Shift work eating

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hawaiianmegan
hawaiianmegan Posts: 11 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I work in the ER and of course can have some crazy hours. When I work a late shift, I only eat a snack around 9 or 10pm and then sleep right through breakfast time. I wake up around noon and end up having like two meals for the day. I usually have some sort of breakfast food at noon but snack all day until an early dinner (which is only a few hours away), then back to the night shift and have my little snack. My question is: should I adjust my eating schedule to quickly fit in all my meals during my awake time or should I skip meals when it's convenient?

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  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
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    I actually have the opposite issue when I end up on nights (mine is usually very short lived and only because people need trained) - I eat the WHOLE time I am up.

    Is this something that just happens once in awhile or is it a pretty continuous thing? If it's once in awhile, I say listen to your body. If it happens pretty regularly, just make sure your body is getting what it needs to stay fueled.
  • chilloften
    chilloften Posts: 9
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    I used my waking time prior to work or on a day off as the beginning of a day of counting calories. I def took meals and snacks to work.
  • Missmissy0003
    Missmissy0003 Posts: 250 Member
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    I work night shift, 7pm to 7am. I have to eat when I am hungy - I can hold off a little while and deal with a little hunger, but I can't afford to get lightheaded or shaky at my job. I have to be alert and ready to work hard, as I'm sure you do, too. Its hardest for me when I go into work because I often have used up all my calories by 7pm and have to wait until midnight to be able to eat again. But like I said, if I'm really, really hungry, then I just have to go over - one of the downsides of nightshift for me. Anyway, I don't know if that answered your question but that is what I struggle with.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    Whatever you do, you should be careful and be ready to change as needed.
    Shift work is notorious for causing HUGE weight gains.

    Good Luck.
  • shydaisi
    shydaisi Posts: 833 Member
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    You need to make sure you are getting enough calories. Maybe watch your weekly calories and zig zag your intake if needed?
  • hawaiianmegan
    hawaiianmegan Posts: 11 Member
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    Thanks for all the tips! I switch back and forth nights to days all the time (two part time jobs) so I can correct myself on my "normal" days if needed. I like the idea of starting my daily cals when I wake up, so it doesn't matter if my "day" goes from 1pm to 4am the next day. I'll have to start being smarter about packing snacks too since vending machines don't exactly offer healthy options! And of course there's always a birthday cake or goodies haha!

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