Hi so I have been gaining weight on my new shift. It sucks. I work 945 am to 1015 pm (somtimes later) So I eat a normal breakfast and lunch is sometime between 3 and 530. Then I'm starving when I get off work and I eat everything in sight when I get home. I've tried bringing two meals, but sometimes I get so busy at work (I'm a ER nurse in a level 1 trauma center). I blink and it's been 5 hours since I peed or ate anything. There was one day I didn't get to eat until 8 1/2 hours into my shift. I know keeping things in my pocket can help, but I get tired of eating nuts and sometimes, there just really isn't time. I frequently come home dehydrated, but if I drink a lot of water after my shift, than I pee half the night. Anyone else who struggles with this issue? It's frustrating, by my 5th 12 straight, there is no meal prepping, and I just eat anything. I used to have willpower, anyone seen it?
I guess this is more a vent than anything, but I know other people do it and make it work. I'd like to hear from them!

Wow, that is a tough situation! Can you ask your boss to give you a 10 minute break? Is that even legal for you to have no breaks for something as simple as going to the bathroom? My goodness!

Ok, sorry, I guess I had to vent about your job too!

Perhaps if you have some snacks for the ride home, you could be more in control once you get there? Maybe keep some hard boiled eggs or cheese in a cooler and have it ready so that you can eat it before you get home. Also, once you're home, have your meal ready for you so that you don't have to make any decisions once you're home and exhausted from a full day of hectic work.

Have a cup of sleepy time tea maybe to help you relax or some other soothing routine...a hot shower/bath? Massage your feet? Do something that will be nice for you, since you're doing everything for everyone else.

I hope you find this helpful. Sending you hugs!

5 x12 hr shifts? I agree with luckmommy that's a problem. There are legal and possibly union requirements for rest & meal periods. I work as a nurse in NoCal too and know how hectic and consuming it can be. Can you speak to your boss? Neglecting basic needs eventually results in less effective, burned out nurses; maybe you can frame it as a patient care issue? Level I trauma centers predictably have major trauma so that should be factored in their staffing plan to make sure people have breaks to attend to personal needs.

Once in a while it's fine to use a pocket snack but imho it isn't a sustainable WOE. Part of eating is the good feeling and time you get to yourself, however limited. Eating nuts while you are grabbing 5 minutes shouts "I'm not entitled to meet my most fundamental needs". On a subliminal level, this will set you up for later overeating. We nurses are notorious for putting others' needs first, potentially to our detriment. It isn't necessary, at least most of the time. If your workplace can't figure out a sane staffing plan, I would seriously look into another place to work.

If you add up all your calories for the day, was it really a binge? Or are you just starving? Those are really active shifts you do.

I think you're just going to have to find a way to have snack and waterchug breaks (I've left baggies of ham or sausage and veggies before just to maintain my protein levels and not eat junk )

Oh my gosh what a dilemma! I'm totally with you about the nuts, I wouldn't want to be eating snack all day long either! You work so hard all day long attending to everyone's needs and I really really don't blame you for coming home and binging at the end of the day. As a matter of fact i think you should continue to do that but perhaps not binge. The other ladies have made some good points, taking care of yourself has to take priority for at least a small portion of your break time! No snack can take the place of a warm nurturing meal.

Mindful eating can do wonders for this. When you do have your break time make sure that you devote all your attention to your meal. Savor it, eat slowly and deliberately and try to extract as much pleasure out of it as you can. Same thing with snacks. If you're on the move your body registers the experience as useless and unsatisfactory. That's why at the end of the day your body says "you've neglected me all day, now feed me!" I can't tell you how important it is to tune in and respond to your body's needs.

And then at the end of the day enjoy that meal. Hopefully if you do some mindful eating throughout the day you won't feel the need to binge but you are still entitled... no, obligated to enjoy that meal.

I don't think it's just the employer not giving breaks. I am also a nurse and know how the time can slip by you and next thing you know, you are dehydrated and starving. I switched to home health and structure my own day now. There should be no reason for me to miss lunch and yet I still find myself trying to get it all done in one stretch and then wanting to eat all the things to decompress afterward.

We get conditioned to not want to take the break because new stuff gets thrown at us at any time, so we want to be caught up in our routine stuff just in case. I guess you just have to tell yourself the work will still be here when you get back?

Yeah we don't get 10s or 15 minute breaks because of the chaos and staffing issues, ive actually not gotten even a lunch on several occasions. Sometimes its an issue of time slipping away but we are usually working short. They give us an hour lunch to "make up" for the fact we don't get other breaks. I'm.also in northern California, and I love my co-workers and job, but I think the health aspect is messing me up. I actually weighed less on night shift!

Nursing is hard work, i used to work on the floor and now i do training for New hires. I totally understand as i have had similar issues. I get so busy and so involved my work that i look at the clock and realize it is way past lunch, no wonder i am starving and want to eat anything in site. i have recently got a fit tracker watch/device, that has a setting to vibrate every 30 min. (or whatever time setting) to remind you to move around. It is also nice to just take a second of focus off work and realize ok i need to eat a snack. i have started using the snack size nut packets or something that can fit in my pocket and doesnt have to be kept cold, so when i do have a few seconds i can eat my snack. If i dont have a snack prepared i go right to the vending machine and that has nothing healthy Being prepared is a huge thing for me. Also, after i get off work it is so hard for me to not run through a drive thru and get a snack because i am starving. So i have started to keep small snacks in my car. Now even if i have the snacks, do i always choose that option, NO But all we can do is try, right!

I've started keeping celery and almond butter on me. Hiding them in my pocket as my snack. then after my lunch and closer to the end of my shift I try to sneak away for a small meal during my shift. Tuning the one meal into a snack and 2 small meals made all the difference. It's helping me not go home and binge.
The walking isn't an issue, I average 10 to 12 miles of walking a day at my job. My slowest day yet was still 7 1/2 miles. So at least that's something to be grateful for!

I'm so glad you were able to find something that helps. I sure wish you had a more humane schedule and perhaps one day, there will be a way for that to change, but in the meantime, it sounds like you're making great progress and that you've overcome a huge obstacle. Way to go!

Thanks luckymommy! I'm pretty thrilled its been working out ok. I've learned most of these people have been waiting 6+ hours in the waiting room, as long as they aren't dying, I can take two to 5 minutes twice a day to eat something!