NIGHT SHIFTS

I have worked the night shift for years and am at maintenance now, having lost 55 pounds. My diary is open. I try to eat at 2 a.m. on work nights and try to stay awake as long as possible the night before I work at night. Be prepared to be carb craving at the end of the shift. I don't eat perfectly....but then, no one does.

I usually have dinner with my family between 7 pm and 9 pm, then have a protein shake between 1 am and 2 am, followed by a light breakfast before I lay down at 8:30 am. Sometimes I have a light snack when I wake up around 5 pm, it just depends on my mood. I also keep protein bars in my locker in case I feel like eating instead of just drinking my shake. I also try to always have veggies or a piece of fruit on hand at work just in case I am extra hungry.

I changed the name of my meals to four hour time slots (ie. 0000-0600, 0600-1200, ...). That way, if you have to shift your schedule, meals SHOULD end up on the correct day. I also eat "lunch" at 0200, so it stays on the right day ( I work a 1900-0700 shift).

I worked graveyards for over 4 years. The biggest thing I learned was that on that schedule, meal titles stop mattering. When I wasn't on a diet my favorite breakfast was a green Chile cheese burger and a root beer at midnight. When working a non-traditional schedule you just need to find what works for you. I did mfp for about 4 months while working that schedule and lost about 20 pounds before getting distracted by a fad diet and wrecking my progress. As long as you budget your calories to keep yourself satisfied during the time you're awake and stick to your goals, you will make progress.