I work three 12hr shifts. (7p-7a) I need help!!!

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grammi2u
grammi2u Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Trying to organize my eating and sleeping is a struggle. I'm so open to suggestions.

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  • Krys_140
    Krys_140 Posts: 648 Member
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    There are quite a few shift workers on here. I'm sure you'll get some suggestions!! Best of luck on your journey to better health!!!
  • NNAhuja
    NNAhuja Posts: 669 Member
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    It's really going to depend on you and your work schedule.
    Also are you trying to loose weight? I find eating frequently helps. I'm talking 5-6 times a day. Would you be able to eat that frequently?
    Do you have any other diatary constraints?
    Think about how much time you need to sleep and when can you get it in. In order to loose weight, you have to get your rest.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    Eat three meals a day with snacks in between. Just as you would working days. Works for me. Good luck!
  • babykell19
    babykell19 Posts: 72
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    i work my day job 8:-4:00/5:00 (depending on the day) and then i work my night job from about 530-10:00/12:00 pm every. single. day. needless to say i am EXHAUSTED. but..literally the only time i can work out is in the morning so i get up at about 5 every day to fit it in. i eat my breakfast lunch and dinner at each of my jobs, so i have to pack and plan ahead of time. planning your meals ahead of time will really help you stay on track and not get tempted by fast food if youre in a time crunch. as for working out..i would just try and squeeze half an hour to an hour somewhere in your day. if you cant, try squeezing in random 5 minute exercises throughout your day..like 5 min of jumping jacks in the morning..and myave 5 min of squats during your lunch..at least its something and all those little things will add up at the end of the day. good luck!
  • MalibuBeth
    MalibuBeth Posts: 87 Member
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    I work 7am-6pm 4 days a week. Your eating schedule should be easy, just plan ahead always. You don't want to be stuck at work feeling hungry because you are either tempted to cheat or overeat when you finally get home. I eat right before i leave for work, have a mid-morning snack, then lunch, and then sometimes a small snack in the latter half of my shift, and then usually have a nice amount of calories left for dinner.

    as far as working out goes, i know, it's tough working those long hours. You really just have to find something you like to do, and then you'll want to do it. For me, it's riding my bike. I even use it to go to the store 2 miles away when we're low on groceries. It's really a personal thing.

    Best of luck to you!
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Focus on working out the days you are off.

    Make food a head of time and freeze it for dinners. My go to for this is turkey chilli and meatballs in homemade pasta sauce - but lots of things will freeze well.

    Take LOTS of healthy snacks with you and pack breakfast/lunches the day before.
  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
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    I don't work this shift, but I have filled in on it before...

    Always plan ahead! Pack 2 meals and a snack for your shift. Call it breakfast and lunch, I guess. I always pack my lunches on Sunday, and have them all ready to go in tupperware in my fridge. Usually it's just 1-2 cups of frozen veggies (which will be thawed out and easier to microwave by the time you get to them) plus a protein. Then my snack is usually a Larabar, or some nuts, or a piece of fruit. (by the way, if you cook a fried egg ahead of time and reheat it in the mic for like 1 min it's actually pretty decent, so don't be scared away from that as a breakfast option).

    Then, once you're home, you can eat a big dinner, relax, etc, and go to bed (I don't buy into eating a lot before sleep will make you gain weight.. my biggest meal is ALWAYS my last and I eat late dinners- around at least 8pm).
    Or you can flip that ^ and eat your bigger meal right before you go into work, then you could come home, maybe have a snack, and go to sleep.

    Hope that helps- that's what I've done in the past.

    If I could sum that up I'd just say- PLAN ahead! Becaauuuusssssse: those who fail to plan, plan to fail ;)
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
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    I work 9pm to 8am 4 nights a week. What I do is have my days run midnight to midnight. I also changed my meals to times (12am to 7am, 8am to 2pm and 3pm to 9pm) because I eat at odd times on days I work, but revert back to normal times on my days off. As far as sleeping goes, I try to stay on schedule as much as possible, but i usually blow it by the third night and sleep through it! Sorry, I probably am not much help!
  • vfnmoody
    vfnmoody Posts: 271 Member
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    Trying to organize my eating and sleeping is a struggle. I'm so open to suggestions.

    What is the rest of your schedule? are you working three nights is a row and than working day shifts? A better discription of your shift might help us. Having a dark quite place to sleep is very impotant. Will this shift be on going or does it change week by week?
  • tadpole242
    tadpole242 Posts: 507 Member
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    I work five 12 hour shifts. I eat at the same time, every day, 0530 0900 1200 1600 2000,
    When I worked days and nights I’d eat meals with the same time spacing. My meal at 0530 (days) would be come 1730 nights, same for my meal I’d eat at 0900 (days) would be come 2100 nights and so on.
    On the days I cycle in, I travel light (well if you can call an 8kg back pack, light) ; on the days I drive I carry my extra food (food that needs not to be put in the fridge.)
    I eat within my 2040cal range, and don't eat back all my exercise. In the past 2 years I’ve dropped from 340lb (23 stone) down to 245lb, but it is only this last 6 months that I have really worked at it.

    When my daughter was little I’d come home from work from nights and take her to school, sleep from 0930 till 1500, go and collect her. My wife would come home about 1600 and I’d go back to bed till 1700 before cooking a meal and leaving to go to work around 1815.
  • grammi2u
    grammi2u Posts: 2
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    Your suggestions were very helpful. Thanks so much.

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