Who works night shifts?

michellestefnik
michellestefnik Posts: 3
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I am a nurse and work two 12 hour day shifts and then two 12 hour night shifts and then have five days off... I do great on my day shifts and my days off... but I STARVE on my night shifts and usually go over my calories, also I sleep/nap during the day so it's hard for me to get the extra calories in from a work out... Any suggesions?

Replies

  • trimformecmb
    trimformecmb Posts: 257 Member
    i hear your pain....I am also a night shift nurse, but i work 3 in a row.....only nights......a few things that have worked for me is DRINK LOTS OF WATER......thirst feels alot like hunger....also, i pack a skip-it in my bag and an exercise bad for stretching/resistance trainaing........planning is also a big piece.. snacks for the ride home, so when you get home you don't raid the fridge/pantry.....
    good luck- feel free to friend me....
    christine
  • tiggerbounce411
    tiggerbounce411 Posts: 401 Member
    My gf works nights. She tries to eat reverse during the day. She sleeps in the morning till about noon/1 o'clock, then eats something. I make us dinner, and she has her snacks at work to get her through the night. She manages to still stay under her calories. she just had to switch it around a little for a cpl days to figure out how to balance it so she wasnt' starving on her lunch break.
  • emyoung78
    emyoung78 Posts: 1 Member
    I too am a night shift nurse and what works for me is eating dinner before going to work and then packing small, (relatively) healthy snacks. Almonds, Luna bars, and Trader Joe's fig bars are what I usually eat. As for my second "dinner" at work I usually have soup or something on the light side.

    I'm *terrible* about drinking enough water...I'm a tea addict, so I usually drink tons of iced or hot tea throughout my shift. Definitely no soda, and no coffee because I need to add tons of sugar and milk to make it palatable :)

    So far, I haven't gained anything, but I'm not losing as quickly as I'd like to. My main challenge is tracking my food...what counts as a day, since the majority of when we're awake spans two days??
  • sarkris
    sarkris Posts: 41
    I work nightshifts as a care aide. I notice that when I eat a lot of carbs/sugar at work I'm starving and eating all night long. The other night I had over 700 cals on my shift and most of it was carbs and I was still starving. I like to have a fairly large meal before work (dinner at about 10, I work at midnight) a lighter carb-based meal around 3 and almond milk with whey protein and 1T peanut butter at about 6 am because my blood sugar drops and it's difficult to get through the rest of my shift. My job is physical - when I am not doing resident care I am doing laundry and heavy cleaning so I do need to eat more. I start my new log for the day at midnight.
  • melaniemarie486
    melaniemarie486 Posts: 10 Member
    Make your first meal before work higher in low fat meat/ milk protein & you won't be hungry on your shift.

    Water doesn't get rid of hunger, it just temporarily fills your stomach. Try a low sodium soup instead, the fluid expands the stomach longer (for the duration digestion takes place). Whereas water, which requires no digestion, passes quickly through your stomach.
  • trimformecmb
    trimformecmb Posts: 257 Member
    Make your first meal before work higher in low fat meat/ milk protein & you won't be hungry on your shift.

    Water doesn't get rid of hunger, it just temporarily fills your stomach. Try a low sodium soup instead, the fluid expands the stomach longer (for the duration digestion takes place). Whereas water, which requires no digestion, passes quickly through your stomach.

    i have to disagree with you.......many of us who work nights are chronically dehydrated, due to the caffeine to stay awake.....This feeling of "hunger" is mistaken for thirst. and can be satistifed by drinking.. That being said, you are right Hunger is hunger and water will not get rid of that feeling, agreed... so, it can't hurt to drink some water, but for true satisfaction, food is ideal....yum....
  • melaniemarie486
    melaniemarie486 Posts: 10 Member
    Just sharing what works for me, everyone is different ;).
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