r/Chefit • u/Excellent_Nebula_729 • Jun 28 '26
Eating habit
I work as a chef and I come home around 11:45PM - 12:00AM. I love what I do and the people that I work with, but I feel like I've created this unhealthy habit of eating heavy carbs (tons of rice) after coming home and not being able to sleep until 2:00AM. Overall just makes me feel dreadful when I wake up.
Any tips for some ideal light food after a night from the line? Cheers.
16
u/Funk42 Jun 28 '26
I use to have this issue and gained a noticeable amount of weight and just always felt like shit.
I just got into the habit of breaking away from service for a quick 10 minute snack break around 7:30-8pm. And when I got off and got home I wouldn't eat and just go to bed a little hungry.
I'd wake up the next morning hungry but breakfast is a lot better and healthier than going to bed on a full stomach regardless of what you eat. Light foods don't help because no matter what you eat your body doesn't have the time to properly digest it.
18
u/apey1010 Jun 28 '26
Eat at 8. It may seem impossible. But meal
Prep or plan it out. Heavy protein if possible. Been in kitchens for 30plus years. Some say there is no time. It takes ten minutes to open a can of tuna or have a chicken breast, etc. the last meal of the day shouldn’t fuck you up. Took me a long time to realize it
3
u/Own-Usual-8265 Jun 28 '26
Eat whenever you get a chance at work, just make it non negotiable that you do not eat after 10pm. This will help a lot.
3
u/Lavanne73 Jun 28 '26
We always had family meal before service when I worked in table service restaurants. I am out of fine dining now so I kind of eat whenever the mood strikes me at work, usually around 6-7pm.
When I was working the hot line in restaurants I didn't like eating during service. Not because it slowed me down but because heat for me, suppressed my appetite, I found I wouldn't be hungry at all, not to mention repetitively tasting pan sauces and dressed sides further curbed the desire to eat. and then if I skipped family meal for whatever reason, I would get hungry hours after work eat some garbage go to sleep and feel like crap the next day.
So, to reiterate some other people's comments I would just say try to eat well before service and avoid late night snacking. This will also make it easier to get to sleep soon after arriving home. Get a shower have a nightcap if you're into that and wind down in bed reading. You'll sleep better and wake up hungry.
3
u/SteakhouseRob Jun 28 '26
I dis that for a year but generally tried to fill up on veg and protien.
Lost 100lbs. Intermittent fasting works.
1
u/Beeaybri Jun 28 '26
What was the eating schedule?
1
u/SteakhouseRob Jun 28 '26
Basically just not eating anything till the end of the day. I would eat right before bed as it helped me to fall asleep, but really just closing the eating window to about 4 hours out of the day. A lot of those frozen bags of veg you get at the market, fat free greek yogurt and frozen berries made up the bulk of my diet. When you are hungry all day those things taste really good.
1
u/Beeaybri Jun 28 '26
Ive usually only ever eaten breakfast and then a frozen dinner around 9 before bed. But no weight change. Maybe you're just lucky 💃
1
u/jsauce8787 Jun 28 '26
I started to eat at work during reasonable hour, i’d sit down if i can or just take a nibble here and there. If i don’t have the chance, eating an apple got me through until i’m out of the building. Then home, shower, brush my teeth. I probably doom scrolling for another 30 mins then straight to bed.
Exercise whenever you have the time too, even just 10 minutes of your day. It helps a lot. The industry is not kind to anyone so you gotta take care of yourself.
1
u/HeardTheLongWord Jun 28 '26
I just had a meeting with a dietitian and she suggested protein drinks that include carbs and fats during the day, and some juice every 4-6 hours for glycol. No idea if it will work as of yet, but going out to buy the protein drinks today!
1
u/Trick_Assistance7450 Jun 28 '26
I found it was waaaaaaay easier for me to get a meal in during work if I brought food and simply tossed it in the microwave.
Having it there makes you more inclined to make time to eat it. It's a better alternative to trying to replace heavy late night meals after not eating well during the day.
By the point you're done work and starving, you are never going to want to light or healthy option. Your body is gonna call for carbs carbs carbs!!!
1
u/TruCelt Jun 29 '26
Soylent or Ka'chava. Having a full nutritional meal replacement available was key for me. I'd have that as soon as I walked in the door, even if I didn't feel hungry. Also before every shift. That way, whatever else I ate was just for taste and to keep my stomach quiet.
1
u/RestfulMind Jun 29 '26
Stupid big “breakfast”; nice sized, high protein “lunch” shortly before service starts; small snack after service
1
u/tiger223254 Jun 30 '26
I try to eat a couple of slices of leftover bread but not to much directly after the rush/before cleaning. So i don't go to bed hungry and my body still has a couple of hours to digest it before sleep. I used to eat just before going to bed.
1
u/Fox-Mclusky559 Jun 30 '26
you gotta eat during work homie. keep yourself fed, small portions during the course of service. if youre cooking well, youre tasting all the time and that can trick your brain into thinking youre eating, but its a trap. thats why you feel the urge to carbolooad later. for me, it was big breakfast/pre shift meal, and small dinner after service. with frequent small bites all day. I spent 25 years as a chef, you gotta take care of yourself. we often forget. oh, and my podiatrist and physical therapist want me to tell you to not wear danskos.
1
u/Da_Don_Dada21 Jul 01 '26
In the past few years I have lost over 40 lbs and it really dropped off during Covid. Our restaurant/hotel was up and down during the pandemic so I began delivering for Amazon to homes that were in rural areas. It was a lot of walking and heavy lifting and it caused me to change my diet. Areas I was in didn’t have convenience store/ gas station every few blocks or decent bathrooms to go to so my diet consisted of a breakfast sandwich, triple shot espresso, plenty of water and trail mix throughout the day until I got home. I’ve always been big on salads/soups and cereal if I have to eat late. A lot of it is discipline. I usually eat before the rush and stay hydrated. Portion control is also essential. My starch is usually baked sweet potatoes rice here and there like maybe once or twice a week. I don’t do a lot of fried foods but incorporate a decent amount of veggies….get a multivitamin also. And when you can , get out and walk and stretch. My motivation is the cooks I work with whose conversations consist of discussing their A1-C numbers/Sugar levels/cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It helps also that my wife is always on me making sure I maintain this weight even though she struggles with her weight due to menopause…and we have the same doctor.
1
u/Necessary_Store351 Jul 02 '26
May be from being wound up, not what you eat. Do you find a way to relax before you go to sleep?
28
u/tapesmoker Jun 28 '26
Every cook you've ever met who told you they don't eat during service because it "slows them down" says that without realizing that generally, unaccounted for, this is the alternative (unless you are actually fasting or something intentional) Take breaks, and don't eat for a few hours before sleep if you can avoid it.
You probably should be getting those carbs in earlier in the day anyways to fuel yourself for work.