Night shift and logging food

RNamd23
RNamd23 Posts: 92 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I just starting logging again and I'm now working night shift. How do you guys log your food? I've just been logging with the time, so anything I eat after midnight goes on the next day's dairy and calorie count. However, I don't think this is the best way to go about things. As far as my body is concerned, I'm logging on 2 separate days because I sleep in between. But I'm not really sure how to just keep track of a "day" without going back in the diary and adding after midnight. Any tips? Thanks!

Replies

  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    I log midnight to midnight so that every day is consistent and lines up with my Fitbit burn.
  • cherry13bomb
    cherry13bomb Posts: 1 Member
    I use a 24 hour period. I changed my food diary meal names to midnight to 4am, 4:01 to 8:00, 8:01 to noon, and so on. I haven't had any problem with losing because of the times, but I'm not eating a ton before midnight and then immediately after. I usually eat when I get up around 5-6pm and then have a snack around 10-11pm. At midnight I start my day over.
  • CharlieICURN
    CharlieICURN Posts: 89 Member
    I prep my meals for work and prelog. When I get home I'll edit to make sure nothing us missed before completing that day's entry.
  • LokiGrrl
    LokiGrrl Posts: 156 Member
    I work second shift, and I find that counting when I wake up as the "beginning" of the day and when I go to bed as the "end" of the day works best for me. I find it disheartening to wake up without a clean slate.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    I just have my meals set up as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Whatever day I woke up in, is the day I am tracking on, until I go back to bed. All it means is that I won't be completing Wednesday's diary until well into Thursday morning.
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    edited August 2016
    I just stick with logging anything after midnight on the next day's diary. But I see what you are saying about sleep in between being a bit awkward. I suppose I just think I'm eating the same anyway and when I log it is a technicality :)
  • RNamd23
    RNamd23 Posts: 92 Member
    Thanks for all the input! I'm torn on what to do. My Fitbit calories go on the day, so maybe I'll keep it like that. But I really hate logging two half days in to one :/
  • tmharrison1985
    tmharrison1985 Posts: 39 Member
    I log my my food between midnight and 2am as snacks.... my 2am to 4am food as Lunch .... my 4am to 8am food as Breakfast.... then I'll work out maybe have another little snack like carrots or a salad and label that a snack .... then go to bed .... then I wake up anything from the time I get up and go to work is Dinner .... Then I just start my whole day over :-) Hope that helps
  • pitbullmamaliz
    pitbullmamaliz Posts: 303 Member
    I log midnight to midnight and have my food log broken into four time periods of 6 hours each.
  • merryward13
    merryward13 Posts: 1,662 Member
    Usually I log from whenever I wake up til I go to sleep the next day.
  • Bearbo27
    Bearbo27 Posts: 339 Member
    I log midnight to midnight. I usually eat any snacks I bring to work before midnight and I don't eat anything until I get home at 6am. That is my breakfast. When I wake up I will usually eat a string cheese and that is my lunch. Dinner is with the family in the evening. I switch my sleep schedule on my days off so that I sleep at night so it works better for me to do it this way so that I'll be on the same page on my weekends.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,235 Member
    I worked night shift for many years. One day for me is from when I wake up to when I fall asleep. The time on the clock is irrelevant.
  • WlLKO
    WlLKO Posts: 1 Member
    I log a day from when I get up to when I go to sleep.
    Last night I was on a late shift, now I’m on a night shift.
    So today I logged everything I ate as one day even though I finish work at 7am.
    If I was to log my food onto the next day past 12am then I probably won’t be able to eat anything on my 1st rest day and that would be setting myself up for failure and I wouldn’t stick to a calorie deficit diet.

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