Every seven days, I become nocturnal for a week, and then I switch back to the land of the living. I’ve been doing this “crazy” work schedule (7 night shifts in a row, and then 7 days off, rinse and repeat) for almost a decade and it really works out for my lifestyle. Who doesn’t want to have a week off every other week?
When I’m working the night shift, I follow a strict eating schedule so: 1) I don’t blow up into the Stay Puft Marshmallow Woman and 2) see reason number 1.
My basic eating schedule when I’m working is as follows:
6:00 pm: Make dinner and eat with the family.
10:00 pm: Eat a snack shortly after I arrive at work (normally some Paleo-compliant trail mix, veggies and cottage cheese, beef jerky, a hard boiled egg, or some combination of the stuff I just listed.
1:00 am: Eat my lunch. It’s always something I pack from home and usually some sort of leftovers or a salad with meat. Here’s what I ate last night:
Rocky Sweet Basil & Parmesan Chicken Meatballs + leftover braised cabbage
3:30 am: Eat a snack. Normally, it’s berries + full fat plain Greek yogurt or coconut milk. I also sneak a square or two of some 85% or higher dark chocolate.
5:30 am: Eat my last meal of the day. Again, it’s normally leftovers (e.g. some sort of meat and veg). Last night, I just ate what I had for breakfast prior to coming to work:
I try to have at least a 12-hour fast on the days I work. Also, I pack all my meals for work or else I’m stuck eating the crap in the vending machines. Ever since I started eating Paleo about 5 months ago, I’ve noticed a real difference in my energy level and my gut doesn’t get all wonky anymore when I am switching from day to night shift. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
