Evening Shifts are throwing my meal times

Options
bulice20
bulice20 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
So i recently switched from a morning job to a evening job so i sleep later and therefore eat later. I am trying to go according to the food diary on here but it is kinda tricky in that i eat breakfast pretty well daily, but i eat a sort of lunch dinner combo and then am hungry when i get off work but struggle with whether or not i should eat and how much. I don't stay up to late when i get home i like to spend time with my wife and then sleep. i have had several people tell me not to eat and then go to bed cause my body wont metabolize it right and it will just turn into fat, but i don't want to go to bed hungry either. any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • BrewerGeorge
    BrewerGeorge Posts: 397 Member
    Options
    Switch your meal times to match your waking hours.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
    Options
    Ditto George - Eat breakfast around the time you wake up, lunch halfway through, and dinner some time around two hours before bed (or whatever works for you).. making sure you have snacks if you need them.

    Calories are calories, so as long as you're getting your nutrients and calories right, it doesn't really matter what time you eat them.
  • fordster99
    fordster99 Posts: 181 Member
    Options
    Several years ago I lost a bunch of weight and I worked a 3pm to 11pm shift. I would eat breakfast when I got up (usually around 9:30am). I would do cardio and then around 2pm, I would eat lunch. I would take a small snack with me to work (around 100 calories) and if I got hungry around 5pm, I would eat that. Around 7pm or 8pm, I would eat dinner (something around 300 calories) and then if I got hungry after I got home I would eat a small snack (usually carrots or popcorn). Three nights a week after I got home I would lift weights from 12am to 12:30am and be in bed between 1am and 2am. I lost about 50 lbs this way. I hope this helps. It can be done. I ended up in an accident which caused me not to be able to exercise and then it all went south but I am on track again. Good luck!!
  • mbissey
    mbissey Posts: 25
    Options
    I work shift work too. My schedule changes every few months...just so happens I'm on midnights now. Regardless of the shift I'm working, I eat breakfast whenever I get up, have lunch about 4 hours later, and then dinner about 6 hours after that. I also eat 2-3 snacks and when I get home if I am hungry (nearly all the time right now), I'll have a protein shake and then go to bed. I'm down 14lbs in just over 2 months. My husband also works shift work and has lost 100+ lbs doing the same thing.
  • misssedin
    misssedin Posts: 6
    Options
    I work 3pm to midnight and some mornings I'm not awake until like 11am. It's horrible but I'll get my breakfast ASAP and then after that my meals can be so screwed up depending on if I can get a lunch in before work, when I get my breaks.. etc. It can be frustrating but I just keep at 'er and make sure I'm eating what I need to eat.. even if it's after work!
  • bulice20
    bulice20 Posts: 5
    Options
    Thanks everyone. Life is kinda crazy right now I wasn't ignoring your posts I promise. My wife *of almost 1 year* and I are still adjusting to my new schedule. Okay I'm adjusted, she's not sleeping, so I'm trying to help and wind up sleeping more than I should. I guess this just confirms that I'm not really doing anything wrong. Other than maybe eating too little at times. I'm going to try to eat a snack fairly often.

Categories