Struggling to lose weight at college please help

College student here! I put on 20-ish pounds when I started. For me it was because I became so much busier and the cafeteria in student center (which is attached to the library and other areas that I frequent) always had the place smelling like fries, pizza, and other delicious but awfully unhealthy things to eat. And I was a sedentary person, sitting and reading and such. The first step to losing the weight off is getting some self control! I highly recommend getting yourself some low calorie snacks (or protein bars for workout days if you plan to work out frequently) and avoiding eating excess meals when you really should be hydrating with water and snacking lightly between meals. Watch your portions.

You're not far off from where I started, and I've only made changes in my diet/excercse since December-ish.

Have you taken any wellness classes yet? They might not be part of your core class requirements, but they are for mine. Take the basic one that requires you to go to the gym. The book teaches you about management and how to get started. Taking this class kicked it up a notch for me fitness-wise this semester. It's better if it requires a workout verification report each week. That helped motivate me in the beginning of the semester... now you can't keep me out of the gym!

You're fortunate your campus has a gym for students! That'll save you a lot of money. As for getting to know the machines- ellipticals and treadmills are a good place to start, along with stationary bike. The weight machines aren't difficult, and usually they have a picture on them that depicts how to operate the machine with directions. If not, just go in and walk around, get a look at the machines, take down the names, and youtube/google them to see how they work. My school gyms also have free-weights galore, and there are a ton of tutorials online how to use them all in many awesome ways. You can also find a fitness plan online and follow that, if you want structure and to be guided through. Bodybuilding dot com has some great plans, even for beginners, and they have videos to show you the proper form and everything. Also, you can ask the front desk at the school gym if they do tours or teach you how to use the machines. Some student gyms employ instructors for free or at a fee. You can also check to see if your school offers group workouts, like spinning classes. Chances are you have many options, though.

Of course, you don't need machines at all. If you're uncomfortable in the weight room or even in the gym, you can always do body weight exercises. There are free workouts on Youtube now, too.

The last things I'll note is that you don't even have to work out to lose weight if you eat healthier and keep a deficit in calories by logging. It works better if you exercise, and more quickly. Walking is even a good option when you're just sedentary. It works best if you do weight training.

I have been getting a lot of good results with high intensity cardio training, which I've read speeds up your metabolism for 24 hours after your workout if you do it at 170+ heart rate consistently for awhile. It's really hard at first but now I can stay on an elliptical machine for an hour and a half if I want when in the beginning I couldn't last 10 minutes. I also watch my portions and have changed my diet quite a bit- no fried stuff, no mayo, no soda and barely any eating out at fast foods.

Anyhow, that's a little advice based off my own experiences. Your starting weight and height are about the same as mine.