im 26years of age 5 '6 and weigh 225. I dont look as much as i weigh but the belly is huge. i have no self esteem at all. i wear clothes that are 9 times bigger then me and yes i know it makes me look bigger but i feel comfortable when i know my butt is coverd. i dont feel sexy at all. i work nights. and have an hour comute to work. I usually dont get up till 1pm so it is shower and go. no time to eat .I start work at 4pm and dont get home till 3am. I usually just run to the corner and get a slice of pizza or whatever something real easy since i rarely have time to do anything so that is the only meal a day i get. i want to loose the weight and feel sexy and healthier. a guy at work started atkins in march and now in may he lost 50 pounds and he was an eater before he started he looks really go so im am starting atkins tomorrow. (today is over) I really need some advice on what to do .any info will help thanks for having this forum

im so glad there is a place i can come to for advise. and support. I REALLY NEED IT.

i work nights also... hey maybe we can be buddies???? lol cuz it looks like we're gonna be the only "nuts" up at those weird hours

I also work nights and have throughout my sucessful weight loss thus far. I work 12 hour nights plus half hour they add for lunch plus I was driving 50 minutes each way so 14.5 hours out of my day devoted to work...sleep from about 8:30 am to 2pm or 3pm if i am exhausted and have 2-3 hours before I have to leave for work!!!!

So this is what I do
1. I don't eat breakfast when i get home before I sleep.
2. I eat a meal I call late lunch when I get up or if I'm running late I eat it at work at 7pm
3. I eat a meal at work I call my midnight meal sometime between 10pm and 2am depending on how hungry I am and how busy it is at work.
You could add snacks or mini meals in there...

So the logistics how do i make it work...well I bring lots of legal stuff to work...people laugh at my bag of food...but that way if I'm hungry I have food to eat...no turning to popcorn for me.

When I eat my "late lunch" I make 2 to 3 times the food I need so i can eat it for midnight meal tonight or tomorrow if I am not in the mood for the same food twice in a row...

I make a giant bowl of salad and line the bowl with paper towels and cover with saran wrap and put all the low carb topping I like on it like cucumbers, radiah, green onions, green peppers all except tomatoes...add those when you eat it because they make the salad gushy...then I just grab a handful or 2 and toss in a baggie and grab a bottle of dressing.

Same thing goes with vegies...for instance I like broccoli and cheese I make enough to have extra to take to work tonight or tomorrow...green beans with a little onion and bacon..mmm

I am not very creative through the work week...I keep things simple mainly out of necessity...I like to use the grill for chicken, pork chops, burgers, steak..of course make extras

then add a low carb vegi and salad and i'm set

for the carbo-munching family I just make them a boxed rice or potato side dish and they eat what i do...I don't have time to make 2 dinners.......And if they have pizza I fall back on those extra burger I made or chicken breast on salad

Well sorry so long I hope this may help...If you have any questions or If you just want to talk feel free to stop by my journal...

HI i work nites too, and its really difficult for me. ive lost 29 lbs and seem to be stalled, although i have read the techical definition of stalled, it hasnt been enough weeks yet but my motivation is decreased. I feel kinda lucky that some of the girls here at work are on atkins too, so when they are on at least i have some support. GOOD LUCK GIRLS, heres hoping ya ll get to your goal

Nursegal----I'm a nurse too

i am so glad im not the only night owl out there !! lol. Well I started this afternoon (morning to most lol) I had 2 eggs and a piece of taylor ham. I bought the George Forman grill and grilled up some chicken to take with me to work for dinner I also brought a hot dog with some mustard for lunch. No bun of course. So that is all im eating today. Im a coffee fien to keep me up late. I usually drink my coffe with creme and sugar. I know i can't use sugar but what is the alternative?(something that does not taste like a chemical)

I would love to be buddies with u!.

This is actually my first post here. I saw the thread about night shift workers and thought "hey, there HAS to be some nurses there!" LOL

I'm a nurse and working 12 hour shifts like you, Becca. 7p-730a
Right now I'm just doing a weekend program because I have a 2 small children at home and I need to be home with them during the week.

I just started Atkins last Thursday. I'd say I started induction but I'm not sure I've kept strictly under 20gm of carbs everyday. I'm still in the learning process and getting better at it everyday. I've lost 4 pounds since starting so I must be doing something right

If anyone has any tips for packed meals for those long shifts I would love to hear them!!

I dont really work nights but I work wacky hours....usually nights. I am not a nurse but I hope to be a nurse practioner in the future. I currently do medical transcription. It is sooo hard because I am up for such long periods of time that I get very hungry some days. I could not kick the caffeine. I just need it for the extra pep. It does not seem to have affected my weight loss though.

patches - You are going to LOVE your Foreman Grill.

hey fellow nite owls,
rebecca has some good ideas for coping with eating and staying up at nite, i was just wondering does the caffene make anybody stall like atkins says it does? ive totally gone cafeene free, but sometimes on nites i'd like a little kick, what do ya'll think? someone on the site somewhere said the caffeene in early morning coffee helps keep them "regular" ..... just wondering

NURSEGAL - Hello. When I was on induction I completely cut out coffee/caffeine but after a while working the wacky hours and stuff I found I needed that jump start and it does not seem to affect me at all as far as weight loss. I don't drink it everyday but I have it from time to time. Today I mixed some instant coffee with the Atkin's chocolate shake and it was yummy. I also enjoy my Starbucks Americano with cream and SF vanilla syrup. So yummy.