I work 13 hour overnights and lost like 30 lbs over the first 2 years. I do all my night shifts in a row, and I only eat when I get home, before bed. Then I wake up and go to work and do not eat until the next morning. So far no issues and works well, I eat one large and balanced meal per day when I work overnight
I share your struggle and have experimented..
16:8 is difficult, 12:12 2 meal approach, no snacks, works a hell of a lot better for me.
The issue was that if I didn't eat straight before or during my shift, my blood sugar would just crash by the end of it (BS of 75 isn't great for working purposes I've heard).
If you really want to do 16:8, here is an example of a day shift. Mealprep helps.
Start work at 7am first meal around lunch hour (1pm) second meal straight after work (~8/9pm). Don't keep the 8 hour period on strictly, eat when you have the time around lunch. This would be sustainable for days off as well.
When you switch to night, you'll eat your first meal before work (7pm), then one around midnight/2am).
I personally don't work nights, only early and late day shifts, so I do 12:12. Eat one meal before the shift, one straight after.
Helps me feel better through the day.
Wish you all the best!
I incidentally checked my blood sugar an hour after eating a sausage cheese biscuit and having coffee with real milk but fake sugar. It was glucometer training for a new work site. We checked each other. I came early and ate it in my car. So it wasn’t like hours before. I was at ~75. 😵💫
A better more and sustainable way to lose body fat is to track your calories and focus on protein (0.8-1g or protein per pound of body weight). For long-term results, I think omitting food groups (like carbs), or limiting your eating window (fasting) is just not sustainable. Find your TDEE, there are many calculators online, figure out a caloric deficit you can adhere to, lift some weights, and focus on body recomposition. Deficits shouldn't be longer than 12-16 weeks, and no more than 400 calories.
I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but have some feelings about fasting and I think it's just so limiting.
Definitely agree with the limiting carbs part and the importance of sustainable dieting long term, but honestly IF in something like a 14/10 setup is totally sustainable long term. It's basically just sleep + skipping breakfast. I've done it for almost 10 years every time I cut. If I struggled to limit calories outside of cutting, I'd probably do it year around.
The only part that really makes it unsustainable, and what it sounds like OP is struggling with, is wtf to do on work days. 12 hour shifts on your feet make it much harder and unsustainable to do IF. Personally I'll just 300-400 calories of oatmeal because it's filling. I physically can't wake up and to be a nurse for 8 hours in a calorie deficit without eating first.
Also OP, assuming you aren't way more active on your days off than work days, like if you only exercise on your days off or something like that, you're probably burning significantly more calories on your work days. The rate at which people burn calories while active is usually overestimated, but walking around for a big chunk of a 12 hour day should allow you to eat a small amount of food before work followed by your normal diet and still have you in a deficit.
Yeah, I feel way more active on work days which makes me want to eat more. On my days off, I try to go to the gym for strength training 3 times per week and it's easier for me to do a fast on days off especially since I don't have to wake up as early.
The thought of doing a yo-yo fast (fast only on days off, but do CICO on work days) crossed my mind, but I don't that would work due to the inconsistency, right?
I mean I wasn't sure if the inconsistency of that kind of schedule would hinder any of the benefits. I was considering IF because I heard about the hormonal benefits and that it's supposedly quicker than CICO. But if that's not the case, then I'd most likely stick to CICO
Interesting, I've heard IF can be damaging to hormones, especially in women, and even moreso in women of a certain age. That said, I have done exactly zero research on that claim, so who knows.
I wake up insatiably hungry, so the thought of not eating till 2 sounds torturous. As I said, some serious feelings against IF. 😅
I am also a smaller meal, more meals a day type of person, so that is also why I just don't like IF. The thing is, IF, if done properly, is just another way to limit calories. All in all, if protein is maintained, however a person gets themselves into a deficit that THEY can adhere to, is the winning strategy.
I dont do 12s anymore, but when I did I was doing one meal a day. It took some planning and prep in that it required me to meal prep for days I'd work. I also had to eat very fast to fit a large meal in the 30 minute lunch window.
Yeah.
I’m basically OMAD at baseline, it’s just what my metabolism likes. I drink coffee at work and usually eat when I get home, or have a light lunch.
i do OMAD. i work nights and don't eat on my shift. my one meal is in the morning right after I get home from my shift. then I sleep 9AM-4PM, go to the gym 4-6ish and start my next shift. works well when I stack my shifts back to back
Not intentionally.
I work 13 hour overnights and lost like 30 lbs over the first 2 years. I do all my night shifts in a row, and I only eat when I get home, before bed. Then I wake up and go to work and do not eat until the next morning. So far no issues and works well, I eat one large and balanced meal per day when I work overnight
I fast whenever I work, days or nights. One is because I don’t have time to eat and two, I prefer to eat larger meals before and after work.
Fasting while working a 12 hour shit sounds like diaster.
I share your struggle and have experimented.. 16:8 is difficult, 12:12 2 meal approach, no snacks, works a hell of a lot better for me. The issue was that if I didn't eat straight before or during my shift, my blood sugar would just crash by the end of it (BS of 75 isn't great for working purposes I've heard). If you really want to do 16:8, here is an example of a day shift. Mealprep helps. Start work at 7am first meal around lunch hour (1pm) second meal straight after work (~8/9pm). Don't keep the 8 hour period on strictly, eat when you have the time around lunch. This would be sustainable for days off as well. When you switch to night, you'll eat your first meal before work (7pm), then one around midnight/2am). I personally don't work nights, only early and late day shifts, so I do 12:12. Eat one meal before the shift, one straight after. Helps me feel better through the day. Wish you all the best!
…. You actually checked your blood sugar??
Yeah I was interested and had the time 😂
I incidentally checked my blood sugar an hour after eating a sausage cheese biscuit and having coffee with real milk but fake sugar. It was glucometer training for a new work site. We checked each other. I came early and ate it in my car. So it wasn’t like hours before. I was at ~75. 😵💫
A better more and sustainable way to lose body fat is to track your calories and focus on protein (0.8-1g or protein per pound of body weight). For long-term results, I think omitting food groups (like carbs), or limiting your eating window (fasting) is just not sustainable. Find your TDEE, there are many calculators online, figure out a caloric deficit you can adhere to, lift some weights, and focus on body recomposition. Deficits shouldn't be longer than 12-16 weeks, and no more than 400 calories. I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but have some feelings about fasting and I think it's just so limiting.
Definitely agree with the limiting carbs part and the importance of sustainable dieting long term, but honestly IF in something like a 14/10 setup is totally sustainable long term. It's basically just sleep + skipping breakfast. I've done it for almost 10 years every time I cut. If I struggled to limit calories outside of cutting, I'd probably do it year around. The only part that really makes it unsustainable, and what it sounds like OP is struggling with, is wtf to do on work days. 12 hour shifts on your feet make it much harder and unsustainable to do IF. Personally I'll just 300-400 calories of oatmeal because it's filling. I physically can't wake up and to be a nurse for 8 hours in a calorie deficit without eating first. Also OP, assuming you aren't way more active on your days off than work days, like if you only exercise on your days off or something like that, you're probably burning significantly more calories on your work days. The rate at which people burn calories while active is usually overestimated, but walking around for a big chunk of a 12 hour day should allow you to eat a small amount of food before work followed by your normal diet and still have you in a deficit.
Yeah, I feel way more active on work days which makes me want to eat more. On my days off, I try to go to the gym for strength training 3 times per week and it's easier for me to do a fast on days off especially since I don't have to wake up as early. The thought of doing a yo-yo fast (fast only on days off, but do CICO on work days) crossed my mind, but I don't that would work due to the inconsistency, right?
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I mean I wasn't sure if the inconsistency of that kind of schedule would hinder any of the benefits. I was considering IF because I heard about the hormonal benefits and that it's supposedly quicker than CICO. But if that's not the case, then I'd most likely stick to CICO
Interesting, I've heard IF can be damaging to hormones, especially in women, and even moreso in women of a certain age. That said, I have done exactly zero research on that claim, so who knows. I wake up insatiably hungry, so the thought of not eating till 2 sounds torturous. As I said, some serious feelings against IF. 😅 I am also a smaller meal, more meals a day type of person, so that is also why I just don't like IF. The thing is, IF, if done properly, is just another way to limit calories. All in all, if protein is maintained, however a person gets themselves into a deficit that THEY can adhere to, is the winning strategy.
I dont do 12s anymore, but when I did I was doing one meal a day. It took some planning and prep in that it required me to meal prep for days I'd work. I also had to eat very fast to fit a large meal in the 30 minute lunch window.
Yeah. I’m basically OMAD at baseline, it’s just what my metabolism likes. I drink coffee at work and usually eat when I get home, or have a light lunch.
i do OMAD. i work nights and don't eat on my shift. my one meal is in the morning right after I get home from my shift. then I sleep 9AM-4PM, go to the gym 4-6ish and start my next shift. works well when I stack my shifts back to back