Last March I took a job that required me to work overnights, as in 9.30 pm until 6 in the morning. Besides getting used to a completely new schedule I had to figure out how to eat and workout. Try eating at 3 am. It's quite an adjustment!
Luckily, we have a gym on site at work and it's open all night. Bonus is that it's almost always empty and I can listen to whatever music I want to!
I have to say that I was very worried about gaining weight. Many people who work overnight rely on massive amounts of coffee and snacks to stay awake all night long and the vending machines are always a super convenient way to pack on the pounds.
Well, I started out doing a pretty good job but recently have had more and more trouble planning and preparing for a long night of work. It doesn't take much to throw my schedule off balance and even on my days off I keep the same hours. Being sick or having a day time training class and it all goes out the window.
Here's the plan so far:
3pm-3:30 -wake up and take meds
4pm - eat “breakfast” carb/protein/healthy fat OR quick protein
7pm - meal 2 - most likely dinner with the family - keep it a lighter portion and save ½ for eating later on
10pm – snack/small meal
12 am- workout
1 am- post work out protein/snack
4 am snack/small meal
6.30am-7am protein snack ( if needed) post workout
7.30am-8am bedtime!
4 of these meals should be eaten at work which means that I have to prep and take my food every day. I wish it was easier and sometimes I really wish I had someone who would just make all this stuff for me but no one ever said it would be easy and in the grand scheme of things, if this is the most difficult thing I have to overcome, I'm doing pretty good!
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