Working Odd Hours


Nightshift Hints

You asked about doing the food if you are working the 11-7 shift. The principles of doing the food are pretty much the same even if you have a weird schedule. It is just much harder to sort out the meal times in the night shift. Many people have found that actually plotting out your food schedule helps. For example, if you are working 11-7, you probably are going to bed around 8-9 AM and sleeping until 3-4. So you would eat a *breakfast* within an hour of getting up. Whether your *breakfast* is traditional breakfast food or not is entirely up to your personal preference

*Lunch* would follow 5-6 hours later at 8-9 before you start work. Many people actually eat dinner at this point and then plan a *lunch* during work hours midway through their shift. Whether you have your bigger meal before you go or at work will be a function of what you job supports. Either way, if you are having your last meal around 4 AM, you would plan on the potato just as you get home. Remember each meal should have protein and some complex carbohydrates.

Try to make sure that you have three regular times to eat at no more than a 5-6 hour interval. You can schedule your breaks to accommodate this. Of course, if you are working in the ER, it is going to be harder. Sometimes, figuring this out requires some thinking out of the box. But once you get a set rhythm, it should be a whole lot easier. The important thing in this is working towards consistent and regular. When working these shifts, it is very easy to slip into grazing mode and forget about meals. It is also easy to grab something sweet when energy starts to drop.

Also pay really close attention to how much sleep you are getting. Often when folks work the last shift, they cut sleep time down to 6 or 6 and 1/2 hours because they can't bear to give up daytime hours. Sometimes it helps to do a 6 hour stretch right after the shift and then plan an evening nap.

(c) Kathleen DesMaisons 2006 All Rights Reserved

Working Crazy Hospital Hours?

I can really sympathize with you about your crazy schedule. I'm a Unit Assistant and have spent a considerable amount of time working in the emergency room. So I *know* how busy you residents can get -- I'm often the one who bugs you, LOLOL! And I know how crazy hospital schedules can be. I have worked a lot of PM's and nights, and it was really tough, until I began bringing George's Shake with me to work. Kathleen has already written to you about this, and I totally agree. George's Shake will be an ideal solution for you.

I order the pre-made stuff directly from the Radiant Recovery Store. There is also a recipe in the SARP book, as well as in PnP, for making the shake from scratch. I like the pre-made stuff because I don't have to think about it, LOL! And it has all of the vitamins right in there, so that works out great.

There are two ways to handle this. I've tried them both. It depends on the "supplies" the hospital provides for you as a resident. Do you have a refrigerator available to you? Maybe in the doctors' lounge or sleeping rooms? Or go make friends with someone in the E.R. - they always have a fridge you can use. You can keep the oat milk or soy milk you use right there in the refrigerator. You can keep cottage cheese in the fridge, too. And you can bring some zip-loc baggies with oatmeal inside, which you can simply add water to and microwave.

Invest in one of those hand-held, cordless "stick" blenders (Braun makes a good one) that you can use to mix drinks right in a big glass. Then you can put together your George's Shake right there. Or if that isn't a possibility, make your shake(s) ahead of time and put it in a BIG thermos -- then whenever you get a minute or two, you can down a couple cups of that.

This stuff (the shake) is a miracle! It holds me for 4-5 hours without hunger, keeps my blood sugar level (and thus my head clear!), keeps my emotions on an even keel (no matter how many ambulances come in at once), and is really satisfying to me. I know you can't drink the shake for 36 hours, but this would work great in place of one meal per day. You will see a *big* change when you start using it.

Then there are other "portable meals" -- things you can keep in your locker or in the fridge in a bag with your name on it (and severe threats of punishment written on the bag, for anyone who eats your stuff, LOLOL). How about canned soup--veggie, bean, split pea--with cheese and rye crackers on the side. You can microwave that and it is pretty quick to make.

As for the hospital cafeteria, they almost always have some pretty good soup and salad bars there. I like to make salads with a lot of raw veggies. Be sure to balance that with protein -- bring your own string cheese, as that works great for a protein source on the run. Cottage cheese works well too, and most hospitals have that by the bucketful. Sometimes the cafeteria will make special-order sandwiches, and if you bring in your own whole wheat bread in a zip-loc baggie, they won't complain about using it. Or how about plain yogurt with a cut-up apple? Triscuits and cheese? Corn tortillas with refried beans and melted cheese (microwaved)? Oatmeal mixed with cottage cheese and fruit (bananas, cut-up apples, or applesauce are my personal favorites in oatmeal).

Get that shake and let us know how it works. And it is sure good to have you here with us! Keep sharing!

Planning Ahead

Last week I went to a five-day conference. And I have just been dreading it for months, partly because I don't like to travel or be away from home, and mostly because I kept telling myself my food plan would go straight to h*ll and it would take weeks if not months to get back on track. (The last time I went to a conference I just freaked and PnP went right out the window.)

But a day or two before the conference I thought, okay. You certainly aren't going to be able to stick to your plan perfectly. Can you do ANYTHING? Is there ANY step you can commit to and keep up while you're there? (Whoa--starting to get beyond "all or nothing" thinking!)

So I thought--okay. I can keep my journal. No matter what I eat or when or what I'm feeling, I can write it down. And then I thought--okay. I can take my vitamins, and I can have Triscuits three hours after dinner. So there were three things I could do, so that even though I wouldn't be working on Steps 3/4 the way I would at home, at least it wasn't all going to fall apart.

While I was at the grocery store getting the Triscuits, I "just happened" to look through the health food section and noticed that, for the first time in months, they had oat milk without added sugar. And I knew right then that I could ALSO commit to breakfast with protein every morning within an hour of waking up. Breakfast (George's Shake with oat milk and my hand blender), Journal, Triscuits 3 hours after dinner--I could keep up Steps 1, 2 and 4 no matter what. It felt easy.

And I DID IT !! And in fact, I did more. I kept to Step 3--I didn't eat between meals even when there was FABULOUS 5:00 buffet with shrimp cocktail and all kinds of tempting stuff (I was the only one, I think, of 150 people who just drank mineral water ), and I ate as close as possible to my usual times, making sure that I had a nuts-and-Triscuit snack if I knew I'd have to eat late.

And I exercised! There was a fabulous health club in the hotel and I walked on the treadmill for 1/2 an hour every morning. Can't believe it! I'm just so proud! And the thing is, I KNOW that if I had started out bound and determined that I was going to keep doing all the steps perfectly and being at a conference wasn't going to make any difference ... I wouldn't have been able to do it. But starting with baby steps and committing to those, made it possible for me to do a lot more than I'd planned, or even dreamed possible!

I feel as if I've reached a new level in the program, and that my commitment (and "self-discipline"--whatever that is ) is much deeper and stronger than I'd thought. And I know now, even better than before, the value of Little Steps for Little Feet! Just wanted to share!

Camille