I WORK A SHIFT THAT IS 12-9. I HAVE FOUND IT HARDER TO LOSE WEIGHT. ANY ADVICE?

Hi, I worked midnight shift for 7 years. It does seem harder to lose weight, but I think it's just bad eating habits. I know when I worked I ate to stay awake, and someone was always bringing something in that I knew I should eat, but I still did. It may take a little more effort on your part, and some planning, but it's worth it. Hang in there!

i work 12 hour days and nights as an RN and i can tell ya, i do not eat properly only cause i have to work thru breaks etc...i try and eat healthy but then come home and grab something fast before falling into bed.

Cynthia

Is that shift 12 PM to 9 PM or 12 AM to 9 AM? Not that it makes a world of difference but when I worked 2nd shift (2:30 PM to Midnight or later), I found I had to change my eating habits to match my hours. Example, even if I got up at 9 AM on a workday, I wouldn't eat until noon (had my coffee and juice before noon) to keep within a few hours of going to work. That way I wasn't hungry the second I got to the job (which was pretty physical at times) and would be able to wait until the lunch hour (6:30 PM) before needing a meal. I also ate the usual breakfast type stuff before work and had my biggest meal of the day for lunch. When I got home I would have a light meal but also stayed up 2 hours before going to bed. My husband could never understand how I stayed up "so late". HAHAHA I told him it's pretty simple when you think about it, did he come home from 1st shift, eat dinner and go to bed? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Also, and this goes without saying and I know it's easy to say and not so easy to do, but you have to remain physically active. Get some exercise in when you can, be it before or be it after work. Or even during your lunch, stroll the parking lot if it's a safe area to do so.

SHIFT WORK,WHAT A JOY....I WORKED THE 11-7 SHIFT FOR YEARS,DROVE 1AND A HALF HOUR TO AND FRO,ON A 2 LANE ROAD THAT I THINK ONLY IDIOTS DRIVE ON,I WOULD STOP ON THE WAY AT A FAST FOOD AND GET SOME GOOD FOOD TO EAT FOR MY SUPPER,BREAK WHATEVER.ALL ALONG TELLING MYSELF IT WAS OKAY,I WOULD WALK IT OFF!!!!(AT WORK)HA HA..THEN GOT BACK ON DAYS FOR A 12 HOUR SHIFT ON THE WEEKENDS AND OCC. DURING WEEK,AND BOY WERE US NURSES GOOD COOKS,YOU NAME IT,IT WAS BROUGHT IN,I ATE ON THE WEEKEND AT TIMES TO MAKE UP FOR THE WEEK OF SWEETS...I HAD TO QUICK WORK DUE TO ALOT OF PHYSICAL PROBLEMS,AND ALL I DID WAS PUT ON THE POUNDS..I GOT REALY SICK LAST JUNE,IT THRU ME INTO DIABETES,AND RIGHT BEFORE THAT I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HYPO-THYROIDISM,ON INSULIN,AND FOR SOME REASON AM NOW LOSING WEIGHT..I HAVE BEEN PUTTING SMALLER AMOUNTS OF FOOD ON MY PLSTE AND SALAD TO FILL HALF OF PLATE,USING ONLY SPLENDA,AND ARCHWAY CHOC. COOKIES9LIKE OREOS)ANYWAY YES SHIFT WORK IS A KILLER WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH...I KNOW FOR A FACT SOME OF THE FOLKS I WORKED WITH WERE IN BETTER HEALTH THAN ME,PHYSICALLY.I CAN NOT GO WALKING DUE TO MY BACK,ETC. ETC.SO BOTTOM LINE IS TAKE YOUR MEAL WITH YOU,AND JUST SAY I AM GOING TO LUNCH NOW YOU TAKE OVER,HAND THEM KEYS TO MED CART,ETC....AND DO IT!!!!!I CAN SAY ALOT NOW AFTER MY STAY IN THE HOSP. FOR EVER LAST YEAR,I SAW AND HEARD THINGS ONLY US NURSES WOULD UNDERSTAND,BEING ON THE OTHER SIDE AS A PT.,AND I WILL END NOW WITH THE BEST OF WISHES FOR ALL THAT ARE STILL WORKING WHATEVER YOUR JOB......ONE DAY AT A TIME!!!!!!!

I WORK 12 HOUR SHIFT 7PM-7AM AND I HAVE A HARD TIME AS WELL TRYING TO LOOSE WEIGHT I HAVE 4 KIDS ALL BACK TO BACK MY LAST CHILD IS 3 YEARS OLD AND I AM STILL TRYING TO GET THAT WEIGHT OFF AND WORKING AT NIGHT IS HARD CAUSE I EAT DINNER AT WORK IT WOULD BE WHAT EVER I PICK UP REALLY FAST THEN I EAT TO STAY AWAKE AND PEOPLE BRING THINGS IN AND I NO I SHOULD STAY AWAY BUT IT'S HARD.

I work (steady) nights 4 on and 4 off . I find so I don't get carried away with my eating. I bring
a protein drink and a salad. It gets me through the night and when I go home at 7 am. I am not hungry. I just go to bed...

I have read many articles on this sort of thing...if you work at a desk at night, there are many exercises you can do from your chair...or better yet, if you have a safe place within your facility, on your short breaks, go walking briskly and drink the water. It will work for you. And of course watch what you eat and you can't help but loose the weight.

I work the 3rd shift 10:00pm-6:00am. I usually eat something at 8:00pm to tie me over till my break at 1:00pm. I will bring fruit, protien bar or pretzels and I drink plenty of ice water. When I get home I am hungry and will have a yogurt or a bowl of cereal. Then I go to bed for a few hours. I do not eat what other people bring in as I have dropped almost 50 lbs. and I do not want to gain it back, I still have more to loose and do not want to sabatoge my plans for myself. I am doing this for myself, so my will power is a little stronger.

Yes absolutely. As a busy mom myself, I worked days and my husband was working second shift not getting off of work until midnight. I just couldn't figure out how to fit in any work out time. I was cutting back my fat grams drastically and finally started doing a workout session at 10 after putting my girls down for the night and making sure we were all ready for work/school the next day. I was worried at first that I wouldn't sleep after working out, but it actually made me more rested. I used Sweating to the Oldies and a Nautilis stretch routine alternately. I was working out 5 days a week between 30 min and an hour and 15 min. I varied about 4 different workouts so I wouldn't be bored. Just made it "my time" as if it were a commitment to show so I wouldn't find more important things needing my time. I lost 50 pounds in a little over 7 months. Never felt better, and ended up with my daughter (now 14) LOL. Determination will help you succeed. Good luck and enjoy the new body.

I also work shift work but even later 10 pm till 7 am. I have found that doing portion control and watching what you eat is the key to loosing weight. It also helps if you can get a few friends involved in the process, then you don't feel deprived if there is someone to talk to while watching what you eat. The other thing I did for myself is join weight watchers to get newer ideas for weight loss.

Hi! I work swing shifts, which makes it really hard to get into a straight rhythm. Portion control and timing when I eat is a large part of my weight loss regimen. Another thing I do is, whenever possible, take a walk around the plant. I walk an average of two miles a shift as often as possible; so far, over the last two months, I've lost almost 20 pounds. But most important of all is snacking. If I feel the urge to eat, I grab a piece of fruit out of my lunchbox, or, if I can't do that, I always have chewing gum with me. A lot of times, this is enough to end the hunger pangs.

Hope this helps!

Have you tried drinking oolong tea? I HAVE LOST 30 POUNDS and i feel better and have more energy.If you are instered in the details let me know and i will tell you!