College Kid Probs.

I know how you feel! I was the same! And aw so glad You're loosing it again! It feels great when you lose weight and atleast you're doing it in the correct way! You'll be thin and healthy soon I'm sure! I have ever faith in you x

Forget freshman 15... by the end of college I was at freshman 50, lol. I did do some training for an Adventure Sports mayterm and managed to reach 180, but by the time I graduated I was 230+. Now I'm back in college again, and I hit 240lbs before I started MFP. This being my second time doing the college thing here's some tips I found.

#1: If you can, try and cook your own stuff, but that can be tough, especially if you have a floor in the dorm that has a tendency to make your pots, pans and food go missing. TnT

Here's some food ideas you can try:
~Pre-made grilled chicken strips
I've seen these at the store. You can also buy frozen ones from weight watchers that are pre-portioned and run at 140 cals each. Bring the strips to the cafeteria with you, you can use them as something new to put on salads. If they have wraps, you can make grilled chicken wraps, also with the stuff from the salad bar. You can always pop the chicken patties in the microwave if you don't have a stove and they make amazing sandwiches. Add fat free cheese and a bit of lettuce swiped from the cafeteria as fillers.

~Ramen = Evil. Even the noodles.
I really like ramen and subsisted off of it in college, but most people think its "healthy" as long as you take out the flavor packet and just eat the noodles. Sadly, most companies fry the noodles to dehydrate them and the noodles are saturated with fat. Be sure to check the labels. The sodium is from the packets, the fat is usually from the noodles.

~Water water water
Take it with you everywhere. Drink 2/3 cups worth an hour before a meal and it will control your hunger. Also, drinking water instead of pop will chop out innumerable calories. Buy a water bottle and keep it with you. Paying less for expensive coffees and pop will help save you money too, and money is always tight in college.

~Healthy snacks
Easy things you can eat that you can toss in your bag that won't kill you later. Things like low-fat cheese sticks, granola bars, fiber/protein bars. Things like sugar snap peas make for great study snacks. Get to a grocery store if you can, and get your snacks and special treats there. One of my favorites is the International Delight Iced Coffee Series, and they recently came out with a light version @ 100 cals a cup. That's less calories than a coffee house chai latte, and you can get a whole quart for the price of a single large latte. If your family is willing to help, ask them to send you healthy things in care packages.

~Your own college menu
Its a lot easier to buy things from campus diners on the fly than to cook something. Make up a list of things you know you can eat. Have a list of two or three things from each place that you can budget in. Having that list before hand makes it easier for you to control yourself and still make a quick decision on what you want. My husband and I have started doing this for most fast food places. That way, we know exactly what is in our range based on the calories we have left.

~Dinner nights
My friends and I tried this over the summer when we were working for custodial. Get a bunch of your friends together, and every night alternate who makes dinner. You only need to make dinner once a week, but you get handmade, healthy food everyday. This would be something great to try with your new friends who are also health conscious. We did this for the whole summer and it worked well. It is a lot easier (and usually cheaper in the long run) to cook for a group than it is to cook for yourself. You also only need to pay for a single dinner a week, and the rest of your week is covered. Try new things: substitute turkey with hamburger and make spaghetti with whole grain pasta (wegman's super pasta is fantastic!!!!), aim for a veggie with every meal, have a breakfast for dinner night with healthy veggie filled omelets.

~Watch the dairy
Things like cheese and milk can come loaded with calories. Try to use fat free cheeses when you can. Its also the cheese that loads up pizza with all those calories.
Fat free cheese = 45 calories for 1/4 cup
Whole milk cheese: 120+ calories for 1/4 cup
And a quarter cup isn't a whole lot of cheese! The college will often use whole milk cheese for its cooking since its cheaper and easier to get in bulk.

Obviously, if you drink milk, try switching to skim. Even better, see if your college offers unsweetened almond milk. Its easier on the stomach and lower in calories than skim milk. They usually always have these on hand for people with allergies, but anyone can use them. (I worked the kitchen in the college I went to, so don't be afraid to ask them)
1 cup whole milk = 145 calories
1 cup skim = 90 calories
1 cup almond milk, regular = 60 calories
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened: 30 calories

Sorry for the book post!! If you need any more college recipe ideas, add me and send me a message!!! Good luck!