If you have a regular 9 to 5 office job, you probably take a lunch break at a regular lunch hour. By that I mean during the normal accepted hours for lunch — say, 11am to 1pm. But if you're one of the many who work a shift that's earlier or a little later, you probably don't really take lunch at lunch. A mixed-up work schedule can play havoc with dinner plans and appetite, so here are a few tips for making sure you eat a good lunch — whatever time of day it is.
1. There's Nothing Wrong With Snacking: If you don't have a lunch hour when you feel like you should really be eating lunch (say 3pm or 10am) just try snacking. Although it sounds like added calories, try eating protein-packed snacks to tide you over, and eat dinner at home or with friends during a normal hour without ordering something small since you've eaten recently.
2. Don't Skip: 9 times out of 10, thinking you can skip your meal to eat with other family members at a different time doesn't work out. You might succeed in your quest, but hunger pains and fuzzy thoughts might ensue. It's easy to think you'll just drink a soda or a cup of coffee, but eat something, anything, even just a simple egg to help keep you going.
3. Who Cares? All that really matters is that you eat when you're hungry, so eat on the schedule you work. No one says lunch as to be between 11 and 1, just the restaurant industry (and tradition).
4. Adjust Your Sleep Schedule: Sometimes it's easier to justify eating lunch at 10am if you get up earlier. Instead of hitting the gym after work, try before. If you're a late lunch eater, try staying up late and working on the opposite end of things. It can help your metabolism know what to expect each day and keep you on track between meals.
Do you have a trick or tip for eating lunch at an unusual hour? Do you eat a whole meal? Snack on something small? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: How To Make Your Own Lunch Box Ice Packs
(Image: Flickr member dlofink licensed for use by Creative Commons)
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Just a comment on the Built bag in the picture: it doesn't keep my lunches cool at all.
I love the egg idea. BECAUSE I work in a restaurant, it is almost impossible to eat between 11 and 1. If I eat any later, than I am full for hours and am not inspired to make dinner at an appropriate time for my family. A hard boiled egg or two would probably be enough to keep me going until I got home to make the big meal of the day...
I find it's just a matter of adjusting your perception. As was said in #3, who says lunch has to be at noon? Who says it even has to be "lunch"?! I work at a grocery store, and my shifts start anywhere from 8am to 1:30pm, making it impossible to eat at the same time every day. While living alone makes it easier to decide if and when to eat without feeling awkward, I find that eating according to the day's schedule is best for me. I'll always eat before work, pack something to eat mid-shift, and eat again when I get home.
I work a strange shift all the time. Anywhere from 6am-2:30pm all the way up to a 2pm-10pm. Breaks are generally an hour and a half after you get there, four and a half for lunch and two hours before you leave for a full 8 hour shift. I tend to have something breakfast like before work (since breakfast is great anytime), a snack at each break and a meal at the lunch. If I am still hungry for a third meal when I get home I have something light like a salad or a sandwich.
Skipping meals, not snacking and trying to be "normal" have only made for awkward scheduling, weight gain and spikes in blood sugar.
I work from 9-3:45, or 3:30-10:15 without a real lunch break, so planning is tricky. When I work an early shift, I eat a good breakfast right before work and pack snacks (fruit, luna bar) or a simple sandwich that can be eaten very quickly throughout my shift. After work I eat a hybrid lunch/dinner meal and have something light later on if I'm hungry.
For the night shifts I eat a normal breakfast, a solid lunch at around 3, and try to have a snack during my shift. Dinner is lighter since it's usually late. Although I have been working this schedule for two years, it can still be challenging. Since I can't have a real meal during work, I often have to force myself to eat when I'm not hungry yet so I don't starve later. It's not an ideal situation.
I'm on a regular/normal schedule now, but I always just shifted my feeding schedule - instead of breakfast at 7:00, it would roll back or forward to be just before I headed in, and then my other meals bumped accordingly. I was on my own then, though, so that provided a lot more flexibility.
I'm a night shifter. Advice I received was to eat something every five hours, and just eat what appeals to you, whether that's oatmeal at 2a or a turkey sandwich for "breakfast" when I'm driving home in the morning. Difficult to anticipate what's going to taste good, though - a lot of food seems to make me nauseous at night. Any other overnight tips?