College: Freshman 15

tinanicole

I am struggling with not gaining the freshman 15. With a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, how can someone not gain all that weight. Unfortunately, I have already managed to gain 5 pounds.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Thanks,
Kristina

tinanicole

I am struggling with not gaining the freshman 15. With a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, how can someone not gain all that weight. Unfortunately, I have already managed to gain 5 pounds.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me?

Thanks,
Kristina

AlyssaC2010

It's definitely hard...I'm a junior right now actually. For me the easiest thing is going grocery shopping myself & getting healthier foods (fruits, whole grain pastas, etc). Seeing as you probably live in a dorm I would say invest in a mini fridge. That way you can store fruits & veggies in there to snack on instead of chips. Hope I helped some!

Alyssa

songbyrdsweet

College is the whole reason I got into exercising...I was already overweight and feared the '15'. It's definitely not impossible, you just have to practice self control. Just because there's a lot of food there doesn't mean you need to eat it. You can still choose the healthy options and normal portions. We have big Belgian waffles, pancakes, pastries, sausage, biscuits and gravy...but we also have cereal, skim milk, eggs, oats, and grits. You can guess what I choose to eat.

The other thing I'll point to is alcohol...sometimes it seems like the only way people can have fun around other people. It's a TON of empty calories and impedes the next day's athletic performance. It's just bad for ya in anything more than small amounts.

tinanicole

Thanks guys!
That helped a lot!

Thankfully, I do not drink any of my calories since I only drink water. My trouble seems to be with all that delicious food that is waiting for me when I go down to the cafeteria to eat. : [

greeneggsam

College is the whole reason I got into exercising...I was already overweight and feared the '15'. It's definitely not impossible, you just have to practice self control. Just because there's a lot of food there doesn't mean you need to eat it. You can still choose the healthy options and normal portions. We have big Belgian waffles, pancakes, pastries, sausage, biscuits and gravy...but we also have cereal, skim milk, eggs, oats, and grits. You can guess what I choose to eat.

The other thing I'll point to is alcohol...sometimes it seems like the only way people can have fun around other people. It's a TON of empty calories and impedes the next day's athletic performance. It's just bad for ya in anything more than small amounts.

Ditto, ditto, and ditto...

I have been out of college for a year and a half, but I remember the "buffet challenge" and the ::ahem:: occasional hangover. NOT good. Just stick to eating and drinking what you know you'll feel good about later. I'm guessing you have free access to a gym, too, so there's no excuse not to exercise. (Carrying books all over campus is not bad cardio, either.)

If you can stave off the freshman 15, you'll have plenty of skills to face diet challenges I like to call the "cubicle 15", "Christmas at Mom's", and "the food-pusher in-laws".

jill927

STAY AWAY FROM THE YUMMIES.
:laugh:
College buffets were just one of many reasons I gained FORTY FIVE lbs in 2 years at school. Trust me when I say that nothing tastes good enough to sacrifice your health and mental well being.

My advice (I finally taught myself how to eat out of the caf...)

Stick with the salad bar, but be wary. Just because it is ON the salad bar, doesn't make it automatically healthy. Fresh fruits and veggies with low cal (or smaller portions) of dressing.

Wheat or pita bread.

Avoid the bagel/muffin/croissant area.

Allow yourself dessert, but limit it to 2x a week, or something small and managable for you.

Avoid the fries. They are hard to avoid, but trust me it will help.

Small or no portions of rice. Rice is yummy but nutrient EMPTY and calorie and carb RICH. Bad combo.

If you want to eat something off the hot line (occasionally there is something good on there haha) go ahead and eat it. Just watch your portions.

Don't allow yourself a second helping unless you are legitimately HUNGRY. Not because something tasted good.

Good luck! In a caf, willpower is everything!