Weight loss and night shift working

Some people who work nights find it easy to always eat the same time of day. I have been on nights 10 years and almost always keep my schedule the same. For those who can't they tend to set up a food time from midnight to midnight or 6-6 and use a 24 hour clock to eat by. It is easier than going by 3 meals a day if you aren't sure when you will eat! Good luck!

Have you tried: Working out before your shift like 1-2 hours before? Sleeping 8 hours and set an alarm? Skip watching TV? Done short exercises on break at work such as a set of 10 pushups? Jog in place for 10 minutes? all these small things add up. I personally just am continuously moving at work so if you can be doing something that requires movement at work do it. It will benefit you.

When I was working nights I found it easiest to eat by a 24 hour clock. It really depends on if you go to sleep right after work, or wake up right before work on how you should eat. Work it out however you like giving yourself roughly 4 hours between meals, and attempting to not eat too closely to when you are going to go to bed. Treat when you wake up like the morning regardless of what time it is and you should be just fine. I also found it much easier to work out after i was off work, rather than before, and right before I went to sleep.

I worked night shift for over 3 years (and on and off for three years before that). Really, it's very simple: get on a schedule, make your own snacks and lunches for work, and workout consistently.

For example.... I used to work an 11:30 to 7:30 shift. So, every day, no matter HOW TEMPTING it was to stay up all day and hang with friends or family, I went to bed at 1:30 pm, woke up at 10 pm, did a quick 8-minute workout to get the blood going, took a shower, made a sandwich or salad for my lunch, packed my lunch pale with the sandwich/fruits/healthy snacks, made my coffee, and by 11 pm I was out the door for the drive to work. At work, same schedule: I worked through my lunch pale methodically, eating specific snacks or meals at specific times, each night. At 12 am, I ate my first snack. Between 12 and 2 am, I drank my coffee (then stuck to water the rest of the shift--maybe a Diet Coke in the morning). At 2 am, second snack. At 4 am, lunch (sandwich or salad). At 6 am, third snack. At 7 am, pre-workout snack. 7: 30 am (or so...sometimes I worked overtime), I clocked out, changed into workout clothes in the locker room, drove straight to the gym, worked out for an hour, drove home, cooked "dinner" (often bacon and eggs), got stuff ready for the next night, watched some TV, and promptly hit the rack at 1:30 pm. (Note: if you might get caught on overtime any given day, ALWAYS pack extra snacks to get you through it, that way you avoid asking a buddy coming in to work to "stop and get me a burger, would ya?") Also, I know that it might difficult to exactly time your snacks and meals, depending on the type of work you do, but don't worry: pack your lunch pale as if you had a perfect schedule, and you'll find the time to get through it all--you might find yourself doubling up on snacks one and two, for example, and waiting four hours til "lunch" instead of two.

It's all willpower. Being on a night shift and controlling your weight is NO DIFFERENT from being on a day shift: you have to keep a schedule, eat right, and exercise. Good luck!