Working night and dieting.

I work 7p.m.-7a.m., and this is how I set up my diary. I like to keep it the same, whether I'm working or not, because my schedule is all over the place.

Breakfast 05-09
Snack 09-12
Lunch 12-15
Snack 15-17
Dinner 17-20
Snack 20-05

When I work, I log my "lunch", and any at-work snacks in the 20-05 Snack slot. If I sleep all day, I don't log anything under the Snack 09-12, Lunch 12-15, or Snack 15-17 slots. I guess I just always log anything I eat at the actual time of day that it is. I hope that helps and it's not confusing!

i work nights.

i just eat like anyone else would on day shifts. when i get home from work i eat, when i wake up i eat, i eat lunch during work and i snack here and there. i count from midnight to midnight.

I work from 7pm to 4am and this is how I eat my meals:

5:30 PM to 6:00 PM - Breakfast
8:00 PM - Snack
10:00 PM - Snack
Midnight - Lunch
2:00 AM - Snack
4:00 AM - Dinner

HI I work nights 7pm to 7 am and my new day starts at 00:00 (midnight) Also I am preparing for surgery in march, hence my low calories.

breakfast is at work between 12-2am, usually some chicken broth, a protein shake or a light meal.

I dont normally eat lunch after that (big downfall, I know) but I dont have the time at work, and when I get home I am tired and want to sleep, BUT if I do eat lunch my lunch is usually a yogurt, a protein shake again, or maybe a hardboiled egg and yogurt, something light.....then I sleep normally until 4 pm if I work again that night, if not I get up around 2-3. I will eat my dinner at work normally if I have not eaten it at home with the fam, all depends on if I am hungry, If I am not hungry I dont eat until I am.

normally dinner at work is around 11 at change of shifts when I have some downtime, or depending on if I am hungry its earlier in the shift.

all these recommendations are just that, we all had to find our way, and this routine for me took along time to find, I had alot of issues with eating on night shift for quite awhile, it makes yuu want to snack snack and snack some more..

Just find your way, take a healthy snack or lunch, keep busy and good luck, oh and stay awake, haha!!!

I have been working Graveyard for almost 3 years now and all of my weight loss has come while working the third shift. this is what I do and it works for me.
@ work 11pm-7am
I eat through out the night. no set time or lunch break.

7am-2pm
go home, do errands, workout. after all that I then eat my 2nd meal. in bed by no later than 3pm. wake up at 10:30pm and do it all over again

days off I switch to a normal sechdule. sleep at night awake during the day.
during my work week in the past I tried broken up sleep. i.e. sleep 2-3 hrs. wake up for a few hours then back to sleep for 2-3 hrs. didn't work for me. so unfortunately for me dinner with family and friends doesn't work for me unless it's a early one or on my day off :frown:

If I'm still hungry I'll make up the calories... otherwise I just forget about it.

I used to work nights and some of the habits that weren't mentioned is the sleep part not just the eating. Make sure you sleep and stick to your schedule. Its very difficult come weekends or celebrations to say NO because its normally when you should be sleeping. It complicates things if you don't sleep or sleep irratically. Be strict with getting sleep just like you would working days.

I've worked on boats most of my life with no set schedule. It can make food and sleep tough. I had to completely block the light in my room and keep my calories from midnight to midnight. Consider wearing really dark sunglasses on the way home in the morning so you don't wake up so much with the sunlight. Avoid stimulation from your family, just as you would at bedtime in the evening. I'm not sure what you're doing, but odds are you will feel an increased need for sweet snacks when you start getting tired. Be sure to have low cal/healthy options. Resist the donuts that people tend to provide on the late shifts. Just don't do it. This is completely new for your body, so the habits you set early on will be what your body and mind will expect in the long run. Good luck, It can be fun working nights, It's a different world while most of the population is asleep.

Paula