Working Nights and Trying to Get Healthy

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jennifercreighton
jennifercreighton Posts: 29
in Food and Nutrition
Help! I am a nurse and have recently started to work nights 7p-7a.....

My getting healthy trip is all out of whack; I feel like eating at midnight vs. noon is ruining my weight loss efforts.

Plus, I sleep about 5 hrs now versus the 7 I used to get at night. (I also have a monster size headache, which ruins workout efforts, but thats besides the point.)

Does anyone else out there work nights and/or have any tips on how to fix this?
Should I wake up during the day to eat normal and NOT eat at night?

Please tell me there are successfully healthy people out there who work nights!!!

Replies

  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
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    I also work the 7p-7a shift, and I just completed P90x without missing a workout. It's definitely doable. Logging on here, my day is from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I worked out after work in the mornings, or as late as possible on my nights off. The biggest issue was getting enough sleep if I had a few days off in a row, but my family is understanding (and quiet during the day). You most definitely need more that 5 hours a night.

    Another thing that helps me is I do intermittent fasting, leangains style. It helps me keep my nutrition in order.
  • ericobrecht
    ericobrecht Posts: 7
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    I work nights sometimes for 6 months at a time; I worked the rotation one year about three years ago. It was horrible to be honest; I had aching joints, headaches, low energy, weight fluctutions, etc, etc. And it seemed like I lost a few days getting back to regular hours a couple times a months. So I know what you are talking about.

    Food being the biggest factor here- you are gonna have to pack your lunch and meals if you wish to stay on track. Its just a simple as that; thats your only hope. At night there are no other realistic FOOD sources.

    Dont disturb or interupt your sleep patterns to eat; just eat when you are hungry. And make sure to not overestimate or underestimate your calories. Play around with eating times and listen to what your body tells you. That means you may have to force yourself to eat when you are not hungry (usually right after waking and before shift starts).

    Whence you start to snack on soda and chips (trust me I know how easy that is) you will realize how important it is to pack your own
  • jennifercreighton
    jennifercreighton Posts: 29
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    I do actually pack my lunch. I try even to bring almonds and cheese squares for snack. Most time when I am at work (on days) I just grab a Snickers Protein bar (about 300 cal/20g protein) and that holds me over for lunch. I would like to caveat that by saying, that sure gets old tho! I have sworn off soda and havent had one since 2003, but the hospital does offer free lemonade at night that I have been partaking in....

    I was trying to sleep right when I got off work, but I just tossed and turned for a while then would wake up about 5 hrs later. I have been feeling horrible.

    I think I shall try your advice .... <<I worked out after work in the mornings, or as late as possible on my nights off. >>

    Thanks for the replys-- I just gotta know that its possible to be healthy and work nights because I dont wanna give up on losing weight. I have 15 lbs to my goal!
  • hhayes06
    hhayes06 Posts: 189 Member
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    When you work nights adjust your schedule to mimic working days. If you worked from 7a to 7p and got up at 5a then get up at 5p for the night shift. When you get off work do the type of things that you would do if you got off at 7p instead of 7a. If you sleep like you would overnight then your mealtimes should fall into place. Give yourself some time to adjust to the new schedule, I know it always takes me a week or two. Also, if possible, try to keep you sleep the same on days off as you do on days on, it might help you in the long run. Good luck!
  • ericobrecht
    ericobrecht Posts: 7
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    Make sure to make your room absolutely and totally dark. I used cutouts to fit the windows as the curtains dont darken the room enough. This is important because your eyes do sense light when you are sleeping; and since we are designed to sleep at night, this can cause light/intermitent sleep.

    I also took melatonin pills; do some research on this before you take anything. But that seemed to help me.

    I packed chicken, rice, beans, avocado, etc- enough to give me the couple thousand calories i needed for the next several hours. I did not eat anything else. Really, I got to the point where I did not need to buy anything I would regret later.

    I wouldnt get too hung up on the exercise thing because, though you need your exercise, weight loss is 90% diet choices.
  • michiganer
    michiganer Posts: 38 Member
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    I've been working 6pm-6am for about 4 years. It is something you never competely get used to but you can be somewhat normal after some adjustment. The absolute MUST do in my opinion is to keep your schedule the same even on days off. This means on your nights off, you should stay up until at least 4am. I have found that if I keep to a 'night shift' schedule all the time, I sleep and feel better. I also make my lunch and dinner and take it with me.

    Its really crappy to be on nights but if you make those small adjustments it will be less painful. The is an 'official night shift' thread in the chit chat section too that has a bunch of us....

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/653422-official-nightshift-thread?page=13

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