How do you stay on track with your calorie count when you wo

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hartsgirl
hartsgirl Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
I find it very difficult to stay on track when I work nights (12hr shifts) On my days off, I am on my family's routine. So on my actual Monday of work, I get up at 6am with kids, then try not to eat very much throughout the day because I have to go into work at 6pm and work until 6am. This is very hard to keep switching my schedule back and forth. Any suggestions???

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  • beckylou66
    beckylou66 Posts: 103 Member
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    I work these same hours... mine are like 2 on 2 off 3 on 3 off then I go to nights for 2 weeks and then back to days and so on.... I find it extremely hard to track on these days that I'm "switching over" but I do log them. I get a pretty free day when I work off nights and sleep a little bit in the mornings then sleep again at nigtht. Then I'm only awake 10 hrs or so (lol) so I don't eat much. I track my weight daily (just my habit) and my "long" days have never really affected my weight. I'm rambling, I realize but I sure hope this helps.
  • B3Streeter
    B3Streeter Posts: 292 Member
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    I work 12hr. nights also and I always feel like I eat so much on my first day back to work..So on those days I do double workouts. I do p90x so I do whatever workouts due that day and then the Cardio X DVD. That way I can keep under my calories.
  • Eleanorjanethinner
    Eleanorjanethinner Posts: 563 Member
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    Um, doesn't that mean that you're awake for 24 hours at a go?!! No wonder you find it hard! Tiredness = wanting food and usually wanting calorific food 'cos your body thinks that'll increase your energy.

    Is there anything you can do with your schedule to avoid being awake for 24 hours at a time? Nap while the kids are at school/ daycare/ being babysat? Could your partner (if you have one) do the morning stuff so you don't have to get up so early on days that you're working late?
  • beckylou66
    beckylou66 Posts: 103 Member
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    Um, doesn't that mean that you're awake for 24 hours at a go?!! No wonder you find it hard! Tiredness = wanting food and usually wanting calorific food 'cos your body thinks that'll increase your energy.

    Is there anything you can do with your schedule to avoid being awake for 24 hours at a time? Nap while the kids are at school/ daycare/ being babysat? Could your partner (if you have one) do the morning stuff so you don't have to get up so early on days that you're working late?

    I have actually started getting more sleep on these days and on my day to work "off" I feel like it really helps with everything. :smile:
  • hartsgirl
    hartsgirl Posts: 13
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    Good advice from both of you, thanks! I guess it is time to really jump start my weight loss and get my butt to the gym. I haven't started actually exercising yet, but I need to. I want to get tone just as bad as I want the weight to fall off. Wish I had a work out partner but all my friends and family live "normal" lives and sleep at "normal" times :) I to switch back and forth. I'm always getting called in on my days off and work so much OT. It is very difficult to make it up my stairs at home let alone leaving the house to go work out. But this is gonna change....I will take a walk around my neighborhood today!!!! Thanks ladies :)
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    I make my food for the shift and try and pre-track it, just have to be able to discipline yourself and not eat other food that comes your way.
  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
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    I don't work nights but my advice is Plan.
    plan your meals , snacks and drinks
    take snacks, fruit, meals, water with you and if you can leave money / cards at home so temptation is knocking at a locked door!
    good luck
  • hartsgirl
    hartsgirl Posts: 13
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    Um, doesn't that mean that you're awake for 24 hours at a go?!! No wonder you find it hard! Tiredness = wanting food and usually wanting calorific food 'cos your body thinks that'll increase your energy.

    Is there anything you can do with your schedule to avoid being awake for 24 hours at a time? Nap while the kids are at school/ daycare/ being babysat? Could your partner (if you have one) do the morning stuff so you don't have to get up so early on days that you're working late?

    It appears that way but no. My Monday is actually on Sunday and when I get up early on Sunday mornings with my kids (wish they would get up that early on a school day) I try to make sure I get atleast a 2-3 hour nap in before I go to work at 6pm. My husband is very helpful but this is not always possible. Sunday is the hardest day of the week for me....hard to get adjusted. I usually sleep until 2pm everyday so my breakfast starts about 4pm and my last meal is at 4am.
  • countinonme
    countinonme Posts: 85
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    Good advice from both of you, thanks! I guess it is time to really jump start my weight loss and get my butt to the gym. I haven't started actually exercising yet, but I need to. I want to get tone just as bad as I want the weight to fall off. Wish I had a work out partner but all my friends and family live "normal" lives and sleep at "normal" times :) I to switch back and forth. I'm always getting called in on my days off and work so much OT. It is very difficult to make it up my stairs at home let alone leaving the house to go work out. But this is gonna change....I will take a walk around my neighborhood today!!!! Thanks ladies :)
    [/qu

    I feel bad for you..
  • hartsgirl
    hartsgirl Posts: 13
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    Great idea about leaving the money and cards at home. I LOVE the bar code scan option. This is very convenient especially when you are always on the go.
  • Blackthorne99
    Blackthorne99 Posts: 250 Member
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    I find it very difficult to stay on track when I work nights (12hr shifts) On my days off, I am on my family's routine. So on my actual Monday of work, I get up at 6am with kids, then try not to eat very much throughout the day because I have to go into work at 6pm and work until 6am. This is very hard to keep switching my schedule back and forth. Any suggestions???

    Well, I have insomnia which puts me on a similar schedule (meaning I eat at all hours of the day & night). Here's what I do - I divide the day into time frames:

    Midnight Snack
    Breakfast
    Lunch
    Mid-Afternoon
    Dinner
    Evening

    For me, this roughly breaks down to

    midnight to 6am.
    6am to 11 am,
    11am to 2pm,
    2pm to 5pm
    5pm to 8pm
    8pm to midnight

    These are rough guesstimates and I don't stick STRICTLY to this - but it helps me separate the times where there are hours between meals & meals at odd hours.
  • beckylou66
    beckylou66 Posts: 103 Member
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    I don't work nights but my advice is Plan.
    plan your meals , snacks and drinks
    take snacks, fruit, meals, water with you and if you can leave money / cards at home so temptation is knocking at a locked door!
    good luck

    I do this as well.... I have not taken a dime to work with me since I started this. All of my diary is usually complete before I ever come to work. That way I know exactly what I'm going to eat ...... Surely hope this helps.... I really wouldn't worry too much about having excess calories on these long days.... after all you are up moving which is burning more calories than sleeping.
  • twiztedgrl69
    twiztedgrl69 Posts: 191 Member
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    Question...what do you guy do for work?? I work 12 hour shifts also and I'm a 911 dispatcher...I work 6p-6a...I have found the thing that helps me the best is to stick with a regular routine..so when I get up at 4:30, I'll have breakfast and I'll have a snack in between that and midnight...I have my lunch at midnight...another snack before home and usually since I have to drive 45 mins to get home, I just go straight to bed or eat something light
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
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    Just net what MFP tells you within a 24 hour window. However you work it out is up to you.
  • Crystalchaos72
    Crystalchaos72 Posts: 531
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    I work 3rd shift all the time, I track midnight to midnight, then it resets, it works. On my off nights, I do the same thing, even though I am awake longer.. Pack fruits, veggies,hummus,rice cakes so if you get the munchies, you have healthy options. Peanut butter, banana, string cheese. Hope this helpsm
    Personally, I just eat whatever I have planned out for the "day"......and I have 3 "wing it" days a week......those days aren't so succcessful but they work and allow me to indulge and I log everything:) good luck!
  • hartsgirl
    hartsgirl Posts: 13
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    I to am a 9-1-1 dispatcher. I pre plan all my meals prior to coming to work so I always know what I'm going to eat once I get here. My only problem is once I am off, I don't get to go home and go to bed. I have kids to get up and ready for school, then get them to school. So on a "good" day (meaning the morning went well with the kids :) I get to bed about 8:30a or so, only to get up by 2pm to get them from school, do homework, dinner, baths, etc....then back to work at 6. I am only 2 weeks into my diet, I'm sure it will get easier once I get into a routine. I am very satisfied with my results up to now so I really can't complain. I just hate being SO hungry on my very long Mondays!!!!
  • Dragongrl
    Dragongrl Posts: 186 Member
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    I work a twelve hour nocturnal shift starting at 6:30PM. When I log "breakfast" at 7-8AM it is actually my snack (and lots of coffee. When I log "lunch" it is actually my breakfast at 2 or 3PM. "Dinner" is my lunch and so on. If I have any little extra snacks I just add it to "snacks"."Just log whatever you eat in a 24 hour period. You can change the names of your meals to times in settings if that helps you.

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