Night Shift

(Jesse) #1

Hey guys I work night shifts 3 days 3 nights. Just want to get this started I’m more of a reader than a poster. My questions can you keto adapt on night shifts, do you eat when your hungry at night? These are my main concerns anything you wonderful people want to add please I’d like to know.

Keto & IF while doing night shifts
(mwall) #2

SURE! The issue that might be a point of discussion is do you eat before you sleep. If you live a nightlife (I did second and third shift for years) you have the beauty of keto to help maximise your nutritional health! Eat when hungry, don’t eat when not. And in my neck of woods that includes even if you are soon to sleep depending on what type of food it is that is eaten. :yellow_heart:

It works the same EXCEPT everyone’s individual response to their WOE. If you find you have discomfort then you have to consider options and change. :wink:

(mwall) #3

After thought…

I just processed the “part time” night life… Not sure how switching back and worth would affect the process but I imagine not much differently. Your work schedule may HELP if you are still looking to lose or stabilize metabolism because the varied schedule might be perfect for fasting protocols!

#4

I used to work shifts but not since I’ve been keto.

You might be interested in this site all about circadian rhythms and eating…

http://blog.mycircadianclock.org/science/

(Lard is Love) #5

I work nights 5 days a week, 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM. I intermittent fast with an eating window of 3AM till 11AM. If your schedule is always changing, I’d just eat when hungry until satiated. Once you start keto you will find this easy to do.

(Rebecca) #6

I’m a shift worker. I do a combination of 3 days/2 nights, 2 days/3 nights and 2 days/2 nights.

I currently start nights at 1930 so have dinner before I leave for work. If I get hungry during the night I have a snack, usually cheese and probably around 0300. I go to bed more or less as soon as I get home.

(Rosie Cool) #7

I’m also a shift worker and honestly it’s a struggle for me. I’m currently on nights for the beginning of the month but switch to days at the end. My schedule is generally unpredictable. What I do is eat 2 meals. When I’m on nights, I eat before I go in at 1845 and then eat breakfast before getting off. When I’m on days, I eat breakfast when I get to work at 0645 and then eat dinner when I get off. That way I’m still on the same basic schedule. I do snack throughout the shift but much less now that I have 2 set meals.

#8

Butter Bob is a night shifter. He’s got a website dedicated to his keto weightloss journey. http://www.buttermakesyourpantsfalloff.com

#9

I’m very new to Keto - officially starting tomorrow! Am nervous because of all the videos out there saying you can’t keto adapt when working nights. I’m a nurse, so I work 7p-7a. I “flip” back to days on my nights off if I have more than 2 nights off in a row. Was trying to figure out how to track my meals but the reality of my job is I don’t eat solid meals on nights - I’m much more of a grazer. I was just going to change what I graze - from cucumbers and hummus to hard boiled eggs, do meat and cheese roll ups, things like that. Thanks for sharing Butter Bob’s blog - any other good resources you all have found along the way?

#10

I don’t think when you eat (night or day) would make anywhere near a difference in comparison to these two things:

  1. eating moderate protein, high fat and low to no carbs
  2. stop grazing and eat within specified eating window

I think the impact of (1) and (2) would make the biggest impact, and not time of day eating…or at least, this is what works for my body.

#11

Unfortunately I don’t get a standard meal break over the course of the 12 hours… it’s more like eat while you can before your patient poops himself/climbs out of bed/IV pole starts beeping… you get the idea! On off days, I prefer to have “normal” meals though.

#12

Wow. Definitely a challenge. This is what life is about. We face challenges and have to devise strategies around them. Would love to learn from you if you discover a new hack addressing this particular issue. Good luck to you!

#13

Thank you! I’m hoping for the best. Night shift has not been kind to my body, but that I believe was due to lack of energy, which in turn led to lack of will power. I switched hospitals, so now I’m working significantly closer to home - the first step in taking my life back! Now on the eating lifestyle. I have been “studying” for the past 3 weeks, “practicing” drinking more water and charting, so that I will be more successful and not frustrated/give up. More ready than ever to get this started!

(danjo171) #14

I know this is a bit late, but I also am a shift worker. I have found the best way is pretty much to treat it like day shift only darker. Just turn your day upside-down. The only other thing I have found is that fasting also seems to help.

(Robert Eilers) #15

Having just tried my first bout on Keto I can tell you that it is indeed possible to be keto adapted on the night shift. Usually, with proper planning, you can simply eat some of the same foods that you would eat during the day.
https://nightowl.fit/complete-guide-to-the-ketogenic-diet-for-the-night-shift/

#16

I was just wondering ( a year later) how it worked out for you. I’m also a night shift nurse and I’m so frustrated with the whole thing. When i started working is when I stopped losing.

#17

Honestly, I never got into ketosis while on night shift. I stick with regular old low carb now.

#18

That’s what I was afraid of :frowning:

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(Andrew Kibler) #19

Hey every one I am new here and I want to start doing keto. But I work 2nd shift 330 to midnight. I could really use some advise tips tricks anything that will help. Thanks everyone in advance

(Jackie ) #20

I know this post is very old but I work 7p-7a and have no problems with being in ketosis. I eat around 430 pm before I leave for work. My work snack is cheese, nuts, bacon and usually some cut up sausage. I eat my snack before midnight. On my days off I do Omad. So I’ll get home from work at 8 am (after eating before 12) and go right to bed. I don’t eat again until around 5 or 6 pm with my family and stop eating before 9 pm. This routine between work nights and days off has been amazing for me and my ketone levels are optimal for ketosis :smiley: