Is it possible to work 3rd shift for an extended period of time w/o gaining tons of weight?

[Connonym]

I got on the scale today and omg I have gained so much weight in the past year since I started working 3rd shift. :scared:

[old mark]

1. Some people evidently love it. i didn't.

Not only gained weight, I was so sleep deprived I fell asleep driving my car - fortunately for everyone, at a red light.
Driver of the car behind mine knocked on the window to see if I was dead or what - woke me up.

I have been retired for over 1 1/2years, and have been losing steadily since spring ( down over 65 pounds, nearly that to go.)

I feel much better all the way around.

mark

[Skittles]

2. I've worked 12 hour night shifts for years and wear a size 4

:D

[Connonym]

3. grrr

Rub it in some more why dontcha! :-P

[old mark]

4. There's always one.......nt

[Skittles]

8. aw, it's more a natural disposition than effort

I've just always been a night person - I like sleeping until the afternoon :D

[CreekDog]

9. ass kicking is not work

Though it burns lots of calories.

[likesmountains 52]

5. I saw something on TV once about this...they showed an experiment they had done

about night shift workers eating habits. I believe the volunteers thought they were being studied for information about sleep deprivation, but it was really about eating. There was a large buffet full of food for the volunteers to eat..the first few days/nights most of them ate a pretty balanced diet. As the days went on, and they got less sleep they all started eating mostly the junk food. I had been working night shift for about 10 years when I saw that and it really hit home. I know that at 2AM a donut always sounded a lot better than an apple!

[redqueen]

6. Yes... you just have to be really careful with snacking.

For some reason it's more tempting to eat when you're not really hungry at night... not sure why that is though.

[hedgehog]

7. Just something to think about - how much sunlight are you getting on 3rd shift?

Vitamin D is tied into glucose/insulin levels which themselves help control weight and appetite. Maybe check with your doctor and get a blood test to measure your serum Vitamin D level?