Losing weight is not that easy

Amyeeeeeee

So Im a new college student @ 30 3/4 years old and I am now into going to class 5 days a week and taking on clients and thats great.. but as far as my weight goes I have lost 4 lbs, gained 2 back, and stuck @ 226lbs. I am having a hard time NOT eating out daily because of the convience of grabbing something to eat while Im out at school. I live 20 minutes away from classes so I cant run home for food. I go to a technical college that does not offer a fridge so I cant take alot of cold foods. I carry a cooler but its small and doesnt leave me with alot of options. Most ppl say of Id just not eat while Im there. Well let me say I LOVE to eat! Thats why Im up to 226 lbs. My beau has lost 26 lbs and it makes me sick.. happy that hes losing sad that Im not....

Help!!!

sc1572

I pack and bring my lunch to school and use stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated! I like PB sandwiches, apples, PB and banana sandwiches, yogurt with blueberries, grapes, almonds, Chewy bars, Fiber One bars, edamame, carrots, etc...and check out skinnytaste.com

Rogns008

If you have a microwave, you could always bring single serving low cal popcorn... I like to bring granola bars with me. I'm actually lucky because we have a Subway at my school, before it was added in it was all burgers, pizza, and a really overpriced salad that I would never buy.

K1Teacher

I freeze a water bottle and put it in my lunch bag and it keeps it cold all day. You gotta do what ya gotta do...

lynnmarie60

Try to take sack lunches filled with low cal snacks and fruit that doesn't need to be kept cold. If you want a hot meal once in awhile, stick to Subway, Frisco Tacos at Taco bell are low in calories and cesar salad and a bowl of chili at Wendy's wouldn't be bad either.

Plan plan and plan. Look it up before you go and you will prepare yourself. If you know you will eat out, check out the calorie intake on here first and then decide and plan what you will eat.

Beezil

I've told a lot of people about Bettern, it's peanut butter with 85% less fat than regular peanut butter. No cholesterol, gluten free, dairy free, 2g fat and 2g sugar per 2 tablespoons. Get some whole grain or wheat bread and do sandwiches with this! So good for you, and delicious. But yeah, sc1572 has some great suggestions too. Fruits won't go bad, granola bars, fresh veggies, homemade healthy trail mix. Get creative! Me personally, I always have a very small lunch because my breakfast is usually quite large. If not, my dinner is. Maybe you could try having a larger breakfast with more protein in it and that should help with the hunger towards lunch, that way you can deal with having something light like a granola bar or some carrots. Hope that helps. Don't give up! Losing weight is not easy, but it's worth it!

boehle

I get the hormel compleats a lot at lunch.
They range between 200-300 calories.
They are pretty yummy too.
As for workouts, 20 minutes a day with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred has helped me a lot the last few days.
Make friends and log in all the time, that helps too.

cominupmilhouse

Bringing items that don't need refridgeration is actually your best bet, it's insane how many calories you tack on by eating out! Especially daily!

capriciousmoon

I'd go with packing things that don't need to be refrigerated. Maybe you could look into bento-style lunches?

Elizabeth_C34

It really comes down to choice. Like others say, you can save yourself some money and a lot of calories by packing your food instead of opting for fast food. You can also make better choices if you do eat out (veggies instead of fries, grilled chicken instead of burger, salad with light amount of dressing). In the end, you need to start making better choices about what you put into your mouth. That's all it boils down to.

tiger__cub

Judging from your picture, it looks like you're going to cosmetology school. That's where I gained my weight! Not that you will, because you're on here being pro-active about it. I on the other hand, ate out every day single day, and before I knew it, I was buying bigger uniforms! You should bring your lunch to school, even if you have to buy a new, bigger cooler. seriously! Don't make the same mistake I did...

Jaded_GRL

what is your exercise like? I eat what I want... like today I had taco bell bean burrito AND double decker AND carmel apple empinada... and still under my calories for the day because I rode my bike for a while after work and burned off over 700 calories!!! You need to first invest in a heart rate monitor (with chest strap) then get moving to earn your food. eat what you want and just stay active... working for me!

ajm07

For me, the first 10 hours of the day are easiest especially if I'm not at home.

I eat virtually the same breakfast and lunch every day, with morning and afternoon snack. Nothing fancy, cereal for breakfast, yoghurt for morning tea (I keep it in my drawer - it's still cold after an hour or two) salad & meat sandwhich for lunch and apple for arvo tea. Being away from the cupboard at home is what I find makes it easier to maintain control. It's easier if you can avoid walking past food outlets though!

By the time you get home, if you're already on a roll with the day then it seems even easier to have a portion controlled (but still fantastically yum) dinner, and some fruit or something later on in the evening.

Good luck!

mezzosoprano89

I bring my lunch to school almost everyday now! You can do it! Make sure if you are short on time in the mornings that you pack it ahead of time

Great things are:

Wraps with Turkey (only if you are going to eat it within an hour or so though...otherwise I prefer it refridgerated)
Fruit (bananas especially)
Dried fruit is great too! (raisins, dried plums, dried prunes, if you like prunes...)
The healthy choice steamers that aren't frozen (they are alright...not great, and high in sodium, but sometimes okay on the go)
Handheld Soups or microwavable soups
Granola Bars
Sugar Free Pudding (or fat free...whichever you prefer)
Salads
Apples
Oranges
Nuts

So many possibilities, it is harder without a fridge to use, but you can totally make it work! I've started making wraps out of tortillas and lunch meat and salad. Quick, easy, delicious.

retrobaby

Amen!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I pack and bring my lunch to school and use stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated! I like PB sandwiches, apples, PB and banana sandwiches, yogurt with blueberries, grapes, almonds, Chewy bars, Fiber One bars, edamame, carrots, etc...and check out skinnytaste.com

Ditto-- try to find some non-refrigerated foods that might satisfy the cravings you're getting during the day. Like if it's chips/salty snacks maybe try nuts or some of those cracker-crisps that are lower calorie. Good luck! I am a sucker for convenience so I totally understand.

kdelost630

what is your exercise like? I eat what I want... like today I had taco bell bean burrito AND double decker AND carmel apple empinada... and still under my calories for the day because I rode my bike for a while after work and burned off over 700 calories!!! You need to first invest in a heart rate monitor (with chest strap) then get moving to earn your food. eat what you want and just stay active... working for me!

^^okay, please don't do that because while you may lose weight, you won't be healthy.

Beezil

Eating whatever you want isn't a good idea. Just because you're under your calorie goal doesn't mean you're necessarily under your fat, cholesterol, sugar, or carb intake for the day. These things add up and if you eat too much fat/cholesterol/sugar, you're going to become sluggish, overall more unhealthy, and eventually could start having heart problems.

auntiebabs

In college I lived on PB&J, Hard boiled eggs, and carrot sticks.

These days I sometimes take a frozen meal to work, by lunch time it mostly thawed and I only zap it for 2 minutes instead of the 6-7 it says on the package.

akcouick

I am a binge eater on the fast food diet, I am a full time student, single mother, and I work 12 hour shifts... who has time to cook? I certainly don't! So I still go to the same restaurants I was going to that made me gain all the weight in the first place... ha ha. I now order grilled chicken sandwich plain with only grilled onions (verses the liquid cheeses bacon mayo and onions that used to be on it) and my double stack cheeseburger that used to be ordered with chili pickle and onion is now a double hamburger with only onion.Dont eat fries, and try to give up sweet tea... and try to avoid the cheese at restaurants, cause its not healthy. Just try to choose healthier choices. I have lost 17 lbs and I have ate at Cook-Out several times this week, and had pizza twice! It can be done, just stop with portion size and don't order fried food


I drink water instead of soda, when I want something else I add Mio ( if you haven't tried it you should) it comes in a small bottle so I can keep it in my purse, its very concentrated makes 24 servings, just squirt some in a glass of water (no calories, no sugar, no anything in it) AND ITS GOOD!!!!!! VERY GOOD!!!!!

make sure you are eating breakfast, something filling (I eat oatmeal, cause its quick, only takes 2 minutes) and I keep an apple and an apple corer in my purse cause apples keep you fuller longer too (red delicious apples are healthiest

ktdid626

I just graduated from Nursing school in Dec. 2010. I started packing my lunch and lost 25 lbs in 4 months. The girls around me HATED me because I was successful during a stressful time. I did this for the first year. The second year, I broke up with my boyfriend, and moved in with my mom. Still working full time and school full time! Talk about stress! I gained all the weight back x2! I started making excuses.

You CANNOT make excuses. My personal trainer always says, "your stomach can't taste what you put in it." Just do what you have to. I promise JUST LIKE SCHOOL you don't want to do the homework but the outcome of making 40k+ a year is so much better than the lousy 22k I was making before graduation. Eating better, exercise, and packing your food is worth every second of effort. I lost nearly 2 pant sizes that first year. It's an amazing feeling. Just BARE DOWN! DO YOUR CLASS WORK! DO YOUR WORKOUTS! PACK YOUR LUNCHES! And I promise...it will all be worth it in the end.

Now that I'm working at my job, I realize I've been neglecting my body. I'm going to lose all my weight and be smaller than I was in school. We can do this together!!!!

KEEP YOUR GOALS IN SIGHT!

Saffyra

If a bigger cooler would make it easier for you to eat healthy, just buy one. The $20 you spend on it may help save your life.

candicole007

I get the hormel compleats a lot at lunch.
They range between 200-300 calories.
They are pretty yummy too.
As for workouts, 20 minutes a day with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred has helped me a lot the last few days.
Make friends and log in all the time, that helps too.

^^^^this^^^^

I LOVE the compleats. They are shelf stable until you nuke em for 90 seconds. Also lots of healthy snacks. Sandwiches, things like that

Ange_

If you can only bring a small cooler bag you are going to need very filling nutrient dense foods that taste good. You'll probably need to mix it up from time to time too or you'll get bored.

Each week i buy a few chicken skewers from the grocery store. They are only 80 calls a serve. i cook them up at home, wrap them in foil and eat them cold for lunch or one as a snack for morning tea. They are quite filling.

Nuts are also great. I also really enjoy salads made with cold roast vegetables ilke sweet potato and carrot. The thought of it now is making me hungry!

candicole007

Also, if you use the internet as a tool, pretty much every fast food restaurant has a website - find the healthy choices and stick with those if you forget your lunch one day

Amyeeeeeee

I wanna first say WOW!!! I really didnt expect this much advice but I totally appreciate it. Ive been working on homework and 2 hrs later I log in and see all this loving support. It makes me feel better. YES I go to Cosmetology school and we started our clinicals. I am on the floor daily and in a classroom 2x a week. I do drink diet sodas or unsweet tea. I know its not bad but its not good. I am not a sweets eater but love pasta and convienve food. I think as far as the TV dinners and pre packaged food, TOO MUCH SODIUM so I try and stay away. I do bring a lunch cooler but Im lazy from time to time and dont pack enough stuff. AND I go to school down the road from a mall. Oh GOD the tourture lol. I appreciate each and everyone of you!!!