College student in Need of some Motivation

CasualLuxury

I'm currently in college, but I'm having such a hard time keeping with my allowed calorie amount. Work + class + leadership positions have left me sooo tired by the end of the day that I have little energy to exercise. I need some help!

moonport

I work full time and am also a college student. I understand being tired. You just have to make working out and eating right a priority. If it's something you know you need to do, then you can do it. I usually hit the gym around 10:00 p.m. and work out for an hour. When I don't want to go, I work out longer.

reebop67

Do you live in a dorm, or on your own? Either way, buy yourself some ziplock snack bags. Even if you have to do it all at once, fill several bags with tasty snacks of fruits and vegetables. Each bag will hold about 100 calories worth of stuff, and you really can't go wrong with fruit and veggies. Keep them in your fridge, and when you're on your way out the door, grab a couple of bags. Keep them with you and snack on those instead of getting something out of a machine. I've found that I need to eat less when I eat foods that have high impact and are still satisfying - nuts, apples, lean protein, etc. Hope that helps. Oh, and simple things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walk up/down escalators don't just ride, and walk/bike as much as you can will give you more lee-way on your calories. The simple walk to/from my kids school 2x a day tends to add about 250 calories to my potential intake. I've been at this for just a week and I've already lost 4 pounds and come in under my calorie intake every day.

YeaILift

You need to figure out a schedule and stick with it. That's the key. No matter what, if it is time to exercise, go workout. If it is time to eat, go eat. Make sure you have at least a general idea of what you are going to eat at what time.

Monday - Friday
09:00 am Breakfast
10:00 am Gym
12:00 pm Lunch
01:30 pm Class
05:00 pm Dinner
06:00 pm+ Friends/Study/Whatever.

The key is to keeping a schedule. After the first two weeks it will get a lot easier. I think of working out as another class. I never plan on doing HW/Studying/Hanging Out at 10:00 am. It is blocked out for the gym. Try working out first thing and going to bed earlier if you can't motivate yourself to go at night. Over the summer I was working out at 8:00 pm after work, and I struggled to do it on Friday nights especially. I was the only one in our apartment's gym, but if you are dedicated enough you can definitely do it. Working out/Staying on your diet should give you a feeling of accomplishment. Even if you do nothing else that day, at least you are working toward bettering your life. No one said it would be easy.

allywe

Hey! I totally understand where you're coming from! I'm also a full time student with a job and tons of other obligations. Making the right choices is sometimes really really really hard (which you already know), but it gets easier if you plan ahead. I looked at my schedule and decided that waking up at an ungodly hour of the morning to fit in my workouts was going to be the only way I'd get it done. After about two days of my alarm going off waaaay too early, I found another time. Now, I go after work. This means that I have to pack a gym bag when I pack my school bag in the morning. When I'm packing my gym bag, I check to make sure that there are at least 2 healthy snacks in my school bag so that even if things get crazy later, I can make good choices. Another thing that's keeping me on track is that I signed up for a half marathon. I'm not suggesting you do anything that ridiculous, but for me, having a big goal that I HAD to do has really really helped.
Hope at least some of my blathering on was useful!

skinnyminnie1988

I am in the same boat! I am always on the go and get so tired that it is hard to stay on track with eating right and getting extra exercise outside of dancing all day (dance major in college.) Lately I have been paying a lot of attention on what I am buying at the grocery store. If you only allow yourself to buy healthy items then you wont have the crappy stuff in the kitchen to go to for cravings. Also try making working out more accessible. You could buy some weights to keep in your room along with a jump rope to get your heart rate up. If you pair lifting weights, jump roping, lunges and sit ups then it would definitely help your body start to get back n shape. Even if you are only getting 20mins in each day it is still better then nothing. Plus you will feel great after you do it!