Hi all,
This thread is for me to track my progress while on a four month graveyard rotation, 9:30pm to 7:30 am, four nights a week. I usually eat more often on graves as it's a way to keep me awake. Feel free to join in if you work odd hours or just to keep me motivated!

Today is Day 1, Wednesday September 7th, 2011, my goal is to be at or under 135 pounds (preferably more like 130-133) on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 when I change shifts again. I maintain at around 1800-2000 with 3 miles of light jogging/walking, so my calorie goals are 1500 on work nights and 1700-1900 on days off.

Day 1
Weight: 136.0
Breakfast: Toast with almond butter and pomegranate jelly ~275 calories, 2 cups coffee with creamer, 70 cal.
Lunch: Wild rice with garlic, ginger, mushrooms and cashews, 3/4 cup ~500 calories, 1 slice french bread, 120 calories
Dinner: Baja Fresh Tostada salad, 750 calories
Total in: 1,715 calories
Activity: fencing for 30 minutes -150 cals

Net: 1,565 calories

Good for you, I know from experience that weight gain on night shifts is a real job hazard. My number one piece of advice is to stay on shift schedule on your days off. Too many women don't do this, and switch around, and don't maintain a regular schedule, and weight gain is a result, (as well as sleep loss of course). what will your exercise schedule be like?

Oh god, got nothing done for grad school apps today, waay too tired due to graves and no blackout curtains. Will remedy that today.

fatmad I don't have the luxury of staying on shift schedule due to the 4on/3off and the fact that it is incredibly boring to be alone and awake all night when I could be up in the daytime and socializing. I work in a 14x14 box, alone for 10 hours a night so social contact is essential. As to exercise, I run/walk 3 to 5 miles 4 days a week and try to lift weights on the other days or do some other full body exercise such as swimming. I'm not always diligent about exercise, but I try.

OK, Day 2:
Weight: 135.0 (big drop today, likely due to long transition day yesterday)
Breakfast: Cup of cold coffee with lots of creamer ~60 calories, SO not enough but too hot out for anything else.
Lunch: Mini chicken katsu from L&L, thought it was 800 cal, surprise, 1140 calories in the MINI!! Won't be doing that again.
Dinner: 300 calorie lean cuisine meal
Snack: popcorn, 100cal
Total:1,600 for the day. A bit high but not bad for transition week.
Activity: 3 mile jog at 2am, felt good.

I have to stop with the big dinners, it's killing my calorie totals.

Graveyard shift is a killer. DH worked graveyard (11-7) for 5 years and we both gained weight while he was doing it.

I know it was suggested already, but you might try to make it work to stay on shift even on your off days. We used to just sleep a little less on days off (like 7am-2pm or so) and then socialize all afternoon and evening. Many, many studies have shown that switching back and forth can cause some pretty nasty problems with your internal system.

Just a thought. Great job staying on track so far!

I will have to take my doctor's word for it that I don't have all of the nasty problems, physically. Mentally I have the weirdest sleep schedule of anyone I know and am often sleep-deprived.

Take today for example: My co-workers needed some time off over the weekend and I was the only one available to cover, so instead of 9:30-7:30 Friday and Saturday I worked 5pm-12am Friday, came home and slept and am now back at work for 8:30am-5:30pm. I get to go home again, come back at 2am and work till 6:30am when I go to OT finally for the 9/11 memorial. Total OT for the weekend? 4.5 hours. The rest is all straight time. Ugh, co-workers owe me.

Day 3: The good news is...
Even though I totally had 1/3 of a pint of amazing Haagen Daz last night, I'm still 135.4 today!
Weight: 135.4
Breakfast: Coffee with creamer, 45 calories. 1/3 cup Granola with flax seeds and 1% milk ~ 290 calories
Lunch: Salad with Carrots, Celery, Crispy Wonton Strips, Grape Tomatoes, Pepper, Radish, Red Onions, Balsamic Vinegar and Romaine, 185 calories
Dinner: 1.5 cups homemade chicken black bean soup, 325 calories. 1oz sour cream, 60 calories. French bread, 150 calories.
Snack: Haagen Daz Five Mint, 2/3 cup, 295 calories
Total:1,350 calories. Wow thought it would be higher after the ice cream.
Activity: sleep! And messing around with the BF (not that I usually count that but since it's all I did... my calculator says a full hour burns only 30 calories so not much of a benefit anyway.)

I just want to go back to bed, only eight more hours to go.

Just an FYI: I've worked almost an entire year of shiftwork evenings (4 on, 4 off, 3 on, 3 off) 12hr shifts from 6pm to 6am. I managed to lose a lot of weight, and I'm also the thinnest I've ever been.

Cheers!

Hokay, the last 24 hours were insane. I had planned on eating while on shift before the 9/11 memorial but no dice. Way too busy for anything but 80cal of yogurt at 5am. Then nothing but tea until 12:30 pm. Total calories for 7pm-12:30pm the next day.. 90. Bad me, BAD

Then again, this morning I was 134.8 after eating a lot yesterday evening.

Day 4-5:
Weight: None, no time.
Food: Yogurt, some coffee, black bean soup and a very large brunch of toast and eggs with sausage and home fries 2200 calories at best estimate, plus 500 cal of soup the day before and 350 of ice cream.. 3,050 over two days
Total:1,525 per day. Not bad but not good in it's timing. Glad to be back to some semblance of normal today.

Day 6
Weight: 134.8!
Breakfast: 1/2 cup granola with flax seeds, 1/2 cup 1% milk, 250 calories, 2 cups coffee with creamer, 70 calories
Lunch: Leftover popcorn, 200 calories, 12 oz Berries Plus smoothie, 180 calories
Dinner: 2 cups of black bean soup (still have lots in fridge) 430 calories, 1oz sour cream, 60 calories, Fritos as topping, 100 calories
Snack: Haagen Daz (should really stop eating this) 150 calories

Total calories: 1,440 for the day, and I felt full the whole time
Activity: Swam a mile, haven't done that in years. My calorie count app says that's 227 calories but you never know..

Here come's TOM. I always have a low spike before the bloat, so this may be the lowest we see for at least a week. Today I'm off to the doctor to get my physical exam. There I will find out exactly how tall I am and hopefully be re-affirmed in my health.

Boo! Doctor's office confirms I'm only 5'6" I just lost an inch.

Day 7:
Weight: 133.8 OMG
Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast with almond butter and pomegranate jelly, 425 calories.
Lunch: Bag of gummy worms and a snapple, 450 calories of sugar high
Dinner: 2 cups of black bean soup 430 calories, Fritos as topping, 100 calories
Snack: Wild rice pilaf 150 calories, dove square, 60 calories.
Total calories: 1,615 for the day.

Dr.'s office was weird, I scheduled a physical exam and they asked if I wanted a PAP with it when I called and I said yes. When I got there they thought it was JUST a pap. I did not drive 35 minutes to get a PAP only when I specifically told the lady who scheduled the appointment that it had been 6 years since my last physical, and that I needed a tetanus booster. My hoo-hah is not who I am, people!

Day 8: Another rough transition night. Gotta figure these out soon.

Weight: 134.0
Breakfast: Pumpkin spice Latte with nonfat 330 cal not the best choice but I had fasting labs last night, so I think a treat is OK. And bite of friend's Starbucks sandwich, 50 cal.
Lunch: Scrambled eggs with onions and lemon pepper, 170 cal
Dinner: 2cups black bean soup, 430 cal, plus Fritos for 100 cal
1am meal: 1.5 cups black bean soup, 320 cal, 1oz sour cream, 60 cal
Snacks: 150 cal single serve ice cream cup (hey, it could have been a pint), 10 pistachios, 35 cal.
Total so far: 1,645 cal

It's TOM and that makes me ravenous. Today is a long day, 10am to 10am awake due to daytime with family and friends followed by shift then volunteering at clinic. As I'm writing for myself, maybe some day I'll look back on this and laugh. Guess I'm not as interesting as Joyfulloser's thread was, but as I said, this is for me.

Day 9!

Weight: 133.8
Breakfast: 1/2 cup granola with 1% milk 250 calories, 2 cups coffee with creamer, 70 cal
Lunch: Pasta Pomodoro, 350 calories
Dinner: Wild rice pilaf and pomodoro leftovers, 600 calories
Snacks: dannon light and fit yogurt, 80 cal, popcorn 100 calories, pistachios 60 calories

Total: 1520 calories and tons of procrastination!!

I'm on a mini-bender and can't bring myself to log.

The good news: When I woke up Friday before work I was 132.8 !!
The bad news: I have been on the move, driving 230 miles each way to attend a vet school preview day and with limited sleep. I did not make clear to boy that I was going to be terribly snacky etc all day. I probably ate 1/2 a pound of honey roasted peanuts he brought out to snack on. Before work, I weighed in at 135.6 uuugh.

So, due to sleep disturbances and stuff, no official weight until Sunday when I wake up. It's not a major transgression, it's just the type I keep trying to avoid. If my sleep schedule were better it would happen less, I'm sure.

Sunday weight: 135.0
Monday: 134.4
Monday 1 mile swim is GO

That's all folks