how can I make this diet work for me???

  • My schedule for work is crazy. I shift between nights & evenings, and between 12 hour shifts & 8 hour shifts. My days off vary greatly...
    I found it much easier to diet in the past when my days were "set in stone"...

    I work the 6pm to 6am shift twice a week
    10pm to 6am once a week
    2pm to 10pm once a week.

    I have to stay up the night before I go on nights just so I can sleep the next day & be ready to be up all night without getting tired (this happens once or twice in a week) And when I'm getting off a night shift & going onto my day or days off, I stay up after getting off the night shift all day (this happens at least once if not twice in a week), so alot of times I'll be awake for 24-36 hours, and sometimes even as much as 40+ hours straight.

    I also work a second job, on the ambulance, where I'm "on call", and never know when the pager is going to go off, so I never know when I'm gonna have to leave or when I'll be back (it happens alot I'd be in the middle of cooking a healthy supper & bam! I gotta turn off the burners & leave half-cooked food, and I'll be gone for 4-6 hours, and end up hitting a fast food joint because I'm starving by the time its all said & done).

    How can I get around this???

    Even at my main job, I'm in the medical profession, so I can't always say "well at midnight I'll have lunch" - Who knows what I'll be doing at midnight. It may be 3 or 4 in the morning before I get a chance to sit down & eat, and by then I'll have to pile it all in so I can hurry with my work in time for the next shift to arrive.

    I need some ideas!! Please!!!!
  • HI

    I don't have your crazy scheduale, but over the years this is what I have learned. Try to Cook on your day off, Pot meals ie soups stews anything filling that you can pop in a microwave at work or home. I roast a large amount of veggies on sundays and keep in the fridge for my salad all week. Lean Cuisine is your friend try to find ones that you like and the ones with chicken and rice can be eaten either hot or cold (I have no microwave at work so I micro at home and eat cold over salad) and last roast a chicken and cut it up in individuale servings and place in freezer. It can be done you just have to become a little creative. I also find buying frozen veggies helps me becausee I waste less.
  • It sounds like it's going to be a challenge....but you sound like you can handle a challenge. You should try to fit in your workout before you would normaly get ready for work. So its like a part of your getting ready routine. That way it can change with your shifts. It could aso give you more energy for what sounds like 2 pretty demanding jobs. Also you could pre make a ton of meals and snacks on a day off. Or do a little each day when you get a few min. It only takes 10 min to throw a few salads in a tupperware dish for the week. Also if you make something at home thats health, make alot of it and portion it out for days when there is no time to make anything. Get a lunch bag and fill it with all kinds of healthy grab and go stuff like berries or carrot sticks so if you get like 3 min you can stuff them down and be on your way till you can sit to get a good meal.

    There are probably going to be days when you get inturupted and all the palnning in the world is for not. You can always opt for something like Subway instead of MacDonalds. And even MacD's has salad. I think it will take tons of work and trying a bunch of things a bunch of times to find something that works with your busy life. But trying is the first step and it sounds like you are there and you want to make a change.

    At first you minght think h god this wont ever work" but the more you try and the more planning you soon you'll be more like"oh wow I'm doing this!!"

    Hope that long winded schpeel helped lol.
  • You need a First Aid (Snack) Kit. Always keep something ready in the fridge or even the freezer - preferably both. I have another problem - my parents sabotage my diet practically every day, as they seem to eat all MY food (while I can't eat theirs which I cook for them) so after numerous emotional outbreaks I gave up and just freeze microwaveable snacks for critical situations.
    If you share what your diet plan is, maybe we can collectively give you suggestions and recipes?