I am a graduate student in medical school and I find that having such a hectic schedule with free food (pizza and burritos) is really hurting my diet. I was wondering if anyone is in the same situation and how you deal with passing down a free lunch...especially if everyone else is eating around you!
Hi kalafornia.... I'm a grad student as well, it seems there are several of us here. I got offered a free dinner yesterday...pizza.... took 3 slices... so maybe I am not the best person to offer advice on this subject. It's not easy to pass it up, but if you have healthy food with you already to eat then that might make it easier. Otherwise you can just do the best you can with what is offered if you really want it, like take 1 slice of pizza... (is that realistic??? not for me!! lol)... and a burrito doesn't have to be unhealthy depending on what's on it.
Anyway, I saw all we can do at this stressful time of year is make the best choices we can as often as we can. Good luck!
I know it's hard to turn down a free lunch but I guess that is when will power comes into play. Also I don't believe in completely depriving yourself of something. If not having a piece of pizza is going to drive into a binge of eating everything then have one small piece and then eat some fresh fruit or veges. I also try to make enough food to last me a week. I will cook a big pot of soup, cook up several chicken breast, etc. This way when I want to make lunch or dinner in a hurry most of the work is already done for me. Hope this helps
I'm a grad student too, and definitely got offered lunch by one of my friends today. Trust me, it took every inch of will power I could muster to politely turn it down (I promised to have a drink at her graduation party). I even sat with her while she ate her chili dog and fries (now that was hardcore). Luckily, I had wheat thins in my backpack to tide me over.
I think it's just mind over matter. Preaching to the choir, I know...
Ooooh I know the agony! I ended up breaking down and bought a cute lunch tote (Vera Bradley! LoL) so I would want to bring it with me. I'm sure to pack fruits and veggies for snacktime urges and wraps or salads for lunch. And I'm sure to pack it all the night before so I just grab and go in the morning!
Hey! I'm a postgraduate student as well and I completely sympathise. I get invited to a fair amount of seminars and workshops, and there's almost always a buffet lunch and a dinner at a lovely restaurant, and it is definitely quite a challenge to pass up on delicious and free food! I think that in general, the typical student lifestyle is quite bad for healthy eating too. Because my day is less restricted than it was when I work, I have a lot more time where I could be eating or snacking. In my old job I often wouldn't have time to eat anything during my working day, and I often wouldn't get a lunch break. Now I've got a whole day where I can eat whenever, so I've really had to learn some restraint and also how to be a bit more structured with my eating.
I am a graduate student too and I have a fulltime job -- I don't have problems with free food, but I DO have problems with 8 hours of straight sitting at work plus the exhaustion that comes with waking up at 4:45am three times a week to do required classroom observations before going to my job at 9:30am. Trying to conjure up the energy to exercise when I finally come home at 7:00pm is hard... especially if I also need to cook dinner, straighten up the house, do homework, etc.
I understand the free food problem. We constantly have chain pharmacies and recruiters giving us free lunches or dinners. Especially on all day test day events, someone always sponsors a lunch.
Luckily we have an awesome student lounge with many fridges, microwaves, and a toaster oven so it's not as hard to bring your own lunch.
And obviously, I cave from time to time, but I try to do it on days when it's lunch from a sandwich shop or salad place instead of when it's chicken tenders or fried catfish.
in my Jem lunchbox -- yeah it's my old one from Elementary school. LoL my mom found it when she was cleaning out the closet in my old bedroom. It still has the thermos! It must have seemed like a good idea because the people that always ordered out or ate out are bringing their own packed food now too. It's not everyone, but there are a lot considering I was the only one when the semester started.
It's kind of prompted a rare fruit trade of sorts. You know like, "I'll give you half of my asian pear for half of your pomegranate!"
I actually didn't start packing snacks and food because of my weight loss, I did it because i'm cheap but it's worked out great. Just get some debbie meyer green boxes (it does the same thing as the greenbags but it's tupperware) to keep your salad leaves crisp, some extra snacks and fruit, one of those little lunchbox gel ice packs and you're set for the day.
Oh, and a Chem major by the way. Hi.
Last edited by NishKitten; 12-04-2008 at 09:46 AM.
I am a graduate student too and I have a fulltime job -- I don't have problems with free food, but I DO have problems with 8 hours of straight sitting at work plus the exhaustion that comes with waking up at 4:45am three times a week to do required classroom observations before going to my job at 9:30am. Trying to conjure up the energy to exercise when I finally come home at 7:00pm is hard... especially if I also need to cook dinner, straighten up the house, do homework, etc.
This is EXACTLY my problem! I go to work at 8:30 and many nights don't get home until midnight. My co-workers and fellow grad students live similar lifestyles. They're always suggesting going through a drive thru or ordering pizza. I don't eat it, but I go really hungry until I get home.
Right now work is really busy and its getting to the end of the semester. If Thanksgiving wasn't last week, I wouldn't be able to tell you when the last time I ate a meal was. Yesterday I had 4 tangerines that I shoved in my coat pockets. I'm really OP and would give ANYTHING for a few hours at home so I could cook a decent dinner
At the moment I'm busy with my internships, my current internship is Radiotherapy. Very interesting but not really my cup of tea.
My schedule may be busy but it's no more busy than of a normal working person. And I don't have the free food problem. But, as other people said, you could just bring your own lunch? At my current internship they have a toaster in the kitchen to make your own tosti's with. It's great!
It's funny, I thought we didn't have any other medical students here. Guess I was wrong!
NishKitten:
I totally rock my old GI joe lunchbox to school. I was a strange girl, with only boy cousins to play with, so I always insisted on boy things.
Oh, I know what you mean! I'm a graduate student in Molecular Biology.
When it's possible to plan ahead for the free food, I make room for the stuff I really want... for instance, on Fridays I always have a cookie at the seminar, and a beer at our department's happy hour, but I skip the chicken wings, chips, cheese and crackers, or whatever food they're serving. And when I know free sandwiches or pizza are coming up, I'll usually have a bit.. it's FREE, and this stipend only goes so far.
When it comes up out of nowhere, I just try to control my portions, eat healthier choices if available, or sometimes skip it altogether in favor of eating my own food.
I am a dentist and am a resident in orthodontics. We get free food usually once a week. And it is for the most part not that healthy. I take small portions and choose the healthiest stuff. I have given in but I try my best not to. It is very hard to resist the fried goodness or the cookie tray but I forget about it after lunch.
Being a student/resident is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. And I also find myself cutting back on buying fruits and veggies recently b/c i just don't have the money.
I also try to make enough food to last me a week. I will cook a big pot of soup, cook up several chicken breast, etc. This way when I want to make lunch or dinner in a hurry most of the work is already done for me. Hope this helps
Graduate Students?
I got offered a free dinner yesterday...pizza.... took 3 slices... so maybe I am not the best person to offer advice on this subject. 
It's not easy to pass it up, but if you have healthy food with you already to eat then that might make it easier. Otherwise you can just do the best you can with what is offered if you really want it, like take 1 slice of pizza... (is that realistic??? not for me!! lol)... and a burrito doesn't have to be unhealthy depending on what's on it.
It must have seemed like a good idea because the people that always ordered out or ate out are bringing their own packed food now too. It's not everyone, but there are a lot considering I was the only one when the semester started.
