Everyday Systems

I'm facing a bit of a hunger dilemma, and was wondering how you all would handle it.

On Thursdays, I have work from 7:45 to 11:00, then class from 11:00 until 1:45 (with a small break from 12:15 to 12:30). After that I have to leave the university and pick up my kid from school at 2:30. The end result is that "lunch time" on Thursdays tends to show up at 3:00 or so.

As I have to be at work at 7:45, breakfast is at 6:20 or 6:30. Combine that with lunch time showing up at 3:00 or later, and man, am I hungry.

I've considered breaking the "no snack" rule for this single instance, eating something small in my short break from 12:15 to 12:30, but I wasn't really crazy about the idea. I'm worried that if I do that, I'll have opened the door to "well, I'm a little hungry, just this one little bite won't really hurt anything."

Any ideas / suggestions?

Hmmm. It sounds to me like you should maybe designate Thursday as a four meal day ... sort of like hobbits, but without the excess.

You could have breakfast at your regular time. First lunch (or second breakfast) at your 12:15 break. Then lunch at 3:00, and dinner at your regular time. Your two lunches should be small, sized so that both of them together would fit on a regular sized plate.

By making it a regularly scheduled thing, you elimate the feeling that you can do this on other days. By saying every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday I do thus and so, and every Thursday I do this, you're creating a schedule and sticking to it.

That's what I would do, hopefully someone with a little more experience can offer some thoughts as well.

Good luck!

Laura L.

I agree that maybe you should eat something during that 12:15 break time. Figure out what your "plate" of lunch would be then just eat some of it during the break and the rest at 3:00. I do this daily because of my schedule so it is normal for me. It can be your normal Thursday schedule with the rest of the week being regular 3 meals.

Given your schedule, I'd want the bulk of the meal at noon, not 3:00. If you pack a lunch, you could probably eat most of it in your break. (Maybe not... I know I eat fast, and it's not really a good habit.)

Can you eat IN your class? Some instructors don't mind, others do. Worth asking.

I think the idea of "plating" what would be a reasonable lunch and dividing it in some way between the two times you have to eat is sensible.

Good luck!

that's basically my M-F schedule - my lunchbreak isn't until 3pm but I get a 15 minute break somewhere around 12:30 or 1 usually. I just eat 4 meals and so I plan on a small "tide-me-over" meal at my first break, usually a piece of fruit and a yogurt or hummus & veggies or something. Technically a snack but I call it a "meal" and it keeps me going because there is no way I could go for almost 8 hours without eating anything!