How To Eat Well During Shift Work

Christian Talactac is a medical shift worker who developed a sustainable eating pattern to keep him lean and away from the vending machine, even when his sleep patterns are anything but normal.

Fighting against the clock

I work in the medical field and occasionally do odd hours. Some days I’m on the clock overnight and other days I’m on for 22 hours. I try to stick to the same plan to the best of my ability, but some days it’s very difficult because my schedule always varies. I may train in the morning or the afternoon, but I might have to work in the morning or get called in for an emergency during the middle of the night.

Working the numbers

This is currently my caloric and macro goals to maintain my current size: 3,200 calories, 110g fat, 300g carbs and 220g protein. I either drop or add calories by manipulating my carbs and protein when it’s time to shred body fat or gain muscle.

Working the shift

I usually push my feeding window back until about 12pm. I try to get my biggest meal in then with high protein, carbs and moderate fats to help fuel my training. The time between my first meal and training is about five hours. I don’t like training with a full stomach. I feel like I perform better with less in it. Pushing my feeding window back allows me to eat later in the day if necessary.

Keeping it varied

I don’t like restricting myself to the same foods every single day, so I’ll throw in a variety of foods to keep me sane. I’m all for flexible dieting as long as I meet my macro goals and don’t exceed my caloric limit. This allows me to be flexible with my diet so I may manage time between family, friends, work and training.

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