Do you work the graveyard shift? Swing shifts? The night shift? Rotating shifts? There are so many studies documenting the effect of these schedules on our health, especially on our weight management goals.
There used to be a support group at 3FC for all us nightowls but it hasn't been active in ages. But this article "Does light make you fat?" reminded me why it was good to have fellow shift workers to talk to and share tips with.
Many of the links I bookmarked back then no longer work but here's one:
I have shifts that vary from day to day, week to week. Some days I can get out there and workout before going to work, and I LOVE being able to do that. Then the next few days I have to be in before 8am and after a day off I go back to having to work at either 1 or 2pm. Then right back to 8am I go. I feel like a yo-yo. And since my work started really messing around with the shifts, I feel like I can't get on a schedule so my weight loss has stalled out again.
I try to stick to 1 rule, no matter what I have to work: Get up at least 3 hours before my shift starts, drink some coffee then get off my tush even if it's only a 30 minute cardio push. I prefer to get in an hour...but sometimes my snooze button has other ideas.
Thanks for starting this thread...I start back on midnights(11-7) next week. My plan is to sleep from 9-330 while the kids are in school. I know the plan will be altered once I really get going, but having been a SAHM mom for 5 years hasn't really done much for the size of my arse. I think I can get some treadmill done after the kids go to bed, still working that out, I hesitate to say that I would do it when I get home in the mornings, since I think that would inhibit my sleep. LOL, I will be amused by my big ideas in about a month when I've fallen into a routine, I'm sure.
I usually take my dogs for a walk before bed. We go at least a half mile and sometimes more than a mile. I don't "power walk" but it's a steady pace with a bunch of hills so it is exercise but not too strenuous. Then when I get home I'm nice & relaxed and the dogs, who have been hanging out all night while I'm working, are ready for a nap.
I like jtedley's idea but often my only time to sleep is the couple hours before I go to work. If I've gotten sleep during the day then I get up an hour early and swim before work.
But, for me, getting enough sleep is more important than fitting in exercise. If I've had enough sleep I'm better able to say "no" to the food that calls to me all night long.
I've been working midnight to 8am for almost a year now. It sucks not sleeping at night (and it's a killer on any intimate relationship), but it's the best paying job with benefits I've been able to find and it helps with me going back to school full time.
I consider myself very lucky that I have a lot of freedom with my job. The only responsibilities I have are to do bed checks every 15 min, clean, and file paperwork. I used to fill that time by binging on all the leftover junk food in the house...but now I have myself set up on a schedule. I bring my zumba dvds and a change of workout clothes every night and at 3am I pop one in and zumba. So far I haven't woken up anybody!
I also found myself consuming a lot of sugary soda and sugar-laden coffee on my overnights to keep myself awake. To get rid of that crap, I invested in some pretty water bottles. I just pop a couple of green tea bags in my water bottle with some cold water (I'm switching to hot tea sometimes now that it's getting cold) and drink away. Running to the bathroom because you're well hydrated is a great way to stay awake! Plus, I'm drinking "flavored" water but not getting any calories. I like to switch it up every now and then and get some flavored black teas to mix in with my regular green tea.
I also live by the phrase, "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail." Which means I bring to work any food I plan on consuming, otherwise I'll be binging on the various assortment of leftover junk food/desserts in the house. To counteract the junk food cravings, these are my saving graces: gum (sweetness without so many calories), low-fat vanilla yogurt, 90 calories granola bar (which I usually crumble up into my yogurt!), a can of low-fat and low-sodium soup, and/or a cup of raw broccoli and a cup of cauliflower that I eat with a low-fat dressing. I'll usually bring an apple too. On a bad craving night, I'll eat most of it in one sitting just to get that "full" feeling that I crave. But I'll be fine after doing that, and make it home without binging on anything else. And I figure if I binge on the healthy stuff I bring to work, it's a lot better than binging on Panera pastries and bagels with cream cheese!
What a great thread! I have been a shift worker for the past 4 years. I have not found many books or info about shift workers and weight, but most of my coworkers are in poor health, so they don't have a whole lot of input of health and stuff. I used to work graveyard (10pm-6:30am) I have always had a sweet tooth, so I was always in the candy jar and start my shift off with a Starbucks. I did ok the 3 years on nights, but gained 10 pounds during that time. That was with fitting in a workout after work. Now, since July, I have gained 15 pounds since my change to swing shift (5pm-1:30am) best part is that I can sleep when it is dark outside. Worst part is that I feel pretty lazy when I get up at noon, at the latest and don't want to fit in a workout before work. Does anyone else have a fear of working out before work and then not having enough gas in the tank for the rest of the night? I may switch to a 24/7 gym and go after work at 1:30am.
I just flipped through the book the 17 Day Diet, and they thankfully had a chapter on shift workers. It suggested to eat your biggest meal of the day before work, which I have never done til last week. I have been eating a lighter lunch at my lunch break and I actually feel a little bit better the rest of the shift.
Anyways, hope to hear from other night owls and keep the thread going!
It's been a couple decades since I worked swing shift. I loved it because I felt like I could still have a social life but I didn't get much else accomplished. I'd hang with friends after work, roll out of bed late, and head on in to work. It was an easy comfortable life but I didn't get anything done at all. And it was too long ago (and only for about 6 months) so I don't know if I gained weight.
Graveyard is different. It just totally gets in the way of everything. WHen I was younger (I'm over 50 now) I could skip sleeping, get stuff done, take a power nap and go in for another night. My body just took it and I seemed unaffected. Now when I end up going 24 hours without sleep it really knocks the stuffing out of me and it takes me a lot longer to recover. But I still end up picking up extra shifts without getting enough sleep...
The thing I really notice now that I'm paying attention to my body (unlike the last 30 years of counting my continued health and strength would last forever) is that the more tired I am the less willpower I have and the more I crave bad carbs. And knowing it is hormonal caused by sleep deprivation doesn't really matter at the time because I am just too tired to care. And, of course, planning ahead with healthy choices is hard because if it's 15 minutes of preparation or 15 minutes of sleep I'll go for the sleep every time.
On the days I work I don't really get a "big meal". I usually have a large bowl of veggie soup around 5am and a sandwich and fruit when I wake up around 4pm but otherwise I haven't come up with anythign that regularly works. Some mornings I eat with my clients, some I don't (depends on what we're eating). Either way I don't tend to eat much when I get home around 10am because I don't want to go to bed with a heavy stomach.
Despite not having things figured out I still lost 90 pounds last year - mostly because I am just paying attention instead of mindlessly eating... but boy, when you're tired mindless is so much easier...
Vlad-Congrats on the 90lbs gone. Yea I guess I sort of feel like I have more of a social life on swing shift but I'm still having a hard time adjusting to not staying up all night when I get home. I don't get a whole lot done before work so my weekends are usually busy. I totally understand the mindless eating. The more tired I am, the more hungry I get. I always made sure sleep was a priority. I still do. I have to get 8-9hrs a day. There's been a couple of days that ill get 6or7 but that's rare. There were some days working graveyard that I would stay up for 24hrs, not by choice but just because things had to get done. Car broke down & had to get it fixed, road trip, or just flat out could not sleep during the day. I always felt like crap during those nights a work and usually had to take naps (and Starbucks lol) to make it through.
So glad to not be alone! I work night shift 12 hours. 7 pm to 730 AM. So working out on my days that I work is near impossible. In addition to being in school full time and having a 5 month old. But I joined 24 hour fitness in the hopes that it would motivate me to finally lose the baby weight.
I'm right there with you, nickilaughs. I do 7p-7a 3x/week, and sometimes a 4th shift if there's OT available.
We're ravenous when we get home because our bodies are confused, and we are hypoglycemic! Brains can only function on glucose, and your body will do whatever it has to to get some.
For me, although my loss has been VERY slow, it has worked to plan to eat when I get home. I generally will have oatmeal made with tons of extra water to make it a larger volume, with a small serving of frozen berries mixed in with sweetner, and a cheese stick. If I try to wing it and go to bed, I end up just mindlessly binge eating and it's badness all around.
As for overnight, I plan everything I'm going to eat, and bring multiple, low calorie items to munch on. Generally this involves a whole wheat pita stuffed w/ spinach, hummus, and tomato, an orange, yogurt, carrot sticks, cheese, and maybe another piece of fruit. I drink coffee with low fat milk or small amounts of creamer and sweetner. I try to drink water but it doesn't always happen as much/ as often as I'd like.
Hi Everyone! Stay strong! Remember that while you're awake and working, not everyone else in the world is sleeping, we're right there with you!
blingfiend, you bring up a good point, I think I'm going to start researching for some weightloss/management info for our type of work situations. Working swing or overnight shifts are a whole different world. I kinda like the idea of eating your biggest meal before going into work at night...makes sense since you're going to be up for 8-12 hours so you have that time to burn it off! If I come across any information I'll be sure to share it with all of you.
nickilaughs, I hope to goodness that you're going to school full time online! I had to drop down to part time school because the only classes I could get this semester were all on campus...which is possible only if I don't sleep.
i work 12 hour day and night shifts sometimes alternating in the same week. this really messes up my eating patterns and i find myself going without food at night when i have no appetite and then binging when i get home. the last two weeks i have been trying to eat a little at the end of a night shift and this seems to help. i like the idea of taking an exercise dvd to work think i might do this on friday night!
I work shifts too, 7am to 3pm or 3pm to 11pm with the occasional 11pm to 7am. I find it mostly hard on a steady sleep pattern, and I do go for sweets when I am tired.
The hardest are the night shift or the morning shift- eating wise that is. During the night shift we have to bake all the breakfast items, which smells gorgeous. During the morning shift we have to make sure the breakfast buffet stays full, cut up fresh fruit for seminars, portion out candy etc.
Hello everyone!
Quick question for everyone. What I am having a problem with is finding time for a cardio workout on swing shift. I can do stuff like squats, Push ups, crunches and stretching while at work, but the real workouts, its hard to fit in. How does everyone find time to workout?
Shift Workers Unite!
