I work nights...when do I eat?!

Hi I'm trying to figure out a regular nutrition routine for myself because I work nights. I'm not sure when I'm supposed to eat "breakfast" or my first meal and so on. I work 10p-6a I sleep 7a-12p I workout 12:30-2:30 and I sometimes get a nap in before work 7p-9p.

As far as what I'm eating I make healthier choices and I proportion anything "bad" but essentially eat what I want. I cook all my food and hardly eat out except for special occasions. I drink 2 meal replacement protein shakes in between my main meals of breakfast and dinner and I drink a detox tea in the morning.

I've been maintaining my weight for about a month but with all the exercise I do I would think I should be losing weight by now. I've tracked what I eat with an app to count calories and I'm always meeting my goals by a hundred or so I feel I should be losing weight. I weight lift regularly and incorporate cardio. I've hired a personal trainer but it's been a month and still no change on the scale. But I have to admit I have gotten a lot stronger and my legs are very firm and toned.

Is there anyone who can help???

Replies

  • An easy and simple method that will work anytime of day or night is: eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up to get your metabolism going and then eat on a 2-2.5 hour basis all day. 2-2.5 hours after breakfast have a snack, after that lunch, next is another snack, then dinner, and usually something low calorie/low fat as a snack if you need it after dinner. My "go to" was low fat string cheese or a greek yogurt. Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed. I actually lost a ton of weight while eating on this schedule. Unfortunately I ended up getting really sick and eventually put all of the weight and then some on. Now i'm trying to reincorporate this schedule again myself. Keep in mind the portions are all smaller because you are eating so often. As for napping, same goes. Stop eating 2 hours before you plan on napping. Cut out a snack if you don't need it. When you wake up, eat something within 30 minutes. The whole 2 hour method was explained to me in terms of a fire, and it really made sense. Fire=metabolism. To build a fire you have to start out small and slowly feed it to get it going. Our metabolism works the same way. It sounds stupid, but holds some truth. I'm no expert but I can say that when I stuck to this plan and made healthy choices (including measuring portions) the weight came off pretty easily. Good luck!