Any other servers/bartenders here, I need help!

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So, I've been bartending for the last 5 years and really, really enjoy it. However, it's definitely not easy to live a healthy lifestyle in.

What I want to know is what sort of schedule or routine to get into.

I wake up around 12 every afternoon, and work 5-2am with no breaks, and then go home again, and usually fall asleep around 4 or 5. I know they say you're not supposed to eat past 8 or whatever, but by the time I get off work, I'm STARRRRVING!

What foods can I eat after work that will fill me up without fattening me up?

When should I workout?

Replies

  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
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    When I worked at a bar and other late night jobs, I would just follow the rules of don't snack and try not to eat 3 hours before you sleep to try to stay in some sort of routine. It doesn't matter so much when your rountine is, your breakfast can be at 6pm as opposed to 6am, just keep it healthy.
  • lilah808
    lilah808 Posts: 60
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    I would workout right when I got up (12 noon) and I'd stop eating three hours before I go to bed, so eat right after work? :smile:
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Your body doesn't know what time it is, or care. Eat and workout whenever suits your schedule. You're 'active' already by MFP standards so if you don't have time to workout on work days, I wouldn't worry about it.

    Specific foods don't make you fat, calorie levels do.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
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    Me! I'm a bartender.

    I wake at 11 and have breakfast. I try to go to the gym for 12, after that I have a snack and depending on my shift, I either have lunch or make a packed lunch for later (sometimes I eat lunch after dinner) unless it's a Saturday I make a point of having dinner with my boyfriend, hence the unusual order of my meals.

    If I pack a lunch to take to work I make something in bite-size pieces that I can eat with a fork straight out of the tupperware. Usually a chopped salad with cucumber, tomato, feta cheese and grilled chicken, or something along those lines. I've been known to take leftovers from dinner with me but I have to cut them into bite size pieces first, and be prepared to eat it cold.

    My shifts are 12:30pm-7pm, 3pm-2:30am, 9:30pm-2:30am or 7pm-2:30am. The longest shift allows me an hour and a half to go home for dinner, but other than that I get no breaks. I try to take at least a snack with me for all shifts, be it a tub of yoghurt, a piece of fruit or a sandwich. Even if I don't get to eat it until after I finish it's easier for me to eat at work than sneak in and do it quietly at home. And yes, I eat before bed. Something small, but I always eat something.
  • Leslieheindel
    Leslieheindel Posts: 21 Member
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    My issue tends to be the drinking, not so much the late night food. I have been trying to cut back on the sugary shots with customers. I work from 8pm-4 or 5 am. I work out around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. But when i am starving when leaving work, i find it so easy to stop and get something unhealthy. I need to remember to bring snacks to work with me.