Busy students meal planning/scared of being hungry!

Hi! I'm a graduate student who's busy with classes/research/libraries so on. I'm always on the go and my schedule is often unpredictable (last minute meetings)...

I noticed a lot of you guys plan out your meals in advance the day of! I have a few questions for you who know exactly what you'll be eating day of:
- If you are out and about, how do you turn down temptations?
- What are your favorite on-the-go snacks?
- (I'm guessing you guys pack your food)- what's the best way to pack your lunches to school/work?

One more thing: I am so afraid of being hungry! I don't have any chronic conditions but once my blood sugar drops, I get pale, I start feeling clammy, I get dizzy/nauseous, very irritated, the whole works. I tend to overeat or eat before going out so I don't reach this point, but I tend to overeat! Any advice?

Thank you everyone! Seeing all of you is such a motivation!!! :)

Replies

  • Sadedoes
    Sadedoes Posts: 31 Member
    When I'm organized, I like to cook a meal base that I can vamp every night for dinner, adding a different seasoning, protein & starch. This is usually a bunch of prepared veggies (that takes the most of prep time). I also like to make stuff that I can freeze (chili, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, moussaka, curry...) that way I can have dinner on the table in about the 20 minutes it takes to cook some rice / potatoes / pasta or make a quick salad.

    Lunches, I pack a sandwich (or two, depending on bread) with cheese / vegetarian spreads etc (I'm veggie). And also a container with veggies that are easy to eat: cherry tomatoes, cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, blanched cauliflower...

    I carry two or three snacks along every day to university: piece of fruit (optional, some dairy to make it stick more) and some rye crackers. The only thing I buy is coffee, keep it simple (either black or very little milk, no sugar).
  • Shrinkmeslowly
    Shrinkmeslowly Posts: 42 Member
    When I'm out I find it's as simply as saying "I don't eat that. " I make a choice to eat the food that I have. If I know I will be really tempted I don't bring my wallet so I wont be able to buy anything else. Some of my favorite snacks for on the go are cut up fruit salads with some hemp hearts, carrots and hummus (sometimes I add in some hot sauce for a kick), Mix nuts, home made granola, When I ate meat I really like to have cheese and apples, cottage cheese and fruit, (i'm vegan now). Personally I bought a cooler that I could put everything into, but I made sure it was kind of cute so I wasn't making the excuse that it was ugly or would look strange when I was carrying it around, I also have a giant purse that I sometimes use if nothing I am taking needs to be kept cold.

    For me I actually pick one day out of the week and do a bunch of meal prep that day. I usually cut up a bunch of fruit and vegetables, cook up a big batch of brown rice, lentils, quinoa etc. that way I have everything ready that I would need to just whip something up fast. I love the idea of making meals to freeze! I just started doing that and it has been working really well for me. I don't have kids so it's not a big deal if I don't have food on the table in a timely manner. I just do it more for my peace of mind. I'm very busy and don't have time to waste :)

    If your worried about being hungry then really make sure to always have a little something around. I often through a container of mixed nuts into my purse as my just in case last resort option.
  • Cheeky_0102
    Cheeky_0102 Posts: 408 Member
    When I was working I kept lots of cans of tuna and salmon at my desk, and I always had more fruit that I could eat in a day at the office, that way I had no excuses.

    I just make a conscious effort to pick better things. If I want something from the café, I grab an herbal tea so I get the satisfaction of buying something. There is often fruit there...

    the occasional planned treat can help you get through the unplanned treats. If I save my "treats" for a glass of wine at home, I can get through the day knowing that I don't want to make that trade-off.
  • saeede83
    saeede83 Posts: 96 Member
    I'm also a grad student with super busy schedule. I try to keep a lot of snacks and healthy food at my desk. Nuts, fruits, energy bars so I don't get tempted to go for an ice cream or candy bars. It helps a lot. I also drink a lot of coffee (usually black coffee with some almond milk) or a skinny latte. That helps me to get energized for work and kind of supresses my appetite.
    As for food, I grill chicken on the weekend and every day make a box of salad and add some chicken pieces to it. I have low fat raspberry dressing at my office and the salad makes my lunch. For dinner again, I cook every 2 or 3 days and keep the leftovers for the day after. You can freeze them and heat them again.
    A 5 meal per day helps me not to get hungry and keep focused on work. Breakfast, small am snack, lunch (usually salad), small pm snack and dinner.
    If I go out try to find the healthiest option on the menu. Usually go for salad, trurkey sandwiches and a glass of green tea.
    It's doable you just need to stay focused and plan ahead.
  • saeede83
    saeede83 Posts: 96 Member
    I just noticed you are vegan, try to cook lentils and have them with your salad. A good protein side dish helps you stay full for a long while. Also for sugar cravings, or low blood sugar, try to eat sweet fruits (watermelon, orange, mango), or make a smoothie for yourself. You'll be surprised once you go on a healthiy diet all those dizziness and weakness would go away. I had the same issue and I thought it's lack of sugar, but it was actually lack of balanced nutrition.
  • junipearl
    junipearl Posts: 326 Member
    Do you have a fridge or microwave available to you?
    When I am at work I have both of those things, but at school I have neither.. so I can talk about both!

    I like clif bars, peanut butter sandwiches, and most of all FRUIT for on the go snacks that I can throw in my bag and not worry about until I need them. Apples and pears are crunchy and satisfying and will bring your blood sugar up quickly so you don't feel weak (I too get quite an ebb in energy after a few hours.. yours sounds extreme... maybe get checked for hypoglucemia?). Some other things that are easy to pack are nuts, hummus and veggies, last night's leftovers....

    As long as I have my own snack to eat, I am less likely to give in to any temptations along the way.

    I pack a lot of salads for lunches, which works better when you have a fridge available, but not the end of the world if not as beans, veggies, and tofu don't go bad all that quickly! lol

    You are my friend on here so feel free to look at my diary anytime for ideas... I am not the most creative or skilled so lots of the things i pack are super simple.

    Good luck!
  • slenderyeppie
    slenderyeppie Posts: 31 Member
    Thank you for all your wonderful advice!

    Okay, on my to-do list for this week (from your suggestions)

    - sunday after grocery shopping, make a base to add different flavoring/veggies to for different meals!
    - get a cute cooler!
    - freeze my breakfast muffins so I can grab them in the mornings (I make one serving sizes every morning and it takes me like 30 minutes)
    - keep food at school. This is so obvious I don't know why I didn't think of it before.

    This is great practical advice I can use. Thank you so much!