WORKING THIRD SHIFT
Moderators: Soprano, automatedeating
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memabobbie
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:27 am
WORKING THIRD SHIFT
I WORK THIRD SHIFT, GRAZING IS A WAY OF LIFE, TO STAY AWAKE IF NOTHING ELSE. ANY SUGGESTIONS OF A WAY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT IN THE BEGINNING. OR AT LEAST CREAT NEW EATING HABIT? THANKS
Chew gum. Drink non-caloric beverages -- or even caloric (but not sugary) ones. What kind of work do you do? Is it very social, or can you listen to music or spoken audio?
There is nothing natural about the connection between killing time and eating. So while it might seem a very hard habit to break at first, once you do, it'll be very easy to keep from eating in these circumstances. It's not like you're going to have to be constantly exerting yourself to resist temptation forever. You'll have a new, healthier, association in place: "killing time = drink ice water with lemon" (or whatever). The temptation to eat will no longer arise in any very compelling way.
It's probably going to be a tough few weeks until you get this down. You'll probably have some slip ups. But keep at it. The work you invest now will pay huge and lasting dividends.
Reinhard
There is nothing natural about the connection between killing time and eating. So while it might seem a very hard habit to break at first, once you do, it'll be very easy to keep from eating in these circumstances. It's not like you're going to have to be constantly exerting yourself to resist temptation forever. You'll have a new, healthier, association in place: "killing time = drink ice water with lemon" (or whatever). The temptation to eat will no longer arise in any very compelling way.
It's probably going to be a tough few weeks until you get this down. You'll probably have some slip ups. But keep at it. The work you invest now will pay huge and lasting dividends.
Reinhard
I used to work third shift and I hated it. I never knew when to sleep or eat or what to eat when I was hungry. "Is this breakfast time or is it dinner time?" I think the worst part of it is that third-shift workers typically don't keep that schedule of days off; they revert to a more "normal" schedule. Result: always messed up!
So much of how you eat depends on the rest of your schedule -- when you sleep, whether or not you eat lunch or dinner at normal times.
We automatically assume 3 meals/day. You might consider making that 4 or 5 and making sure that they're lighter than if you were eating 3 meals daily. Make sure the food is good, real food, not snacks and junk.
So much of how you eat depends on the rest of your schedule -- when you sleep, whether or not you eat lunch or dinner at normal times.
We automatically assume 3 meals/day. You might consider making that 4 or 5 and making sure that they're lighter than if you were eating 3 meals daily. Make sure the food is good, real food, not snacks and junk.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
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tokyogirl79
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:27 am
- Location: Virginia
I work third shift & what I've been doing is prepacking a meal with healthy stuff & leaving all of my spare change & such in the car. When I work everything is closed (with the exception of some delivery places, which I don't like to order from), so the only places to purchase snacks from are vending machines. If I leave my money in my car, I can't purchase anything bad. Most often it works, but I've had a few setbacks from things I've packed into my bag (so called "health" snacks that I pack to eat with my lunch).
My grandmother worked third shift for 20 years. She kept a regular sleep and eating schedule. Here is what she did:
Her day started at 10pm, the way most people start at 7am. She got up, ate breakfast showered and headed off to the office.
She ate a prepacked lunch between 3 and 4 am, depending on how much trouble the drunks caused closing down the hotel's bar.
She left work at 8 am, was home by 8:30 and cooked herself dinner at 10 am. She went to bed between 1 and 3.
Much like you are building an eating habit with No S, she found that her daily sleeping/living pattern was really important. She had to be consistant to stay alert all night. I know it is difficult for those who have families they also take care of, because you can't just take a normal daytime schedule and shift the hours, but even that can be done. My uncle has two kids at home that he watches after school and has been a third shift cop for 25 years. I just don't know the specifics of his schedule. I do know that he eats one meal while working and doesn't snack or do sweets.
Her day started at 10pm, the way most people start at 7am. She got up, ate breakfast showered and headed off to the office.
She ate a prepacked lunch between 3 and 4 am, depending on how much trouble the drunks caused closing down the hotel's bar.
She left work at 8 am, was home by 8:30 and cooked herself dinner at 10 am. She went to bed between 1 and 3.
Much like you are building an eating habit with No S, she found that her daily sleeping/living pattern was really important. She had to be consistant to stay alert all night. I know it is difficult for those who have families they also take care of, because you can't just take a normal daytime schedule and shift the hours, but even that can be done. My uncle has two kids at home that he watches after school and has been a third shift cop for 25 years. I just don't know the specifics of his schedule. I do know that he eats one meal while working and doesn't snack or do sweets.
Heather
Im2pt, you're right about a schedule. My biggest problem when I was working 3rd shift was getting to that schedule. I had a terrible time sleeping more than a couple of hours at a time during the day (and this was before marriage and children -- that probably would have made it even more difficult!), and the lack of sleep messed up everything else.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
That really does sound tough. I have a job now "split shift" meaning 2 pm to 10 pm. It's really not so terrible in terms of waking hours. But the temptation is to sleep late then eat a late breakfast at home (or just have coffee), then eat lunch out and dinner out. This is clearly not good! and clearly one reason I am not losing weight. I hate cafeteria food, but I imagine that with the warmer weather coming I could bring food from home that would be healthier.
We also get free coffee and other drinks, so I often have seltzer and herb tea when it's too late for the caffeine.
It is a challenge though. I think the challenge to the sleeping pattern is the hardest part actually, but not being home for dinner is also tough to deal with. You just have to come up with a good solution.
We also get free coffee and other drinks, so I often have seltzer and herb tea when it's too late for the caffeine.
It is a challenge though. I think the challenge to the sleeping pattern is the hardest part actually, but not being home for dinner is also tough to deal with. You just have to come up with a good solution.