Working night shift and eating-how do you do it?

KacyLynnRN · Jul 26, 2004

Haha...I didn't...I worked night shift for 9 months and gained 30 pounds. Anytime I was tired I ate to keep myself awake. I have been on day shift a year now and I'm still trying to lose that weight.

movealong · Jul 26, 2004

I would eat a full meal on nights, maybe around 1-2am, depending on how busy we were.

However, I lost weight on nights. not from lack of eating, but because of lack of sleep, I think. I'm 5'8" and I think I got below 120lbs. I had to quit nights. My body clock just never adjusted, I couldn't sleep more than 5 hours during the day. Just not enough sleep.

TracyB,RN, RN · Jul 26, 2004

I haven't really gained any weight since working nights. I was drinking alot of soda to stay awake at first & did gain about 8 pounds. Switched to diet coke & have lost 10lbs. Cool. Anyway, try to avoid heavy meals right before you go to bed. I don't eat anything too heavy after 3am. Take the stairs, park far away.. It makes a difference.

Boo439 · Jul 26, 2004

I worked 3rd shift for a few months. I would eat dinner with my husband around 8-10pm. I would go to work and not eat anything and if I did, it was just a piece of toast or a fruit snack. I would drink water through the night, that was it. I would get home from work, eat a light breakfast then sleep til my husband got home and I would eat a light lunch. I didn't like the schedule for eating or for sleeping, so I moved to 1st shift.

melsch · Jul 26, 2004

I worked nights for three years and found that if I didn't eat I would gain weight. When I learned to eat a healthy meal durring the night I felt better and stuck to my diet, I am on Weight watchers. I would eat a huge salad and a lean cuisine frozen dinner and then snack on veggies and drink lots of water. I would try to eat a small breakfast before I went to bed and then try to sleep through lunch. When I got up, usually around three, I would have some fruit or else something else small to tide me over until supper and then eat supper with my family. The biggiest challenge I found was not snacking at home, just because I was tired. I lost 30 pounds doing this so it seems to work. Finding time to exercise is a bigger challenge but having three kids 5, 3, and 1 is probably more of a deterant than work. I am now working 12 hour shifts and fell like I am getting more exercise on the days that I am working than I need, I just need to find time on the days that I am off.

zambezi, BSN, RN · Jul 26, 2004

Re exercise: I know you're looking for input from those who actually work nights, but here's my .02 anyway ; )
I would probably forget about exercising on the days I'm working the 12's (or do only a very minimal amount) and exercise seriously on my days off -- you're going to get 3 or 4 of those a week right?

This is actually what I do. I just can't work out on nights that I have to work unless it is my first night on...ie: if I have to work fri/sat/sun/mon, I can workout friday morning, sleep afternoon, work but sat, sun, and mon I am too tired (sometimes I can be motivated enough to work out monday evening though). I have been trying to at least walk in the mornings before I go to bed--for me not a great "workout" but it is certainly better than nothing. On my others days off I work out mabye an hour a day unless something else comes up :)

CherryRN · Jul 26, 2004

I gained weight when I was on night shift. I ate a pretty big meal before I went to work (dinner), brought a light meal with snacks to eat at work. When I came home in the morning, I was so tired and hungry all I wanted was a big bowl of macaroni. Then I would zone out watching tv and eating. ugh.

When I went to day shift, I was often so hungry when I got home (from not having many breaks) I would inhale everything in the house. bad I know.

Try to keep up your gym membership. It will help with the weight and the emotions.

jaxnRN · Jul 28, 2004

:uhoh3:

Well, I gained weight on nights. Of course, in OB, it is feast or famine, (pardon the pun), so when we were busy of course, I wouldn't eat at all.

The danger came in when my 12 hour night shift was over. I had to get the energy to drive home, get my kids ready, drive them to school and stay awake to drive home....safely.

I would eat to get myself awake and that called for mostly quick energy crap, like Snickers! I am being honest here. I ate like crap.

I slept VERY little, and on my days off, I really lacked energy since nights did not agree with me. I am NOT a night-shift worker. I tried it and it didn't work. I think I might have gained about 25 pounds or more. I don't know for sure because I REFUSED to weigh myself.

I was a fitness-aholic, and lifted weights and did cardio each day, but when I went to the 12 hour nights, I didn't have the energy for it and lost my incentive.

Since then, I have gone to days, got back into working out 6 days a week.

I sleep at night and have dropped the weight. It scares me to do a per diem night shift because of all of the above.

I asked the same question you are asking about a year ago or so. I got mixed answers, 50% gained, 50% didn't. Each person is so different. Good luck.

My best advice is HAVE A PLAN!

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 28, 2004

Yes exercise on your days off, and EAT WELL when you work. Bring in your food; forget that horrible hospital cafeteria or fast food. I bet the night nurses gaining weight are like Tweety says: they eat junk and don't exercise. Don't let it happen to you. By virtue of your difficult schedule, you body needs more than ever the proper fuel to make it through these shifts. Be good to yourself. Plenty of WATER too! I push at least 2 liters each shift (I take a swig each time I swing by the nurses station or chart). It's easy to deyhdrate on a night schedule.