Thinking ahead... snacks for college days?

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ohmyshysamantha
ohmyshysamantha Posts: 138 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've posted in previous topics about having problems eating consistently, every day, and I know on busy days food is the last thing from my mind, I have alarms on my phone to remind me to eat and I'm starting to think ahead for college, which I am starting my junior/senior year of in septemeber. So heres some TMI about my schedule
Mondays I have class from 8-11:50 and then 2:40-3:50
Tuesdays I have class from 7-9:30pm
Thursdays I have class from 7-9:30pm and work from 11-3pm
Fridays I have class from 8-11:50 work from 12:15-2:15 have class from 2:40-3:50 and then work from 4:15-6:15, after work I either will be babysitting from 8 until hours past bar close, or meeting friends at a club and dancing all night to relieve stress.
Wednesdays are hell.
I have class from 8-11:50 I work from 12:15-2:15 class from 2:40-3:50 work from 4:15-5:45 class from 6-8:30pm
(25 credits, 8 classes I highly recommend it)
And I work all weekend.
My biggest concern is friday and wednesday because I'm on the go basically all day.
Theres food places on my campus but I dont know if I will have time to stop there, or how healthy they are, and I want to avoid the tacobell, mcdonalds, white castle, while going in between work and school.
What are some snacks that I can pack in my backpack that will stay good for hours at a time (all day) that will keep me from feeling tired halfway through the day? Or is there food at mcdonalds, tacobell, white castle that is okay enough to be eaten on a regular basis and not hinder my weight loss?

Replies

  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
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    Great snacks include Lunabars (around 200 calories, and filling) as well as bananas. Look online for take to school/work lunch recipes - I have been doing that instead of going out like my work partners, and feel much healthier about it. There are several lunch boxes out there that include ice bars to keep your food cold - So apples, carrots, etc. wouldn't be a problem either.

    PS - If you're looking for a really tasty snack during your day, cut up an apple, toss them in a little bit of lemon juice if you are going to eat it later on, and sprinkle them with cinnamon. Apple pie without the crust and added sugar.
  • jbaran4
    jbaran4 Posts: 4
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    Atkins bars ansd protein shakes are great snacks. I also like a bag of peanuts, yougurt, cottage cheese and fruit. The trick is to polan ahaed and pack a lunch. I am a full time student, work full time and am a full time mom and wife. My son is 2.5 years old now and I have shed 70lbs since. The idea is to limit snacking out. Bring enough food (maybe more than you need) so if you get delayed or really hungry, you have something healthy to eat.
  • dansls1
    dansls1 Posts: 309 Member
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    Pistachios. Beef Jerky (watch the sodium or make your own if that bothers you), carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli.
  • bouncybabymama
    bouncybabymama Posts: 18 Member
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    I've been trying to come up with a snack myself. I was thinking about buying the individual cups of peanut butter and taking celery sticks with me. I thought that would be a very filling snack and may not be too expensive. Apples are very filling, too. They aren't really an option for me on the go because I have braces but they used to be my favorite snack to keep in my purse. Try to eat something small every 3 hours so that you aren't starving by the end of your day. I've already put myself on that schedule to get ready for the semester to start.
  • sportytalldoll
    sportytalldoll Posts: 208 Member
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    75 calories, easy on the go ----Emerald CoCoa roast Almonds, I like to half the suggested serving so about 12 almonds and the bonus chocolate taste

    220 calories, easy on the go
    Quaker Chocolate rice cakes (gluten free), 2 rice cakes is like 120 calories, then I spread 1 tbsp (100 cals) of creamy peantb utter in between them, pull them apart and eat them. Filling and doesnt need a fridge.

    Night before a busy day, wash a serving of juicy grapes, put them in a baggie, sprinkle some splenda on them and freeze them, dont forget them in the AM perfect on the GO!

    Sugar Free Vanilla Waffer cookies! Low Cal and tasty!

    Just a few ideas.... keep up your hard work!!!
  • disneyprincess22
    disneyprincess22 Posts: 12 Member
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    I commute to school and have to bring my food or eat on campus( a dieters nightmare lol) What I have found helpful is to bring a lunchbox with ice packs and then I can bring a veggie wrap, greek yogurt, string cheese, a snack sized baggie with a serving of almonds or cashews measured inside, apples, oranges, JIF to go peanut butter pouches, raisins, celery and/or carrot sticks, sandwiches, luna or clif bars, ect.... You can even buy a utensil that is a fork, spoon, and knife in one unit which is super convienent. Its really easy to eat healthy on campus, but you just have to bring things with you. From my experience bananas are not a good thing to bring because mine always manage to get crushed lol :) If you dont have that problem then go for it lol
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Congratulations on your 8lb weight loss!! You are a busy lady! Here is my best answer, know everyone is different, so maybe some of this will help you.
    I really need to track my food, or I don't know where I am at in all of it. Since you already know your schedule, I would log ahead on my food diary...and then just use the quick tools "copy from date" to log ahead each week.
    So example: Your Mondays and Thursdays are probably similar food days, 'cause your schedule is kinda the same those days. On Tuesdays your day is more open, so you will have more freedom/flexibility that day...log ahead how you will eat that day. Fridays and Wednesdays you will need to make a game plan. You need to get to bed on time on Tues and Thurs night, so you can get up and have a satisfying breakfast...that will help the rest of the day food/satisfaction wise (diminished sleep really affects your hormones, and make you prone to overeating as well as prone to putting on fat). A protein shake or two on those days, pack a salad which includes some made-ahead crockpot chicken or beef and some lo-fat cheese. A fizzy no-calorie drink, and a lo-carb/high protein snackbar or two with you, to keep you out of thejunk foods.
    Yes, so make a plan, log it ahead, find your pattern and what foods best satisfy you and keep you on track. Do your best, see if and where you fail, then replan and do it better! Stick with it, you are doing a good job!
    I don't like artificial sweeteners, but lately I have been eating PowerCrunch bars, as they are lo-fat/carb hi protein...they make a good snack/dessert. I love greek yogurt and use stevia to sweeten plain greek yogurt....it's like cheesecake, and loaded with protein/calcium. I have been using Designer Whey protein drink...lo carb, and easy to find. I would like to buy Dr Mercola's protein shakes and Whey Bites instead of what I am using right now....sometime I willl switch. www.mercola.com
    I do not recommend eating fastfood regularly...really fattening, not quite satisfying... loaded with msg.....IMHO:)
    Stock up on what you will need/use for your week.

    Blessings to you!
    :)MinMIn
  • reedkaus
    reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
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    hey, i totally know how you feel! classes can make everything tough, and throwing on a part time job makes it even tougher. i recently became a fan of fiber one bars. if you can pick up the ones that are the lowest in SUGAR you should be good to go with some solid energy without a large spike in blood sugar. try to bring a good source of protein too, like some left over meat, just nothing from the deli because of added sugar/sodium. i'm a big fan of tupperware, and actually got to the point last semester where i was packing one or two meals along with me in my bag. sandwiches on those orowheat thin buns became my go-to meals, and a meal replacement bar from met-rx was a solid tide-me-over occasionally.

    so that's all i got, i hope it's helpful. if i were you i would just try to avoid anything sugary so you don't have to deal with the crash, and make sure to get in that protein!
  • kellyo15
    kellyo15 Posts: 51
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    Hello!
    After my first 7 years of university, I'd hope I have this topic covered :) My schedule's a bit different but still very busy - I'm in school Monday to Friday a solid 8-5 pretty much daily. I always thought it would be great to keep the metabolism busy all day so lots of little snacks is a great idea in my opinion. I decided to make it a goal to eat something small in each lecture (obviously not in labs, that would be gross). I'd bring things like fruit, nuts, crackers with peanut butter, yogurts (or yogurt tubes I'd frozen the night before), little individual sized cottage cheese thingies with fruit in the bottom. If I had enough time for a "lunch" I'd bring something bigger like a sandwich or portable soup (with a smoothie to drink). You can get nice lunch bags now that are insulated or whatever to keep the stuff inside relatively still cold. I'd also recommend getting a really good water bottle and trying to keep very hydrated as well!

    Hope this is somewhat helpful, Good luck :)
  • tishad58
    tishad58 Posts: 110 Member
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    Oh yeah- same problem here. Mondays I will be in nursing school from 8AM until 6:30 PM, and then I may need to go to the hospital to preassess my patient for the clinicals the rest of that week- so I am looking at about a 14 hour day with travel time. Argh! The only foods available nearby are complete garbage. So- I will be packing lots of food and snacks! Since Mondays are out of the norm, what I may do is keep a small regular cooler in my car with ice packs- and refill my little lunch cooler as needed. I am still figuring it out! I don't have to carry the full day of food with me since I can hike back to my car once or twice during the day. If you can keep your cooler cold, you can tote small salads in containers, boiled eggs, celery sticks with low fat/no fat cream cheese, yogurt, hummus, steamed veggies to eat cold, quinoa salads, etc. I can also carry a serving of protein powder in a screw top plastic jar, and add the appropriate amount of water from the drinking fountain at school.

    Clinicals are easy when they are at the hospital- salad bar and lots of healthy options. :)
  • TinyTexn59
    TinyTexn59 Posts: 96 Member
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    I carry things like string cheese sticks, Simms Turkey Sticks, nuts in snack bags, peanut butter in individual pouches (get at health food store), fresh fruit, yogurt, baked corn chips and wholly guacamole 100 calorie packs, low calorie tortillas with peanut butter and a banana rolled up, and homemade lara bars *check online for recipes.
  • WhitneyT586
    WhitneyT586 Posts: 279 Member
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    All of those places have lower cal options if you want a full lunch. McD's has good salads (take your dressing), Taco Bell's Fresco tacos are not too bad. My go-to snack during school was a sliced apple with Sargento Light string cheese. You can also take a tablespoon full of peanut butter wrapped in plastic wrap to dip the apple in. None of that has to be refrigerated during the day. Emerald Breakfast to Go Maple Sugar or Chocolate Cherry are great trail mixes with protein and fiber to keep you satisfied.

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