College Student

purelyfe

Hello everyone!
I wanted to know how I can track my calories while in college. I have been struggling with my weight ever since I entered high school. I want to lose about 20 pounds in 3 months. I am currently about 210 pounds, and I am so unhappy about this.

My stomach is constantly bloated, and I'm having digestive issues.

My issue is the all you can eat buffet at school. I was six pounds lighter when I came here a couple of weeks ago! =/ To make matters worse I can't eat any dairy products.

I am just concerned about counting the calories since I'm not making any of the food myself!

brainfreeze72

Are there any other options? Do they have fresh fruit and veggies at these meals? You can ask if they have nutritional information available. My son is a student as well but he at least has a kitchen they can use to prepare their own meals. Personally I usually have an egg on an english muffin with yogurt and fruit for breakfast, a salad and a tuna sandwich for lunch then a big family meal at dinner.

kamalley

I just recently graduated from college, but I remember the tough part of only having the cafeteria food while living at the dorms. I found the easiest thing to do was to try and only eat things from the salad bar or sandwich station (without adding things like mayo). I do remember we had the option of having a certain number of meals at the cafeteria each week, and I actually cut down my cafeteria food meals to the minimum amount because I ended up wanting to eat from places like Subway, or get fridge-friendly meals instead. Are you allowed to keep food in a fridge/freezer and have access to a microwave? If so, there's lots of things you can make- things like your own oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, or even frozen lean cuisines. Personally, I did try and stray as far from the all-you-can-eat buffet style at college, but if that's not an option for you, I'd again just try to stick to things that you know are prepared without too many added calories. Also, if any of the food is made to order- don't be afraid to ask what they use to prepare it, and see if they can go easy on the oil or any other added calories you could live without.

My friend also posted a short blog on a few tips with college eating, that could be helpful: http://muffin-topless.com/2012/06/23/how-to-eat-well-at-college/

There's also a short workout to give an idea as to how to still exercise while living in the dorms: http://muffin-topless.com/2012/06/22/dorm-room-cardio-workout/

Hope that can help.

FitFabFlirty92

Hi there! I'm a college student, too. For tracking school food, I've found that as long as you're on a site with an extensive database (like this one), you can get on or close to the amount of calories you ate. Will it be 100% accurate? No, that's impossible. But it'll give you a decent idea of what you're eating. If you can, add the individual ingredients one at a time (ex. spaghetti, tomato sauce, meatballs) instead of entering in the whole meal. That tends to make your numbers closer to the truth than looking up something random on here that may have different things added.

As for the buffet, load up on fruits and vegetables, then use a small portion of your plate for some form of protein to fill you up. I find that no matter how much food a school offers, you will eventually get tired of having unlimited amounts of food available to you and start being a little more picky. It also helps to not deprive yourself. If you're really craving something unhealthy, have it in a smaller portion and enjoy it -- just balance it out with something healthier and don't go back for seconds. I did all of this my first semester of college and lost 15 pounds instead of gaining the freshman 15.

LCgymnast

Being in college and trying to manage a good academic career plus being in shape is so much harder than people know. I feel your struggle because I was there. I had very little money with a 24 hour greasy bar grill across the street that made the most delicious food I'd ever eaten (Definitely not the healthiest) or Ramon Noodles with tons of salt. I gained so much weight it was unreal. I had to stop and stop soon. What helped me was writing everything down and stocking up on tons of fruits (it's not as expensive as one thinks). That helped get all of the gross toxins out of my body, so when I did workout I saw results faster. Before I knew it I was eating better throughout my college lifestyle. I wish you tons of luck on your journey. I'll add you for any motivation and support you want/need. Together we can do this!

purelyfe

brainfreeze72- We do have fresh fruit and vegetables! I think I'm just going to end up eating that mostly, because it's easier for me to know what I'm eating. They do have a nutritional calculator online, but it does not work for me!! I think I'm going to eat as healthy as I possibly can and stay away from the obvious 'bad' foods. Thank you so much!

kamalley- Wow thanks so much for the links!! It actually will help me a lot! I do wish that we had different meal plans on campus though =/! I'll just have to be wiser!

FitFabFlirty9- Thank you so much! I'm going to try eating more vegetables, because those will be easier for me to track! I'll probably reduce dessert to twice a week or maybe three times!! Thanks again!

LCgymnast- Thank you for the add!! It really does help to write things down, and this is something that I will have to be more adamant about, because I haven't been doing it daily! I might need your help! Thank you so much!

wannabeskinny27

what about just sticking to snacks which are low in calories, wraps and salads?
Use this site to track calories, see the tabs at the top with food, exercise, reports etc
use food and exercise tabs to track what you and when you exercise
carry a little notebook with every day and if you have a blackberry, iphone/smart phone use the free app provided

TeamNoExcuses

Does your school have a nutritionist and/or a page about the campus foods' nutrition facts? My school has that and that can really help you. If not you could go find out what brands of food that are using and then go find out what the caloric intake count is for that food.

jess1992uga

I work with the school dietician and they are amazing. Usually if you are on meal plan they are free too. I would look into it