Work is making it hard for me to eat. Since working, I have had less time to think about eating, therefore I care so much less about it. I eat healthily, but not as much or as frequently as I used to, bringing my calories on most days to an all time low, sometimes, not breaking 1000 calories. I love eating, so this isn't on purpose. I have (for the most part) kept up with exercise, but I do less of that too than I am used to for the past few months. I find still doing it in the face of my busier schedule a victory, so I am not bummed about that because I am moving forward. I try to grab something while at work, but I find that if I eat things with lots of calories, I am not as sprightly and more sluggish so I always end up eating a piece of cheese and apple slices or other fresh veg. I also find that when I get home, it's late and so I don't like to eat late, and when I leave, it's early and sometimes, I am so caught up in getting ready and so I completely forget about breakfast. Does anyone else have trouble keeping their calories up on work days?

Well, I am currently off work due to a leg injury (just for a week...I hope), so I am taking some time now to cook a little extra at each meal, and put it in the freezer (in measured out serving sizes) so I can just heat and eat at work. With 2 small kids, 3 dogs, me working full time and my husband working full time (we are scheduled so that we never need more than 1 hour of child care), it gets pretty hectic in my house. So cooking extra and portioning it out and freezing it works AWESOME for me.

For breakfast, you could do what we do for our kids on weekends. We leave their bowl on the table, with cereal already in it (and a glass of milk in the fridge), so that they can serve themselves. Maybe something like that would be a good reminder to eat?

That is a good idea. Maybe a little to-go container with a few things in it to remind myself to eat would be a good idea

I totally have issues with calorie/carb management on work days. My biggest issue is that I'll miss breakfast and sometimes lunch and then eat something totally bad for me at dinner. So that may make up my calorie count for the day. So I'm working on that and it's hard. I spent a few hours on Sunday shopping and then prepping food for the week. It's DEFINITELY helped; although, I'm only on day one. I am worried that I might get sick of what I made. For example I cooked 5 chicken breasts and 4 pork chops. I'm mixing them with salad for lunch and then other things for dinner. It's all prepped and ready for me to just grab and go on work days including healthy snacks. But I may get sick of it. However, if I don't then this is great. The only crappy thing is the time that it takes on Sunday.

My issue tonight is the carb cravings. I don't usually crave sweets. I'm more the pasta type of person. OMG how I love pasta. So I'm eating better but I haven't mastered my cravings. That may take me down this week.

Anyway, I guess the end result of this is that if you plan right then you might be able to conquer it. But as with anything it takes work and energy to do it.

Good Luck!

Pack a few whole wheat cookies/crackers into the apple/cheese box?

That would be a good start and it gives you some needed carbs for work.

Something like the Nakd bars, perhaps?

Nuts or boiled eggs are good choices too and easy to throw into a bag. On the nuts I try to count mine out so I am not overeating them.

oh--on the carb craving thing--have you read anything about the Glycemic Index....when I am craving garbage, I can usually think back to what I ate before (or didn't eat) and see where I messed up

I do not think ALL carbs are garbage--I just don't usually CRAVE a piece of whole wheat bread or a cup of brown rice--donuts...well, thats another story

Great ideas guys. For me, there should really be no excuse to forget about eating. There are so many ways to keep up with it. I think pre-fixing lunches sounds like a great idea.