I've just started a pretty intense grad program. I've moved to a new town where I live alone in my apartment-which I LOVE. But I've also realized that I don't get very much work done here. I need to stay at school for as much of my day as possible and use the library. I'm also trying to lose about 20 pounds. Does anyone have any suggestions for stuff to take? There is a microwave at school, so I'm thinking about taking Kashi oatmeal packets. I also have some canned soup and apples.
Does anyone have suggestions for things to eat at school on a diet and a budget that I can keep in my locker??
Thanks!!

I spend 12+ hours on campus for class, labs, and working as a tutor/student assistant. I have a variety of things that I take with me to make it through the day.

-dry Kashi cereal in a bag
-fruit (apples, bananas, grapes most commonly)
-snow pea crisps
-coconut water
-sandwiches on whole grain breads with no HFCS w/ nitrate/nitrite free turkey and mustard, or lavash or wraps
-sliced cucumbers in apple cider vinegar with cracked pepper
-various sliced veggies and hommus
-flatbread
-homemade soups in a heatable container (homemade tomato soup is really, really easy and not loaded with salt)
-greek yogurt
-a refillable bottle of water that I fill up every time I pass a water fountain
-salads in a sealed container
-orton brothers cookie buttons (explanation: I work with a lot of artists and animators who always grab crap from vending machines and tempt me. I get these cookie buttons to take with me for when I feel tempted... 10 cookies are 100 calories. The ingredients are all natural, and they have a surprisingly low amount of sugar. The maples are my favorite, the peanut butter second.)
The routine I've found that works for me is getting everything ready the night before, eating a good sized bowl of oatmeal every morning after working out with soymilk and a glass of low sodium v8 spicy hot, and bringing small portions of many things so you can eat little meals (healthily) throughout the day. I have bento boxes and partitioned containers that make things especially easy, I just count/measure out a serving before I go to bed, pop them in the fridge, and grab them for lunch/dinner the next day.

If you've got access to a microwave and a refrigerator, you're golden.

If you have time on the weekend, make a big pot of healthy soup or something like that. It will last all week! Also, the weeknights I'm lucky enough to get home at a reasonable hour and make myself dinner, I always make enough for at least one more meal and it's typically my lunch the next day.

Good luck!

Thanks so much to both of you! I really need to get in a good groove; I'm trying to be really dedicated to school AND healthy eating, and sometimes I find myself coming home early just so I eat a healthy dinner at school and don't go to the cafeteria. That needs to stop, so I'm going to try these tips!! Thank you so much!!

I'm also on campus/at work for about 10-12 hours a day. I second preparing my lunches the night before. I always in a huge hurry in the mornings and I completely underestimated how much easier it would be to make good choices when I have the time to really plan my day.

I bring a reusable thermal grocery bag with all of my food in it for the day. Typically I'll bring dry oatmeal which I prepare at school, some yogurt, a hardboiled egg, an apple for a snack, whatever I've prepared for lunch during the week, a salad, a granola bar and some cottage cheese, and a few crackers. If I know I'll be in the library all day then I might also bring a some coffee in a thermos.

I've saved a metric ton in money and it's totally kickedstarted my weight loss this year. I don't have to worry about making smart choices at school because I already made them for myself and I can just relax knowing I'm well within my points for the day

Yes! The best part is definitely knowing you've already made the right choices. It lets you focus 100% on your work instead of worrying about the greasy fried thing you just ate at the snack bar.

It's also so much cheaper than buying in the cafeteria, especially for those of us starving grad students

I second pretty much what everyone has said. I try to cook my food on the weekends and just bring packed lunches/dinners every day.

I eat a lot of chopped veggies and fruits, and I usually have one sandwich a day with either a whole grain wrap or sandwich thin, baby spinach, laughing cow cheese or hummus and low-fat, low sodium turkey breast.

This is also odd, but I eat a lot of baby spinach - usually like potato chips. Its filling and after a while you grow to really like the taste. Its also awesome for you.

I try to make dishes that combine grains/proteins/veggies - like last week I made a pasta dish with a light tomato sauce, grilled zucchini and baked chicken - one big pot made 9 servings at about 270 calories each and it was super filling.
This week I made a chicken/butternut squash/sweet potato dish with some jerk sauce.

I am usually on campus from 11am to 6pm or so, depending on the day...on Tuesdays I have a class from 6pm to 10pm so I have eat lunch and dinner away from my apartment!

For lunches, I usually back a sandwich, crackers and laughing cow cheese, fruit, and a sugar-free/low fat dessert-y thing like a granola bar, pudding cup, or 100 calorie pack. I also bring 1 or 2 100 calorie packs for snacks depending on what I packed for lunch. On the day that I have to get dinner away from home, there are a few things I've done:

1. I have these containers that you put in the freezer and then whatever you put in them for the rest of the day stays cold. So I've brought leftovers like that with me from a healthy meal cooked at some previous time.
2. There are canned things like a soup or the new 99% fat free chef boyardee that you can take with a bowl and spoon/fork and heat up in the microwave.
3. Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones and that sort of thing. They're supposed to stay frozen until you cook them, but it's not a big deal if they defrost for a few hours before it's time to eat and hit the microwave.

I know the last two options are not quite as healthy as the first but it is still better than getting fast food or something like that if you don't have leftovers that day (I don't cook every night so I eat leftovers for dinner too and therefore don't always have them available to take for Tuesday dinner).

The main thing for me is variety, especially with lunches. I try to mix up what fruit I bring each day (today is apples, tomorrow will probably be strawberries or grapes) and what snacks, although I love the crackers w/cheese so that is pretty much a staple. I also switch between turkey bologna and cheese and PB&J.

But I am a super picky eater, so some other suggestions may work for you better, especially including vegetables, which I am not adept at.

Good luck!