Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - For those working night shift....

I have noticed a quite a few members here work night shift. My question is what is your eating schedule like? Do you not eat during the day or at work or what. I have worked some form of nights (mostly rotating )for 12 years now, and am have some success right now dropping the weight. But I think as I get closer to my goal, I might need to dial things in a little better. So, what is you secret if any?

At one point I dropped around 70lbs working the night shift...a couple years after an injury and working on days I gained it back. However back on nights and dropping again; for me the high protein, low carb diet worked great...plus lots of carbs at night makes me sleepy. So some nice lean chicken, salads, other meats with exercise works all around. I generally eat one small meal early in the night so I will have energy to work out later, then again after I work out. Another benefit of eating at night...not much is open so you are forced to prepare more at home.
Also a healthy shake like MetRx or muscle milk and lots of water can fill you up. I do love my coffee though:twitchy:

Good luck!

I eat when I'm hungry, but keep it within my points. I'm on WW!

I have noticed I've ALWAYS lose weight when I work nights. I'm just too damn busy during the day to eat!

Jerry

I work deep nights and keeping an eating schedule is one of my largest challenges.

It's a task to make myself eat when I get up in the evenings. I work in a lab and currently working alone in a two man situation. I can't eat at a set time, only when I get a window of opportunity. As most who work nights probably experiences, each morning can be different as to schedules. Different days bring different obligations and errands. This can throw eating times into disarray and for me sometimes means eating way too close to when I go to bed.

I'm working hard to get a stable eating schedule that gives me three meals and two snacks/light meals a day.

I worked night shifts for about 15 years up til now. As a Police Officer and also riding a bike as a Bike Patrol Officer on midnight shift. When I was competing I lost about 80lbs the first time while competing in PowerLifting.

My eating schedule was as follows:
2:30 pm wake-up
Breakfast
4 pm gym
5:30 post workout protein
7pm Lunch at the house

get to work at 11pm
11:30 Ligth protein snack
3:30 or 4 am Dinner most of the time Chicken and broccoli if not just chicken and salad
8am Protein before bed.

It's very hard for me as we work a rotating shift. What works best thou is first day just eat normal and take fruit and vegis for first night. After that I have breakfast when I wake, lunch when I get to work, around 9:00pm then eat my supper around 3:30am. I always take snakes of fruit for between meals. I also can't eat anything too fatty or it affects my riding too much especially if I ride to work. I am at a point right now with riding I have to take in more carb calories to keep engine fired but still take in enough protien for rebuilding.

I have noticed a quite a few members here work night shift. My question is what is your eating schedule like? Do you not eat during the day or at work or what. I have worked some form of nights (mostly rotating )for 12 years now, and am have some success right now dropping the weight. But I think as I get closer to my goal, I might need to dial things in a little better. So, what is you secret if any?

This is what works for me, I do what I call a reverse day. I get up around 5:00PM, have supper, check my email, go for a ride (optional -- not an option today though :( -- too wet), do my normal evening stuff, then around 10:00PM start getting ready for work, head out the door at 11:30PM to catch the bus, to report for work at around 12:15AM, lunch is at 3:15 when they shut down for 45 minutes, finish work around 8:00 and head home, have breakfast then head to bed around 9:30 or so. The times are a little different during the Christmas rush period when there is lots of over time available.

When I worked rotating shifts I would do a reverse day on afternoons and nights, which meant that my sleeping time on days and afternoons only varied by about 2 hours, and advanced with the clock, this made getting used to the afternoon shift much easier.

I work a permanent night shift, which is a lot easier to deal with then rotating shifts. Most rotating shifts rotate far too quickly, I think a 6 week or 8 week change would be a lot less stressful.

Thanks for the input!!!! I am down to my last 10 or so pounds, so I will see if what I have been doing will get me there. I have been just eating when I am hungry during the day, and have the same thing every night while working nights. I still rotate, which really makes things hard to adjust to, but at least now that I am biking/working out, I am fighting back against the effects that it has on my body. Now, if I could only sleep better, then all would be well. :(

I work overnights at a group home. Unfortunately the day staff buy to much junk food (in my estimation) leading to a lot of temptation. I try to get fruit or something before I start looking at all the snacks that are at my disposal. I also eat hard boiled eggs which help to fill me up as well as green tea (Decaf). Luckily I have a kitchen at my disposal so I can pretty much make whatever I'd like. I'm pretty good about staying active (gym 2 times a week, plus commuting). I also take suppliments, but I'm also trying to pack on some good weight

Oh man exile - I feel your pain. I worked MR/DD for 10 years, group homes and ISL's both. Really unhealthy lifestyle IMO - get fast food on the way in, get fast food on the way home. Bad juju.

As for me, when I first started working out I scarcely ate a thing, but worked out in the mornings (this was right before I started work at WM). I'd eat half a banana, couple spoons of yogurt, sometimes an omelette or scrambled eggs with either some sausage, turkey ham or an egg roll. Basically very low carbs and sugar (I'm diabetic) and extra protein. Seemed to work pretty well, BUT I discovered that I had to eat SOME carbs, otherwise I had all kinds of problems with not only my blood sugar, but dizziness, dehydration, blood pressure, who knows.

Eating more carbs took care of all that, but.....I stopped losing weight. Now I've been stuck at 310 give or take for the last several months.

I'm going to try to go back to the meat/eggs diet and try my darndest to keep the carb intake as low as possible, but if I start having problems again, then gonna have to eat a bit more.

Lately I have my largest meal at lunch at work (1230 or 130am, usually) then I eat again when I get home about 7 or 8, and eat again SOMETIMES when I get up in the early evening. I'm gonna try to change that - eat my biggest meal BEFORE work instead of during work, and only a small snack at work then a small meal before bedtime.

And try to start working out on work days, not just off days, if only my feet weren't so sore :(

Tom

This is also a huge challenge for my self. I work 4-midnight at a homeless shelter so the temptation is always around. It is also challenging to not eat at work, since it is free:0. I have been doing 6 meals a day, to form better eating habits. I am now trying to switch in less protein, for more carbs. Breakfast is between 9:30 am, and 11am. Than every 2.5 to 3 hours after that. Currently trying to eat 3400 cals a day. It is much easier to have a balanced diet when working same shift as the wife.:(