It's one thing to be paleo, it's another to be paleo and work as a cop. Late hours, long surveillances...it makes meals a bit more difficult, especially when pulling a 12 hour shift. For the most part my meals are under control, but when it comes to coffee and caffeine, that's another story. I find myself utilizing the drug often when working, mainly out of boredom, but also b/c it provides fuel for a shift that takes me from a calm patrol to a quick foot chase. Anyone in law enforcement or work crazy hours struggle with caffeine or the paleo lifestyle? Any tips for me to better get through this occupation to see the day of my retirement..is the coffee that bad for me if I take it black? I have a long way to go before I retire, I would like to make it there good and healthy....
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This is very hard. It takes effort for sure. I'm a cop too, and the late shift is a bear... Do you work rotating shifts? Day shift most of the time? One thing that works for me is intermittent fasting. I try not to eat at all for an 8 hour shift. If I have to go beyond that, I'll eat some protein- beef jerky, left over chicken from the night before, a few almonds, etc. And maybe some greens, like spinach salad, or broccoli. Don't eat ANY carbs aside from green vegetables. This will keep your blood sugar normal. You won't have the highs and lows, and you won't need as much coffee. I love coffee, and I'll have some if I get real hungry toward the end of my shift. It gives me a boost and it's a good appetite suppressant as well. Another great advantage of this is that when you get off shift, you're ready to eat and you can sit and relax and made your big, long, slow meal a really nice way to end a stressful day. It will relax you and make you ready to kick back and rest. Once you battle through the first week, the fasting part gets easier. For more Paleo hacks: http://paleohacks.com/questions/31453/paleo-cop-question#ixzz1IZMhIARb |
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I work overnights in patrol division (8 hour shifts, 7 years tomorrow!)... most of my buds slam either Monster or Red Bull drinks. One even got kidney stones recently for all the RB he was drinking. I never did the caffeine thing... never drank any of those drinks or coffee (though I did have tea with Sweet and Low until going paleo, but not for the caffeine). Caffeine never seemed to have any real effect on me... at best, it gave me a bad headache. As far as Paleo... been doing it several weeks now... finding myself a little tired (not sleepy, per se, but lacking energy), but that's because I'm also trying to lean out so I'm also going low carb (and doing a couple of weight training sessions a week, sprints, and slow easy runs). What I have found (even when I wasn't doing Paleo) is to get as much rack time (sleep!!!) as I could, especially before going in. If I get enough sleep I'm usually great the whole night, even at the terrible 4 am. Also, follow Robb Wolf's advice... not only does he recommend enough sleep (even if this means skipping on workouts)... darken your room as much as possible, turn the temp down to a nice cool temp, turn on a small fan for some white noise, and hit the sack. I'm with you!!! It's tough, but if you can, kick the habit! |
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Caffeine is an endulgence that many find to be a reasonable one. Even moreso in your case! If you are drinking 8+ cups a day, I would say cut back some. Maybe you can switch to decaf or half decaf/half regular. Check out what Mark Sisson has to say: |
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Try tea, works for me in the jail on 12 hour overnights. Heavy fruit loads help too. |
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