looking for fellow college students

nikki91950
nikki91950 Posts: 647
edited September 2024 in Introduce Yourself
I'm pretty new to this site, but not to my weight loss journey. I've been fighting with my weight since the day I was born. I'll be starting my second year of college at a university in August, and I came close to putting on the freshman 15 the first year. I'm in the process of taking the extra weight off, plus more, but I'm so afraid of gaining weight again once I go back. I love the pizza they serve in the dining halls, and I won't have my mom around to help support me. Anybody in my same boat?

Replies

  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
    I've been going to uni for a few years now, and the food court always gets me, especially because of friends. I just can't eat a sandwich if they're sitting beside me eating pizza. It's impossible!
  • nikki91950
    nikki91950 Posts: 647
    I have the same problem when I'm there. My fiance goes to school with me, and he doesn't watch what he eats, so I always feel so deprived when I'm sitting there eating a stupid salad with nothing but lettuce and vegetables and he's over there munching down on pizza, ice cream, pasta, and waffles. I would love to just throw something at him.
  • absie107
    absie107 Posts: 290
    Just remember... a lot of that stuff, the pizza, the pasta, the ice cream, it's all engineered to smell good and taste rich, but all of those are nutritional zeros. You won't really get the nutrients you need and will get too much of, say, sodium, from that junk. I'm sort of lucky, at my school there are a couple of dining halls with great healthy options and varieties of legumes and different vegetables. They also put all of the nutrition info for every single thing being served online, which is such a good reality check. AND there's a little on-campus market where you can use your dining hall plan to buy groceries, and they have fresh fruit and good yogurt and some healthyish stuff.

    I somehow lost weight as a freshman this past year... probably because I walked so much and never really drank. I've been fighting my weight my whole life too. As a teenager I never fit into single digit size pants. I'm now at a size 10, on the verge of 8... you just have to remind yourself of how the things that 'taste good' really are just overloaded with fat and sugar and are great every once in a while, maybe on a PMS day or something. Otherwise you gotta just see how bad you want it. There's so much temptation... I had a week where I ate a pack of Reeses every night after dinner. But after a bit I realized the healthy stuff is worth it, and it does taste good once you retrain your taste buds!

    Also, boys suck for being able to eat whatever they want whenever they want. It's just not fair at all ever. But hey, in the long run, you'll know how to take care of yourself, and they'll have to really change their lifestyles when they get older.
  • FIREfitGrl27
    FIREfitGrl27 Posts: 199
    This is a hard one because it seems that you rely on the food provided by your university's cafe. I think it'll have to start when you get out of the cafe. In fact, find ways to make eating at the cafe a treat instead of the everyday thing if you can. A lot of the kids I knew in school who ate at the cafe didn't have transportation to get to other places to eat and, of course, ate at the cafe out of convenience.
    Stay strong though and keep eating the things that you know are good for your body. Let the pizza be a goal treat (or the waffles, ice cream, cheeseburgers, etc) just don't eat that on every visit. I know this probably hasn't helped much, but I believe it's the little things we do to treat ourselves that help. I had to do it in school and I did gain those 15 + pounds. However, I soon started walking to class and that helped.
    Good luck! :) be blessed!
  • nikki91950
    nikki91950 Posts: 647
    Thank you both! I really appreciate the support and thoughtful suggestions. I hate to admit it, but I knew what I had to do to keep my weight under control when I left for college, and I told myself not to let things get out of hand. And believe it or not, I only ate pizza about once a week. My school does offer a wide variety of foods, for the most part. I ate a lot of salad, fruit, cereal, and even vegan choices, but I always allowed myself to eat more than I needed. Freshman were required to get a certain type of meal plan, and I hated to go somewhere else other than the dining halls for meals because it was just a waste of money. We do have a Subway on campus, and I ate there 1 to 3 times a week. Nutritional information was offered for some things in the dining halls, but I don't think any of it was ever accurate. They always listed pepperoni pizza having less calories than cheese. Am I the only one that sees something wrong with that? This year should be better because I'm not getting a full meal plan, so I'll be making more of my own meals and will have better control over ingredients and portions. I think I screwed things up major when I tried calorie counting instead of using Weight Watchers points. I had to walk to and from class every day, and went to the gym off and on, but still gained weight.
  • MGunderwear
    MGunderwear Posts: 3
    I'm going to college this fall and trying to lose a bit of weight before I go off! I'm hoping to make some friends on this site around my age!
  • princessorchid
    princessorchid Posts: 198 Member
    I'm going back to uni in October, but I don't think I'm exactly what you'd class as a college student! This is my third degree (I've got an MA Art and a Bsc Sport Science - am going for an Bsc in Environmental Sciences this time round. Strangely enough I didn'tgain any weight at uni until my second year...first year I lived in halls and the food options were seriously limited, so I lived on soup I guess. I also didn't drink a whole lot...I used to be able to make a couple shots of Baileys last me all night! I suppose it was also the friends I hung around with in freshman year, who were mostly Americans over for their junior year abroad. Eating out and drinking weren't big on the activities list so it was easy to eat healthyish in my own time (or just eat very little, as none of us knew how to cook).

    Second year I moved into a flat and got a job - which meant I had more money and spent more on food and drink. THAT I think was my downfall. I was always thin when I was skint! By third year I had my own flat that I;d bought with the help of my mum and dad, and I had friends who liked going for meals out and to the pub...NOT good for the waistline!

    When I was studying for my second degree, I lost quite a lot of weight as our classes were on the top floor of the building - I think that was 6-7 floors up, and when you do sport science you get propoerly slagged off for taking the lifts, so I was walking up and down the stairs every day with a heavy rucksack!

    Gained it all back in less than a year because I was lazy and didn't do much exercise.

    I plan to walk to classes this time round though, as me and my boyfriend won't be staying on campus. It's about 30-45 mins walk to the uni, so that's an hour every day.
  • NikkiLaFleur
    NikkiLaFleur Posts: 30
    Luckily I avoided the freshman 15, but I was active so that may be why. Good luck and welcome
  • snmonson
    snmonson Posts: 79
    Instead of gaining the freshmen 15 I lost weight! I gained my weight my senior year of highschool from partying. I was glad I noticed it before it got bad! It is extremly hard to resist food at my school. There is NOTHING healthy in the cafeteria. I always bring a banana or an apple but sometimes that isn't enough to fight the urge to buy that big greasy slice of pizza after a long day of lectures :P
  • SayRah
    SayRah Posts: 104
    College sophomore here! Majoring in Graphic Design, gonna graduate in 2013, hoping to get my MFA by 2015 :)

    I actually find it easier to eat healthier at college than at home.
    1.) You walk around to class....a LOT. Especially on my campus. I'm in the mountains. It's VERY hilly. Lots of stairs. Walking to class definitely burns calories.
    2.) At my school, our tuition pays for a gym. I'm hoping to go twice a week (although I hate hate hate going to the gym. I feel awkward going there haha)
    3.) More of a choice of food. You can use this for better or worse. That is choosing to eat healthy or not to eat healthy. It comes down to YOU. I eat salads, veggie or tuna subs, sushi, mixed vegetables, etc. when I'm at college. Occasionally I'll treat myself with a slice of pizza, waffle fries, candy bar, but I try to make my treat a skim vanilla latte :) Meanwhile I have friends who definitely gained 15+ lbs and sometimes they literally ate pizza for EVERY meal.
    4.) Join a sports team! I'm on the equestrian team. We ride once a week and it really is a workout! So if you have a sport you like you should look into that.
  • xlizzislegend
    xlizzislegend Posts: 44
    I'm a little late to this, but I am going into my senior year of college. That in itself is a crazy thought.

    I want to get fit before I start my career. How will I be able to teach kids about healthy lifestyles if I don't have one myself?
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