Going hungry on my surgery rotation

"Dude, you're going to lose weight on this rotation." So said a classmate and good friend who just finished surgery at University and also happens to share my ridiculously fast metabolism. After a week on surgery, is the food situation as bad as my friend said it would be?

I lucked out because St. Joe's has a decent cafeteria, gives out a monthly meal allowance, and on top of that provides free breakfast four days out of the week. Free food is a big deal.

Still, the surgery culture pervades. It's a badge of honor for surgery residents how long they can go without food and water. One resident was telling me that at Denver Health he regularly went a whole day with no food, two cups of coffee, and no bathroom breaks. That just doesn't seem healthy to me. Or pleasant. Yet I heard a certain amount of pride in the way he said it. This culture is self-perpetuating, passed down from resident to intern to medical student.

So as someone who needs to eat something every few hours, what am I doing to get myself through this surgery clerkship?

First, I have a protein bar on my body at all times. That can usually stave off hypoglycemia for another hour or so until I have an opportunity to eat something more substantial.

Second, I keep a protein milkshake in the doctor's lounge refrigerator. A few swigs of that can also keep me going for about another hour.

Third, I try to eat low glycemic index foods to minimize the blood sugar roller coaster. This means lots of fruits and veggies, scrambled eggs, and double-decker peanut-butter sandwiches on whole-wheat bread.

Fourth, if there's an opportunity to eat, then I take it even if I'm not really hungry, because who knows when I'll be able to eat next.