Losing weight in college

mylifemybody2014

I'm struggling to lose weight now that i am back in college. My goal is to lose 30 more pounds, if i can in a healthy way, by May when i move into my first apartment. So since January is almost over i pretty much have to lose 10 pounds a month. Working out at home during my Christmas break i was able to lose 8.5 pounds so far in January(i started working out and eating healthy on January 1st). Now that i am back in school it is so much harder. I can't cook my own food and with other stuff to worry about i feel less dedicated to going to the gym. Does anyone have any ideas or tips on how i can get back on track i would really appreciate it.

Greenrun99

10 lbs a month while having no control over your meal plan is probably a pretty difficult goal.. College is pretty hard to stay on track and lose weight.. Find time to get the gym time in, try to eat healthy looking foods if you have a cafeteria style meal plan.. and if you go to parties and stuff, Don't order food after drinking, or eat after drinking.. So basically self control when out at parties..

4legsRbetterthan2

For starters I think you need to take a look at your goals and think about how realistic they are, I am not saying it can't be done but I am saying you are going to have to kill yourself to do it. Keep in mind that most people lose a lot early on in their diet because you switch to healthier eating habits which leads to: lower sodium intake therefore a drop in water weight and less intake so a decrease in gutfill. You will not continue to lose at that rate without a huge calories deficit. Keep in mind a lb of fat is 3500 calories so if you have not created that deficit then you have not lost any actual fat. Why can you not cook your own food? You are gonna have to decide you really want this and commit to it 24/7 and it just does not sound like you are there yet.

jennycina93

Hi, I am also trying to lose weight while living at college. I don't know if this applies to your school, but mine has all of our food in the MFP database. Our food supplier is Chartwell's (probably different for you) but if I type in Chartwell's and then the food I ate, it is almost always there. This allows me to accurately track my calories especially since the food at college is different than home cooked (usually has waaay more sodium). See if your school has this, its very useful.

antoniac123

I'm in college, granted I don't live in a dorm or eat on campus, but I am still in college. Don't take the shuttle anywhere if you can help it. Don't drive across campus to get to another class, no locker. Carry your books in a book-bag and huff it. That's automatic gym time. Take the stairs, no elevator ever. Every day you should sit down and plan out your day. Learn to admit when you are being lazy. You can do it if you WANT to. If you don't want to then just admit and move on. No one can give you the motivation. I know I sound harsh, but that's the truth. I can't baby talk you into it or otherwise convince you. You have to find the will within yourself and it's there.

As for the food, yea you can control it. Go to your food services website and look up the calorie counts. My college uses chartwell's and they will tell you where to find the nutritional information. Ask the management where you can find it. If not then use myfitnesspal to find an equal food item. If it's chicken then use whatever chicken you can find. It won't be perfect, but it will get you close. Just remember portion sizes are important. Meat should be no bigger than a deck of cards, a half a cup is about the size of your fist etc. Hint for you-I used to work food service, the spoons are standardized in line cafeteria food. The meat will normally have a 4 oz spoon, sides will have 1/2 cups spoons. Look on the spoon near the handle on the top or bottom,often the amount if printed on the spoon. The handles are often color coded by amount. Don't heap the food on there though.

Iwishyouwell

I lost weight in college. It required portion control, exercise, and me realizing that I could not eat the way my peers did. The biggest difficulty in losing weight at university stems from a culture of overindulgence and peer pressure. To reach an aggressive goal like 10 lbs a month will require some serious discipline, and the ability to say "no" to your friends more than you might feel comfortable.

Briargrey

Hi, I am also trying to lose weight while living at college. I don't know if this applies to your school, but mine has all of our food in the MFP database. Our food supplier is Chartwell's (probably different for you) but if I type in Chartwell's and then the food I ate, it is almost always there. This allows me to accurately track my calories especially since the food at college is different than home cooked (usually has waaay more sodium). See if your school has this, its very useful.

The above is a great idea!

I did all the wrong things in college. I think you're doing the right thing right now by having awareness! Most school plans and cafeterias in my experience do have options, so choose your food wisely, look at the portions and see if they are really reasonable or too big. If the latter, eat half. Do you have a mini-fridge in your room? If not, can you get one? One of my sons' dorms came with a mini-fridge/microwave combo. The other could add one, so we bought him an inexpensive one (versus renting their version). Plus, most dorms in my experience do have microwave access. If you can get a fridge and have access to a microwave, you may even be able to eat healthier. Both of my kids' schools have on-campus 'stores' that use the meal plan card, so they can by stuff. Since that is usually overpriced, I did set them up with a reasonable allowance for fruits/vegetables each month and they just go to a real grocery store and buy those. Even without that, if you have the fridge/microwave, get your meals packed to-go at the cafeteria, eat half, store the other half, have it another time (for portions that are too big, as can be typical at least at American schools). If you don't have a way to have a fridge but have access to a microwave and a way to buy things, you could look at more portion-controlled non-perishables you can keep in your room and then wander down the hall to nuke.

It can be harder at school, especially with the stress of a full class load and limited access to and funds for alternative foods. However, it can be doable, even on a really tight budget. Also - exercise! Every college I've had access to had free workout places for students - a gym, indoor/outdoor tracks and pools, etc. Barring that, just make an effort to walk/run 30m each day around campus, switch it up to stairs and other things, use whatever you can find to do bodyweight sort of strength exercises, pushups, etc.

Also - reset your goals. I don't say this lightly or snarkily. 10 pounds per month is a lot to lose. I averaged 10/month from 291 down to 220 (so for 7 months), but look at how obese I started out at! It slowed down and as I get closer to goal it wll slow even more. And some people, even at my starting weight, can't get the 10/month. I think it's unrealistic and will just cause you heartache.

Don't make your goals about time. That's my advice. At least, not time to lose a certain amount. Make your goal the amount you want to lose (i.e. 30 pounds) and then set goals for how you are going to achieve that -- namely, how are you going to eat, track your food, keep within HEALTHY calorie deficits, how are you going to exercise, how often, how long, what sorts, etc. Make these REASONABLE and ATTAINABLE. So don't say you're going to work out 2 hours a day, 7 days a week. You'll fail after a short time and hate yourself probably. Start small. Slow, sustainable, baby steps. The 30 will come off, it will be healthier, and it will be doable, without adding a lot of stress burden a college student doesn't need.

jennycina93

I lost weight in college. It required portion control, exercise, and me realizing that I could not eat the way my peers did. The biggest difficulty in losing weight at university stems from a culture of overindulgence and peer pressure. To reach an aggressive goal like 10 lbs a month will require some serious discipline, and the ability to say "no" to your friends more than you might feel comfortable.
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This^^. It was really hard for me when I realized that I could not just eat what I felt like it (which all of my friends can do). In the long run though, this will help me stay healthy. Best of luck to you!

cici1028

It's going to be tough. I agree with the other posters on here... reset your expectations. That's a pretty tough goal to hit with only 30 to lose. Especially given your challenges. But you can lose weight. Don't rush it, do it right.

Walk. Everywhere. With ankle weights if you can hide them under your pants. Measure your food carefully. Dining halls are rough... it is going to take willpower. The good thing is that the nutritional information is easy to get and the menu doesn't change much so you can really plan in advance. Portion control is everything.

See if you can find someone in the dorm to be your workout buddy. Someone to be accountable with you and go to the gym with you on a regular basis. Cutting booze (or soda) are two quick changes you can make to see some results as well.

riahmess

even if you cant cook keep lots of fresh fruits and veggies in your dorm room! maybe get a blender too so instead of eating breakfast in the caf. try making a strawberry banana smoothie or if you're in a hurry pick up some of the special k pastry crisps! they taste just like pop tarts but instead of them being 200 calories a piece its 100 calories for both! I'm also in college right now living in the dorms and trying to loose weight add me if you want!