Dieting for College Students!!

misjesica

Hey guys! My name is Jessica, and I'm a sophomore at the University of Texas. (HOOK 'EM! haha)

I'm really interested in having a thread for college kids who are trying to lose weight and get in shape! From my own personal experience losing weight is always difficult, but I've found that there are some unique challenges when doing it in college.

For one thing, I'm broke and the cost of groceries sure isn't going down It's difficult to afford all those delicious looking fresh fruits and veggies when you're on a tight budget! Unfortunately I'm paying my own way through college, so I'm definitely in need of some strategic grocery shopping tips when you're trying to avoid ramen noodles for the sake of your weight loss goals!

Secondly, I feel like its so hard to adjust your schedule month to month, semester to semester. My extra curricular activities and changing class schedules make it hard to hit a good routine. Also, how do you guys do with with a job + classes? I work and have class 8 to 5, and then have tons of studying after! Sometimes I just want to collapse in bed instead of going to the gym.

Third..... partying. Alcohol. Late night food runs to Whataburger and Jack and the Box. (You know what I'm talking about.) I'm not a crazy party girl, but I enjoy going out on the weekends and having a couple of beers. However, we all know alcohol + dieting just doesn't mix!! Even when I control how many drinks I have, I always end up getting sucked into those late night fast food runs at 3 AM after a good party.

And really, the list just keeps on going. But I want to hear from everyone else their struggles of dieting in college and how they've managed to change their lifestyles to accommodate their diets. Let's not only be academically successful, but healthy & fit too! (:

lvcsy1

Add me!! I can try and help!!

carlybarley22

For beer, I reccomend Budweiser Select - only 55 calories in a 12 oz bottle! And if you are constantly changing up your schedule and you learn to work around that, that would actually be good for you so that your body doesn't get too used to things.

MrsLehman24

The Skinnygirl™ Margarita
The margarita you love, only 100 calories.

Makes one serving

2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
Tiny splash of Orange Liquor
Juice of 4 Fresh Lime Wedges

To serve on the rocks, combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge

Have fun in college...the real world is not near as fun!!!

HaleyAlli

Hey Jessica, I'm Haley, and I'm also a sophomore in college (Greenville Technical College in SC).

It's definitely a struggle losing weight in college, (my weight has gone up and down like crazy in the past couple years) but it's possible! There are quick, easy 100 calorie snacks in a lot of stores and some personal lifesavers of mine are whole grain cereal in the morning and fiber bars during the day. Really low on calories, quick, delicious, and packed with nutrients. I feel so much better after changing my diet even after just a week of sticking to it. I've lost a whopping 1 pound so far (lol) but it's a start! And I've found that just taking a nice walk/doing yoga is refreshing as well. Exercise doesn't have to make you faint from exhaustion.

Feel free to add me for extra support

sarglava

I think this is a good idea. I don't have too much trouble buying healthy because I'm not paying my own way, but I like to stay in a budget just for the sake of my parents.

Going to college (and living on campus) is a struggle when it comes to food choices because there are so many fast food options all around you (in the library, in the same building as your classes!) so I've learned what I can eat from these particular establishments and what I can't.

Thirdly, finding time to exercise is the true challenge for me as a college student. I agree that after a long day of classes you get home thinking that you'll go work out and it'll be great. But you're exhausted! And you have papers X, Y, and Z to write for next week-- how in the hell is THAT going to happen. Personally, I find that putting in three or four half hour workouts (real sweaty ones) works well for me at this point in my life. I've been losing weight with this strategy. Of course keeping calories down works too.

I hope we can find a college community here! I'm excited!

Nomoreplus_sizes

For me it was waffle house. I still believe that moving to California was solely responsible for me losing 10lbs. No waffle house here.
I'm a college grad, still due to the recession living in college student mode. I found that frozen fruits vegetables from the grocery store were a really big help. Try and mix it up. I was at Georgia southern off and on for 03-09 and then you could buy a bag of frozen broccoli for 66 cents. I ate too much frozen broccoli and now I won't touch the stuff unless it's with something else. I'd pack lettuce wraps and baby carrots to eat while I was on campus. I lived on campus 3 years and near campus 2 years but I spent most of the day on campus out and about.
When you drink whether at a bar or at a party drink a glass of water in between rounds. I have to do this because of stomach surgery but it was really helpful in limiting my alcohol consumption. At the bar I frequented in college I was known for ordering a soda water with lime in between rounds.

ybba12490

Hey, my name's Abby. I go to the University of Southern Mississippi (TTT!) I'm a junior english major, minoring in advertising but I would love to get my master's in PR. Every semester I take a full load of classes (18 hours here) and I have a part-time on-campus job. I work the night shift as of now, hopefully soon I will be moved to day shift. But currently I work either 11pm-3am or 3am-7am... even on school nights! It helps to get the work done because I can concentrate, it's quiet.

But anyways, the job has kept me from going out regularly, so alcohol and the binge eating afterward is not a problem for me. although I do drink occasionally, I never feel bad about the extra calories... I would rather use my cals on alcohol than food, haha

Mon-Fri I have class from generally 8am-3pm so I go to the gym straight afterward so I don't lose motivation. It's hard for me to buy my own groceries as well, and I don't have a kitchen, so preparing food is a no-go I generally buy: oikos nonfat yogurt, 100 cal pack snacks, power/protein/granola bars, etc. I have only lost 8 lbs so far, but I think the hardest challenge is having a boyfriend... the man doesn't understand that I need to lose weight! lol he thinks I look fine.

But I would love to hear from others! Add me if you're also a college student We should keep this a running group/thread and have weekly challenges, goals etc catered toward our college lifestyle and becoming healthier!

skylar1907

I'm in grad school, but I have these same issues (went straight to business school from UG). Here's a few tips...

1. If you're on the cafeteria plan - get off as soon as you are eligible for a place with a kitchen. The amount of sodium & other 'fillers' in general cafeteria food will crush most large (20lbs+) weight loss goals. There's a reason for the freshman 15 - and its not just the stress!

2. Shopping - plan out what you are going to eat for the week. Buy quality meats & veggies - but JUST for the week so they don't go to waste. If you can set aside 50-60 dollars a week in food (which I know may be a stretch for some...) you can eat incredibly well & healthy.

Try to find farmers' markets that you can walk on the weekends (yea exercise!) and find cheaper prices for fresh(!!!) veggies & fruits. I bet if you talk with your girl friends, you will even find a few that are interested in tagging along with you to the market.

3. Eating - eat small meals throughout the day. Take a bag of grapes with you to your mid-morning class. Raw carrots to your afternoon study session.

Eat foods that fill you up and keep you full. Eggs are good for breakfast - as long as you don't battle with cholesterol. They have LOTS of protein (good for rebuilding your body after workouts) and keep you going ALL morning. I wake at 6a and often can't eat again until 12noon or 1p and I'm not hungry. Yogurt is good too - and fairly cheap since it and/or a couple eggs & a glass of OJ make a balanced & nutritious breakfast. You can find yogurt for 50 cents or cheaper at most grocery stores.

Moderation, moderation, moderation! It applies to diets - AND it applies to alcohol! I LOVE Jack and Coke. But I know that 1 Jack and Coke is the equivalent of a 30-minute walk. So, when I go to the bar, I have a tall glass of water first. Then, when that's done, I can have my Jack and Coke. Just one, because I'm not thirsty for another - and I'm not draining the glass because I'm thirsty...

4. Those special events... I battle with this too... for instance, there is an event tonight that I know I will have to break my 1 Jack & Coke rule at - and have 2. And this weekend, there's a huge event for my professional business fraternity at which I will have a dinner that I didn't prepare and probably will want to eat everything in sight.

So, how do I balance the need to be a student & spend time with friends with the need to be healthy and lose weight? I carry a picture of the reason I am losing weight. It could be a picture of a loved one who inspires you, an old picture of you at a healthy weight, or a picture of something you want to be able to do right now, but can't because you're too heavy or too out of shape.

I look at that picture before these tough events. I lean on my friends and ask them to help me keep my moderation rules (like getting the junior frosty rather than the medium!)- and I enjoy my night.

If I goof, well, then we get up early the next day and go on a LONG walk - burn those calories! - and think through what we could do better next time.

I hope these ideas help. I would love to continue on this thread! Those of us in our late teens/early 20s need to support each other - this is a TOUGH time to lose weight & its an even tougher (in my opinion) time to be overweight.

ilsie99

Believe me, the alcohol/late night eating does not get any easier out of college; if anything, with more time and $$ on your hands, it gets harder!

One way I've gotten around this is to schedule a long run with someone for the morning on a Saturday or Sunday. That really keeps me from drinking and eating junk, because doing so makes me feel like crap on the run.

Also, not drinking saves a ton of money, which you can then use on delicious, healthy foods!

One other thing- living in Austin is a huge advantage. There are tons of Farm-To-Table programs here where you can get a whole boatload of fresh, organic fruits and veggies every week for $20/week.

symphonika

I can totally relate to this!! I work 40 hours a week and have 4 classes, and scheduling in time for work outs, studying, AND a social life can be really hectic. It's all a matter of time management and determination! I know that a part of the whole college experience is partying and being social, but just try to drink and eat in moderation, and if you know that you're really going to beat yourself up over some late night jack in the box, try to resist!! Hang in there, at least that Texas heat will sweat off some pounds for you this summer

Bdmiller42

When it comes to groceries try your small local stores thats where I get all my things from.Most the time they have walmart prices beat.Ive never had an actual eating schedule because of classes and work except for a cereal bar in the morning,but when it comes to working out I'll do it first thing in the morning on my busy days and take an hour to relax before classes. Stopping the sodas is a good start.When it comes to fast food try cutting it down to few times a week or something better like subway instead of a bunch of burgers.If you have a smart phone get the my fitness pal app its great because it has like every food and you can see how high in calories fast food is.Drinking a few drinks on the weekends wont kill your diet,but I would recommend light beer if you drink a lot.Oh yea if Texas is anything like here after drinking stay away from the waffle house lol its everyone on a diets enemy

Tennessee Tech University

littlemili

I am also in college. Luckily as a violin performance student I can plan my days very freely as classes are only 3 days per week and there are very few of them. I always have a stock of foods like wraps, pitta, lettuce, spinach, corn, tinned tomato, tinned soup, frozen peas etc and then buy reduced fresh stuff like fish, fruit and veg etc. My meals get pretty samey and are basically completely dependent on what is reduced at 9pm when I walk past the shop on the way back from college.

I quit eating in college (we have a cafe which serves junk disguised as acceptable food) and eating out for lunch and that has made the biggest difference to my eating habits. Enough that I still make regular visits to the pub without it impacting my weight loss or calorie goals (spiced rum and diet coke...).

The main thing that screws me over is when I do freelance gigs and just have to grab whatever I can get during a short break somewhere I have never been before, and then get home at midnight post-concert.

misjesica

These are great tips guys!! Last night I went downtown for my friend's 21st birthday was so proud of myself - light drinking and I didn't binge eat afterwards! I ate a few strawberries when I got home and was hungry instead. Now tonight my Communication Council is going camping.... and there will be SMORES.

This will be a challenge haha.

But on a side note - I think we should definitely continue this thread and keep one another motivated! What are you guys' favorite to go lunches? I've started packing my lunch for when I can't go home and eat between classes, but I'm getting pretty tired of sandwiches :P I'd also like to compile a list of everyone's goals for the month maybe, so post those as well when you get a chance!

misjesica

One other thing- living in Austin is a huge advantage. There are tons of Farm-To-Table programs here where you can get a whole boatload of fresh, organic fruits and veggies every week for $20/week.

Really?! How do I go about doing that??

ilsie99

Look up "CSA Austin" (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture) on Google- there are a lot of farms where you can get a membership and get a weekly basket full of whatever fruits and veggies are grown and currently in season, they range from about $25-$50 a week. Also, if UT is part of one of these programs, you can often get even cheaper prices-

https://farmtowork.org/SFA/CPA/

misjesica

Thanks for the info :DD

westcoastSW

BUMPing to add myself to this thread -- full time grad student here, busting through finals! :grumble:

misjesica

Go you!! I'm still debating grad school or not. I feel like grad school is 5x more difficult! And finals... mine start next week Gonna have to resist stress eating like crazy!

misjesica

On a new note: Today is MONDAY! (boooo.) What are everyone's goals this week?

My goal is to go entire week with zero binge eating! Over the weekend I went camping with my school's Communication Council and definitely ate more smores than I should have, and then went to an all day music festival where we weren't allowed to bring food or drinks into the venue so after being there for 6 hours, I ended up eating some fattening BBQ since they didn't seem to have any healthy options available :P

This weekend I'm not doing anything special though, so no excuses!

Also, anyone have tips for stress eating? Finals are coming up!!!

Bdmiller42

Just try to relax thats key.You will do so much better if you stay calm and dont get stressed.I usually get a footlong sub when im studying and just munch on it a little as Im studying.

JD92

im on a 3 week break from school now for Easter (it should have been mid-semester, but Easter came really late) and i am struggling to stay within my calories everyday!

when im up in the dorms, i find it so much easier to eat less because if i want something, i have to cook it or go out and buy it. so i generally stuck to smaller dinners that were easier to make. at home, its alot harder, with proper big homemade meals, take-outs and binge-eating with my sister at night. gah

i was doing so well today, then dad came home from work with 2 dominoes pizzas. and i polished one off... :embarassed:

i have exams coming up in may, so i can totally see stress-eating becoming a problem!

skylar1907

destress for finals/midterms & gain calories at the same time - every 60-90 minutes get up and take a 15 minute walk around your building/up and down stairs. Log your exercise & return to your studies with a clearer mind.

Also, on exam days take the time to make an omelete or eat yogurt - proteins to keep your mind working through the morning/day - avoid sugary cereals or breakfast bars. your brain needs protein!

good study foods: rice cakes, fresh veggies (baby carrots are awesome), WATER, raisins, clean fruits like grapes, apple slices, bananas (non-sticky stuff), nuts

try packing some study snacks into the mini-snack bags Ziploc makes and keep yourself to 1 mini snack bag for each hour of studying. if your snacks are healthy you'll do well on your finals & keep from binging too!

misjesica

Skylar those are great tips! Thank you so much

Hope studying is going well for everyone!