I am a doctor in residency, which means I have to take overnight call in the hospital every few days to every few weeks. I have noticed that I will eat and/or drink constantly in order to stay awake and alert. The pace can be quite hectic so I eat things that are quick to grab. I have a fridge and microwave in the workroom and I always bring my own food, but it is amazing how fast the calories add up. And if I just tell myself I won't bring that much food with me, I end up snacking on the junk that's all over the hospital. I'm wondering if anyone has any low calorie ideas that I can munch on while I'm working? Things that have worked so far have been watermelon slices, baby carrots and popcorn. I can't do anything calorie dense because I will just mindlessly eat it in a few seconds. I can't do anything that requires too much focus (it sounds lame but even trying to eat a salad with a fork is difficult because I'm constantly running in and out of the room, sitting down to write notes, seeing patients, ordering labs, etc) so I need things that I can continuously graze on. I have tried to just drink a lot of water and chew gum, but I think I crave the comfort of eating in order to cope with the stress/pass the time.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? What has worked for you? Thank you!!!!!

How about frozen grapes? Just prep them all when you buy them and put in the sandwich size bags and grab and go ... I like mine plain but a friend sprinkles some art sweetener on hers while they're still damp from being washed. Freezes right on them... Cantaloupe cubes??

Cucumber slices are delicious!! Makes you feel like you are snacking (like on potato chips)

Do you like raw veggies?
broccoli, cauliflower, celery sticks...
cherry tomatoes, apple slices, grapes, melon cubes...
cheese sticks or cubes, hard boiled egg...
whole wheat or whole grain crackers...

Things like the crackers, don't take the whole box, just package up what you want for the evening.

plain celery, raisins, pumpkin seeds, slices of any fruit, raw broccoli (it will grow on you), I like it with hummus too. Pretty much any veggie

I find so much easier if I just slice most things up and bag them into individual servings so I can grab them on my way out the door

Thank you guys so much! These are fantastic ideas! I'm on call again on Thursday, so I'm going to prepare some baggies in advance so I know exactly how much I'm eating (and then I can log the calories accurately after). I love the ideas of grapes that are sweetened before freezing (I've never heard of that before!), cucumber slices, cheese cubes and celery. I don't love raw broccoli and cauliflower, but I think if it they're there, I'll eat them and maybe end up getting used to them! I also bought some hummus from Trader Joe's that I really like so maybe I'll bring that and try dipping the raw veggies.

Thank you so much again. I really appreciate your help.

I use the cucumbers and also green peppers in place of chips when I need to snack. I also use them to dip for humus, avocado and diced tomatoes, or vegiterian bean dip.

When I just want to sit and eat I do the sunflower seeds with the shells. They take forever to eat, are good and salty. An entire half of the 5.25oz bag of the Davids Sunflower seeds are 285 cals. It would take me a day to eat that many, but I just eat them one at a time. But it keeps my mouth busy!

+1 on the grapes.

also, apples or any other fruit that takes effort to chew.

Something to think about -- for me, if I eat straight fruit on an empty stomach, I get a subsequent blood-sugar crash that can leave me tired, cranky, sometimes even dizzy, and often... hungry again. (low-level reactive hypoglycemia). For things like grapes especially, I find it helpful to eat them with a protein or fat, like a cheese stick or a handful of nuts. I know that is more calorie-dense, but it helps me maintain an even keel!

I know it is hard for residents to eat sensibly -- my husband did two years of surgery residency and was nothing but skin and bones (and bags under the eyes) -- switched to radiology and, well, to say it was better is a major understatement.

Pretzel sticks. I get the generic Safeway brand and a serving is 39 sticks and 110 calories. Plus, it's nice and salty, so I find myself stopping before I go too crazy. Plus 39 pretzel sticks, surprisingly, feels like a lot.

All of these are good ideas. I just also wanted to throw out a couple of my rules for overnights on call. NO eating after midnight. NO eating junk food at the nurses' station. NO eating free food in the doc's lounge (except for a salad, bowl of Kashi, or a sandwich that fits into my overall meal rotation). Think about your calories in terms of the entire 24 hours. Sugarless gum and tea can also help.

jello...definitely jello.

I buy the hunt's snack pack one's with only 5 calories each, smoosh up two of them in a bowl & add 1 cup of Silk light Vanilla soy milk(80 calories) & have a big bowl of something sweet & creamy for just 90 calories.

also, if you eat slower & chew more the eating becomes less mindless.

Sounds weird, but the Gerber Puffs are really strong flavored and are something like 66 pieces for 25 calories. They're small, feel "snack-y" and the apple-cinnamon and banana flavors, I think, are pretty good.

I NEEEEED to have multiple hand-to-mouth foods.

I like Smart Balance Popcorn w/splenda sprinkled on it
Fiber One Cereal Original
Veggie sticks with healthy dip
Nuts / Granola / Raisins (trail mix?) in small quantities(lol, I end up eating way too much!)