Eating well when you have to work a long shift?

N

NeedTime

New member
Here is what my current situation is...

-I am a 26 year old male. 5-11 and 269 pounds
-I have spent the last month or so cutting out the majority of the bad eating I had. (eliminate soda, junk food, and almost all fast food)
-I work 4 10 hour days (12pm-10pm) with a 1 hour drive BOTH ways

Here is what my current eating trends are like during the 4 days I work...

Breakfast (I get up around 8:00am)
-Coffee
-Water

Lunch
-Coffee
-Sugar free Red Bull

Dinner
-Oven Roasted Chicken Breast (once a week)
-Soup or Salad or Sandwich from Panera (once a week)
-Salad Bar salad from my local grocery store (twice a week)

Snack when I come home
-Cereal or bread with peanut butter or some oreo cookies

Now right away I know I am weak in 2 areas...

1. I need to eat more.

2. I HAVE to adjust what I eat when I get home. The problem is that by the time I get home, I am EXTREMELY hungry. My dinner is scheduled around 5 every day. I then work for about 5 more hours and by the time I get home it is 11:00pm.

So I have 3 questions...

1. What would be some good foods to eat for breakfast and lunch? I don't have the time to really cook a big breakfast and I really don't have time to make or even eat a big lunch. What type of fruit, snacks, etc would be good to eat during those time periods to keep my metabolism running?

2. Is there anything I can eat at night that won't be too terrible? I generally have about 2 hours by the time I get home to the time I go to bed. I guess I can try to just dig down and go to bed hungry every day...but if there are other suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

3. Is there any type of "fat-burner" type of pill that could work? Some people have told me about Oxylite pro. I am looking for something that I can take around 2:00pm that will keep my metabolism running during the day as my job requires me to sit in my office and follow activity on a computer screen.

Any other advice and help would be greatly appreciated. My excercise routine is pretty basic as well. I walk for 1 hour a day/5 days a week and 30 minutes a day for the other 2 days during the week. I have been doing this for about a month and I have lost about 7 pounds so I am extremely motivated to keep going.
 
I can answer the pill one.


No.


And as far as eating late..doesn't matter what you eat, just eat normally. Make some meals ahead of time that you can pull out and cook.
 
Also no to the pills. :)

One suggestion for a good quick breakfast that a lot of people love is oatmeal. I eat the whole oat kind, microwaved -- nuke 2 mins, stir, nuke for another 1 1/2 min -- add 1 tbsp almond nutmeal and a palmful of dried cranberries (this takes care of carbs, protein and some vitamin c for a little while). Also, I keep a 1/4 measuring cup in the oatmeal container so I can measure it out and not just eyeball the amount. This and my morning coffee usually keep me happy til lunch. Less than 10 minutes, all-tolled.

Other than that, I swear by spicier food to keep my metabolism up. Salsa dip is usually really low cal, and I snack on that or hot sauce (korean go-chu jang is my new favourite - YUM) with cut veg throughout the day.

Just some suggestions. Good luck!
 
Boiled eggs. You can make them a few days ahead of time. Also, remember that your first meal doesn't have to be breakfast food. I eat my biggest meal when I wake up, so I have all day to work it off. So, chicken, turkey...high protein foods. Also, eat more fiber. It fills you up, and is healthy. Snackwell's makes a high fiber breakfast bar that is super tasty.

"Plaudite, amici, comedia finita est."
 
A better plan...

It is critical for you to eat breakfast and lunch. Your body is in starvation mode all day, which is why you are hungry at night. It is trying desperately to hang onto fat and calories all day, because you aren't feeding it what it needs to function. Consider hard boiled eggs; you can make them on the weekend. Pair it with a piece of high fiber toast. You can make that in less than 2 minutes. Consider protein bars that are available in grocery stores for a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. For lunch, consider a sandwich (lean meat or peanut butter and jelly). It is ot optimal, but is better than caffeine. Make sure you eat the mid morning and afternoon snacks for appetite control. For dinner, a salad and lean meat is great. You can cook chicken breasts or fish in a Foreman grill in a few minutes. Get pre washed salad and add a low fat dressing. Also, steam in the bag veggies are fast. I hope this helps. Eating well takes a little planning but does not need to be complicated.
 
Breakfast - I second the hard-boiled eggs. You can make a big batch of them on one of your days off and keep them for the week, just grab a couple of them. I've seen studies that show a high protein breakfast keeps hunger in check for longer than a high carb breakfast.

Lunch - Again, you just have to eat lunch. On your days off, again, make something that you can just grab from the fridge and microwave, etc. Sandwiches are always a good lunch, and if done right can be pretty low calorie. But just think about what you'd like to eat for lunch, and make a big batch when you aren't so pressed for time.

Dinner - Panera is delicious, but usually high calorie. Pack a dinner! Make a casserole on your day off, or come up with something else (noticing my theme?) that you can make beforehand to remove the stress of 'what am I going to eat'?

Snacks - You know, I'd go with fruits that stay well for a long time. Go to the store and grab a bag of apples. Bring those to work and either keep them on or in your desk (if you have a desk job), or somewhere that you have access to them. Then you can eat your snack (if possible) when you're at work and still working, and you won't be as starving when you get home.

I think that the main problem with working 4 10s is that you just don't have time during the work-week to do.... anything... so take one of your days and make it a 'prep' day. Spend 2-3 hours doing anything you can to make your week easier (laying out clothes, getting gas in your car, making meals for breakfast, lunch AND dinner, going shopping, etc.). I think if you make your life more organized you'll find it's easier to resist the junk food, and by constantly having access to healthy food, you're more likely to eat it! Good luck!
 
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