Working shift work

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madysmom99
madysmom99 Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok so here's my question...

When working a 12 hour night shift how do I count my calorie intake? Does the clock stop at midnight? I'm thinking that I should look at the 24 hours of a calander day. Once midnight hits anything I eat after that gets recorded on the "new" day. Opinions?? I'm struggling with this because when I do night shift everything gets flipped and I sleep most of the day rather than be up and eating.
Anyone else out there working shift work and having trouble with this?

Thanks

Replies

  • laurieagain09
    laurieagain09 Posts: 183 Member
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    Today was my first day counting calories. I have tried it before and the hardest part is trying to figure out how to count them on night shift. It is also hard for me because Im up 24+ hours my first shift and always end up adding a meal. I also feel so tired and have a hard time fitting exercise in...I think that I am going to try going by the calendar. Good luck.
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    I sleep at 4 AM. Thats when the clock stops for me. Unless you're in a medical field or something similar where your sleeping schedule is constantly changing drastically, I would say your start of the day is when you wake up and end of the day is when you hit the bed.

    However, from a technical POV, it doesnt really matter. As long as you keep the same time to start and stop your "clock" it would overall be fine
  • BIGJIMMYU
    BIGJIMMYU Posts: 1,221 Member
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    I am on night shift right now! Anything after midnight I always put on a new day. Even in my written food and exercise journal. It's just easier that way. In my written journal I record my weight whenever I wake up pretending it is "morning". I just started on here so my ticker doesn't reflect it but I have lost 46 lbs so far and the system works fine for me. I have day, evening, and night shifts. Not fun but I will be doing it my entire career so I may as well get used to it!
  • lsapphire
    lsapphire Posts: 297 Member
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    I work 3rd shift and count mine midnigt to midnight. It isn't as important to me to make sure they are in the right category or meal slot, but the overall calorie and nutrition intake. Hope that helps. Just keep consistent I think.
  • Jdo79
    Jdo79 Posts: 13 Member
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    I always count midnight to midnight. I tried doing it other ways such as counting from the time I wake up etc, but it was just too confusing when I was off and keeping a regular schedule. This way its always the same no matter when I'm sleeping.

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  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
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    I work 12 hour overnights and I also work part time days. Here's how I divide up my diary:
    8am-12pm
    12pm-4pm
    4pm-8pm
    8pm-12am
    12am-4am
    4am-8am

    I log what I eat in the appropriate time slot and it works well for me.
  • tanias001
    tanias001 Posts: 41 Member
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    Hi there,
    I work shift work as well. I do 13 hr shifts and do sleep over with my job. What I do is take my own food and log it before i go. I find this helps me to keep on track.
    For the really long days i prepare all my meals and if i cant for some reason I will go out and buy a subway turkey salad bowl and have that to eat for a meal. I will always try and find the best low cal options.
    My 1st meal is around 5.30 am and my last meal is around 8 pm if i am doing a 13 hr shift. I f i am doing a shorter shift the breakfast time is the same the last meal can change.
    Its up to you with the way you log your meals you can rename them meal 1 through to meal 6 and don't have it down as breakfast lunch or dinner. Do this the best way it suits you
    On my days off i have my meals at more normal times..lol.
    When it comes down to it its your choice on how you would like to log your meals. I also use the smart phone app while i am at work so if any thing changes i can alter it straight away.
    Cheers
    Tania
  • ChristopherFiss
    ChristopherFiss Posts: 16 Member
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    Shift work is pretty easy to eat around and count correctly...I just count Midnight as the cut over. One thing I've noticed is that it helps to only weigh and measure yourself on the more standard days where you get a full "night" of sleep, so keep that in mind if you need to start sleeping different in order to change your shift. Days where I need to break up my awake time into 2 chunks, I'll usually make sure I have an extra meal to give me a bit of energy for when I need to stay up.

    Whatever you do, be as consistent as possible. It will help with the counting and help keep you healthy - shift work is hard on a body after a while, so every bit helps!

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