I am getting fat

[Bateluer]

My nagging knee injury has seriously restricted my training this summer and my attempts to recover from it have not been as successful as I hoped. Then, our management at work went full retard, shed some employees, put us all on 12hr shifts, banned vacations, and several other idiotic ideas you usually find on 'Worst Management' lists on the Internet. I landed on an overnight shift.

So, now I can't work out at all Sunday through Tuesday due to work, forcing me to complete all lifting and running training Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I can only do 1 workout on Wednesday, still have to be at work for a 6hr shift. I've been very inconsistent with what I do for that workout, sometimes its an arm day, others a chest day, and sometimes I don't feel like lifting at all and just jump on the treadmill for a while.

On the plus side, its getting cool enough now that I can run at night, assuming I'm willing to run in the dark. Not that I'm enthusiast about running desert trails alone at night with a head lamp. If I do that, I'll be sitting with the shorter, 4-6 mile loops. Unfortunately, this also kinda means any long runs would need to be repeated loops.

The lack of consistent training has caused me to gain about 10-15lbs since August.

 

[doubledeluxe]

Have you applied to other jobs? Your health matters.

Try lowering your intake while you get your work situation fixed.

 

[Zivic]

My nagging knee injury has seriously restricted my training this summer and my attempts to recover from it have not been as successful as I hoped. Then, our management at work went full retard, shed some employees, put us all on 12hr shifts, banned vacations, and several other idiotic ideas you usually find on 'Worst Management' lists on the Internet. I landed on an overnight shift.

So, now I can't work out at all Sunday through Tuesday due to work, forcing me to complete all lifting and running training Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I can only do 1 workout on Wednesday, still have to be at work for a 6hr shift. I've been very inconsistent with what I do for that workout, sometimes its an arm day, others a chest day, and sometimes I don't feel like lifting at all and just jump on the treadmill for a while.

On the plus side, its getting cool enough now that I can run at night, assuming I'm willing to run in the dark. Not that I'm enthusiast about running desert trails alone at night with a head lamp. If I do that, I'll be sitting with the shorter, 4-6 mile loops. Unfortunately, this also kinda means any long runs would need to be repeated loops.

The lack of consistent training has caused me to gain about 10-15lbs since August.

don't blame weight gain on lack of training.... your diet is the problem. Sure the training isn't helping, but the real problem is you are consuming too many calories.

I work 12+ hr days for 3-4 months straight (7 days a week) and I find time to make it to the gym consistently. working 12 hrs leaves 12 hrs you aren't working. make time, not excuses.

If you aren't training regularly, that's on you and how you prioritize it.
If you are gaining weight, that's on you and and your diet.

You cannot out work a bad diet.

 

[Bateluer]

Have you applied to other jobs? Your health matters.

Try lowering your intake while you get your work situation fixed.

Yes, been applying, gotten a couple phone interviews and a couple in person, but no offers yet. In the mean time, yes, I have been applying. Few phone interviews, couple in person. No offers yet. Which irks me because at least two of them would have been ~10 minute commutes. Still working on that front.

don't blame weight gain on lack of training.... your diet is the problem. Sure the training isn't helping, but the real problem is you are consuming too many calories.

I work 12+ hr days for 3-4 months straight (7 days a week) and I find time to make it to the gym consistently. working 12 hrs leaves 12 hrs you aren't working. make time, not excuses.

If you aren't training regularly, that's on you and how you prioritize it.
If you are gaining weight, that's on you and and your diet.

You cannot out work a bad diet.

I'll be the first to admit that my diet is shit. There's nothing remotely healthy open in the middle of the night, and bringing foodstuffs to work isn't an option.

Sure, I could make it into the gym on the 12hr days, which are actually closer to 14hr days due to the commute, but it'd result in less sleep than I currently get. Which is, at most, about 5 hours. Do I sacrifice work performance during an era of incompetent management, reorgs and downsizing, or sacrifice my(hopefully short term) health? I could go on for a while with our management's idiocy the past 3 months, but I'll save that for the heavy bag.

Saying '12 hour shifts still leaves 12 hours where you aren't working' is up there with some blanket stupidity though. Sounds great on paper, but falls apart in the real world.

 

[z1ggy]

You kept on eating the same amount of food, on a different life style (no gym, more work). Of course you're going to gain wait. The stress doesn't help either.

You need to readjust your diet now, simple as that. You can omit the gym for months at a time due to injury, and not get fat by eating less.

 

[Bateluer]

I want to vent, dammit. Let me vent.

 

[z1ggy]

I want to vent, dammit. Let me vent.

Welcome to the internet, where people get ridiculed for posting obviously dumb things.

"hi I eat like shit but I'm getting fat, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

^ What did you expect?

Eat better. If you can't because somehow your 12hr shift makes you eat fastfood non stop, then find a different job. Something has to change.

 

[highland145]

I want to vent, dammit. Let me vent.

Start a blog.



Down a consistent 7lbs over 3 months by making small changes. Hit 194 last Thursday but I'm sure I'm up from the weekend. Could cut out some beer.......nah.

 

[blackdogdeek]

There's nothing remotely healthy open in the middle of the night, and bringing foodstuffs to work isn't an option.

There are no diners or fast food places that sell salads late at night? Even McD's and Wendy's have salads.

 

[Zivic]

Saying '12 hour shifts still leaves 12 hours where you aren't working' is up there with some blanket stupidity though. Sounds great on paper, but falls apart in the real world.

not many people have worked as many hours as I have and I make time to get the gym in. I am not saying that to say 'look at me', but I know what it takes to make time vs excuses about not getting in.

5 hrs is enough sleep and it isn't like you are going 7 days a week 12+ work days. I have worked 200+ straight days in past years. 60-100 straight 12-18, some 20 hr days in the middle of that. I will survive on 2hr patches of sleep. You do what you have to do. if you want to do it, you will. that is all I am getting at.

I think the biggest thing for you is to get your diet in check. you would be amazed at what a clean/proper diet can do, even on 2-3 days of training. You can flat out forget the running all together if your diet is dialed in.

 

[Koing]

I want to vent, dammit. Let me vent.

Vent man. It's cool but you will get some replies

Vent for now and get back on track. Make small changes. You don't need to do absolutely everything at once. Just make a few changes and work from there.

Koing

 

[Bateluer]

not many people have worked as many hours as I have and I make time to get the gym in. I am not saying that to say 'look at me', but I know what it takes to make time vs excuses about not getting in.

I get to the gym on the back half of the week, usually Weds through Saturday.

5 hrs is enough sleep and it isn't like you are going 7 days a week 12+ work days. I have worked 200+ straight days in past years. 60-100 straight 12-18, some 20 hr days in the middle of that. I will survive on 2hr patches of sleep. You do what you have to do. if you want to do it, you will. that is all I am getting at.

No, 5 hours is not enough sleep. :/ And about that 7 days of 12s . . . yeah, we kinda do sometimes. Only way for another tech to take a vacation is if another tech covers their shifts, so we've had a couple people work 7x 12s in the past 2 months. HR wasn't happy with the amount of OT the dept is pulling, but manager dingleberry's solution was to simply deny all vacation time.

I think the biggest thing for you is to get your diet in check. you would be amazed at what a clean/proper diet can do, even on 2-3 days of training. You can flat out forget the running all together if your diet is dialed in.

True, working on it.

 

[Bateluer]

Suggestions for a decent sack work lunch that would be fine with minimal refrigeration?

 

[Zivic]

Suggestions for a decent sack work lunch that would be fine with minimal refrigeration?

id invest in a decent cooler if you don't have access to a fridge.
my lunch 6-10 oz of chicken breast, sweet potatoes, and maybe some sort of fruit.
with no fridge... canned tuna/chicken, beef jerky, protein bar/powder mix, peanut butter, almonds

 

[Zivic]

I get to the gym on the back half of the week, usually Weds through Saturday.



No, 5 hours is not enough sleep.
for a few days a week you can get by. it isn't ideal, but you aren't going 5 months straight on 5 hrs

:/ And about that 7 days of 12s . . . yeah, we kinda do sometimes. Only way for another tech to take a vacation is if another tech covers their shifts, so we've had a couple people work 7x 12s in the past 2 months. HR wasn't happy with the amount of OT the dept is pulling, but manager dingleberry's solution was to simply deny all vacation time.

key word there is sometimes.... don't let a week here and there where you can't get all your days in at the gym throw you for a loop. Do what you can when you can.





True, working on it.

I'm telling you it is possible to make time if you want to. I had times (seasons/years) when I said f^ck it, no way can I train while I am working my busy season. I didn't like how I looked or felt, so I made it a priority and I rarely missed a workout the last few yrs -> I think one year I worked every single day from March 14th till Nov 10th... no days off, not sat/sun, none. then from about the first week in June till about labor day, we are talking 12+ (more like 15+ hr days) every day....

most days were like this:
6 AM workers showed up
6-7 pm workers left
left work about 8-8:30
go home and eat and try to get to the gym around 9 pm... train till 10-10:30.
back into the field to start irrigation till about midnight
sleep from midnight till 2 am...
irrigation from 2-3 am (sometimes only about 15-20 minutes, sometimes a couple hours)
sleep again from 3 to 5, except on Saturdays when I had to be back at work at 4 am to load trucks....
I did that for months straight!

Granted some nights I could sleep from 11 till 4-5 am (maybe 1-2 nights a week).....

so when someone complains about not having time, working too much, etc... that's all on you. you either make time or you make excuses. I made excuses for a period of my life and I didn't like where it got me. Doesn't sound like you like where you are now, so start doing something to change that

 

[KIAman]

I'm telling you it is possible to make time if you want to. I had times (seasons/years) when I said f^ck it, no way can I train while I am working my busy season. I didn't like how I looked or felt, so I made it a priority and I rarely missed a workout the last few yrs -> I think one year I worked every single day from March 14th till Nov 10th... no days off, not sat/sun, none. then from about the first week in June till about labor day, we are talking 12+ (more like 15+ hr days) every day....

most days were like this:
6 AM workers showed up
6-7 pm workers left
left work about 8-8:30
go home and eat and try to get to the gym around 9 pm... train till 10-10:30.
back into the field to start irrigation till about midnight
sleep from midnight till 2 am...
irrigation from 2-3 am (sometimes only about 15-20 minutes, sometimes a couple hours)
sleep again from 3 to 5, except on Saturdays when I had to be back at work at 4 am to load trucks....
I did that for months straight!

Granted some nights I could sleep from 11 till 4-5 am (maybe 1-2 nights a week).....

so when someone complains about not having time, working too much, etc... that's all on you. you either make time or you make excuses. I made excuses for a period of my life and I didn't like where it got me. Doesn't sound like you like where you are now, so start doing something to change that

Damn Zivic, mad respect. I'm in a similar situation now with my crazy work schedules and I've been skipping the workouts to make up the time but now I think I am making an excuse as well. If I want it bad enough, I WILL make the time for it.

Thanks for the story.

 

[Bateluer]

I'm telling you it is possible to make time if you want to. I had times (seasons/years) when I said f^ck it, no way can I train while I am working my busy season. I didn't like how I looked or felt, so I made it a priority and I rarely missed a workout the last few yrs -> I think one year I worked every single day from March 14th till Nov 10th... no days off, not sat/sun, none. then from about the first week in June till about labor day, we are talking 12+ (more like 15+ hr days) every day....

most days were like this:
6 AM workers showed up
6-7 pm workers left
left work about 8-8:30
go home and eat and try to get to the gym around 9 pm... train till 10-10:30.
back into the field to start irrigation till about midnight
sleep from midnight till 2 am...
irrigation from 2-3 am (sometimes only about 15-20 minutes, sometimes a couple hours)
sleep again from 3 to 5, except on Saturdays when I had to be back at work at 4 am to load trucks....
I did that for months straight!

Granted some nights I could sleep from 11 till 4-5 am (maybe 1-2 nights a week).....

so when someone complains about not having time, working too much, etc... that's all on you. you either make time or you make excuses. I made excuses for a period of my life and I didn't like where it got me. Doesn't sound like you like where you are now, so start doing something to change that

I need more sleep than 2 and 3hr blocks to actually do my job. Last time I did something similar to that, balancing school and 3rd ship at a dept store and sleeping in two 3hr blocks, it damn near killed me.

Edit - But, hey, I did a 30K night trail run this part saturday, and it seems I'm still a midpack runner.

 

[PricklyPete]

Stop making excuses and focus on eating better. There will be times in your life when it is harder to exercise than others...and you need to adjust your intake appropriately.

Sorry, I know you want to just vent, but in reality, it is better that we don't let you make excuses for yourself. If we let that ride, you likely would think your weight gain is justified...it is not.

 

[Zivic]

I need more sleep than 2 and 3hr blocks to actually do my job. Last time I did something similar to that, balancing school and 3rd ship at a dept store and sleeping in two 3hr blocks, it damn near killed me.

Edit - But, hey, I did a 30K night trail run this part saturday, and it seems I'm still a midpack runner.

You can't do it long term, but you can get by for a while. Just do what you can, when you can

 

[Nebor]

Eat less.

 

[Fulle]

When I was on a late shift like 10 years ago, I got into the bad habit of eating the garbage that was open at those hours. Caused some weight gain, stomach bleeding, and was generally really horrible for me. Then factor in the usual late shift issues, like lowered energy level, sleeping issues, and ruined social life... and it wasn't worth the money.

I ended up taking a regular shift job that payed about 50% less. It was a great decision.