For those that work crazy hours....

I'm a nurse too. I pack little snacks like 1 oz of almonds, cheese strings etc. The almonds are 160 calories for 1 oz, but I find they keep me full for a long time since they are high in protien. They're also very portable and you don't have to keep them in the fridge so it's easier to get to them during your shift!

i am also a nurse. my problem on those kinds of days is being too low due to not having time to eat!! i always pack my lunch and log everything in prior to going to work-keeps me on track. we have mandated overtime where i work, so sometimes you end up staying over when you hadn't planned to. i started keeping healthy snacks and an emergency microwaveable non refrigerated meal in my locker. try packing a huge salad and lots of finger food type veggies for snacking. just load up on the healthy stuff. if you still go over, look at it as zig zagging and try to come in a little low on another day. good luck-have a good shift!! :bigsmile:

I work overnight shift taking care of mentally handicaped, I work from 1030pm to about 9am in the morning monday-thursday nights....the only thing I can really recomend is keep track the best you can on what you eat. Heck if you even have a phone that has the MFP app use it....I do and it helps. Its all about sticking to your alloted calories. Im sure being a nurse your also always on your feet so your probably constantly moving. So if you are eating the right foods I really don't see the big problem because your constantly burning. I also get in my workout before going to bed to in the mornings. I don't go stright to bed. Do you? As much as I hate it I push myself to get in my 45 to an hour workout and its done for the day and then I will take my shower then I will settle down for some sleep. I also from time to time will set out my foods of what I will eat for that day/night that helps me not consume more calories then what I had planed. I hope this helps in some way. Good luck on your weight loss journey!

I will totally agree with you that working nights really stinks when you're trying to lose weight. I'm also a nurse and I work 12 hour night shifts twice a week. As a mom with two young kids, I really don't get to sleep much on the days I work. This was truly the hardest thing for me to figure out how to work around, especially since several of my coworkers tend to bring a ton of junk food to share. I swear, some nights the nurse's desk looks like a buffet table!
Anyway, I try to "schedule" my eating throughout the night, with lots of small meals/snacks. For example, I worked Friday night into Saturday. Friday i was up at about 7am to get my oldest off to camp and do my grocery shopping; for breakfast, I had plain yogurt with fresh berries and some Kashi cereal. Then for lunch I had a salad with some grilled leftover chicken (I always grill extra and save it for salads). Both of these were pretty low-cal. I had dinner with my family, which was probably my highest calorie meal of the day...pork kebabs with pineapple rice, grilled peppers and green beans. Then it was off to work for 7pm. I plan my first snack to be around 8 or so, usually about 3 oz. of baby carrots and 2 tbsp. of hummus. Around 9 I have my first cup of coffee (with Sun Crystals and half & half). Then around 10 or so I have some cheese and crackers. Anything after midnight counts for the next day which I will (hopefully) spend some time sleeping during.
Shortly after midnight I have my sandwich, made with Thin N Trim cold cuts and no condiments (you do get used to it amazingly). Around 2 I have a fruit and another cup of coffee. Around five I have yogurt again. When I get home, I usually shoo everyone out the door to work/school/etc. and sleep til noon or so. Then it's another salad when I get up and dinner with the family before crashing shortly after the kids are in bed. If I need a snack, it'll be another fruit.

I hope this helps and wasn't too much detail. It's taken me a while to work out just what will work while working the night shift. And I know I'll have to revamp a bit as I lose more weight, but I do have some plans for that: switching to light bread, low-fat cheese, etc. Truly the hardest part has been resisting all the brownies, cookies, candies, cheese, and other junk that surrounds me while I'm doing this; when it's slow, I find if I can keep my hands busy, it's much easier to stay away from the junk, so I make sure to bring my knitting with me as well as a book and a puzzle book. Seems like a lot to haul to work, but if it works to keep me from overeating, it's worth it.

Sorry, this got waaaay longer than I intended. I just hope something in here helps. Good luck!

I work third shift and log midnight to midnight, so it helps keep my calorie totals in check. I also eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. Knowing that I have a meal or a snack within a few hours keeps vending machine binges at bay. It just sucks working midnights and you just have to plan healthy. I also take my 20 minute break and walk the hallways to get some exercise and keep me awake at night lol.