I work nights I’m a Nurse

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nilakay758
nilakay758 Posts: 2 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I don’t get enough sleep as I work nights .. struggling to lose weight
Any advice

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  • erprincipexoxo
    erprincipexoxo Posts: 19 Member
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    What do you currently eat? What foods/snacks do you bring to work?
  • nilakay758
    nilakay758 Posts: 2 Member
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    Luckily have fruit tonight n plenty of water ..,
    On difficult days I end up battling with the vending machine @ 3 am … ridiculous I know 😔
  • erprincipexoxo
    erprincipexoxo Posts: 19 Member
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    @nilakay758 save yourself some money and skip the chips, snickers bar, and soda from the vending machine. Those foods are not filling and you’ll just eat and eat and eat those snacks. The night before work (or wake up earlier) make yourself some apple slices. The natural sugar in apples is quite filling on the stomach.
    Or make oatmeal before work or bring the microwave oatmeal pack to work. I drizzle peanut butter and chia seeds over my oatmeal and it’s yummy and very filling. I also use almond milk instead of water for my oatmeal.
    Or snack on beef jerky.
    Or rice cakes are good too. There’s apple cinnamon flavor, chocolate, and caramel flavors.
    Or SWEET baby carrots are yummy asf. Watch out for the packaging though, there’s a difference between “baby carrots” and “sweet baby carrots”
    Or pack strawberries, grapes, bananas
    Or pack peanuts/almonds/walnuts

    All these foods that I’m recommending to you is what I eat for a living atm (and other foods to: chicken, salads, and more) I’m not going to mention anything about calories, fats, and proteins because that’s another topic in itself.
    Transition yourself away from the vending machine and the Oreos/goldfish/soda/lays chips aisles at the grocery store. If you can master this you’ll lose weights in no time.

    Also, with a good diet, I also recommend fasting. I lost 10 lbs in 8 months by fasting 2x a week. Fasting is another topic in itself too and it takes a lot of mental discipline to complete a 16 hour fast.
  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
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    Meal Prep for the win. Eat your main meal before your shift and prep meals for Grab-N-Go. Eat quality proteins on the fly. Cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna/meat wraps with sliced vegetables. Avocado halves with chicken/tuna/crab salad. You need portable foods like mason jar salads.

    A hard working night nurse doesn't need to fast two days a week. You need TLC and quality foods. Pamper the chef before you start your shift. It's a slippery slope substituting vendor food for fatigue of any kind.

    I know all about fasting and the metabolic window. IF is not really intermittent fasting if you're eating every single day. That's called TRE. Time Restricted Eating. True intermittent fasting is not sustainable in the long term for a nurse.

    She needs efficient fuel for energy and that comes from quality foods. Creating a healthy eating pattern and routine will support weight loss. The best diet is the one that improves your overall health.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,473 Member
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    I work nights; I'm a police officer.

    I don't get enough sleep; I've even been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder.

    But guess what? You can still do things that will work and make progress toward your goals.

    Prep your meals and snacks and take them with you. Exercise before your shift.
  • Gold6767
    Gold6767 Posts: 145 Member
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    I work evenings and my partner works nights, so this is something that we both struggle with a lot. I work in a hospital facility, so I have a fridge and can bring food and keep snacks on hand. He works in the community and doesn't really have access to that. What works for me: SNACKS. I keep a large tupperware in my locker (to prevent pests) and fill it with healthy snacks that I actually like (Quest protein bars, fruit snacks, and roasted edamame) and we meal prep on our off days. We also bought one of those vacuum-seal-food-savers and it it great for both of us. You can season raw meat or cook it, then freeze. What works for him: eating his big meal at night before his shift. Then he isn't as tempted to eat the crap that's available at night. Then he eats a smaller meal when he gets home in the morning before he goes to sleep. It's been a lot of trial and error, but once you find what works for you, just stick to it. Routine is key.
  • japeacock2016
    japeacock2016 Posts: 2 Member
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    I work nights too. As a matter of fact I gained 80 pounds and stopped sleeping regularly since I've been on nights.
  • MrKSm1th
    MrKSm1th Posts: 5 Member
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    nilakay758 wrote: »
    Luckily have fruit tonight n plenty of water ..,
    On difficult days I end up battling with the vending machine @ 3 am … ridiculous I know 😔

    Its not ridiculous at all.

    I work nights for the ambulance service and that vending machine can be mighty tempting.

  • Tiernan1212
    Tiernan1212 Posts: 797 Member
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    You've gotten great advice here. Prep, prep, prep! The little bit of extra work before your shift will really pay off. When I worked 3rd shift, I never ate a full meal during my work hours. I would bring 3-4 snacks with a good mix of protein, fats, and carbs. Also, drink plenty of fluids! Quite often you can want to snack when your body actually needs hydration.

    I worked 4 nights a week, and then had 3 days where I had to operate during the day since I was home with my kids. Changing my meal names from the generic "breakfast, lunch, dinner" etc. to times (12am - 4am, 4am - 8am, etc.) really helped.

    Consistency is key, you can do this!
  • shakes12311
    shakes12311 Posts: 1 Member
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    I hope y'all don't mind, I'm going to add you as friends! Looking to get meal ideas from peeking in your diaries... The comments here tell me some good info already, and clearly you are recently active. Thanks! -Matt (also a night nurse)

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