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Do you count a day as 24 hours?

kaylasue_mustlose
kaylasue_mustlose Posts: 27
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I work 2nd shift...so my typical work day is something like 2pm-1230am...because of this I usually get a later start...sometimes eating breakfast at 11am...so does anyone see a problem with me counting my day in 24 hour increments more or less and logging food that I eat after midnight on the previous day? It is really the only way that I can get all of my 1,200 calories in. I eat breakfast at 11...usually make and then eat lunch of the drive to work around 1:30...then eat dinner whenever I can at work...6-7pm...then usually pack a healthy snack and eat it on the way home...and sometimes if I am really under in cals I will make a small meal at home when I get there 1am or so....I am usually up until around 3am. I know everyone says don't eat at night...but for me I am UP at night not eating and going directly to bed...Honestly sometimes I do my workouts at 2am....Thoughts?

Replies

  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    i've organized my food journal in a 24 hour period, so it's 6 times ranges that last for 4 hours

    you can eat whenever. your body uses calories all 24 hours of an Earth day, not just before some arbitrary time
  • mikey6ft8
    mikey6ft8 Posts: 1
    I start my day at midnight but I work 6 PM to 6AM. I cannot eat the calorie count I am supposed to. It stinks. But I am so losing weight! I love this app!
  • hlp423
    hlp423 Posts: 41 Member
    Thats how i log. I work third shift so what i call my breakfast is actually my lunch break at 3am. I log 24 at a time. I also workout at 3am some days lol.
  • tami101
    tami101 Posts: 617 Member
    There's no problem with it at all. It's not like your body knows it's midnight and you must start over. I work overnights (9pm to 8am) for me the midnight to midnight works best but do whatever works best for you. =)
  • sfuller911
    sfuller911 Posts: 63
    Mikey6ft8 night shift is the worst! If it wasn't for this app I don't know how many more peanut butter M and Ms we would have eaten @ my office @ 2am.
  • Ziggyzambo
    Ziggyzambo Posts: 46 Member
    I count my day from when I get up to when I go to sleep (which is usually 4 or 5 in the morning) - it just makes more sense to me than arbitrarily starting a new day at midnight. If you're doing this too you may want to change the time-zone MFP thinks you're in. I live in Eastern but switched MFP to Hawaii time, so it doesn't change days until 5am.
  • notnormallyacaloriecounter
    notnormallyacaloriecounter Posts: 71 Member
    i usually work nights so i eat breakfast around 10:30-12, i diary from when i wake up till just before i go to bed. so mine is roughly 17-19 hours. i don't see the problem doing it by 24 hours.
  • enewsome2
    enewsome2 Posts: 355 Member
    I am a per diem so I work *weird* hours. If I work a grave, I count my "lunch" as my "breakfast" for the next day. Since I will be sleeping most of the day and need the extra cals.
    On regular days, I wake up around 11 or so as well and work evening shift as well. Then I usually count my 11 AM meal as "breakfast".

    And then, some days, I work at 5 AM and that is breakfast.

    It is all very confusing. So I just kind of simplify it and do what I want. As long as you are netting under cals for the week, you will lose weight.
  • kaymarie78
    kaymarie78 Posts: 104
    I count my day from when I get up to when I go to sleep (which is usually 4 or 5 in the morning) - it just makes more sense to me than arbitrarily starting a new day at midnight. If you're doing this too you may want to change the time-zone MFP thinks you're in. I live in Eastern but switched MFP to Hawaii time, so it doesn't change days until 5am.

    Same here! I don't go to bed till 4-5am most of the time, so starting a new day at midnight just doesn't make sense for me.
  • jlm_getfit
    jlm_getfit Posts: 53 Member
    You can do whatever you want! I have a 3 year old son that I take care of from 8:30am until I go to work at 3:30pm-12am several times a week, then I'm usually up til 1:30 or 2am. So my day is long and I definitely need a snack when I get home at 12:30. I count from wake up to sleep as a day.
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    For me a day contains 16 hours of awake time where I can eat and an 8 hour sleep. A new day starts whenever I have to wake up. I wouldn't get too hung up on it though, you should be more worried about weekly calories rather than daily... your body doesn't keep time in that way.
  • thisgirls_acowboy87
    thisgirls_acowboy87 Posts: 37 Member
    I start my day at midnight but I work 6 PM to 6AM. I cannot eat the calorie count I am supposed to. It stinks. But I am so losing weight! I love this app!




    I'm in the same boat! It is hard to organize working mids!
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    I work 3rd shift. 11pm-7am. I track midnight to midnight
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    I figure mine at 24-hour intervals. What you consider breakfast doesn't have to be at traditional breakfast time. Do what works for you. :)
  • Jacole18
    Jacole18 Posts: 716 Member
    I work from 1:30pm-10pm so my day is turned upside down too....just eat in your "day" and what works for you
  • kaylasue_mustlose
    kaylasue_mustlose Posts: 27
    you guys rock! feel free to add me!
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
    I count wake-up to bedtime as a day, regardless of what time they occur.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I work from midnight to 8am. So when I wake up today around 3 or 4pm, I will use Monday's macro's and meal plan. Regardless time is a human concept and the body doesn't care.
  • htmlgirl
    htmlgirl Posts: 314 Member
    As long as you're consistent in the way you do it, it doesn't matter. Personally, I don't go by what's on the clock, I go by when I wake up and go to sleep. A new day starts when I wake up and ends when I go to sleep. You could do it however you want as long as you do it the same every day.
  • sphyxy
    sphyxy Posts: 202 Member
    I work swing shift at my job in a hospital so I can go from mostly mornings one week to afternoons and third shift the next. I renamed the meals in my journal to First meal, second meal and third meal since I usually have 3 major meals. I also drink a lot of coffee so I have a second added just to drink snacks and then my regular snacks/midmeals. I love that there is the option to change the meal titles!

    This has actually helped me log better since before I would try and figure out what I considered what I was eating. I also don't feel silly putting things like leftover vegan lasagna as breakfast when it says First Meal instead.
  • crazyjlyn
    crazyjlyn Posts: 225 Member
    I work graveyards and do from when i wake up, to when I go to sleep
This discussion has been closed.

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