Losing in a Dorm at college?

Ashlyn_Rose
Ashlyn_Rose Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a 21 year old female in my 4th year of college. This is my first year living on campus. I have a meal plan because I can't afford to buy and cook my own food. Not to mention, I'm a little busy to cook on my own. I do drink plenty of water. I don't drink soda at all. I have fallen into the bad habit of eating dessert at both lunch and dinner. And usually more than one cookie or piece of cake or whatever at a time.

I've noticed lately that the dorm serves mainly carbs. Things like lots of rice, pizza, bread and macaroni and cheese. If we get vegetables, it's usually corn. On the off chance that green vegetables are offered, they only put about 2 green beans on a plate, or 3 pieces of squash or whatever. It's not what I'm used to eating at all. My mom makes 100% healthy meals. She makes everything with fresh ingredients, from scratch, and usually offers several vegetables AND a VERY robust salad at every meal (im talking a salad that makes about 30 mins to make because we put so much in it that we have to chop and cut and grate).

They offer a salad bar. But not as robust as what I'm used to having on a salad. And you can only make a salad the same way so many times.

I only eat twice a day because that's when I get hungry. I have tried that 6 small meals a day thing. And I just can't do it. Not with my class schedule, my work schedule, and the way my body is.

As far as exercise goes, I can't figure out when I should do it. Due to anxiety problems that caused gastrointestinal problems, if I workout for too long or too intensely (and yes, this means brisk walking) my stomach starts to cramp and feel heavy and hurt. If I keep going after that, I get dry heaves. Im starting to feel as if it's impossible for me to lose. But I just hate the way tops looks on me because I have an awful muffin top when I wear jeans. I"m desperate. I don't believe in weight loss pills. But I've been thinking more and more about buying some. Can anyone please help?

Also, my anxiety problems occur when I'm at home with my family because there's so much tension, stress, yelling at each other etc that I never want to sit down and eat a meal. I always just want to snack. And usually on junk food because I can never find any leftovers from the week that I want. I have been to the doctor about my anxiety and gastrointestinal problems, and they have determined that they are stress related seeing as the problems don't occur while I'm not around my family.

Replies

  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    A few little things. Firstly good luck with losing weight in a dorm. I lived on campus for 3 years at university and that was my heaviest weight ever. What daily calorie amount are you aiming for?

    Some things you can try:

    - Cut down on dessert. Notice I didn't say cut out dessert. Only eat it when you really want it and then keep the portion sizes small. Log them in advance if you can so you can get an idea of how many calories are in each item.
    - Don't stess about meal timing. It doesn't matter if you eat 6 small meals a day or 2 big ones if you can stay under your calorie limit.
    - Have a big salad with every meal if that's the healthiest option and have a small amount of carbs or something higher in calorie with it. Hopefully that will keep things interesting. The aim is not to cut things out but to cut down on portions.
    - On that note, learn what a healthy portion is. If you look at a small plate you should have 1/4 lean protein, 1/4 carbs and 1/2 green veggies or salad as a rough guide.
    - Take advantage of your Mum's healthy cooking while you are home and eat regular meals so you don't have the urge to snack in between (even if you have to take them somewhere to eat separate to your family to avoid the stress).

    - Is there any exercise you CAN do? Focus on the positives here. But remember that even with diet alone you should still be able to lose weight.
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
    Honestly, gaining weight in a dorm seems almost inevitable unless you cook your meals completely. I gained the most weight in college than in any time of my life. I am only 25, but still I gained 50 lbs in college in 3 1/2 years.. It was so difficult to lose weight too, since I was always studying and eating on the go basically. Temptations are crazy at the dining hall. You may go to there expecting to eat only 1 plate, but trust me its not that easy. I say good luck regardless!
  • thatsillyshana
    thatsillyshana Posts: 141
    they usually have vegetarian dishes and wraps that you can get. I feel you on the salads, but just keep adding and trying things! There are sometimes personal trainers at the campus gym and maybe you can get a free or discounted session for one day to work on an exercise plan. Also, find a buddy! It's more fun to do all of this with a friend! You also might want to look into free counseling for students. I've gone a few times and it's really helped me reduce my anxiety. :]
  • kaypat09
    kaypat09 Posts: 130 Member
    The negativity in the responses really irks me. You can DEFINITELY lose weight in college, and I'm proof of that. I'm in my fourth year and I've lost an immense amount of weight. It's all about choices.

    You don't know how many calories are in what you're eating, but you can guess. Overestimate when unsure.

    Going to the gym can seem overwhelming at first, but literally everyone there is only there for themselves. Go do your thing at your own intensity for your own amount of time, any amount of exercise will help you in the long run.

    I added you! If you have any questions, let me know.
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
    Sweet One, you are in your 4th year, you can see the light at the end of the tunnell. Do the best you can. Don't do double dessert at every meal, but occasionally. Walk quickly to classes that will help. you metabolism probably helps you. Just do the best you can. You can get everything together when you graduate.


    Basil. Add me to your friend list if we aren't already!!
  • Ashlyn_Rose
    Ashlyn_Rose Posts: 3 Member
    A few little things. Firstly good luck with losing weight in a dorm. I lived on campus for 3 years at university and that was my heaviest weight ever. What daily calorie amount are you aiming for?

    Some things you can try:

    - Cut down on dessert. Notice I didn't say cut out dessert. Only eat it when you really want it and then keep the portion sizes small. Log them in advance if you can so you can get an idea of how many calories are in each item.
    - Don't stess about meal timing. It doesn't matter if you eat 6 small meals a day or 2 big ones if you can stay under your calorie limit.
    - Have a big salad with every meal if that's the healthiest option and have a small amount of carbs or something higher in calorie with it. Hopefully that will keep things interesting. The aim is not to cut things out but to cut down on portions.
    - On that note, learn what a healthy portion is. If you look at a small plate you should have 1/4 lean protein, 1/4 carbs and 1/2 green veggies or salad as a rough guide.
    - Take advantage of your Mum's healthy cooking while you are home and eat regular meals so you don't have the urge to snack in between (even if you have to take them somewhere to eat separate to your family to avoid the stress).

    - Is there any exercise you CAN do? Focus on the positives here. But remember that even with diet alone you should still be able to lose weight.

    According to the myfitnesspal assessment, apparently, I need 1980 calories a day. That seems a little high to me. I might retake it and see if the number changes. You gave great advice, but only some of it will work for my personally. For instance, the cutting down dessert and having a salad. I can do that easily. (Even if I do end up getting sick of the salad due to the lack of veggie options...) The portion sizing isn't feasible in the dorm. They give you enough protein (when it comes to when they serve meat), but definitely don't give enough veggies. I wonder if maybe I could ask for extra veggies when they have them? It is an all you can eat facility...
    they usually have vegetarian dishes and wraps that you can get. I feel you on the salads, but just keep adding and trying things! There are sometimes personal trainers at the campus gym and maybe you can get a free or discounted session for one day to work on an exercise plan. Also, find a buddy! It's more fun to do all of this with a friend! You also might want to look into free counseling for students. I've gone a few times and it's really helped me reduce my anxiety. :]

    The vegetarian dishes, unfortunately, are still high in carbs and fat. Just because its vegetarian doesn't mean it's healthy. I mean, for instance, they serve something called spinach pie. But it's a lot of spinach baked in a golden pie crust. I'm sure there's a LOT of butter/oil involved and maybe some other things. I'm afraid to go to the gym for a trainer anymore. I went a few years ago, and the trainer almost literally killed me without realizing it. And then she wouldn't let me cancel my contract. So I still had to pay the whole thing, even though I didn't use all the sessions. And I couldn't pay it when they wanted. So it ended up in a big mess. I don't exactly have any friends. I don't make them easily, as I'm very shy. And I did go to the counseling center, but they are completely backed up for 2 months.
  • thatsillyshana
    thatsillyshana Posts: 141

    The vegetarian dishes, unfortunately, are still high in carbs and fat. Just because its vegetarian doesn't mean it's healthy. I mean, for instance, they serve something called spinach pie. But it's a lot of spinach baked in a golden pie crust. I'm sure there's a LOT of butter/oil involved and maybe some other things. I'm afraid to go to the gym for a trainer anymore. I went a few years ago, and the trainer almost literally killed me without realizing it. And then she wouldn't let me cancel my contract. So I still had to pay the whole thing, even though I didn't use all the sessions. And I couldn't pay it when they wanted. So it ended up in a big mess. I don't exactly have any friends. I don't make them easily, as I'm very shy. And I did go to the counseling center, but they are completely backed up for 2 months.

    Thats super lame, not you, the trainer and food and stuff. My old school had 2 places to eat, one was normal and one was more healthy, but still had some pizza and cake. I totally understand how hard it is to make friends, but maybe one day you'll find someone like me who will sit next to you and say, "hey there's a couple procreating in my seat, can i sit by you?" thats how I met my best friend. Just know that you can do whatever you want to do to make yourself happy and healthy! You're still young and beautiful, enjoy life!
  • gooellie
    gooellie Posts: 39
    First off try yoga or something. It helped so much with my anxiety I had anxiety attacks everyday from stress
    It sounds silly but it worked sign up for it as a class so you can't quit if your teacher is anything like mine they start up easy and it didn't get anything hard until the very last day. It isn't hard either and they make the class a zero judgment class and build it so you can't even judge your self.
    Then slowly work your way up to the gym once you have that confidence but up :)
    When I first started college being allergic to sandwich meat I had like no options at all for healthy eating. I never lived on campus but granola bars save me because they are super easy to store in your back pack and keep on the go and keep going. The only advice I have is cut portions in half.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    You could try telling them that you have a food intolerance and you can only eat certain (healthy) foods :) Asking for more portions of veggies is definitely a good option, can't see why they wouldn't give them to you.
  • skinnyinjapan1
    skinnyinjapan1 Posts: 15
    Maybe you could buy little foods now and then to cheer up your salads; like some cucumber, cherry tomatoes, some tuna, ... To make it less boring.

    I think the anxiety is not something this forum can really help you with. In the limited experience I have, I would suggest not focusing too much on exercising. Just find things you really like; f.e. long walks in beautiful areas of the place where you live. Those are very refreshing. You can clear your head and you don't have to worry about exercising at all.

    One thing you could always try to do is to only eat the good things from the dishes they offer. f.e. those spinach crusty things you mentioned; you could only eat the spinach and a tiny bit of the crust. But of course this would be very hard, since in my personal experience it's hard to leave something when it's tasty and on your plate. ^^
  • Ashlyn_Rose
    Ashlyn_Rose Posts: 3 Member
    Does anyone else have any helpful tips?
  • victoriavoodoo
    victoriavoodoo Posts: 343 Member
    A big problem for me in the dining halls was I was cleaning my plate without thinking about it. Alot of us are raised to clean our plate and not waste food, which is great when you have your mom's healthy cooking in front of you but not great when some cafeteria worker is loading your plate up with unhealthy things you can't really count accurately(or even if it's buffet style; most people's eyes are bigger than their stomachs).

    What helped me was:
    1. don't eat one item completely, then move to the next; mix it up. Take a bite of each thing then start over/rotate that way you won't fill up on one thing but still crave the other things.

    2. When you can't control the portions you are handed, make a conscious effort to leave a little bit of each thing on your plate, and you will start to find you were full before that last bite of mashed potatoes or whatever anyway. This is how I trained myself to eat until full, not until my plate was empty.
  • sashastackhouse
    sashastackhouse Posts: 51 Member
    Hey there! I'm 22 and I graduated college a couple of years ago. I lived in a dorm my first year and ended up gaining weight and did not use my meal plan hardly at all (when I got off work, the dining hall would be closed). But if I could do it all over again, here's what I would do:

    1. Think about the quality of the food. If your dining hall is anything like mine was, most of the food only tastes 'good' because it's covered in cheese or is loaded with sugar and fat. Try and persuade the people who handle the food to give you more of the healthy vegetables, fruits or proteins. And when you do eat dessert or something that isn't as healthy, ask yourself if it really tastes all that great. Is it really the best chocolate cake ever? Or are you just eating it because it's there?

    2. Find out who is in charge of the meal planning and get in contact with them. Tell them that you would like more healthy options available for students (or at least that you would like to serve yourself). The more comments like this they get, the more likely they are to change it. You are paying for it after all! Why be forced to eat something you wouldn't want to buy in the first place?

    3. Lastly, it's college. There will be pizza, there will be beer and there will be cakes, cookies, etc. That's just how it is. As long as it fits within your calorie goals (and makes you feel healthy), go for it in moderation.

    Also, as for the trainer thing, I'm sorry that happened. However, a great way to make friends and exercise is to join intramural sports teams, find running clubs, go to dance classes, etc. Or get fitness DVDs and see if anyone wants to do them with you (trust me, you aren't the only person trying to lose/avoid gaining weight in college!).

    Feel free to add me if you have any questions. You can do this!

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