Hi everyone.
I know that spreading out calories over 4-6 small meals a day is best. (best for me at least lol).
I work nights and when I wake up... it's dinner time. So my breakfast is really dinner about five or six. at midnight I have a snack like yogurt or fruit. at 2 in the morning I have my lunch break and then I have a little more fruit for a snack at five in the morning. Then I head home and go right to bed around 8 AM. So I'm skipping a main meal.

I'm having trouble losing weight and thought this might be why. But I don't want to eat and then hit the hay 5 minutes later. When I get home from work all I want to do is sleep.

I'm getting about 1800 calories because I eat a big lunch because I know I wont really eat again until about 14 hours later (when I wake up)

Should I even out my calories? So far my snacks are are 100-200 calories. Should I eat before bed? Or is skipping that thrid meal no big deal?

I don't know about that, but I have to say doing the short term goal in the beginning then expanding is probably a great idea that I didn't think of!!

The way i did it when i worked third, i ate a meal when i woke up, a meal before work (i went in at 11 pm), then a meal during work. I would snack once while at work.

At 246 if you're not losing weight I'd look to calories rather than when you're eating them. Measure everything you eat, and count it all.

That was my thought as well. 1800 kcals might not be low enough for you to lose, I know its not for me anyway.
I would also look at your individual meals. No matter how your day (night!) looks I would recommend to never have a meal that is TOO big. Personally I set my limits to about 700 for a single meal unless its a one time off.
When I used to work nights I had a normal breakfast when I came home, then my main meal when I woke up, and a light meal (snack) before work. Then something like a fruit at work. It worked and I lost weight that way (I later gained a few back, but thats another story )

Timkerbelle- *gasp*.. that's my penguin!! lol
I thought 1800 was too low for me to lose. I found out on a calorie counter that I need a least 2300-2400 calories to lose a pound a week.

I don't think I could eat that much unless I really tried ( or had really bad food). I figured 1800 was a bit low and that's why I wasn't dropping like crazy.

I am going to lower my intake by about 200 calories to see if it helps. If nothing happens after 2 weeks, I'll lower it about another 200.

I'll most likely save my last snack for right before bed, so I'm not starving by the time I wake up and over eat at dinner.
Thanks for the ideas every one! ^_^

If you continue to lower your calories, you will mess up your metabolism. Your body is trying to tell you it thinks the famine has arrived so it will hold onto every calorie it can. Going 14 hours without eating enforces this. Fruit for a snack isn't enough to keep you going. What do you do for exercise?

I agree with Quilter, lowering your calories will screw up your metabolism. You should be eating every three hours or so to keep your metabolism fired up, and to control hunger. You need snacks, and meals rich in protein and fiber. Please don't get into that constantly dropping your calories routine. Good luck to you Sakai.

I can only tell you what the doc and nutritionist told me. First off, you don't gain weight by eating and then going straight to bed. Calories in calories out that is how it works. Second, we each need a certain amount of calories a day. There is a great formula to tell you by height, weight and age how much you need to take in. You lower that amount by 500 to lose 1lb a week. I would love to lose more than that 1 little lb a week but heck I would have to go under 700 calories a day to do that. Soooo, that mean I will just have to be happy with 1 lb a week lol. Anyway, I eat all day long, sometimes feels like I will never get all the food in. Several small meals is great. Keeps the metabolism up and you are never hungry, so you don't binge eat. You can't skip meals that is bad. Tummy thinks the throat was slit and starts turning everything into fat.

I'm with MariaMaria and Timkerbelle...1800 might be too high for you. Maybe try lowering to 1700 for a few weeks. Do you log what you eat? It's easy to be wrong if you are just estimating the calories you are consuming. Also - do you exercise? 1800 might work if you were tossing in some cardio 5-6 times a week. I also agree with not having any meals over 700 calories...it's better if you spread it out. At least add some protein to that last snack of fruit...a tablespoon of peanut butter or string cheese maybe?

I've logged everything for the past 2 weeks. every bite that I took has been kept track of. I found that I can eat over 2,000 calories one day, and 1,400 the next. It all depends on what was made for dinner that week.

My lunches at work are pretty well balanced. chicken or tuna, or sometimes some sort of beef with vegtables, fruit and yogurt. plus I drink plenty of water. I try to keep my lunches between 700 and 500 calories. (depending on how many calories I had for dinner)

for exercise I don't do much at the moment (money is tight and had to cut out my gym membership.) I get up eat something small. like a banana with a bit of juice and jump on my bike and ride around 2 miles (about 12 minutes worth at about 7-8 mph, I love those little speed tracker things^_^) at work I'm moving around for 8 hours, pulling and pushing heavy things. going up and down stairs at least a half dozen times lugging things up and down. lots of lifting and a crazy amount of walking.
Does the body get used to that sort of activity? I went from maybe 2 hours of exercise to constantly moving for 8 hours and I never really dropped the weight. I do a bit of weight training every other day. but not much, as I am sometimes very sore from working.

If I shouldn't lower the calories, should I just keep it the same and try to work in more exercise? Or just lower it a tiny bit a while and see what happens?

You could try 1700 calories and see what happens. Also, (as has been said) try to get protein and fiber with every meal. 5-6 meals are great, but try to keep the all small - no one HUGE meal. I think eating right after you get home from work or even right before you leave work (a quick protein snack at the least) would be better than going 14 hours without food.
As far as exercise - I don't have a gym membership either, but I still work out an hour a day. I have purchased several used (or very inexpensive new) dvds and do walking, dance aerobics, pilates, yoga, tai chi, and resistance band workouts. I also walk (weather permitting). I really think mixing-it-up with the exercise helps a bunch!

Hi Shy-
I am about the same size as you are. Just out of curiousity what is your daily calorie allowance? I can lose at 1200-1400 but the last couple of months I have hade trouble staying under 1600 and have quit losing. Just wondered as you are about where I am weight and height wise.

Sakai,

Here's what I think: start by keeping your calories the same but eating at more regular intervals throughout the day. Each meal doesn't have to be equal to all the others, but try eating a regular snack or mini-meal every 2-3 hours and cutting down at the main meal. The starving hours can't be good. You are better off eating a snack during your work shift, if you can, AND another snack when you get home and before you go to bed. Your body can probably better handle that than it can handle the 14 hours without food.

I'd recommend doing that for 2 or 3 weeks and then re-evaluate. If you've started to lose, then you have a winner. If your weight still isn't budging, reduce your calories by 200 or so--but still don't cut the snacks. Trim again from your main meals, and, if necessary trim also from your snacks.

At your weight, 1800 cals a day should lead to a loss, so I'd want to try other options before further reducing your calories.

Also, it's nice that your job is physical--that probably helps--but bodies do adapt to regular exercise sometimes. I'd find ways to get more exercise in as well. You don't have to join a gym: you could take walks or start gradually increasing the lengths of your bike rides or you could start something like the Couch-25K program and introduce yourself to intermittent running.

Good luck!

Mermom
Fit day says I average 1218 calories, 28 fat, 178 carbs over the last month. I have some days 1400 and over and some days 1100. Have you seen the formula that tells you how much for your currant weight, age and height you should be taking in? I was so surprised I am taking in almost exactly what the formula says I should be and I didn't even know there was a formula lol. I have a really hard time eating over 1220 calories most of the time and keeping the fat and carbs down at the same time.