Rotating Shift Work

boogs82
boogs82 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everybody. I'm not new to myfitnesspal but I'm new to the forums. I've done lots of reading about certain topics and done some reading regarding shift work. What I didn't find was how everybody plans out their meals. I'm hoping for a little bit of help with this topic as it's quite a difficult one to grasp.

I'm working as a police officer and I work a rotating schedule. The shifts are 12 hours long from 7AM to 7PM for day shifts and 7PM to 7AM for night shifts. The rotation is 2 days 2 nights then 4 off, repeat.

I've changed the settings for my meals to show the following:

12 AM to 4 AM
4 AM to 8 AM
8 AM to 12 PM
12 PM to 4 PM
4 PM to 8 PM
8 PM to 12 AM

Now I'm trying to figure out how to plan the meals. I will always have time to have a meal at home and I'll likely have a half hour commute in to work. So I'm thinking the following.

Day Shifts

6 AM Breakfast
9 AM Snack
12 PM Lunch
3 PM Snack
Dinner when arriving at home
Light Snack half hour before bed

Night Shifts

2-3 PM Lunch
6 PM Snack
9 PM Dinner
12 AM Snack
3 AM "Breakfast"
6 AM Light Snack

Days Off - Meals similar to day shift however adjust times. Any advice/suggestions? I'm looking at about 1700 calories per day with workouts 6 days per week to lose 2 lbs/week as well.

Replies

  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
    whatever works for you is best for your diary as far as what you call it and when you eat it.. but here's what I've found doing rotations.. You'll be under your cals, maybe significantly, the day you go in for your first midnight, due to sleeping more than usual to prepare for the long night ahead, and then be over the day you come off your midnights due to staying up more hours trying to get turned back around.. don't sweat it, it all evens out in the end. I don't fight that aspect of it, I eat every few hrs when I need it, regardless of how close to bedtime it is or how long i've slept or not slept. The only time I don't eat on schedule is within four hours of a workout, because I can't run with food in my stomach. Other than that, listen to your body's rhythms, because it can't read and may not agree with what looks good on paper.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Shifts that screw with your circadian rhythms are notorious for making bad eating habits.
    Its great that you are on top of it.
  • boogs82
    boogs82 Posts: 7 Member
    Shifts that screw with your circadian rhythms are notorious for making bad eating habits.
    Its great that you are on top of it.

    Thanks. Too bad I'm 29 years old and playing a little bit of catch up.
  • greeneyeddragon
    greeneyeddragon Posts: 3
    Your plan sounds pretty good. Nice regular food intervals. Im a nurse doing 12 hr shifts. The only thing I would add is make your last meal/snack light and preferably not carbs, as 1 - it goes straight to your belly, 2- screws with your sleep. Make your first meal if the day the biggest (breakfast like a king), have most of your carbs early, drink lots and nuts make great early morning snacks. Good luck.

    Oh and Mr Policeman. . .No donuts!
    Just kidding
  • boogs82
    boogs82 Posts: 7 Member
    Coffee and donuts are the best part of the job :) LOL. Nah thankfully I don't eat that garbage. My eating habits aren't too bad. It's just the night shifts that are difficult to deal with because, as everybody says, it's so easy to stop by Wendy's or McDonald's and grab something fast. My commitment now is to prepare my meals before each set of shifts so I know exactly what I'm going to be eating. I'm also going to try and prepare foods that I can keep cool in my lunch bag so that I don't have to rely on going to the office to warm the meals up.

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