Not getting enough calories in.

ahnpe

Before I began dieting I would eat less than 1000 calories per day on average, but it would all be junk food. Now that I AM dieting, i've been eating healthier and exercising 4 to 5 days a week. I wait tables and go to school, and can't seem to find enough time to eat small meals throughout the day, or more than one big one- leaving me at a whopping 600, maybe 1000 calories even on days that I work out.

Anyone in a similar situation that has found ways to eat around a schedule, or is it ok to pack the majority of my calories into one large meal?

Eimear78

My advice would be to sit down and plan ahead. If you can plan your week in advance you can prepare and pack enough food to hit the right amount of calories. I am working with a personal trainer and need to take in about 2000 cals with the amount of exercise I am doing. I am also eating 6 times a day and couldn't do that without planning ahead.

Good luck

TrishJimenez

I also wait tables. Do you have lockers where you work or a place you can store a chilled lunch box?

joanneeee

if your schedule leaves you with only the option of bigger meals, obviously there's nothing you can do it unless you decide to eat while you're waitressing. not everyone has time to sit down and eat small meals; i find myself eating as i'm walking to classes and shoving down some food just so i'm not starving before a 3 hour lab. just choose healthy, calorie dense foods to fill up the rest of your nutritional needs.

Rockindreamer

I had the same problem, do not cram it all into one meal. Find things you can eat on the go. Your work by law has to give you breaks to eat. Take them and use it to take care of yourself!

TrishJimenez

I also wait tables. Do you have lockers where you work or a place you can store a chilled lunch box?

I make sure I eat a good breakfast like cottage cheese and fruit, then I pack a lunch. Usually I slap two pieces of whole wheat bread and some cheese and lunch meat together and put it in a ziplock bag and put it in my lunch box, along with a serving of almonds, a non fat or low fat yogurt a string cheese, a piece of fruit or grapes and once I even tried a hard boiled egg but I still hate them I guess lol. I use the fruit and almonds and string cheese for my snacks to eat when I have a chance to take a bite here and there to get me thru the shifts that can sometimes last 7-8 hours. Then the sandwich and yogurt is my sit down meal at the end of my shift. Then I go work out and get a protein shake at the gym and when I get home I have my real dinner. But thats how I eat on the go. It took me some planning also. But the lunch box was only like 10 bucks and I can put it in the freezer at night and just pack it in the morning. I got it at walmart. And it takes me less then 5 mins to pack my whole lunch.

Oh and one of the advantages of working in the food industry is I get my tomato and lettuce fresh when I make my sandwich from the kitchen so nothing is soggy

TrishJimenez

I had the same problem, do not cram it all into one meal. Find things you can eat on the go. Your work by law has to give you breaks to eat. Take them and use it to take care of yourself!

Yes it is a law. But if they gave us "scheduled" breaks then everyone looses, the server and the server who gave us our break along with the table who's experience was disturbed by the switching back and forth. How my employer gets around it is we are allowed to take a "break" in the back when ever our section allows as long as our tables dont suffer. And we get free soup and bread and butter. That soup and bread and butter was one of the reasons of the last 10 lbs I put on now I avoid it if at all possible. But that is how they get around the law.

ahnpe

My work doesn't provide lockers and don't allow us to bring outside food or drink as it takes up space, nor can we order food during our shifts. Even the diabetics that work with us have to eat a glucose dense meal before the shift to power through and hope they make it before they crash. My only options are to eat before and after school and work but many times I don't get out of those until late at night and am too tired to make anything when I get home.
Perhaps a larger breakfast and planning ahead like a couple of you said will help tremendously.

Thanks y'all for your generous feedback!

TrishJimenez

How can they not allow you to bring outside food or drink? What about your purse? Where do you keep your purse and coats?

TrishJimenez

not even a protein bar in your apron pocket?

Rockindreamer

I would be going to the labor board. They get away with it because no one does anything about it. That isn't right.

szczepj

You should try searching Intermittent Fasting, it seems that might be a little of what you are doing!

ahnpe

Anything not work related- including purses and coats have to be kept in our cars. We can bring in power bars to eat throughout the shift to keep in our aprons, but things like being caught eating 'on the clock' , and having to uphold the standard of non-bulky aprons are ways they get around keeping food on our person. We have a rating system at my work where the managers sit down and determine how good we do at our jobs and who should get the better sections (aka better money), and the things i mentioned before bring us down in rating system.. It's not right, and I've written a few letters to HR, but have heard nothing back.

Right now the best thing to do is what y'all suggested before- to plan out my week ahead and eat calorie dense meals before and after work. This is only a job to put me through school; I see no reason in making a big deal out of it.