Help! Student with no time and almost no money

I need help! I get up at 6am and work (sitting down) and then go to school (sitting down) with almost no break. I'm short on money and time. i get home at 11pm and study till 12 and pass out until 6am.. EVERY DAY. the ONLY time i have is sunday afternoon (i have classes sat and sunday, go figure). I'm in nursing school, it's hell - but i eat good for a week, and then by the second week i totally flake out and buy fast food 3 times a day, get discouraged, and try to jump back on the bandwagon - i never lose weight because of that one week where i just get fast food. I NEED HELP! FAST, easy, cost-effective food advice that i can take with me. I can't really keep foods cold well because i dont have a fridge at work or school (cant keep it cool from 7am until 5pm dinnertime).

The time to relax is when you have no time to relax  :o

This is not good.  Try eating cereal when you are absolutely pushed, make an egg/peanut butter/salad sandwich when you have time to do it.  Buy in some cereal bars but remember they are full of sugar.  try making a rice dish which can be eaten cold with for lunch.

As a new Mum cereal kept me going, anything with oats.

wow. I would concentrate on maintaining weight for now. You have got A LOT going on.  I think you have already too much on your plate to "diet". See how maintaining goes and after a few months do little things here and there to cut some cals out.

Good luck!

You can do pretty well at subway...

I'm in law school, so I understand your problem with both time and money (though I'm not quite as busy as you!)

One thing that I've found that helps me be able to eat my own food (rather than fast food, etc) is to keep it in a little insulated lunchbox.  I got several at the dollar store near my house, and if I refrigerate my food overnight or for at least a few hours before I put it in my lunchbox, it stays at least semi-cool all day.  I could probably also put an ice pack or something in there, but that would mean I'd have to open my freezer which might result in my death.  :)

Other things that help me-- rice is cheap and filling, and so are beans (I love to make a chickpea salad with lemon juice and windowsill parsley!)  Oatmeal is quick and "stick to your ribs" food that can be carried (if you don't mind cold oatmeal, or have access to a microwave-- we've got one in our student lounge.)  And things like dried beans can be soaked overnight and cooked in a crockpot while you're in class or doing other stuff, and beans are just as good cold as they are warm.  Rice and beans is yummy (and a big staple in my cousin's diet in the Peace Corps, and it doesn't seem to have done her any harm!)

That's another good thing-- a crockpot.  I "borrowed" mine from my mom, but I'll bet you could get one fairly cheap on Craigslist or the Goodwill or a local thrift store.  Maybe even WalMart?  You can just dump stuff in the crockpot with some water, cover it, put it on low and leave it all day.  Then you can come home to a good meal that you can eat while you study!  I love to toss some cheap meat in the crockpot with some water and dry bouillion, maybe some veggies or potatoes, and then leave it all day on low.  It really helps disguise the fact that I bought the cheapest cut of meat I could (BOGO, usually.)

Oh, and potatoes can be had for cheap at WalMart as well.  I have a super-quick and super good recipe for baked potato soup (much less calories than the version with cream!) that I make a lot.  It's quick and filling and I can usually make it in less than 20 minutes (20 minutes if it boils over on the stove and I have to clean the stove off... usually more like 15, though.) 

And someone above me suggested Subway, which is also a good last resort.  I've also had some success ordering off the kids menu at McDonalds when I get the urge to have something fast and cheap.

So, to summarize/conclude (because I'm really wordy, haha):

Insulated dollar-store lunchbox; rice; beans; rice AND beans; potatoes; crockpot; cheap meat in the crockpot; subway; kid's menu.

If you're interested, I can send you easy recipes.

Sorry for such a HUGELY long response, I was just trying to be as helpful as possible... but I'm shutting up now!

Holy Moly, is this a temporary thing (just summer) that you have to get up at 6 and then go to class, etc or ALL the time? I wish I could help you - I always make sure I have time for myself even if my schedule is jam packed - during that time for myself I typically exercise to reduce stress and feel better about the world.

Alright lets see... tips for you...

- Why not have one fast food meal a week just to make you feel as if you're not completely restricting yourself? If you allow yourself to do it you won't feel like your dieting and will most likely eat a portion that it's the size of your head!

- Food to take with you when you're on the go: cherry tomatoes, apples, pears, bell peppers, canned (easy open) fish or the fish in pouches - same goes for chicken, canned green beans or spinach (no sodium added kinds of course)...

*Wow I don't really think my tips helped in the least but let me say that I admire you a lot because it seems like you have a lot of ambition and generally like nursing (even if you think it's a bitch now)... Good luck with everything - it will all pay off in the future for sure!

Piratically every fast food joint has a healthy option.

If you must eat fast food order a salad with grilled chicken with a low fat vinegar-based dressing. Or a grilled chicken sandwich without the mayo.

I'm a student to and I lost weight by eating the grilled chicken wraps and yogurt form McDonalds and the Tendergrill and veggie burger at Burger King.

I'm not trying to thread crap, but I really do believe that you are creating obstacles for yourself.  I find it hard to believe that your schedule is as packed as you claim.  I'm not saying that you're lying, I just think that we tend to make time for the things that are really important to us.

With that being said, I do visit fast food places sometimes when I'm driving.  I tend to stick with Taco Bell's fresca menu, Turkey subs at Subway and KFC's grilled chicken.  I also carry a portable scale to weigh my food and I usually ask for condiments on the side.  I also have a folder in my car that has the nutritional information for about 30 of the most common fast food joints/restaurants.

For keeping track, I use the voice recording feature on my cell phone and then plug it in later.  Sometimes I just write in on the back of my receipt or whatever.  I believe that there are several calorie count apps or mobile web site that work on cell phones also.

I had a crappy schedule similar to yours last semester, and I did the same thing you're doing. Looking back I should've made up a bunch of food for the week when I had spare time on Sundays. Definitely should've taken a lunchbox more often. And I don't know about your schedule, but I could've squeezed a workout in at the campus gym if I would have had the discipline to pack a gym bag with shower stuff and extra clothes... but I was tired, and I'm sure you are too. How much longer you have to deal with this schedule?

Original Post by kisteel:

I believe that there are several calorie count apps or mobile web site that work on cell phones also.

Yup, I have Calorie Cruncher 3 on my phone. It's a life saver. It also sums up your BMR, TDEE, Weight loss/gain caloric needs.

I use it to plan meals in advance and I can use it to look at my progress since it saves my caloric intake from past days.

Bananas, Apples and Oranges, among others, don't require refridgeration.  Bring a can of tuna and a packet or two of mayonaise and some whole wheat bread.  I f you have the time for fast food you can stop into a grocery store and and get a better salad or healthy sandwich at the deli.  I am in school as well and I bring a lot of food with me.  You can also make your own protein bars, cheap with protein powder, natural peanut butter, and oatmeal.

For the post above that says I am creating obstacles for myself, I do take a small amount of offense to that because my schedule really is that packed. I have maintained a full time job, full time school, clinicals every weekend, and a 4.0 GPA; my schedule truly is that packed. Next time you post like that, maybe you could ask me for more detail before saying that you find it hard to believe my schedule is that packed? I'm sure other people are just as packed as I am.

For the post about how much longer do i have to do this? UNTIL OCTOBER!!!  YAY!!! I graduate October 30, 2009. Thanks for asking! the first thing I'm doing when I graduate is get my gym membership back at Golds. WISH ME LUCK ON MY BOARDS!! :)

Lastly- all of the posts gave me some great advice and reminders on things to do! so thanks for reading!