Any advice for a busy student?

SkinnyPharm

Hi,
I joined MFP about a month ago when I got a few spare moments from hectic school life to look into what all the hype is about. I need help losing weight. I'm a busy student and I don't have much time to cook or go grocery shopping for healthy food. I've gained a lot of weight lately and it is affecting every aspect of my life (i.e. confidence, health, marriage, etc.) and I feel that MFP may be a good place for me to get results. Are there any students out there or anyone else with a crazy busy schedule that was able to successfully lose weight or is currently working on it? I need any help/support I can get.

Thanks!!!

Black_Swan

Well what really helped me (also a student) is that i stopped eating what was available at home and started shopping my own stuff. I usually shop once in two or three days and put everything in the fridge. I eat what most people call "clean eating" - i started like that even before i knew it had a name.
Also a good tip is to carry a lunch box or something similar with a salad, wholegrain bread etc. and to find the strenght to order healthy stuff in the canteen. Good luck!

jillerin457

I'm in the same boat as you. It's really hard to eat well when I don't have time to cook or eat a decent breakfast! I'm in a PhD program, working as a TA, AND teaching 2 college courses, plus juggling a husband and other family members who need attention.

Over Thanksgiving I realized I'd gained 20 lbs. since beginning graduate school in Fall 2006. That was a wake-up call! I estimate I was consuming about 2500 calories/day, many of them coming from my favorite indulgence, Dr Pepper! Since then, I've switched to mostly Diet DP (or water, even though I hate it), and limited my calories to 1500/day, and I've lost about 10lbs. overall. (My weight counter shows less because I started recording about 2 weeks after.)

So far, I haven't found a good solution to the *quality* of what I eat, because often it's fast food or nothing. But I've at least reduced the *quantity* of what I consume, and had some success with that. Until this spring semester is over, that will have to be enough. So I wish you luck, and if anyone else has some suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

tritepoet

Hey there, I'm a student myself. I have found it helpful to to take the time to make all my meals before-hand and refrigerate or freeze them. You could get yourself some nutrient shakes to save time in the morning or at lunch, and have all your other foods already prepared and portioned out for you. You can even make double the servings so you can share quick meals with your spouse.

Hope this helps!

Mindful_Trent

I'm a busy student and I don't have much time to cook or go grocery shopping for healthy food.

I think it is a common misconception that healthy eating/cooking takes too much time. If you plan your meals and go shopping with a list it won't take long at all to go shopping - most larger cities have 24hour grocery stores where you can shop at midnight if that's what works best. Plus if you're eating healthy, you'll mostly be sticking to the edges of the store and won't be going up and down every aisle. (The list is what is key, though!)

Also, pick an hour or so on a day where you have some time and do food prep for that week - cook up chicken breasts or whatever your proteins of choice are, hardboil some eggs for a healthy grab n go breakfast, cut up veggies for salads/snacks, pre-portion snacks like raw almonds, veggies, etc. You can also cook meals like healthy lasagna, stir fry, etc. in large batches, portion them up and eat them over the week (or freeze the portions to be used later). A decent set of tupperware (with varying sizes of containers) and plastic baggies will be your friend.

It seems like a hassle at first, but I promise it's NOT that hard once you get into the routine and figure out what works best for you! You can do this!

Phoenyxtears

Hey!

I just graduated (Dec. 18th) and I was in your shoes also! Looking back on what I did, I can tell you if you hit up fast food all of the time due to time constraints, then look for the healthiest food on the menu - i.e. Taco Bell's "Drive-thru Diet" with their Fresco tacos. My sorority sister lost a few lbs; she was already skinny to begin with so it wasn't as effective as it could have been I think. It's not the best thing to do...to eat fast food...but it's something.

Perhaps setting aside just an hour on a Sunday to go grocery shopping. Make a meal plan on MFP or Allrecipes.com (a site that lets you search by calorie amount which I LOOOOOOOVE and there's an app for the IPhone, maybe the Android, but don't quote me on the latter). That's what I'm starting to do - make a meal plan, shop for the week, cook it all and then freeze them and label the meal for the day that I want to eat it.

Another sorority sister didn't eat after 7pm, and I know she felt better rested, which may come into play for you. I needed all of the sleep I could, even though I didn't get it lol.

The last thing is that since I've always been self-conscious about going to the university's gym, I just started parking farther away on purpose and walking more. At first, I was huffing and puffing, but after a week of feeling like I was going to die, I didn't huff and puff anymore and I felt like I should park farther, which I did, and so on.

I'm finally starting my "diet" now that I have more time. I hope MFP helps you, and good luck!!!

TooHot2Handle2

What is helping me is my H2) on the go 2.2L jug I got from walmart.

It holds 8 glasses of water and anytime I get hungry I drink the water. I filled it up during the night so it can be cold the whole day.

You can also try Wriggles desert gum. It help keep the cravings down and only 5 calories per stick.

absie107

Hey, I'm a student as well - double major, involved in too many things as most students are these days - and I have managed to lose weight, but it has taken a long time. I lost 23 pounds over the course of a year and a little bit. That doesn't sound like much, and I still have probably 15 or so to go, but it has been sustainable and I've gotten in MUCH better shape overall.

As far as quick foods go, I suggest stocking up on fingerfood fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, grapes, celery... whatever you can either stick in your bag or throw in a plastic bag really quickly. I still live in dorms so I don't have a ton of flexibility in terms of meals, but for breakfast I usually make oatmeal/whole grain hot cereal in my dorm with skim milk and fruit. I also have almonds/other nuts, kashi bars, occasionally Cheerios or Puffins cereal, Greek and/or nonfat yogurt, and reduced sodium cheese sticks around for snacks. I try not to keep stuff that is bad for me around save for Dove chocolate promises... sometimes that little bit of chocolate is just what I need!

I also drink a lot of tea and sometimes coffee with skim milk or skim lattes... I really eat a lot and luckily my campus makes whole grain wraps, veggie burgers, veggie or tofu (and meat but I'm a vegetarian) stir fry (they go easy on the oil if you ask!), egg whites, fresh fruit and salad bars, burrito bowls, etc. available all the time, so I'm rather lucky.

Oh, that, and I exercise 5-6 days a week... I just get up at 6 or 6:15 and run, or go to classes on my campus on the weekends. TRY to sleep 7 hours a night if you can - it makes a world of difference!!!

I hope those tips helped... also I highly suggest reading up on where your food comes from if you get the chance - I did so over the summer and it really changed my perspectives and cognitions when it comes to what I put in my body.

mmarzipan

Make four columns: one for protein, one for veggies, one for fruits and dairy, and one for starches. Fill them with things you like to eat and go buy them. Make sure your starches comprise of no more than 1/4 of your plate for each meal. You'll find that cooking doesn't take that long if you have everything you need. And you'll find that you don't have to deprive yourself if you limit starchy foods. Throwing some chicken in the oven with a pre-made sauce and steaming broccoli is simple and healthy. These can bake/steam while you read, shower, check email, etc. There's no need for elaborate meal planning or precooking your meals with this method; just pick 2-4 things from each column in the evening and throw them together. Also, be aware of simple choices like cream and sugar in coffee as well as juices and sodas. You can decrease your daily intake significantly by reducing or nixing these.