What do you pack for lunch??

[eager1hasbegun]

Hello all,

I'm about to start my first job as a nurse and want to get in the habit of packing lunches that are quick to prepare and nutritious. Lately, I've been eating 4-6 small meals rather than 3 large ones and want to attempt to stick to that while at work. What to you all pack? Any ideas/advice is appreciated!

Elise

[RN1982]

I pack quite a bit of food to eat at work so here goes..

Breakfast 5pm- a small piece of fruit and an egg

Snack 7pm-an ounce of cheese and low carb, high protein yogurt

Lunch 10pm- soup or small salad with an ounce or two of meat on top

Snack 12am- protein shake

Dinner 2am- same as lunch

snack 4am- small piece of fruit or protein shake.

[cingle]

I'm starting school in August and I'm hoping there will be a fridge and/or someplace cheap and close so I can get healthy food. I've worked in a hospital-based family practice clinic for a few years and I'm amazed at how crappy the food in the cafeteria is! I'm amazed that I can't get a simple grilled chicken breast to plop on a salad, for goodness' sakes!

Incidentally, I eat a lot more than most of you have mentioned here! I use FitDay (lost about 90 lbs and kept it off over the past several years) but I gotta EAT!

[NurseKitten, MSN, RN]

These are AWESOME ideas! So...as usual, I suppose I will be focusing on protein.

I only hope that I have a fridge in Nursing school..and/or at clinicals. If not, I am not sure what to pack. Yes..bananas...whole wheat crackers..oatmeal..but I dunno what to do as far as protein is concerned.

I, too, need to keep things at a solid 1,600 or less per day. Just so I can maintain a weight of like 140...I am 5'4 and this is really NICE on me

A little tidbit from our lecture on Anesthesia and Obesity last week:

10kCal/pound = rough estimate of how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

So technically, if you're @ 140 lbs, you need 1400/day to maintain.

It was a great lecture - the most unbiased, honest evaluation of what the issue really is. Our professor is admittedly a "fluffy girl" (her words) herself, so she was talking about the etiology and metabolism. Coupled with our lecture from last semester from our precious physiology professor (he's a retired internal medicine doc, and 80 y/o if he's a day, God bless him) going through anesthesia training may help provide me with the tools I need to get my big behind under control once and for all.

[Di Deanna]

I'm starting school in August and I'm hoping there will be a fridge and/or someplace cheap and close so I can get healthy food. I've worked in a hospital-based family practice clinic for a few years and I'm amazed at how crappy the food in the cafeteria is! I'm amazed that I can't get a simple grilled chicken breast to plop on a salad, for goodness' sakes!

Incidentally, I eat a lot more than most of you have mentioned here! I use FitDay (lost about 90 lbs and kept it off over the past several years) but I gotta EAT!

Haha, or if they DO have it...it costs about $10!!! I never understood that. When I was was volunteering in the ER, they would give me a $5 cafeteria voucher..which hardly bought ANYTHING. I swear to you...there wasn't ANYTHING healthy in there except a few overloaded salads in the fridge near the register. I swore there would be..since it is a hospital after all!

[Di Deanna]

A little tidbit from our lecture on Anesthesia and Obesity last week:

10kCal/pound = rough estimate of how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.

So technically, if you're @ 140 lbs, you need 1400/day to maintain.

It was a great lecture - the most unbiased, honest evaluation of what the issue really is. Our professor is admittedly a "fluffy girl" (her words) herself, so she was talking about the etiology and metabolism. Coupled with our lecture from last semester from our precious physiology professor (he's a retired internal medicine doc, and 80 y/o if he's a day, God bless him) going through anesthesia training may help provide me with the tools I need to get my big behind under control once and for all.

Yes I have heard of this equation many times. It states that if you want to weigh 130, consume 1,300...basically 10x what your desired weight is in calories right?

Oddly enough...when I was consuming 2,000/day average...I maintained a weight of 165. Now, that is NOT a good weight for someone who is 5'4, but it was an observation of mine. Technically...I should have weighed 200! .

I have actually been very overweight. I was once 223...but I was also consuming 5,000 calories per day. It's shameful to admit that..but I have a real problem with food/depression, etc. I swear it's a sickness.

Right now I am consuming an average of 1,800 per day and losing 7-10 pounds/month. Perhaps I walk a little more and that's why I can get away with more than the average amount of calories. I guess we will see once I start to stall! :lol:

[NurseKitten, MSN, RN]

Coco - that's what you need to eat to maintain...not counting what you'd need to gain or loose. 3500kCal +/- above and beyond that to gain or loose anything. Everyone's metabolism is a little different - heavy protein will boost your basal metabolic rate, just like exercise will.

Good for you for getting your food under control. Many of us who have weight issues have demons in our past - mine was sexual abuse at the hands of my stepfather - and you have to get your head straight before anything can change.

God bless and good luck.