Anyone here work nights? How do you stay on goal?

I’m a night shift nurse at a hospital, I work 2-3 shifts a week, and I do mostly 16:8 (I do 18:6 or 20:4 when I have the opportunity). The nights I work, I attempt to stop eating at 11pm so that my fasting window would be 11p-3 or 4p the next day, but that can be challenging, depending on patient acuity. I can’t very well break my fast at 6pm (before my shift) and not eat until the next afternoon - I don’t think I’d make it through my shift. What about almond milk in coffee overnight? An 8oz cup of almond milk has 40 calories - wouldn’t the 1-2 tablespoons I usually use be negligible and not break my fast, technically? Any tips or advice would be appreciated!

Answer

I don’t understand what you are saying.

You are saying you need to eat but will settle for a couple tablespoons of almond milk in coffee. If that’s all you need… you don’t need to eat.

I’m confused on what you are saying.

You can change the hours you fast on the nights you work.

Answer

When I did nightshifts I would do this… (assuming a Monday start)

Sunday 7pm - eat dinner & start super long fastMonday 9pm - start workMonday 11pm - open window and eat dinnerTuesday 7am - close window and eat breakfast before bed

Repeat that until Thursday when I would return to normal. It actually helps get a couple of extra long fasts in as after practice I could often skip the Thursday meal altogether through a mixture of having eaten in the morning and being tired