Weight loss and working night shifts.

Anyone out there work nights.  How do you schedule your meals.  My job is pretty physical.  I do a lot of walking,  and I work 12 hour shifts 3 days a week.   It is not possible to go all night without eating.  My days off a fine.  I can have regular meals and stay on track.  This night stuff is a little more challenging.  Any ideas.  JR

You should have your meals and snacks every 3-4 hours starting from when you get up and not based on what day shift workers call "breakfast", "lunch" and "dinner".

im a night shift worker also. 12hr in a hospital 3-4 nights / week.  i treat my night shifts as bfast/lunch/dinner, drink sugar free koolaid or  protein water. one of my downfalls is when i get sleepy i want to snack since i cant nap.  when if get off i stop at the park (on the way home ) to walk or go to the hospital gym if raining.
its hard to get going to exercise after being up all night. but getting up early ? nuh huh ! haha

What I am doing now is I bring one meal and a protein shake.  I drink flavored water and coffee.  When I get home I eat oatmeal or 1 egg on a piece of toast.   I do keep my  breakfast about the same all the time.  Lunch is a few select  items.  Dinners I given myself a little variety.  I have found that keeping it very simple has been of great benefit..    I always found that having to think about a daily menu all  the time was way to tedious and time consuming.  I got my inspiration from two sources.  My nutrition guide and Dr. Oz.  MY guide tells me to keep my meals to certain number of calories for the day.  Divide it into 3 meals and allow for 2 snacks.  If you blow one meal with too many calories, forgive yourself and instead of thinking that you blew the whole day you have blown that one meal.  We think like that!  I ate too much for lunch, so I must have blown the whole day!  We blew lunch.  Now shake it off  and get on with the rest of the day.  This simple idea (can't believe that I didn't think of it myself) has really helped me.  Dr. OZ recommends that you keep you meal selections to a few items.  It make it harder to over eat when you know exactly what you are having and what the calorie/fat content is.  Even with weight loss surgery, it still is calories in and calories out.
All of my co-workers want to order out all the time.  Pizza, sandwich's and the like.  It is hard to turn it down, even though I can't eat much of it even if I order. I too want to mindlessly snack when I am tired.  There are studies that say night worker are more likely to be overweight because eating to combat tiredness.
 Keeping to the limited food list has helped me a lot.  Yes, I do allow myself  a cheat once in a while.  However, I am really working the plan and I want to stay on track.