the calorie goal and some days I'm way under, it evens out though).
  • elizabethmchenry9
    elizabethmchenry9 Posts: 28 Member
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    I work third shift too. I'm having so much trouble losing weight this time around. I lost 50 lbs when I worked second shift and felt great. But then I switched jobs to a very stressful job where I was on call 24/7 and gained it all back. Now I switched jobs again to third shift to reduce stress and I can't seem to lose weight like I used to. I've been clean eating (no processed foods) for 90% of my diet for a month now and I've been under 1400 calories most days, but always under my target calories. And I've only lost 3 lbs! Last time I cut out soda (but still ate fast food) and lost 10 lbs in two weeks ( I also haven't been drinking soda for about 6 weeks now). I don't know what I'm doing wrong. My activity level is the same if not a little more. I haven't been doing anything more than walking and the occasional fitness DVD but I didn't start exercising last time till I lost 15ish lbs. Does anyone else have this problem? I feel like no matter what I do,I'm not losing weight

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