A realisation

[Belle124485]

Hi guys,

I've just weighed myself-first time in a while, and realised I am the heaviest I've ever been with a BMI of 29 huge resolve and determination has kicked in all of a sudden but I'm a nurse and work shifts-has anyone got any tips for nights in particular? The 4am slump is so difficult and I always need a biscuit with my tea to perk me up.

Also, is 12kgs a reasonable target?

Any help and advice would be most gratefully received.

[Hidden]

Hi That's great that the determination has kicked in - me too, as of last Mon!

Re night-time biscuit, what about fruit, yoghurt or rice cake? I am trying to avoid processed foods but I know from experience that Snack-a-Jacks are good for nibbly moments. I find the Options hot chocolates good at about 40 cals and I drink Chai tea as it has more flavour so I don't find myself wanting biscuits. I also snack on a few cherry tomatoes. It's probably partially psychological during the night - what about a wee set of jumping jacks in a quiet space to get you wide awake?! Good luck

[HRHGaby]

Welcome, I hope you find what you need in this community. Start by dowloading an app on your phone to keep track of calories (Fat Secret, My Fitness Pal...), it's a great aid! Good luck!

[Anna999]

Hi belle, Welcome to the forum, you have found a great community, everyone here is so supportive! I had a similar moment a couple of weeks ago and am now on week 3 of the NHS plan,finding it good, pretty easy to stick to! I'm using my fitness pal to count calories. I'm a 3rd yr student nurse and work as an hca, my slump on nights comes around 5. I've only done one night on the diet so far, but I got through it OK by drinking lots of water throughout the night and snacking on grapes and an apple with my coffee. I have a colleague who is dieting, that has instant porridge at that time as an early breakfast and doest eat when she gets in. It works for her but I can never stomach anything that heavy at that time! I guess everyone is different, so try a couple of things out and see what works for you! Good luck! 🌸

[Anna999]

Also 12kg seems like a great target in the long term but I'd recommend breaking it down into smaller ones to keep your motivation going! My first was half a stone (which I achieved today) and my next is a stone. Best of luck, looking forward to hearing how you get on! 🌸

[Belle124485]

Thanks for all the tips guys! I worked last night and successfully avoided all the junk food that was kicking around the kitchen when I went for a tea. Feel very proud of myself. But starving now! I'll definitely bring some grapes/rice cakes in for night time snacks on my next set. Just got to find something delicious for breakfast now! 🍇🍒

[Tina1956]

Hi I'm also a nurse working 12.5hr shifts and understand exactly what your staying. I leave my break (1 hour) as late in the shift as I can, usually around 2 or 3 am and have a large bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt. Hope this helps, good luck x

[binksk]

Hi, I'm a theatre scrub, although I work days now I use to work mainly nights.. I found I weighted less when I worked nights as non of the shops where open so I could only eat what I had with me.. Bring in fruit rather than biscuits, google weetabix muffins, they are much healthier & are easy to bake, bring them if you fancy a sweet treat... I use to work out my calories as I found I ate before, during and after work which can add up to a lot of calories! Make sure you get enough sleep as well, lack of sleep will make you feel tired & crave the wrong things!! Good Luck x

[alex7ra]

For snacks I started by swapping chocolate and biscuits for dried fruit and then dried fruit (which is sweeter) for fresh fruit. Just swapping from chocolate to fruit would have been too hard for me! Good luck

[Belle124485]

Thank you guys, all those tips are great. I'll definitely try them out.

I'm going to an event on Friday and just tried on basically all my dresses in the wardrobe and I couldn't fit into any of them. I'm devastated. I feel so fat and gross 😪 I'm sad and cross with myself for getting to this size and not even noticing I've been good today with my diet but I still feel really upset.