Night shift unintentional weight loss

MJB2010 · Jul 8, 2013

Initially I had nausea on night shift and lost weight. Eventually I got used to it and ended up gaining weight. But when I was losing weight I started drinking protein shakes, they helped. Try grazing.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Jul 8, 2013

I stopped nights partially because I was steadily gaining weight snacking to stay awake, both at night and on my days off when I wanted to do stuff during the day.

UltramanRN · Jul 8, 2013

Initially, I started my career doing nights. Actually for me, I may have gained a few pounds working nights, as I would munch more at work. I am in a transitional period in my career, and will be doing a day office job as case manager pretty soon

Quit Floating Me, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2013

Gosh, I wish I could do that! Unfortunately it is the other way around for me.

Care to switch? ;-)

calivianya, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2013

I'm the same way, though I noticed it because of the opposite switch. Worked nights for many years than went to days at a customer service job. I gained 30 pounds in a few months. I'm still working to get some of those pounds off. Some of us are just wired differently than others. Incidentally, I can't wait to work as a RN on nights, which happens in two weeks!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2013

I gained nearly 20 pounds when I first started on night shift a few years ago. I simply feel hungrier on nights and crave fatty foods with a high carbohydrate content. I'm also hypothyroid and insulin-resistant, both of which do not bode well for maintaining a healthy body weight.

So far I've lost 35 pounds since the beginning of February, but the weight loss has been very deliberate and intentional through increasing my thyroid hormone replacement meds, getting vigorous exercise on a routine basis, and grazing on light foods throughout my night shifts.

In my personal experience and that of my coworkers, weight gain seems to be the norm on night shift if one is not vigilant about the signals the body is sending.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jul 9, 2013

When I first worked night as a new grad many Moons ago, I do remember gaining 15 lbs.

When I returned to nights, I lost 30 lbs, the last 15 working on night shift. I do eat healthy, stay active, so I think it might have been just attributed to that. I graze when I work, and it's high protein, complex carb stuff. I didn't get the weight gain, I lost...heck, I didn't want to gain or lose, but that's how it worked out...

Irish RN · Jul 9, 2013

OP, I'm with you. I've lost about 15-20 lbs since working nights, most of it within the first few months.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jul 9, 2013

make sure your glucose level is normal.

Other than that, I recommend grazing, as already mentioned. I found if I ate a full meal during my night shift I then got sleepy.

whitescrubs2012 · Dec 23, 2013

Everyone warned me that I would gain weight when I switched to nights. The opposite has been true. I've been losing weight unintentionally (also @8-10lbs) because of a combination of stress, nausea, loss of appetite, and gut distress. Working nights is not for the weak! I usually don't have any time/freedom to eat during my shift because I'm so busy. Sipping on fruit smoothies has been a good way to get some quick calories in my body while I'm at work and keep from passing out. If you want to put on more pounds, I think you could doctor up the smoothies w/ some protein powder for more cals. Have you tried that? Or snacking on handfuls of high-cal, healthy snacks, like dried fruit and nuts? Like you, I sometimes eat a snack when I get home, but, most of the time, I just walk the dogs and hit the pillow! I'm new to the night shift (just a few months) but I can certainly relate to the total loss of appetite. I have to force myself to eat and end up feeling nauseous most of the time--even when I'm not at work--because my body is so out of whack.