Well, I can certainly relate to you when it comes to working third shift or the 7pm to 7am shift. I worked in a hospital for 14yrs and the first 4 yrs were swing shift where I would work 7am to 3pm for 2 weeks and then swing over to 11pm to 7am for the next 2 weeks. I didn t sleep for 4yrs it felt like. But I did like working nights better--less traffic through the unit--so I settled on working 7pm to 7am. It is really hard getting your body s internal time clock to work completely opposite of the normal work day. Besides drinking 3 pots of coffee during the 12hrs to try to keep myself awake when things were slow, I also turned to the goodies that people working with me brought in. Sometimes, one of us would stop off and bring in Kentucky Fried Chicken or Taco Bell for 9 people or someone would whip up brownies or other sweets. It was kind of a way of survival to always have something in my mouth. I picked up smoking too and I was a CCU nurse.It was kind of an insane way to live but for some reason, I loved it!When it finally got to where I couldn t fit into my scrubs anymore, me and a few of my co-workers decided that something needed to be done. We started a sort of club where we paid dues and every month, we would weigh in at work, and whoever lost the most got the money we put in weekly as dues. We made a pact of no more junk food at work--we could do what we wanted to a home but we all could use some extra cash so it was an incentive. Instead of someone bringing cookies or home made biscuits and ham,, we brought in veggie trays or fruit trays, anything healthy that was yummy as well. It was fun. We would take walks through the hospital or outside in the middle of the night--not too far out and in small groups. Some of my co-workers would go for a walk outside before they went home in the mornings. I had a small commute, like 30 min., but instead of going home and eating a sandwich and milk or soda, I started working out at the gym with my boyfriend at 8:00am and playing raquetball with him. Then come home, take a nice shower and hit the bed. It really is hard to sleep during the day, no matter how many years you ve been doing it and for some reason, you never feel quite rested. They did a sleep study and found that most people who work at night and sleep during the day, never quite reach the deep level of sleep known as REM sleep. REM is vital to people to feel rested and for their metabolism to operate at it s peak. Also for their bodies to operate at it s most efficient level. It s just our bodies inner clock that has been set since the beginning when people worked when the sun was out and to rest when the sun was down. It has also been shown that a good nights sleep helped immensely when it came to losing weight. Sleep is the time when our bodies heal themselves and sort of reset our metabolism for the next day. Without a good sleep, no matter how much you diet or work out, you feel sluggish and your metabolism is conserving energy.So after all of that, it just comes down to knocking off the junk food at night, along with sodas---throw away any snack food left over from the previous shift. Take a walk to wake up your metabolism when you feel yourself starting to sink. Before you hit the bed when you get home, instead of having a piece of cake or leftover pizza, work out or take a walk. Once you ve slept, you really don t feel much like going to the gym when you wake up. For sleep, drink a glass of skim or low fat milk, then darken your room as much as possible. Also, try and soundproof it as much as possible even if it means wearing a eyemask and earplugs, and turn the heat down in your room. Most people sleep better in a cooler room. Good Luck to You!!! You can do it !!
I would suggest a cleansing diet. I lost 12 pounds in 9 days and then 28 pounds in less than a month. I also lost a lot of inches too! I learned that cleansing will help the body get rid of toxins. Toxins come from a lot of things like fast food, pollution, food additives and preservatives and lots of other things. The toxins get stored in the fat in our body. To get rid of the fat, we have to get rid of the toxins by cleansing the body. This made sense to me and I decided to try a cleanse program and it worked. The weight came off fast and this kept me motivated to keep going, not like other diets where the weight loss it too slow. I did Jenny Craig, and Medifast. If you want to learn more call the toll free number 1-877-587-4647 or check out the website. This was the first time I ever did a cleanse, it was easy and I feel better. Good luck whatever you decide to do! http://thebestcleansingdiet.com
Usually shift work can lead to weight gain.
I would get your doctor approvaland then hit a tread mill (real lightly to introduce to your body) for 20 minutes every day on the easiest level. No incline, just walk. After 1 to 2 weeks introduce a small incline for 1 minute of every 5 minutes you are on it and gradually increase as you are commfortable. Just remember never to exceed 20 minutes. You will be amazed what one month will do for you. Do not expect anything other than a cardio workout. Until you really increase the incline/speed that is when the calories really burn, but don t overdue, the idea is to introduce this to yourself. If you cannot go to a tread mill, just walk around your neighbor hood and wear loose sweats even as it gets hotter.
If you work at a hospital, visit the nutritionist. But the key phrase is eat healthy.. Lots of fruits give you easy to breakdown nutrients and enzymes, and a little bit of a workout here and there also helps. Do some sit ups and push ups before work or bed, and once you wake up.. If you find you have some down time, jog around a little bit. Ride a bike to work (I ride my bike 10-15mi a day). You just need to jump start your metabolism, from there it gets easy. Don t eat junky food all the time, but don t starve yourself from them eithor.sparkpeople.com is also a good resource for diet and exercise.
Jamie IS A FOOL . He makes it sound so easy doesn t he ( I ride my bike 10-15mi. a day) what an idiot. Nobody cares how far you ride your bike, self-absorbed punk. First off, it takes major dedication and perseverance. You must get your body to accept eating early and not late. You would have to eat as soon as you wake up (the same as if you were waking up in the morning - a regular 9 to 5). Eat when your body is ready to burn. Do not before you go to bed (that s the worst you can do). If you starve yourself through out your day your body will store - food - as - fat - by the time you do eat or drink. Repetition is key, the more your body does it, the quicker it will adjust. (you can t be lazy - Cook healthy food). I m sure you already know what foods to eat. There is a diet that would be good to start off with - It s the Stanley Burroughs Master Cleanser diet. Read more if you are interested: http://curezone.com/cleanse/bowel/master_cleanse.asp I bet you would lose ten pounds in ten days, but you would have to do everything accordingly (100%) - Like I said, DEDICATION PERSERVERENCE . you would still be able to work, no problem. It s perfect for your work schedule. Try it out you cant go wrong. Plus, organic gradeB maple syrup taste really goooooood.
Drink lot of water. eat cucumber when hungry.. walk at least for 15 min. reduce fatty and fried food. eat raw carrot.
Lifestyle changes. Diets aren t going to help you work off the weight and keep it off. Cause once you are off the diet, the weight will come back on. What sorts of changes? Well, giving up sodas and sugar-drinks is one. They might be tempting when you re trying to stay awake but try switching to caffinated teas. Don t eat out of the vending machines. Bring healthy snacks like fruit and veggies and things like that. Exercise. 12 hour days must leave you pretty tired, and you re on your feet a lot? but getting in exercise is really important. Start building a habit of 3 x 30 minute sessions of walking each week. Join a gym. Swimming is great way to exercise off your feet! Sleep--are you getting enough? Not enough sleep can lead to eating for energy and making poor health decisions. Wanting to change is the first (really important!) step. Its great that you are seeking advice. Ask your doctor (or maybe those you work with!) for advice, how to start an exercise program, etc. Get some professional advice--a lot more valuable than Y!A sometimes. :-) Good luckHey, I really can t help too much on the what times to eat thing. It sounds like you are nearly nocturnal. you might want to reschedule your life around that. Make up a chart of when you d eat during a normal day, three meals/four? and then adjust it for night. say during the day you eat at 8, 11, and 5. Well, if you work at night, do you sleep during the day? You could eat when you get up, halfway through your shift, and then after....sorry I m not more help. Get some sleep! if you can. There are lots of great eye-covers if you have trouble sleeping in the day time. and ear plugs. Ask your coworkers too, they probably have advice you can use. Ask someone who seems healthy and well-adjusted or who you respect! :-) again, best wishescheers!
