Tuesday, March 09, 2010 don't_want_to_die asks

Q: Night shift diet?

I work every Sun., Tues., Thurs. for approx. 13 hrs a night. I can't figure out how to diet because my schedule is so weird. The nights I work I usually get up around 6a and get my family up and out, run errands, workout, do whatever until 1p, then I take a nap until 5p, then get up and go to work. I get off work around 7a, go home and get my family up and out again, then go to school until 9a, usually run that days errands, get home and into bed around 1030a. I "usually" don't get up until my family gets home at 6p at which time I eat a quick breakfast (usually cereal), we play for a little bit, then start dinner. I then go to bed with my husband around midnight and sleep until 6a the next morning, when the whole process starts again.

I am desperate for help. I've gained around 35 lbs in 2 years and have tried all that I can think of. For the past month I have run/jog 4x a week for an hour on the eliptical and do some weight lifting at work on my break but this hasn't done anything for me. It's gotten so bad that I asked my husband to coerce a doctor into doing lap band for me but they refuse (well, so does my husband) because I'm not "fat enough". I'm 5'4, 169 lbs, 28yrs old, which means I'm morbidly obese; if anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!!!

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Answers (2)

Christina Lasich, MD, Health Pro

3/ 9/10 8:32pm

I don't think it really matters what time you eat your meals as long as you are eating right. When you mentioned that you ate a "quick breakfast, usually cereal", I cringed. Yikes! Boxed cereal is the wrong thing to eat for breakfast. Boxed cereal amounts to highly processed grains which your body "sees" as pure sugar. Without the fiber, processed grain is sugar. These foods with a high glycemic index lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and pain.

Just start your day with a better breakfast and then look at changing your other meals according to the glycemic index of each food by substituting high glycemic foods with low ones. For example, substitute a russet potatoe for a sweet potatoe. A low glycemic diet will help you.

Dr. Christina Lasich, MD

The Guardian

7/11/10 6:23am

Well Friend:

I work on the night shift too and I don't want to point you into my view and direction because I found that everybody's metabolism is different. What is good for me don't necessary is good for you. But I will surely give you some pointers that would help that are basically right for most people, recommended by many and prove on myself:

1-‎ Calculate on what time you are going to bed and don't eat 5 hours prior that.

Ex: If you get out of work at 5am and it take you another hour to get home (6am) and get a shower to relax and go to bed around 6:45am more less your last meal should be at 1am. During that time only drink water.

2- Sometimes when I get up I am not hungry right away. Even if you are not hungry try to have some type of snack (if it is a fruit better) that doesn't pass the 160 calorie mark. Make sure you take liquids (preferably water).

3-Keep your meals light in fat and grains, bring up the vegetable consumption. Let say you eat a slice of pizza (don't make this a everyday thing, please), well take one but add a big salad to it and a ton of water. Now be EXTRA CAREFULL WITH DRESSINGS! Dressing can be deceiving. Always read the labels because a dressing should not have the same amount of calories or your complete meal.

4- Weight yourself every week and divide that into 2 and drink that amount in ounces of water daily. Ex: if you weight 300 you should drink 150 ounces of water daily.

5- Keep a 2 ½ to 3 hour rate between meals and snacks (go to a nutritionist and check what is the healthy calorie consumption for your body) combining snack & meal calorie count with the time you go to bed so you don't eat 5 hours going to bed.

6- Cut out pastry, candy, sodas (even diet ones) and try 100% real juice. Remember that 4onz of REAL 100% juice is the closest thing to the real fruit. Not totally the same but it balances out.

7- On your days off try to sleep it up! Get the lost nights back! This is very productive.

Start here and see if this work for you. May the Lord be with you!

Q: Night shift diet?

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