Shift Work

[hburandt80]

I work around the clock, one week of days than roll right into a week of midnight's.  I feel when I get on midnight's I sabotage my meals. Any ideals? Recipes?

[Baltoscott]

Sticking a schedule (3 or 4 decent-sized meals a day about the same time, without snacks) is a technique I use for controlling how much I eat; but that is hard for you to since your schedule changes every week.  So, instead, maybe prepare all your work meals for the midnight weeks on the weekend so that you don’t have to put something together on the fly just before work, or rely on vending machines or stops at fast food places when you go work or leave.  

[Mukluk4]

I struggled with the same thing working an overnight weekend shift along with a normal 8-5.  I was stuck on a plateau for 6 months.  The only thing that helped me get back on track was to stick with one schedule (and drop the overnight hours) and then take care of my sleep debt.  

Once I did that my body corrected itself without any diet changes and I lost about 10 pounds in the first week.

So my suggestion would be the hardest:  Find a job where you don't have to switch your schedule on a weekly basis, it will kill you.

[Marlsch]

Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. I found when I would get home after work (3 or 4am), I'd be ravenous. Turns out that dehydration and sleep deprivation will make you feel hungry. So by forcing myself to drink more water while working, I was able to get around that. I added a drop of lemon juice or cranberry juice when the weather turns colder to help with staying hydrated.

I also packed my work truck with healthy snack options- seaweed, nuts, apples, dark chocolate granola bars. That way, when I went for a snack, it was something that wouldn't do me in completely.

Hope that helps!

[Grey843]

I'm a shift worker as well. My days and nights vary tremendously and they are all 12 hour shifts. While I'm on days it's much easier. I feel like it's more like a regular schedule. While I nights, I have it figured out to treat it like a normal day. I eat breakfast prior to leaving work. Once home, I sleep, get up, then I head to the gym. ( I eat lunch between 4:30 and 6:30). Dinner around 11pm. Snack at 2 am. Getting my calorie intake for the day. I would like at it as a normal day and find a consistent schedule while on nights. Meal prep things you can freeze. So you can grab and go. Prep salads, meats, etc. Hope this is a little helpful.