Dealing with the Dining Hall

Measure, measure, measure. I know it sounds stupid when it's buffet style, but it's the key. You don't necessarily need to measure while you're in line (you might p!ss some people off that way), but bring some measuring cups or a small scale with you and measure once you're at your table. Scoop out what you think is a decent serving and measure once you get back to your table. You get as much food as you want so if you have to throw away (or keep for later :happy: ) an ounce of cereal or pasta, then so be it. That way you can accurately log your food.

Also, just keep away from the desserts. Allow yourself to get dessert once or twice a week but still keep your portion in check. Or, if you know you have the calories left for the day, have a dessert that will fit your numbers.

One trick that helped me was to pack small snacks for throughout the day so I wasn't completely starving once I got to the dining hall. Pack some granola bars, fruit, a sandwich (I like tuna salad or fat free turkey breast) so you can snack between classes or when you have a break. Also, I always kept a water bottle with me at all times so I didn't get dehydrated trucking it across campus to all of my classes. Once it was empty, I'd find a fountain and fill that baby back up.

I gained most of my weight from eating at the dining hall my freshman year, and that was 12 years ago. It took me this long to get serious about losing it, so don't follow what I did!

My parents were pretty restrictive about what I ate in my teenage years. I didn't drink much soda or eat fast food often, and was very active. I'm a 5' 7" male and weighed between 130 and 140 for most of high school, and "bulked up" to almost 150 after doing some weight training my senior year. When I finally got to college and had unlimited eating options, I went crazy. I probably gained 30 pounds that year. I had 3-4 high calorie meals a day, eating a ton of fried stuff and desserts. A lot of it was psychological, since I never had that much junk food available before and felt independent about my eating choices finally. Beer didn't help either.

The fact that you're concerned about it now makes you a step ahead of most people. I would try to get the dining hall's menu beforehand to plan healthy choices, and just be diligent about tracking what you eat here and staying at your goal. Don't deny yourself the desserts and junk completely, but make sure to make room for it by exercising or eating less that day. Oh, and speaking of exercising, use the facilities your college offers! You are paying for it, after all, so you might as well be fit! Just try to have willpower when at the dining hall and keep all of the junk food out of sight/out of mind. Remind yourself of your goals often and stick to a plan!

Good luck!

I always had a one plate ruleand didn't use trays that way it forced me to stay within what I could carry.

This is definitely a good idea. And I agree that you being mindful of it in the first place is a great first step. I always made a salad (oil and vinegar dressing) and ate that first thing so I wasn't starving when I made my other food choices. My parents used to make me eat salad before dinner growing up and it was a habit that was actually helpful!

Keep your portion proportions in mind too. Try and fill half the plate with veggies or fruits, a quarter of it with carbs, and a quarter of it with protein (if you eat meat). If it's a fried or heavily sauced protein, maybe even less than a quarter of a plate.

Also, be very mindful of not overeating. Pay close attention to when your stomach says that it's full and stop. I think the one plate rule will really help here as most of us just can't normally eat multiple plates of food without feeling stuffed. It will also help that you'll be walking around on campus and running to and from classes - that burns more calories than you'd think!

Lastly, make sure you have enough time to eat. I noticed when I was in a hurry I'd just shovel down whatever was easiest. I'd also eat way too much because I was in a rush and didn't give my stomach time to let me know it was full. And a cookie or dessert every couple days is good for the soul! I ate one cookie every meal! yum... cookies...