Night shift schedule

nrandazzo503
nrandazzo503 Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
Hello, I have recently went back to night shift (10p-6a) after a year of doing afternoons and decided I wanted to try to get healthy and lose some weight. However, I have always had a big problem with keeping an eating schedule while on nights. I was wondering if anyone could help me with a good set up. My plan is to have 1 meal at work otherwise I am just constantly snacking. Any advice is welcome, thank you!

Replies

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited August 2018
    I worked night shift for many years. My usual eating pattern was to have "breakfast" (which was more like dinner) in the evening before going to work, "lunch" during shift, and "dinner" (which was more like breakfast) in the morning when I got home.

    Don't sweat meal timing too much, it's irrelevant to your weight loss as long as you're sticking to your calorie goal. Eat in whatever pattern works best for you.
  • AndyWR72
    AndyWR72 Posts: 35 Member
    I work 12 hour nights evening meal is around 9pm. I keep rice cakes or fruit as a snack and have a light breakfast at 7am before bed, I eat lunch when I wake up.
  • duskyjewel
    duskyjewel Posts: 286 Member
    One of the best strategies I have come up with is making healthy dinners in large batches for the family, and then freezing the leftovers in individual portions to use as lunches later in the week. When I worked night shift, I found that if I didn't eat around 12-1 I felt bad for the rest of my shift, but I also worked 12s.
  • mjrc2
    mjrc2 Posts: 121 Member
    I think its trial and error until you find what works best for you. I work long 2nd/3rd shifts. I eat something light before going in and I eat two healthy meals from home plus a small snack while at work and a small snack at home before bed. I am no expert, but I think it does not matter when you eat, as much as what you eat. If you are trying to lose weight and eat at a deficit, you will be fine no matter when you eat. I find I struggle the most on my days off! Im too tired to cook and I crave comfort foods!
  • JasonDee1989
    JasonDee1989 Posts: 84 Member
    I work 2:30-10:30pm shift with an hour and a half commute on each side. Rough shift to work with fitness goals. People think I’m nuts that I get home at midnight and crank out double digit miles on the bike.
  • mjrc2
    mjrc2 Posts: 121 Member
    JasonDee1989 wrote: »
    I work 2:30-10:30pm shift with an hour and a half commute on each side. Rough shift to work with fitness goals. People think I’m nuts that I get home at midnight and crank out double digit miles on the bike.

    I do not miss those long commutes! I used to run on the treadmill after work, but now I live in an old apartment building and do not want to bother the neighbors. They are very respectful of my day-sleeping!

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