Working graveyard shifts 5 days a week!

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Big_T_89
Big_T_89 Posts: 45 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anybody have good ideas for diets or a good way to track food, I work graves I’m up at 10 PM till 4 PM the next day? Help please I’m looking for help to get ideas for a set meal plan.

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  • KelijonesRN
    KelijonesRN Posts: 9 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Totally feel your pain! I'm a nurse and work overnights. I meal prep once a week on my day off before heading back to work. I treat my day like I would if I woke up like a normal human. I work 7p-730a and track MyFitnessPal for the day I wake up and continue tracking that same day even though technically it's going to cross over to the next day. In other words, since today is Saturday- I will track all my meals from 3pm when I wake up until 8am when I crash out on Saturday's log. Because I meal prep, I can basically pre-log my whole day based on what I pack in my lunch box. Schedule wise: I wake up and work out. Come home and have "breakfast" which could be an actual breakfast or a prepped meal. I normally have a decent protein snack or oatmeal- something with substance early in my shift like 8 or 9pm and then a prepped meal around 1am. I try not to eat anything too heavy late so I typically have a yogurt or something a few hours later around 3 or 4 and then that's it. My kcal goal is 1250 so it works for me. I don't have to flip back and forth on my days off so even though I don't stay up all night, I can still stick to the same basic schedule. I have found that meal prepping is the only way for me to manage. One day of planning so I don't have to think about it when I'm tired or too busy to deal. Night shift and health don't really go hand in hand but you work with what you got! Not sure if this helps but it works for me. Best of luck!
  • Big_T_89
    Big_T_89 Posts: 45 Member
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    KeliJones wrote: »
    Totally feel your pain! I'm a nurse and work overnights. I meal prep once a week on my day off before heading back to work. I treat my day like I would if I woke up like a normal human. I work 7p-730a and track MyFitnessPal for the day I wake up and continue tracking that same day even though technically it's going to cross over to the next day. In other words, since today is Saturday- I will track all my meals from 3pm when I wake up until 8am when I crash out on Saturday's log. Because I meal prep, I can basically pre-log my whole day based on what I pack in my lunch box. Schedule wise: I wake up and work out. Come home and have "breakfast" which could be an actual breakfast or a prepped meal. I normally have a decent protein snack or oatmeal- something with substance early in my shift like 8 or 9pm and then a prepped meal around 1am. I try not to eat anything too heavy late so I typically have a yogurt or something a few hours later around 3 or 4 and then that's it. My kcal goal is 1250 so it works for me. I don't have to flip back and forth on my days off so even though I don't stay up all night, I can still stick to the same basic schedule. I have found that meal prepping is the only way for me to manage. One day of planning so I don't have to think about it when I'm tired or too busy to deal. Night shift and health don't really go hand in hand but you work with what you got! Not sure if this helps but it works for me. Best of luck!

    That helps a lot!! Thank you so much!!
  • optimisticdawn1
    optimisticdawn1 Posts: 1 Member
    edited January 2018
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    I just started and was having the same questions... my BF works the third shift… So we sleep during the day (8amish) and I wake up around 2... then I most days I go to work at 5 PM and then get home anywhere between 1030pm and 1230am… So still trying to figure out how to get disciplined to make sure I eat and that I log it correctly ...thank you
  • DeviatedNorm
    DeviatedNorm Posts: 422 Member
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    I work swing shift and end up eating lunch and dinner at work. It's not too tough if you bring things with and have access to a microwave. Do you?
  • wyogal79
    wyogal79 Posts: 69 Member
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    I work graves 6pm-6am. it's hard. but I bring sunflower seeds,yogurt,pickles, veggies and other semi healthy foods with me. I'm a CNA so after running for so long I'm famished. I only work 3 days a week so that helps. I try not to eat as much when I'm home when I work. I'll eat a little breakfast when I get home and maybe have a little something when I wake up, but I try to save my calories for work. Having a microwave helps also..
  • Big_T_89
    Big_T_89 Posts: 45 Member
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    wyogal79 wrote: »
    I work graves 6pm-6am. it's hard. but I bring sunflower seeds,yogurt,pickles, veggies and other semi healthy foods with me. I'm a CNA so after running for so long I'm famished. I only work 3 days a week so that helps. I try not to eat as much when I'm home when I work. I'll eat a little breakfast when I get home and maybe have a little something when I wake up, but I try to save my calories for work. Having a microwave helps also..

    Thank you!

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