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Does anyone else really struggle packing a lunch?

DragonKid♾

Active Member
I have a hard time putting things in a lunchbox that I’m going to eat tomorrow. First off, it’s all the things to keep track of. You have to make sure you have all the different food groups. You have to figure out what stuff you can put in. There’s also the forward planning aspect of it. How hungry will I be tomorrow? What am I doing in my classes? Should I pack more or less stuff? There’s just so many unknown variables. I generally struggle to the point of packing the bare minimum just so I can be done. Then when I eat it the next day, I don’t feel completely full. I feel hungry. Is that supposed to happen? Should I change something? Maybe I should just let someone else do it for me. But I feel like I’m not being self-sufficient. Is that bad? My sister likes to point out that she can easily pack her own lunch, while I can’t even though I’m older and supposed to be more mature. Maybe she means it as a joke? It still kind of gets on my nerves though. Anyway, when I’m an adult I might have to do it myself. How do I get better at doing this? Why is this harder than it looks? Can anyone else relate?
 
I tend to eat the same things every day, so it's easy: bread with spread or cheese, salad with sauce and grated cheese, Greek yogurt with honey. I've learned through experience how much I need to eat not to feel hungry. I don't need to think about it :)

I would pack plenty of items from each food group such as a sandwich or two, fruit, nuts, yogurt, a drink. It's better to pack too much than too little. Don't worry if you don't eat everything. You can always give it to someone else or bring it back home. You could also take some money to buy a snack if you still feel hungry, or some (healthy) snack like crackers or extra fruit.

It's not at all bad to have someone show you how they do it, then you can do something similar. Ask your parents for advice, see how your sister or classmates do it, and copy them :)
 
I pack always the same things. It removes the variables. Worst case scenario - you'll eat from the lunchbox at home when you come back.

It also helps to prepare everything to take on the previous day: lunch, books, laptop etc. Then you can just take the bag, take lunch from the fridge and go.
 
I always bring the same thing, too, with an extra bag of walnuts always there in case I get hungry.

It’s understandably challenging, though, @DragonKid♾. So many factors and variables, like you said. I think that’s why I’ve simplified it down to a repeating pattern. Easier to learn.
 
I agree, too many variables. Plus by high school, my daughter just ate the lunch at school to fit in.
A suggestion? Bring things to nibble on. Nuts, cornchips, sunflower seeds, carrots with ranch dressing, cut sandwiches in half incase you can't eat the whole sandwich. Crackers with couple slices of cheese. A cool one? Cut apple but put it back together with peanut butter. Bring a small container of peanut butter and dip apples into it. Get pretend cheese and melt on bread for grilled cheese sandwich. Bring salami and cheese cubes skewered with toothpicks. You could take a banana and peel and dip into peanut sauce diluted with milk. Take a small container, fill with cheerios, you can eat as snack. Mix in nuts, small pretzels with cheerios, and instant snack. So try bring a little variety to your lunch so it seems like a creative endeavor instead of a exasperating chore. Good luck.
 
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It's not healthy, I'm sure, but I don't pack a lunch. If I get hungry, then I'm hungry until I get home. I do just kind of keep the same things in the fridge though, so most often I'm making a sandwich. I keep potatoes as well and can do them mashed or cubed and roasted. I also have some food routines, like on Thursdays since I also have a regular evening commitment and will be out of the house pretty much all day anyways, that's the day that I go to a certain burger joint I like.

I did pack sandwiches a few jobs ago, but that was when my work was much more regulated about when I could leave. Now I'm on my own schedule as long as I get everything done each week, which has its own downsides.
 

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