Managing Weight for Shift Workers

Speaker 1 0:01

I keep putting on weight and I just can't lose it . I need help . How many times have I heard this ? I hear this all the time People message me , when people talk to me . It's a common problem with shift work . Now , in today's episode , I'm going to explain why this happens and how you can turn it around , to start heading in the right direction , and without any special diet . Does this seem too good to be true ? Let's get right in . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to .

Speaker 1 0:38

Be Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified Nutritionist , veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 shift worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rig as a shift worker , but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and well-being so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show and hello shift workers .

Speaker 1 1:14

Welcome to another episode of a healthy shift podcast , where we will look into evidence-based strategies to help shift workers thrive in their demanding environments . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today we're tackling a common concern among night shift workers , and that is weight management . So , first of all , examining the night shift workers diet and what it is in its role in weight gain . Now you might find it really interesting to learn that research over time actually shows that night shift workers , or shift workers , don't actually eat more than our general nine-to-fivers . So how on earth does it actually happen that we end up putting on weight ? I know we feel like we're snacking all the time , but that can be one of the problems as well . But the research is clear and it shows that we don't actually tend to eat more On average , that is , of course , we don't eat more than what our general nine-to-five colleagues do . It's really interesting , isn't it ? So let's examine the night shift workers diet and its role in what happens in weight gain . So let's face it , the 24-7 nature of shift work just is not kind to our bodies at all and it often leads to weight gain .

Speaker 1 2:37

But fear not , because I'm not about to prescribe any fat diet or restrictive eating plan . Why ? Because they simply do not work and in the long term , and we can't even stick with it . And what happens is we end up in this yo-yo dieting phase of we lose a bit of weight and works and we go oh wow , this diet works . Then we go back to living life and back on comes the weight and more . Now this is a real problem for it , because what this actually does is it exacerbates weight gain . We end up putting on more weight , and that's the reason why you can diet and lose a bit . But if you haven't been educated around it , what actually happens is you put more weight back on than you started with , and that is literally how adipose tissue works .

Speaker 1 3:27

It's important to understand that when you lose weight , you don't actually lose the fat cells . Those fat cells are all still there , but what you've done is you've lost the contents of the fat cells , so they're all still sitting there . But the biggest problem that we have is when we finish a diet and we've lost the weight that we want , those fat cells are still there , like a deflated balloon all sitting there . But then when we re-eat and we reintroduce food in those little suckers , those tormenting little buggers actually multiply and fill up , and this is why people continue to put more weight on in half the amount of time , because those cells are multiplying and filling . And then what happens is when we go on the next diet , we have to lose twice as much , and then we go back to normal , and then they multiply , and then we put more on and that's something that's really important for you to understand so we don't actually lose those fat cells . Those suckers are still sitting there , dormant , waiting for you to make the mistake of refilling them again , and then , because there's food coming , they multiply and they make it worse . Keep that in mind . It is very , very important , and this is why I don't coach clients in dieting per se . It's a weight neutral approach in changing their habits so that they're not yo-yo dieting Right .

Speaker 1 4:59

So now , instead , the key for us to successful weight management for night shift workers lies in something which is even more simple than dieting , and that is timing your meals correctly . By mastering the principles of chrononeutrition and nutrient timing , we can actually achieve sustainable weight loss without resorting to drastic measures of dieting , because what we tend to do is we restrict and then we binge . We restrict and then we binge , we lose weight . We put the weight back on . Put your hand up , not now You're in the car . It'll go through the roof , unless you got your sunroof open . But be careful , because this is what drastic dieting does One more diet , I'll just do one more diet , but then what's going to happen is you're going to put it back on again because you haven't learned sustainable habits .

Speaker 1 5:54

Now , chrononeutrition is the fundamentals for shift worker weight loss . I'm here to tell you that , after almost four decades of shift work and then going off and studying evidence-based nutrition and now working in the field of chrononeutrition , where I'm actually learning , which is the branch of nutritional science which explores a relationship between food and what our body's natural circadian rhythm is . Now this rhythm actually governs crucial functions like ambitabolism and particular hormone secretion In fact , all hormone secretion because it's all running on a circadian rhythm . Now , this makes it essential for shift workers to understand its impact on dietary choices . It's really , really essential . So we need to understand it's not just what we're reading , but it's the time that we're actually eating it and what we're eating at what time . And this is the problem Now the night shift workers diet conundrum .

Speaker 1 6:59

Night shift work disrupts our circadian rhythm full stop and there's no way can we actually control that . We can do the utmost best to align it , but when we work night shift , the fact of the matter is we are a diurnal creature , which means we're awake during the day and asleep at night , and that's how our circadian rhythm runs . So if you are working a night shift , you are on the opposite and this causes circadian desynchronization . Now this leads to a host of negative effects , including poor digestion , you know , gas , bloating , stomach pain , things like that , weight gain and increased risk of chronic diseases . We have cardiovascular disease , stroke , heart attacks , we have risk of type 2 diabetes . Irregular eating patterns only compound these issues . So what we're saying is the circadian rhythm is already desynchronized and then we have an irregular eating pattern , which further compounds it .

Speaker 1 8:00

Now this makes it vital for shift workers to adopt strategies that literally prioritize the health . So it's important also to understand that your metabolism is slower at night , but naturally , this is what it literally naturally does , and research shows that our BMR , which is our basal metabolic rate , our resting rate , is literally about 200 calories less overnight . So for those of you that are trackers and you're tracking and you can't work out why you're not losing or you're putting on weight , keep in mind that overnight , during the biological night , your metabolism is actually running at around about 200 calories less overnight , and that can be a reason , because 200 calories , that adds up to 1400 calories over the period of a week . Give that some thought . Now . Scientific studies have shown that our metabolism follows our circadian rhythm , which means it peaks earlier in the day and it slows down at night . Now this means that when we consume large or heavy meals during the biological night , this will hinder our weight management effort due to a decreased metabolic activity at that particular point in time . So just to recap that , the more we eat earlier in the day , the better food is metabolized , and if we try and do that overnight , it's not metabolized well at all , and it's important that people understand that . Anything that you eat overnight we have a big problem with , because our body is not efficient at metabolizing that food .

Speaker 1 9:39

So what role do hormones play in weight gain ? Well , fatigue plays havoc on our hunger and satiety hormones in particular . Hello , shift workers . So there we are fatigue , we are always tired and we do have trouble with our hunger and satiety . Have you ever noticed that when you go out at night , even as a nine to five , if you go out at night and then you get minimal sleep , you always wake up and you're hungry . Well , that's if you're not hungover , but you'll wake up and you'll be hungry and you just can't stop eating all day .

Speaker 1 10:11

What this is . It's actually an imbalance between your hunger and satiety hormones . The hunger hormone known as ghrelin actually comes from our stomach it's known as the grumbling tum hormone , and it tells us that we're hungry . So what happens is ghrelin gets elevated and we just crave highly palatable carbohydrates and fats . So if you think about it when you're on night shift , oh , I crave sweets , I need sweets , I need carbohydrates , I need fats . Give me the chocolate . Here's the problem , because it's your body just searching for glucose . Check it , call your body out on its bullshit , because it's not actually real .

Speaker 1 10:51

What it is is . It's just a hormone signaling . It doesn't mean that you are actually hungry . It just means that your ghrelin and the other hormone which is what we need elevated , which is leptin , which is our body's own personal trainer , become totally unbalanced . Now the interesting thing leptin actually comes from our fat cells and what it does is it says , no , we're good , we don't need anything to eat . So when we're fatigued , leptin is reduced , ghrelin is elevated and therefore we find that we're generally hungrier and we're always craving those highly palatable carbohydrates and fats . Now the fats are what are incredibly energy dense at 9 kilocals per gram , and these are super easy to overeat . They're high in energy , which can be good if we eat them in a small quantity , but they're also very , very easy to overeat .

Speaker 1 11:46

But we also have a biological day and a biological night , and this can be dictated by the type of chronotype that you are . Now , when melatonin is secreted , which is during the biological night time , which is generally for majority of people , from about 2100 hours or 9pm through until about 6am , that is the biological night . The biological night is signified by the dim light melatonin onset , or known as the Dilmo , which happens around about 9 o'clock for most people , and this can be dictated by whether you're at an early lark or whether you're a night owl . If you're a night owl , who is someone who likes to get up late and go to bed late , there could be an hour or two time shift in that biological night as well . Now , when melatonin is secreted , which occurs during the biological night , it parks on the pancreas and it gives the instruction to shut it down . Therefore , the pancreas is not producing insulin .

Speaker 1 13:46

Now this insulin is really important . I've done a couple of posts on this just recently in relation to insulin in its role and what it actually does . But when we consume carbohydrates . The body breaks it down into glucose into the blood stream . The pancreas releases insulin to shuttle that glucose into the muscle bloodstream and also into our liver to store as energy , which is known as glycogen . And what actually happens ? There is , we need that insulin . But because our body has shut down , we're also highly insulin resistant .

Speaker 1 14:26

Now , this means that when we eat overnight , the glucose in our bloodstream cannot be shuttled into the cell to burn , to get burnt as energy . So what happens to it ? It just flows around our bloodstream and then it gets parked as stored energy . And what is stored energy ? Body fat . And that is where that weight gain comes from . The double whammy , isn't it ?

Speaker 1 14:47

So let's , we talked about the doom and gloom . I wanted you to understand exactly why this happens . So , to summarize it , our body is completely out of sync at night . So therefore , melatonin at night has parked on the pancreas , told the pancreas it's time to shut down . Also , the melatonin release has caused us to become insulin resistant because our body should be resting . Even though we're awake , our body is actually resting . So therefore , when we do force it to eat , it's not releasing sufficient insulin to shuttle that glucose into the blood cells . And when it gets to the sorry , to the body cells , muscle cells , it's not releasing enough all sorts of cells and when it gets there , it doesn't , it can't go anywhere . It can't get in because the insulin is the key to unlock the cell , to get it in there . And it can't get in there , so it flows around the body and ends up getting parked as body fat and that is literally a simple . So let's talk about the solution now .

Speaker 1 15:43

So what are the strategies for how to lose weight when we work night shift ? Because it's quite simple really . Let's explore evidence-based strategies for successful weight management during our night shifts . And this is important and I know this is easy for me to say , but I've got to tell you it is really really important . And number one is to try and stay as in sync with our day and night as we possibly can . To eat at that is normal nine to five times breakfast , lunch and dinner . Our body counts on it , our body anticipates , it is ready for , it , metabolizes food the right way and it also will metabolize the food well and therefore it doesn't end up getting parked as body fat .

Speaker 1 16:28

And this is important and this is also easy for me to say prioritized quality sleep of seven to nine hours

Effective Weight Management During Night Shifts

Speaker 1 16:34

without relying on any medication . We want natural , restorative sleep . All right , because what this does is it supports our hormonal balance . Remember ghrelin and leptin , as I spoke about . When we get good restorative sleep , ghrelin and leptin are playing like a well-tuned orchestra . It's really , really important . Now I know it's easy for me to say just get seven to nine hour sleep and we shift workers , but it's something that we really really do need to prioritize , and I want to go back over this again and I'm going to say it again to people do not take medications melatonin is an exception but do not take any medications for sleep unless it's absolutely necessary .

Speaker 1 17:17

And if it's absolutely necessary for you to take medications , you really do need to reconsider your vocation and whether night shift is something that you can or can't do , because when you take medications , you are actually not sleeping . Your body is not going through the normal 90 minute cycles of the different stages of sleep that it actually needs to go through for you to get that proper sleep . Yeah sure , you're out cold for eight hours and you think , wow , I had eight hours sleep . You've actually not slept . You've been unconscious for eight hours and your body has not gone through those proper stages that it really needs to go through . So please try and go and speak to your GP and , instead of him prescribing sleep medication for you , talk to him about a referral to a sleep specialist or a sleep coach to help you to actually learn how to go about sleeping .

Speaker 1 18:08

Poor sleep has clues . There's a trail of destruction that leads into poor sleep . Whether it's stress , whether it's eating too late , whether it's eating the wrong foods at the wrong time , anything like that . It can be all sorts of problems and that can all be addressed to help you to get natural , restorative sleep , which is going to set you up forever . The next step is to choose whole , nutrient dense foods to fuel your body and maintain energy levels . Now what we want to do is we want to opt for well-balanced meals incorporating carbs , proteins and healthy fats to sustain you through your shift . So we want to do that earlier in the day to later in the day , having that last meal and then going extremely light with high protein meal , high protein snacks overnight to help us to get through , just to sustain that energy , but nothing that's going to cause our body to struggle to digest .

Speaker 1 19:06

We need to schedule our main meal before or very , very early in our night shift , and obviously this is going to be dependent on what time you start work . Some people start work at five , six or seven o'clock at night and others don't start until 10 or 11 o'clock at night . So it's I can't give you a blanket before you start it's got to be some time prior to 9 pm is the best time for you to actually eat that food before that melatonin onset occurs . So that's something to remember . Always think around nine o'clock is the best time for me to eat . Before I've changed my thinking around this . I used to say midnight . I've changed to 9 pm on this because that is when the melatonin is actually released in majority of people and that is where it parks on the pancreas and starts to shut it down . So that's what we want to try and make sure that we've got that meal in before then .

Speaker 1 20:04

Now we need to stay hydrated with water or herbal teas as much as we can , and we need to limit caffeine intake during your shift . Now , the high hydration is especially important for females , and the reason why this is is because females have a less acidic stomach . They have a longer digestive tract . Their intestines are 30 centimetres longer , their colon is longer and empty slower . And also we have to remember that the female reproductive organs occupy the same space as all of that digestive tract , as well with the internal sex organs . It's important and it's imperative that we actually keep that water flowing through , to empty that , to prevent that gas bloating and causing all those problems for you , ladies , overnight , particularly in the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle , where everything's all agitated and out of sync with the circadian rhythm and rubbing up against each other , competing for space . Keep that in mind . This is a lot of the reason why we actually end up having problems . Alright . So that's what we want to do Now .

Speaker 1 21:16

We need to align our reading patterns with the biological day and night and consuming most of your calories during the day and then opting for our lighter , nutritious , protein-heavy , dense snacks overnight . That's it , not chocolate chips , lollies and Jenny's cake . We don't want any of that overnight , because that's going straight to your hips . Let's be fair , alright . So there you go no restrictive diets , no compulsive calorie counting , just an awareness of your body's natural rhythm is all you need at this point in time to not only get to the stage where you were a rest , fat gain , but you can actually commence losing weight . So let's summarise that very simply Effective weight management during night shifts does not require any restrictive diets or obsessive calorie counting . It doesn't . Instead , it's just about understanding your body's natural rhythm and making small , sustainable adjustments to your lifestyle . So by prioritising quality sleep , nourishing your body with nutrient dense foods fruits , vegetables , nuts , seeds , legumes and lean proteins and aligning those eating patterns with your regular circadian rhythm , you will achieve weight loss goals while thriving in your night shift role .

Speaker 1 22:43

Now , if you need help around this , I coach clients one to one , and I am more than happy to help clients in this area . So what I can do is you can reach out to me . In the show notes there is a link to a form which is one to one coaching , and you will get a free discovery call with me where we can discuss simple , sustainable adjustments in your life . We have a look at your work life , your social life , your home life . We work through all of that and put simple , sustainable habits in place until you start to gain momentum , and then you watch what actually happens to you . You will learn how to thrive and not just survive . You will be getting coached by me , which is somebody who personally coached by me , someone who's done almost 40 years of shift work . So I can coach you with empathy , I can coach you with understanding , I will help you and I will change your life forever around your shift working life . I can promise you that .

Speaker 1 23:47

Okay , now the key episodes from this . Key takeaways from this episode is to reduce your window of eating down to 10 to 12 hours every day , and only during that biological day . So you need to be eating , as a rule , between 6 or 7 am and between 7 or 8 pm , and that is it . No more Put majority of your calories in the earlier part of the day . If you can pride a lunchtime , or certainly pride to about 3 pm , that is when our body maintains its best possible metabolism and then it starts to drop away as the day goes . We need to focus on good sleep , good nutrition to stabilize blood sugar . We need high hydration to manage stress and to get early daily movement in , and a simple walk after the meals will be just all it needs .

Speaker 1 24:39

And remember , fellow shift workers , your health , and in particular your physical health , is a non-negotiable . It is the foundation that allows you to excel in your career and enjoy life beyond the workplace , and this is super important . And remember , this is about having more energy to do all of those things that you love outside of your shift working life . By taking these steps , these evidence-based steps , you won't just be surviving , you'll be thriving . Keep pushing forward and remember I , roger , are here to support you in every step of the way . Stay committed to nourishing your body and prioritizing your well-being and , as always , please remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritize your mental health and well-being .

Speaker 1 25:35

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Speaker 1 25:41

. It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to a healthyshiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .