night shift workers
 

I work nights, long nights. 12 to 16 hour shifts. I am a nursing supervisor for a busy hospital. I am the only night supervisor, and I am in charge of all the units right from ER to OR, L & D to Med/surg.
It is so hard to stick to anything because my meals are never at the same time. Often I have to eat on the run, so easy to just pick fast food and go.
My weight loss is always slow and not unusual to gain 5 pounds in a night even thou I hardly ate anything. Fluid retention is a problem. I can go on the same diet as friend that are not night workers, eat exactly the same things, and I will gain and they will lose. Anyone else have this problem? What can I do, what do you do?

I used to work 3rd shift in a nursing home. I know how lunch can be on the run and interupted at the drop of a hat. I had the most success when i brought a healthy lunch from home and I brought snacks to nibble on. It worked for me at the time. 3rd actually worked better than first shift as far as losing weight, for me. Hey, co-workers cant order pizza at 3 a.m. ha ha Be sure to keep a log of your calories or whatever plan you are on. Eating quickly and just grabbing what you can, never worked for me. I was always eating more than i thought. Once i started logging it, i realized WOW, thats why i am not losing. Track your food and be honest.

I hear you I currently work nocs as a nurse also have for about 4 years now and unless I bring my meals preplanned and measured out i am doomed to the junk machine fair by 3am, and btw we can order pizza here at 3am, also the fried everything menu from the college, i hesitate to say the name also delivers until 3, a year of eating that food and there went not only my weight but my cholestral also, ack, I try and take an hour on my day off plan my weeks menu, i know boring, and then freeze what I can in portion size containers and fridge the rest, what also helps is preportioned salad dressing in little containers so I don't eat too much of it and don't forget your water bottle, I hate city water so I cart mine in from home ost nights, good luck and pm me if you want to chat more
Anna,
Good luck night shift is hard work , who said they sleep at night anyway?