Hello! Any advice for a college student?

shudds

Hi! I'm Sarah and am a college student who has fluctuated greatly with my weight throughout the years. Through high-school, I often used food as an emotional crutch and am now paying the price. However, I am now in a really good place emotionally and am working for a body that reflects my healthy attitude! I'm starting in increments, and small goals, as that seems to work best for me. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds in the next three-four months. (ultimately losing 40-50 pounds by June) I have started running 30-45 minutes every other day and am watching what and more specifically, how much I eat.

However, I'm starting to have trouble eating enough. I'm on a restricted diet because of a birch pollen allergy and am consistently not eating enough calories a day; however, I struggle with this because snacking is what got me into trouble the first time around.

I am wondering if anyone has advice for balancing college, exercise, and eating healthy. Thanks!

shellsies93

hey! i love setting small goals for myself as well...the bigger the goal, the more overwhelming for me..anywho i'm also in college and on the days i go to school i don't really "work out" i just take longer ways to get to class so i walk a little more and on my breaks i walk around instead of sitting down the whole time. as for eating healthy, again on days i have school i don't eat well, and by that i mean i don't eat until i'm home...i hate eating in public..but i've noticed that when i'm at home and i want a snack, i just automatically go for a banana or blueberries or other fruit lying around the house. i've somehow trained myself not to snack on other stuff.

good luck!

PinkkCamel

I think it's really great that you're setting smaller goals for yourself and have an ultimate goal in the end of it all! It's really the best way to approach weight loss. Otherwise if you focus on one goal you become obsessed with it and want to get there quickly which could be detrimental to your body!
It's important to work out your calorie requirements and make sure you make a large enough deficit to lose weight whilst not making too large of a deficit to damage your metabolism. And wow I have never heard of such an allergy! So does this mean you can't eat fresh fruit/vegetables ? That's a real shame for someone who's trying to lead a healthy life style ): Are you restricted to a large subset of foods or just a few that are triggering ?

In terms of managing time with uni, preparation is definitely the key. Make tuppaware your friend and always take your meals and snacks in containers wherever you go. You should always carry extra snakcs in your bag in case you get peckish throughout the day. This will help you avoid having to go and buy food from a shop instead which usually contains foods that have much higher calories than you'd expect. Exercise is difficult if you have a busy schedule. Personally for me, I like to get up at 6am to do exercise. It's good for waking you up before university as I start at 9am every day, 26 hrs per week! I try and walk everywhere I go also, since a lot of the time i don't actually have time to do proper exercise sessions (also bc i have an injury). Try to avoid driving to places, dont use lifts, that sort of basic stuff. Incidental calorie burning can add up! (:

If you're struggling to eat enough calories, have you tried making main meals bigger? Or you could try adding calorically dense foods such as avocado, olive oil to salads, nut butters (or nut-free nut butters?? not sure of the scope of your allergy lol) to oatmeal/pancakes/whatever you're eating. There are heaps of options although I don't want to make too many suggestions that might be unhelpful since you have a restricted diet

shudds

Thanks so much for your response! My allergies are a bit tricky but manageable. Raw veggies can be a problem, like tomatoes, peppers, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, celery, etc, but if they're cooked it's not so much a problem. I also can't eat nuts (except cashews, pistachios) and cannot eat apples period. However, i've been doing allergy shots (which seem to be helping) and taking anti-histamines 2x a day which has made all the difference. It can be a struggle, but I somehow manage!

I never thought about carrying snacks around with me! Thats actually a brilliant idea as I often skip lunch because I have class. Thanks for the advice!

b3st

Pre plan your food, small containers in your bag etc will make it easier.

lamilli09

If your campus has one, take advantage of that big, beautiful, FREE gym.