Any 3rd shift workers out there?

I work midnight shift. So it's really weird for me! It's been a constant struggle to find what works for me! Hopefully I'm getting there. I'm starting to feel like I'm making progress!

I work off a 3 dayshift, then 3 nightshift style shifts. I try to keep my eating intervals the same time apart whether it is am or pm.

Hi welcome! I have been for over 2 years. I started on my weight loss journey about 6 months into working the Graveyard shift. On days I work I eat 2x a day. During work and at home usually 2-3 hrs before I go to bed. I found above all else, sleep is key when it come to weight loss. In the past when I am tired, I'd eat and eat to help me stay awake while @ work. Forget exercising too. There's a MFP group here for night working folks

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/508-night-crawlers

that is exactly me! I could feel my butt expanding from all the sitting and munching! Not enough sleep will affect your metabolism too, not to mention mood and energy. Midnight shift is hard on a body.

Rough hours for sure, I'm on 4 - 12s right now. Change every 6 weeks. Makes workouts and calorie counting tough!

I just go in order of it's listing regardless if it's really truly breakfast or not: if it's the first food I've after and it's after midnight: that's breakfast. And so on.

I just keep track of within a 24 hour period. Don't really call the meals what they really are.

Hardest one is Sunday night/ Monday morning. I rarely go to bed (because that's my Friday night), so I "go over my calories' when actually it's really been 1 1/2 days of eating/ being awake!

As long as I know what's going on, that's all that matters.

that's me too! My Sunday morning is the beginning of my days off and I rarely sleep. Add to it, that now my family expects me to eat with them and suddenly there are extra meals where normally I wouldn't eat AND that is when all the family gatherings happen! So my Sundays are always screwed up :sick:

I have modified the names of my meals to show a general time when I eat them, that is helping me keep it straight in my head as I don't always have a chance to log it right away.

Full time CNA working 10pm to 6am.... I sleep from 9am to 4pm. Do my workouts in the AM right after work. Eat breakfast @ 4pm maybe a snack around 6pm then lunch @ 9pm. Eat my lunch @ work between 1:30am and 3pm whatever time I get a lunch break. I wouldn't trade night shift for anything... I get to enjoy the mornings if I want to... But what I like most is that I get to enjoy the evenings. While most ppl have to go to bed early so then can get up early I get to stay up on my nights off and do whatever I want I've made it work and I've done 1st shift for over 2 years when I worked factory jobs. I worked 2nd shift part time and hated it I couldn't get into doin anything bc I had to get ready and go to work... I have found that night shift is the best shift!!! It really really works the best for me!!!

Full time CNA working 10pm to 6am.... I sleep from 9am to 4pm. Do my workouts in the AM right after work. Eat breakfast @ 4pm maybe a snack around 6pm then lunch @ 9pm. Eat my lunch @ work between 1:30am and 3pm whatever time I get a lunch break. I wouldn't trade night shift for anything... I get to enjoy the mornings if I want to... But what I like most is that I get to enjoy the evenings. While most ppl have to go to bed early so then can get up early I get to stay up on my nights off and do whatever I want I've made it work and I've done 1st shift for over 2 years when I worked factory jobs. I worked 2nd shift part time and hated it I couldn't get into doin anything bc I had to get ready and go to work... I have found that night shift is the best shift!!! It really really works the best for me!!!

I know what you mean about 2nd shift. I did that before coming to mids. I'm not a fan of working midnight shift but it is better than evening as far as having time to do stuff. I NEVER had time for anything on that shift and I never saw my family. I'd like mids better if I had weekends off cuz I miss everything there.

Also a third shifter. I go in and switch my meals to 1100-0300, 0300-0700, 0700-1100, 11-0300

So happy to see I'm not alone! I'm only on day 2 and it's amazing how much over goal I am in calories. I chose to look at my meals in a 24 hour period as well regardless of what I was eating. Midnight to midnight is how I plan to keep track. Telling myself no to the goodies as work is a big challenge as is the days where it seems like all I do is eat. I find I have to eat something small shortly before going to bed or I wake up too early hungry and then can't fall back to sleep. I'm worried that's part of my problem. My other goal is to fit exercise 3x/wk into my schedule. It's so easy to find excuses to not exercise. I have 3 kids, a husband who travels frequently, often over seas, and work three 12 hour night shifts a week. Between household chores, carting kids around, paying bills, etc, etc, finding time for me is hard. I'm looking forward to a place of support. My goal is to lose 15 pounds by August 13 when my husband and I leave for a trip to Paris! It's also my birthday.

I wish MFP would let you set when a day starts and ends. I go to bed at 11am and wake up at 8pm, I want my day to start then. Right now I just log what I'm eating on the next day so when the clock hits 12:00 I'm on the same day.