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Overnight Work and Eating Confusion

Dreamin_Skinny
Dreamin_Skinny Posts: 67
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Work Overnight Meal Time
I work overnights from 11p-7am M-F.

I’m finding that I don’t know when & what I should eat. Should I eat at work? What times? Should I eat when I get home before going to bed? How much? What’s too much to eat before bed? (I’m usually hungry by then). Eat after I workout? Eat when I wake up from my morning nap?

I go to the gym MWF from 7am-9am

So on No-Gym Days my sleep pattern is 8am-3pm.

Gym Days 10am-345pm

Then nap from 8pm-1015pm before I go back to work at night.

Help?

Replies

  • jessicamarie81
    jessicamarie81 Posts: 441 Member
    Watching this! I work on third shifts mainly on the weekends....what I do is take some good healthy snacks because my body just hasn't adjusted to those third shift hours and I'm never hungry for a big meal during those hours...now if 3rds were my regular routine like you then I might bring a bigger meal. Most of the time when I wake up before work I eat my supper...bring some snacks like apples, etc...and then eat breakfast when I get home or even at work...and I try to get a lunch in before laying down and sleeping. It really is so confusing and your body just feels off-kilter, I know mine does!
  • jmatthews75
    jmatthews75 Posts: 525 Member
    I went for a while without eating at work, I would eat when I got home in the morning and that never helped me out. I lost more when I would eat at work. I work midnight to 8 am. So i try to eat something light on the way in. and again a light breakfast at about 6 am. then workout right after work. This shift is hell on the body. but you have to find what works best for you.
  • mrmarius
    mrmarius Posts: 1,802 Member
    i work the same hours what i do is have my"breakfast" after i wake usually 3 pm "lunch"is around 6 or7 and dinner is at 3 am i eat a couple snacks inbetween those meals but nothing after 3
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    It REALLY doesn't matter. Just stay within your goals within a 24-hour window. Work it out to whatever is best for you. :)
  • scottymcnasty
    scottymcnasty Posts: 5
    NIght shift is a killer on the body. Being a Nurse I used to work 2 nights a week. I recomend eating a good meal when you wake up. I would eat a normal dinner meat and veg. etc. I would then eat again about midnight some thing a bit lighter tuna and crackers. I used to go for a 2hr ride and would need to munch some carbs during and then I'd eat some eggs on toast before bed to help recovery. Don't forget to drink heaps of water.
  • whatwentwrong
    whatwentwrong Posts: 228
    since my sleeping schedule is so off, i eat breakfast whenever i wake up be it 7 am or 10 pm, and go from there :) if i were you, i'd eat breakfast at about 4 pm, lunch at 10 pm, dinner at about 3 or whenever i got my break, and have a snack before or after working out. and snack whenever you're hungry! since you have such long days, i bet it's hard to go between meals without snacks :/
  • aalanclose
    aalanclose Posts: 125 Member
    I work 9.30 to 8 and I used to eat when I came home but I found having my main meal of the day just before i went to bed wasn't good for me. Now I stick to pretty much normal meals. Breakfast in the morning before bed. Lunch when I get up and a meal before I go to work with a snack at about 4.30
  • Dreamin_Skinny
    Dreamin_Skinny Posts: 67
    Thanks a lot. I really didn't expect such prompt feedback. Based on your responses, I think I've devised a plan. Tell me what you think:

    12am- 5am Breakfast (while at work)
    7am-9am Pre-workout snack - 2 hardboiled eggs
    Non-Gym Day- Meal Replacement shake
    10am- 3pm SLEEEEEP
    3pm- 4pm Lunch
    6pm- 7pm Dinner
    8pm- 10pm PRE WORK NAP

    Does this make sense? Will I be eating too close to my nap?
  • SandyQ229
    SandyQ229 Posts: 153 Member
    wow this info is very helpful. i am in the same boat and have no idea how to work my schdeule. thantks for the help and i dont have anything to offer for input as i am still trying to figure it out myself
  • efwolfcub
    efwolfcub Posts: 99 Member
    I've been on nights for about 18 months and on MFP for about 20 days now. I generally try to eat 3 meals a day - one at work, one when I get home, and dinner with the rest of the household after I get up.

    if I have time at work I will spread out my eating over the course of the night, but I try and eat about 6-800 calories (in other words, a full meal) - otherwise I'm grumpy and exhausted and risk eating too much before bed.

    Also re-labeling my meals helped it make more sense. from "breakfast, lunch, dinner" to "work, before bed, dinner"
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
    When I worked nights (7p-7a x3 shifts per week) I had a hard time eating overnight. Most other nurses ate "lunch" usually 1-3am. I usually had a decent dinner before work and was so exhausted in the morning I just collapsed in my bed and slept for hours. Sometimes I'd wake from hunger mid-day and other times I wouldn't. Sometimes I just ate one meal a day. It was so unhealthy and bad for my body AND my soul. I didn't lose or gain weight though. Now I'm on days and much healthier.
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