Shift work and eating

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cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Anyone else find this problematic?

When on nights my diet goes to pot , i eat all the wrong stuff or to many snacks as i feel i have 2 body clocks going on.
One telling me to eat on my day routine then the other when i get breaks at work .
 

Guvnor

Active Member
Location
Essex
yep, i feel your pain mate. I do shift work also and nights can be a pain trying to eat correctley. If there is anyone out there that can recommend a sort of when to eat what theory then i'd appreciate it. In a normal day you'd have breakfast, lunch, dinner and maybe a snack a bit later so how would you do this on shift work? would you eat your brekkie when waking up at 3pm in the afternoon?
 

cyclenic

New Member
Location
Lovely Devon
Guv, I do shift work too, and after a night shift will eat breakfast when i wake up at 14:00, then have a meal before going to work for a night, and another meal at work. i've tried not taking money to spend, or junk to eat, and try to go with things like fruit and rice cakes, or nuts and seeds.
 
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cyberknight

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
My trouble is fitting in round family who still have meals at normal times .

Have my breakfast when i get in from work around 6 am, cooked dinner is normally 5 pm , dinner break at 1 am at work .

Its the in between times when i get up and around 11 pm that get me i feel the urge to stuff my face;)
 

Ste T.

Guru
No problem with eating, but after 32 years of shifts my biggest problem is coming home off nights on a Sat or Sun morning, wanting to go to bed and my missus and kids laying a guilt trip on me..." It'll be another two weeks till we're all off on a weekend and can do something together "
 

Babs

New Member
I work 2 night shifts every fortnight and basically carry on as normal with meals. As the food provided by my work place is not at all appetising, I usually eat dinner at home. So today I put a chicken casserole in the slow cooker before I went to bed so when I got up it was ready. I agree it is very tempting to eat the wrong things - often out of boredom. I try and drink lots of water, then there is something to do later!
 
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cyberknight

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Just getting back onto shifts after 18 months of days + 4 day week so i have to get used to it again.B)
 

sleekitcollie

Well-Known Member
I've done constant. Night shift for last 9 years 15 hr shifts . When I come home in the morning I have breaky normally cerial or toast . I usually go a cycle and walk the dog/ bit of tv / pc whatever . Usually in bed at 1pm up at 3.30-4pm when I have normal dinner then it's off to work at 5pm . At work ( hgv driver ) I try and eat basically the same during the night . Tub with meat salad ( chicken , ham ,etc ) cpl ham wraps some fruit . Youghart and a choc buiscit as a treat .
Sometimes I feel Hungray during the night and give in to temptation and buy a pannini etc from the services . But I drink a 1.5 ltr bottle of water every night . . It is hard to stop eating out of boredom especially whitst on the road . But I find a routine of same food / eating at sane time during the night helps
 

martynjc1977

Veteran
I find that when I'm working nights I feel that ill that i can't stomach food and can loose a stone over a month and tent to live on one forced meal a day. When on days I do try to eat at the same times as my days off to prevent me having a late night meal before bed.
 

sheva

Well-Known Member
sleekitcollie said:
I've done constant. Night shift for last 9 years 15 hr shifts . When I come home in the morning I have breaky normally cerial or toast . I usually go a cycle and walk the dog/ bit of tv / pc whatever . Usually in bed at 1pm up at 3.30-4pm when I have normal dinner then it's off to work at 5pm . At work ( hgv driver ) I try and eat basically the same during the night . Tub with meat salad ( chicken , ham ,etc ) cpl ham wraps some fruit . Youghart and a choc buiscit as a treat .
Sometimes I feel Hungray during the night and give in to temptation and buy a pannini etc from the services . But I drink a 1.5 ltr bottle of water every night . . It is hard to stop eating out of boredom especially whitst on the road . But I find a routine of same food / eating at sane time during the night helps

Am I reading this right mate? you`re an HGV driver telling a load of cyclists you take a 38 ton vehicle on the road with a maximum of three hours sleep?
 

TWBNK

Well-Known Member
Location
Wirral
I eat breakfast at normal time, sleep, eat tea with the kids at 5 and then snack around midnight. Don't really eat much on nights unless I treat myself to a kebab.
 
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