Thread: Working Midnights

Hey guys. I've just started changing my habits in order to lose weight. I've been walking and paying a lot of attention to my portions (almost cutting my portions in half), and what I eat at what times. But I'm a bit confused here.

Now, I have no problem with eating cereal in the morning and such, but, when is "my" morning? Working midnights really screws with your body, and trying to translate some instructions makes me a little uneasy. My first instinct is to 'eat breakfast when I wake up, then comes lunch, supper, and sleep'. But, when I think more about it, I think my body might have a problem with that.

I mean, our bodies react differently to the times of day. I feel more energetic when the sun comes up and more tired at night, regardless of sleep patterns. Have you ever stayed up all night, been tired the whole time, but felt that second wind as soon as you saw the sun coming up? That's what I mean.

To give some insight, my day kind of goes like this.

7:00 AM - I get home, eat supper.

9-10:00 AM - After food has digested, go to sleep.

6:00 PM - Wake up, eat breakfast.

12:00 AM - At work, I eat lunch.

Then the cycle repeats.

Should this be alright as I'm trying to lost weight, or should I be 'eating with the rest of the family' as per how the meals correlate with day/night? Basically, is my body mad that I'm eating breakfast at supper time, and going to retaliate in some way later? :P

Thanks for the advice!

How much is your daily calorie intake? Also, do you have some sort of exercise in between these cycles?

Could you tell us what you're usual meals are? I agree with mikaela. We need to know how much calories you consume.. What's your BMR?

be sure to avoid fried foods or sugary drinks.. Also you need exercise.. I used to work at night too.. I was on a night shift for 4 years.. Be sure you have enough rest too.

You're schedule seems to be all filled up. You don't seem to have any more time for yourself. If you can't exercise on weekdays, you can make it up on your days off. Exercise is a must to lose weight.

*HUGE EDIT*

Sorry guys, I went on this huge rant comparing what I would usually eat to what I'm eating now, and when I read it after it was done it was completely pointless. :P

Basically, I used a website to calculate my BMR and it says "2653.1" (300 lbs., 5'11", 27 years old). My rant about what I eat every day can be summed up to eating about 1,500 calories a day now. I also walk about 4 miles every other day (3-4 days a week, weather permitting).

Thank you all for all the replies and questions! This was the first time I actually tried counting any calories.

Thanks for the additional information extion. Did you just start dieting? It seems you consume 1100 calories less than what your BMR says. That might be too much if your new to this. You can start with 500 calories less then gradually reduce it to 1100. That's just my suggestion.

I would have to agree with mikaela.. That's how I started mine. I tried cutting off 1000 calories at once but then I had trouble adjusting to it.

I agree with you guys. But of course, if extion can handle it, it would be fine. I think you're in the right track. What's in your meal? I prefer you eat more fruits and vegetables, lean meat, eat whole grain, whole wheat products instead of refined ones.

Good tips guys.. Those are the basics on how to lose weight.. Extion, if you have specific questions, just let us know but for now, the tips posted by mikaela, kathy and sasa are what you need to get started.