Question: Hi Steven. I'm a nurse trying to lose fat & finding it difficult not to overeat on nights when I work late. I try to eat healthy foods when I overeat but the inconsistency in my schedule is really making it difficult to stay on a consistent food plan.
Answer: My advice would be not to judge your progress on day to day basis as weight fluctuates.
If you eat more on some days than others, its normal for weight to spike because more glycogen and water weight is stored in the muscles.
Instead, focus your attention on your progress TREND OVER TIME - week to week, and don't let daily fluctuations bother you.
If a two week period goes by with no measurable (or visible) improvement (looking leaner) at all, then you can be fairly assured the current plan is still not working and simply needs to be adjusted.
It does take a little trial and error for everyone and it might take a bit more than usual when you have an unusual schedule.
Rest assured, even if you overeat on the twi to three days a week you work night shifts. if you track your weekly calories and create a weekly deficit, you WILL lose fat and get leaner over time.
If you continue with the approach where you're eating a lot more on the days of your night shifts, and then much less on other days, be sure to make a note how that affects your hunger levels.
If you struggle with hunger due to a specific meal pattern, that can be hard to battle, and sometimes slip-ups (consuming too many calories) are not even noticed.
This may not be a problem for you though, and that would be good news.
Remember though, overeating regardless whether the food is healthy or not will stop you from losing weight.
Food quality is for health, the right food quantity is for fat loss.
So even if you eat healthy foods on the nights you work and overeat, you won't start seeing the needle move on the scale and body fat levels go down unless you create a calorie deficit consistently over time.
Sometimes just a little bit of hunger has to be tolerated while you're in fat loss mode.
I don't think you're wrong thinking that the night shift work schedule is a real issue (or challenge) when it comes to overeating.
But if you will be doing this long term, the only thing to do is make the most of it, and do your best to get on a specific set schedule and stick to it consistently.
You should constantly exoeriment and tweak things to figure out what is working and what is isn’t.
If you eat carelessly, it really can be a major issue that will hold you back for your weight loss goals.