my storyy : healthy lifestyle for the typical college studen

katt92
katt92 Posts: 9
edited September 23 in Introduce Yourself
hi everyone , im pretty new to this website and im excited to start being involved in a community that is dedicated to healthy living and weight loss. im an 18 year old college student who is majoring in nursing and woking full time at a bank. ( imstarting a nursing assistant program with the redcoss next month so i will not be working as much. )

I have really been trying to live a healthier lifestlye just like everyone on here but being a college student and living with roomates in my own apartment makes it difficult to stick to a certain plan . according to numbers i am not overrweight but i want to be in shape and maintain healthy eating habits and of course get that flat stomach for the summertime =) so that is def my long term goal. i am 5 4 and my weight is always ranging from 115-120 pounds.

For the past month off and on i have been going to the gym for an hour on the treadmill for at least 3 days a week and i have been feeling alot energized and less hungry. I enjoy eating good foods like fruits vegatables and whole grains and i have never naturally liked any junk, fast food, or soda. yukk =p My problem however is portion control and binge eating. I tend to eat most of my calories when i have nothing to do or when im home watching tv (esp thursday night watching jersey shore haha)

Anyways im trying to limit my calorie intake to 800-1200 a day because i want to slowly get back in shape without doing anything drastic. I dont mind limiting my food intake but i need to stick to a certain plan , i just dont know where to start ! on a good day my food intake is around this area :

Breakfast- whole wheat toast and coffee w/ no sugar
Lunch - cup of healthy choice chicken noodle soup with an apple
Dinner- salad w/ spinach, cucumbers, and fat fee cheese and dressing
snacks- 100 caloie right bites and 100 calorie almond packs.

on a not-so good day i will throw my eating plan out the window and eat a lotttttt of cereal. (cheerios, mini wheats and special k are my favorites . ill binge on sherbert ice cream, giant coffees and snacks like granola bars, goldfishies, and peanuts. my meals get all screwed up and ill eat so much at anytime .

I think its not WHAT im eating thats my problem , its how much and how often that is stopping me from consistantly loosing weight and getting into shape. i know that consistant exersice while eating 3 balanced meals a day PLUS snacks is the key to weight loss but i feel like that is a lot of food to take in everyday . i have heard/read many times that eating this way plus exersice is really the only effective way to loss weight . its a struggle to control my eating habits and im really really looking forwad to change. what do you guys say ? thanks for listening to my story , id love to hear yours next !

Replies

  • Xandi
    Xandi Posts: 319
    You might wanna try eating more.
    It doesn't look like you are eating enough calories and your body goes into starvation mode.
  • runjenrun
    runjenrun Posts: 5 Member
    your story is pretty similar to mine. im a senior in college and have struggled with my weight since highschool. i'm majoring in nutrition and although knowing so much about it i still find it extremely hard to follow everything myself which brings on the guilt. ive struggled with binging since highschool. its like one of those cycles that is really hard to get out of. ive always been athletic but like you im not necessarily fat but have gained weight and am definitely not as in shape. the advice i can give you is that you should never eat less than 1200 calories a day. your body naturally metabolizes that amount of calories and by eating less than that your metabolism will slow down and youll store the excess calories anytime you go over your goal. you sound like you have a great canvas to get in shape. but dont let the binging get the best of you! if you need anymore advice let me know :) hope this helps a little!
  • nursepam16
    nursepam16 Posts: 2 Member
    Hello I am nursepam 16
    I too am trying to be alot more healthy and focused and I am proud of your efforts.
    I am 50 years old and have been a nurse since 1980!!!
    I am back in scool to get a Master's degree in Nursing and become a Nurse Anesthetist.
    So we have alot in common!( although I am probably your Mom's age!!)HA
    Nursing is a great profession you have made a wonderful choice.
    Do you have alot of weight to lose?
    I need to lose about 35 lbs.
    I have some things against me like a defunct thyroid gland and being perimenopausal...but
    I am determined to do this for me and for my famiily (so I will not develop any serious health issues)
    I think you are restricting your calories too much...800 is nearly starving esp if you are working out.. this will send your body into a fat storage mode. I speak from experience because I have yo-yo dieted my whole adult life,
    This web site will help you... It told me to stay around 1200 calories for my age and goals
    . I haven't been successful everyday but at least I am tracking which helps keep me from binging.
    Rethink your calories and try to keep your protein level above your carbs and you will lose alot of cravings.
    GOOD LUCK!!
  • strivingfor130
    strivingfor130 Posts: 221 Member
    800-1200 is definitely not enough for you since you are exercising, in my opinion. Plus you are already at a healthy weight, so if I were you I would continue doing your cardio exercise,but add some toning exercises which will add muscle and burn more calories. You should also try having some protein for breakfast rather than just carbs...that goes for lunch too.
  • keta6atl
    keta6atl Posts: 45
    Hey Kat...looks like a few people are hitting it on the head...it does appear that you aren't eating enough...esp. if you are doing an hour of treadmill work 3x per....if your protein intake is too low and your body goes into starvation you will be burning through some of your muscle...of course in starvation you will lose fat too.....but this is pointless if you start losing muscle...look into bumping up your protein...and perhaps look into interval training instead of logging an hour on the treadmill.
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