Distribution of calories over a mixed schedule? day/night shift.

[Sweetbeard]

Hello all !
This is my first post out side of the introduction thread and I would appreciate some advice.

I am Starting SS today, and besides keeping track to my workout I am going to use this time to try and dial in my diet and figure out a working number for my maintenance and bulking calories.

here is my dilema, my schedule is as follows.

Monday Sleep 9:30am-3 pm work 8pm 8am
Tuesday Sleep 9:30am-3 pm work 8pm 8am
Wednesday got off work at 8am..... stay up until about 10pm ( 32 hours without sleep ) ( may fit a 4 hour nap in )
Thursday wake at 7 am all day off , sleep at midnight
Friday wake at 7 am all day off , sleep at midnight
Saturday wake up at 1pm, work 8pm 8am
Sunday Sleep 9:30am-3 pm work 8pm 8am


so basically half the week I am up night sleeping days, stay up a whole day and reverse it.

So since there is no working around my schedule my main question is!

When adding up my daily calories should I do it between a specific time period say midnight to midnight?
or should I do it for times that I am awake?

when I get home from work at 8am and have my pre sleep cottage cheese would that be added to my calories from the day before or the current day? and if it is a new day what would be the cut off hour to start over?

[Mark!]

I believe it should be done for the time you are awake, that's how I do it. Think of sleep as a cycle...if you sleep it's the end of a cycle. So count calories from the moment you wake up, until the moment you go to sleep. I wake up around 3pm, work 8pm-6am, go to sleep around 7 or 8am so from 3pm-8am, I count my calories and carbs. What screws me up is my off days, Tuesday I get off at 6am, off that night, Wendesday night and Thursday night, my sleep changes sometimes and I don't get all my food in.

[Sweetbeard]

I believe it should be done for the time you are awake, that's how I do it. Think of sleep as a cycle...if you sleep it's the end of a cycle. So count calories from the moment you wake up, until the moment you go to sleep. I wake up around 3pm, work 8pm-6am, go to sleep around 7 or 8am so from 3pm-8am, I count my calories and carbs. What screws me up is my off days, Tuesday I get off at 6am, off that night, Wendesday night and Thursday night, my sleep changes sometimes and I don't get all my food in.

i see what you are saying... maybe I will try and make sure I work a nap in on those LONG wednesdays.. heck that is a SS workout day anyway, I will probably need it bad :drooling:

[VikingWarlord]

I'd suggest tracking in 24-hour blocks. Your goal is based on an average anyway, so as long as your weekly intake divided by 7 is your goal, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Plan everything out ahead of time and have it ready to go so you don't have to think much about it.

[Sweetbeard]

OK thats one vote for each ..... it sounds like pretty much a tossup.



EDIT!

I started using myplate to track my calories.. and since that uses 24 hour blocks, I am just going that route :)