Night shift weight loss help

[LesKai]

I started working night shift nursing a little over 3 years ago. Within the first year I had gained almost 20 pounds! I kept that weight on until recently with one slight change in night shift lifestyle. I am writing this now because I want to help other nurses, especially us night shift nurses, who may be going through the same thing.

I gained motivation quickly when I became engaged this year. The only problem was I was working my regular full time 12 hour shifts (7p-7a) 3 nights a week, plus one 12 hour day shift per diem at another hospital; leaving me literally no time to work out between working, commuting far, and wedding planning.

However, I was able to lose those 20 lbs in just under 6 months! My secret? I made one major change to my routine- I stopped eating right before bed (in the morning). I'm not condoning skipping meals at all! I'm talking about not eating right before sleep. We know this is bad for us on a regular (day time) schedule, so why not apply the same to night shift? I was getting out of work by 8am, cooking up 'breakfast' (or dinner) at home, showering and going straight to sleep. My unit was big on work parties, any excuse to bring in pot luck meals! If you want that extra plate, go ahead! Just make sure to finish it by 1am I have now become accustomed to finishing my "lunch" by 1 or 2 am. This gives me enough fuel to finish my shift safely and no extra calories going in to sleep! Your body will adjust, just as it has adjusted to sleeping in the day time. I make sure to drink plenty of water to curb any hunger in the morning before bed. This change also makes me feel hungry when i wake up, which allows me to eat more BEFORE going into work, giving me more energy for my shift.

I hope this little change helps some of you out there! I had been searching for how to eat for night shift for a while and found a few helpful tips but not many. Lets all help each other in any other secrets we find!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

thread moved for best response.....Great advice!

[CamillusRN, BSN]

Thanks for the advice - gonna try that for sure!

[bethann27]

Love this advice! I put one 25 lbs in 6 months working nights. I think shifting eating this way will make a huge difference for me. Thanks for sharing.