Controlling intake at uni food hall?

JellyyBeanz

Hello, so I’m currently living in residence at university and have a meal plan, which grants me access to a buffet-style food hall 7 days a week. I’ve really been struggling to get my eating right; the menu is always changing and there’s always desserts available which I fall victim to, and end up blowing all my calories in one sitting. Any advice for dealing with this? I don’t have access to a kitchen besides a shared microwave. I’m also vegetarian so it limits my options and I end up eating a ton of carbs.

janejellyroll

All the advice is going to come down to: don't take food you don't want to eat.

There are various tricks for doing this, how they work for you will depend on your personality.

You could decide to fit a dessert into your calories a certain number of days a week or decide to have a small portion of dessert each day. You could decide that it will work better to not have desserts at all and mentally categorize them as an "off limits" food. You could get something sweet that fits into your calorie goal easily and add it to your meal afterwards (like a piece of chocolate or a pudding cup or sugarfree gum or whatever you think you'll enjoy). Personally, I would probably decide that I was going to have one dessert per week (or whatever I could easily fit into my calories) and it would be off limits for me the rest of the time. This is based on what I know about what works for me.

The key will be figuring out how dessert becomes something that you're not a "victim" to, it's something that you're deciding when you eat it and how much.

You can lose weight while eating a "ton of carbs," although it's true that some people do struggle to limit their calorie intake when they're eating mostly carbohydrates. If there aren't appropriate vegetarian protein options at your dining hall, could you advocate for them to add more? It's possible you aren't the only vegetarian at your college wondering how to get more protein and fat. If this isn't an option, have you considered adding protein to your meals? It's inconvenient, for sure, but it might help you better control what you're eating. If I had to eat at a dining hall and didn't have access to higher protein foods, I'd stock up on things like protein powder, protein bars, vegan jerky, canned bean soups, and other things that I could easily add to meals without having to cook.

laurenebargar

Could you grab small portions of the foods you want, and bring it back to your dorm, and then with your microwave buy frozen vegetables (my favorite are "steamables" that cook right in the bag) to bulk up your meal, this way you are having less of the food you feel you are having a problem with and still feeling full?

AnnPT77

JellyyBeanz wrote: »

Hello, so I’m currently living in residence at university and have a meal plan, which grants me access to a buffet-style food hall 7 days a week. I’ve really been struggling to get my eating right; the menu is always changing and there’s always desserts available which I fall victim to, and end up blowing all my calories in one sitting. Any advice for dealing with this? I don’t have access to a kitchen besides a shared microwave. I’m also vegetarian so it limits my options and I end up eating a ton of carbs.

It's been a couple of weeks (snort!) since I lived in a university dorm, but I was vegetarian when I did it.

I'd suggest considering making some "process" rules for yourself about eating, assuming that you're of a personality that's not very inclined to develop obsessions/compulsions or to have a dysfuntional relationship with food (beyond enjoying it enough that you eat too much).

I'm going to assume that salad bars are an option, and that there might be side veggies (though possibly a bit on the oil/butter-drenched side). Since you say it's buffet style, I'm assuming you can make multiple passes through to get multiple courses.

What I'd consider is making it a rule to start with a really big salad (and/or heap of less oil-drenched non-starchy veggie sides), and a sound amount of whatever vegetarian protein is available to you (enough of the latter that you'll at least hit your MFP protein goal by the time you eat all your meals). Consider how to compose and dress your salad in a way that will be either low in calories (such as vinegar or a light vinaigrette, or salsa) or contribute to your nutrition (such as using cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt as a dressing, if you eat that and it's available). Maybe add a small amount of calorie-dense but nutrition-dense amendments (such as a few nuts or seeds, avocado, etc.). Get one or more reasonably low calorie drinks (water, sparkling water, tea, coffee, diet soda).

Slowly eat your salad/veggies and your protein. Drink your drinks. Take a bit, chew it thoroughly, put your fork down between bits. Really savor this high bulk/high protein phase. Pay attention, and enjoy the flavors. Try to make this last 20-30 minutes, if you have the time. The goal is to let it take enough time for feelings of fullness to set it.

Log that food, even if you have to estimate roughly.

After it's logged, and only after that fullness sets in, allow yourself to think about whether you have enough calories for a small treat. If you have the calories, eat a portion size that fits, then stop. Remind yourself that you'll have future treat opportunities, as soon as the next day or even next meal. They'll still be there.

Carbs per se are not a problem. You want to get enough protein, and some healthy fats, so prioritize getting those in, and don't fret about carbs per se . . . especially as a vegetarian, since our protein sources often include some carbs (beans, quinoa, etc.).

One thing I hope is that you, as a uni student, aren't trying to subsist on super-low calories or lose rapidly. You're probably walking and moving a lot (getting around), and you're young. Your TDEE isn't tiny. Unless you're super-petite, and already very light, don't go straight to that silly 1200 calorie thing, or (worse yet) less. Plan to lose weight slowly, figuring out foods that are filling for you, and getting good nutrition along the way.

Over-restriction is a recipe for creating cravings. Avoid it. I know this next is probably hopeless, but stress management and adequate sleep will also help with managing food-consumption impulses. If you get some exercise, you can eat a bit more and still lose, and exercise can be a stress-management as well, if you don't overdo it.

Best wishes!