Not really sure what I'm doing, need help.

coruscation

So basically the deal is, I am a 5 foot 4, 156-ish lb college freshmen who gained about 20 lbs since the beginning of the summer (probably due to my antidepressant, which I am going to try to switch off of as soon as I can find a psychiatrist at school). I have minimal cooking skills and not much access to great food on campus (at least at a price I can afford) so I've mostly been eating subway.

I recently overcame my general guilt and anxiety and have started actively looking into losing some weight since just trying to passively eat less and exercise more didn't really help. (I continued gaining weight at about 3lbs a month at my count)

Since I'm a pretty small person and I'm not sure if the 2 miles of walking I do between classes in the average day puts me in sedentary or lightly active and wanted to err on the side of caution, I've been trying to eat only about 1300 calories/day in the past week (since that's what the app recommends to lose 1 lb a week). The first couple days of eating this much were fine, but now On day 5 I feel like wet human garbage. While I don't have trouble resisting the urge to eat, I've been tired, weak, shaky, too hungry to sleep properly, foggy headed, etc. i feel better for about an hour or two every time I eat but then it comes back and frankly I can't deal with this. I know I'm doing something wrong, but what? I have an appointment with my school nutritionist Friday but I'm not sure how much to eat I the mean time.

Thanks


Edit: just realized I can edit these!


Further questions I have:

Do I need to log steps separately from how my phone counts them? I only got 9 bonus calories from walking 2 miles today and that doesn't seem right.

should I take stock in the idea of trying to eat 1 gram of protein for each gram of body weight? That seems a little... difficult. For one, that would be over 600 calories a day for me of just pure protein, or over 1/3 of a daily intake of 1500 calories. So, what? How? Should I even bother?

BiomedDent

Are you still eating mostly subway?

Probably a good idea to up the protein for sustained energy release. The bread subway use it majorly sugar heavy I always feel full for an hour or two after them then crash.

Maybe buy some porridge (oatmeal I think Americans call it) as well-if you have access to a microwave they're cheap and a great breakfast and slow release energy.

sarko15

If you feel like wet human garbage, don't try to push through. Eat more. I'm about the same size and I eat 1500, and I have a desk job. I would say walking 2 miles a day is definitely lightly active. Anything more than being a couch potato is basically lightly active.

Edit: also, do you have a meal plan? School cafeterias aren't always stellar, but usually there are enough options to make somewhat healthy choices. I know when I was in college, our cafeteria was nothing fancy, but it definitely gave me enough options to make good choices.

coruscation

Yeah, I do, I'm not really sure how to up the protein much though. I've been eating mostly tuna melts and meatball subs (a 6 inch at a time so that 1 sub is 2 meals)

I forgot to mention, I also take ADHD medication that's an appetite suppressant so I'm usually not hungry and have more energy for 6 hours after I take them. I don't currently have a job and the meal plan that my college forces me to have freshman year is ridiculously expensive (11$ per meal swipe that will only get you like one smoothie in some cases) and the food is gross, so I'm limited to some smaller options. There is a place on campus I can buy meat and cheese on its own and a chipotle but neither of them take meal plan money...


...Can you go to subway and order a sandwich without the bread?

Cifucanguess

Do you like boiled eggs or yogurt? Have you tried the Subway salad with the chicken (or double portion of chicken)? No sure if that is wise but it would up your protein. I like the tuna packets @ Walmart or Dollar General (they used to be a $1 a pack but now are $1.37) they have a variety of flavors. Apples/ peanut butter or carrots and celery?

Hopefully incorporating snacks between means may help and also meeting with your Nutritionist.

coruscation

The school did just switch food providers so I should probably revisit the dining halls. The problem is the closest one is about a quarter of a mile away and not on the route to my classes and generally fluctuates in edibility, while subway is right outside my dorm and at least has a standard.

BiomedDent

coruscation wrote: »

The school did just switch food providers so I should probably revisit the dining halls. The problem is the closest one is about a quarter of a mile away and not on the route to my classes and generally fluctuates in edibility, while subway is right outside my dorm and at least has a standard.

Do you have access to a microwave or any cooking facilities? Perhaps buy yourself a kettle and George Forman grill? If you cant boil it, chuck it on the grill. That's my cooking methods.

coruscation

Hah, I keep getting new replies as I'm replying to the old ones

I'm not a huge fan of boiled eggs or yogurt to be honest. I prefer my yolks semisolid, and yogurt is just too sweet. I drink a lot of milk though, and could maybe invest in cottage cheese.

I don't usually get the salads at subway, might try some soon, not a huge fan of salads in general but I should probably learn to like them.

Apples and celery and carrots would be nice too, but at a certain point I run out of room in my mini fridge that I share with my roommate.

Thanks for the help so far!

coruscation

I have a microwave and a tea kettle, but my room is the size of a sardine tin so my kettle stays in the communal kitchen.

Also, should I be logging my steps separately? I walked 2 miles today and only earned 9 bonus calories, which seems incorrect.

sarko15

coruscation wrote: »

The school did just switch food providers so I should probably revisit the dining halls. The problem is the closest one is about a quarter of a mile away and not on the route to my classes and generally fluctuates in edibility, while subway is right outside my dorm and at least has a standard.

A quarter mile is not far, and it might be worth looking into. Most schools list the daily menu online or before you swipe in. If it's not jiving with you that day, go to Subway, but at least you have the option.

BiomedDent

coruscation wrote: »

I have a microwave and a tea kettle, but my room is the size of a sardine tin so my kettle stays in the communal kitchen.

Also, should I be logging my steps separately? I walked 2 miles today and only earned 9 bonus calories, which seems incorrect.

Aha! So you have a communal kitchen! Buy porridge for breakfasts, and pretty much anything can be cooked in a microwave. I cook fish, pasta etc all in there. Pasta is super cheap and you can get this plastic tub on amazon so it cooks quicker.

suruda

Milk is honestly a good source of protein and you might want to make sure you are drinking a glass in the morning. Cheese sticks might be a good option. A glass of milk, cheese stick and an apple would be a good way to start your day. Cottage cheese is a good option too...I like nuts for protein but they are a bit of a redlight thing for me because I can eat a LOT of nuts! :-)

Apples don't need to be refridgerated so they don't have to take up your little fridge space. Especially if you are just talking one or two at a time.

Only you can decide if all of this is worth it! It is challenging...and even more so when you live on campus!

coruscation

Oatmeal (or really any breakfast food) isn't my favorite. I tend to need to eat a lot of protein for my meds to not mess me up. Might invest In making my own tuna salad, I at least know how to do that and then I can eat it straight out of the bowl. (It's a bit awkward since my roommate is a vegetarian)

Thanks for all the ideas!

Now I just need to find the time and energy to implement them...


Also: should I take stock in the idea of trying to eat 1 gram of protein for each gram of body weight? That seems a little... difficult. For one, that would be over 600 calories a day for me of just pure protein, or over 1/3 of a daily intake of 1500 calories. So, what? How? Should I even bother?

amy4selflove

Try the salads from subway. I usually get a rotisserie chicken salad, double meat, no cheese, lots of veggies. Sometimes it's large enough for 2 meals!

sarko15

Go for .8 grams for each pound of body weight, I think that's the standard recommendation. My goal is about 20% protein.

rileysowner

I am guessing your calories are too low. You are a college age woman who walks a fair amount.

Shoot for a goal of one pound a week is likely too much, but will probably work as a starting point. .75 or .5 of a pound a week would be even more realistic. Yes, I know that is slow, but it will maintain lean mass and provide nutrients you need more easily.

cebreisch

Making an appointment with the nutritionist is a VERY smart, important move.

The next one would be making sure you're logging EVERYTHING you eat. I was REALLY surprised by how many carbs/fat I was having, and how little protein I was having. The nutritionist told me to focus on protein and the carbs/fat would take care of themselves - I've found it to be pretty much true.

Subway can work for you if you know what you're doing nutritionally. I remember someone I know went and got salad, but no meat. I asked where the protein was, and she looked at me like I had a horn growing out of my ear. I laughed and said, "Okay - but you're going to be hungry in an hour." And she was. Add lots of meat, go stingy on the dressing and be mindful of what kind of dressing you use. If you put on a gallon of ranch dressing, you should've just ordered the bacon cheeseburger you really wanted because it would have been less calories.

I don't remember if Subway does this, but Jimmy John's has an "Unwhich" or something like it where they use lettuce to hold the sandwich contents instead of bread. Even doubling the protein would be a great idea - it takes longer to digest and will keep you fuller longer.

I saw you're not much a fan of hard boiled eggs or yogurt. I really didn't like yogurt until about 5 years ago - when I went to Greek yogurt. It's a lot thicker and has a lot more protein. I sometimes get the Nature Valley Protein Honey/Oats granola to put in it. That way there's some crunch to it too.

For what it's worth....