Wanting Help in the Nurtition area :)

First of all, 1 pound of fat (I'm assuming you want to lose 1 pound of fat a week, right?) is roughly 3,500 stored calories in your body. To lose lose 1 pound of fat, you would need a deficient of about 3,500 calories a week, or a deficient of an average of 500 calories per day. And when I say "deficient," that means your body burns 500 more calories than you consume, not just eating 500 calories less. So on those days you don't exercise, you might need to watch how much you actualyl consume. So that's just letting you know of your goals. But guess what? It's completely doable!

Going to the gym is a great start! Awesome! Sometimes that first step is the hardest. And taking it slow is just fine. Remember, health and fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. So don't feel like you need to lost a full pound every week and that not doing so is a "failure." Every little bit counts, and those pounds you shed start adding up!

One thing to know about weight loss is that nutrition is super important. Exercise is one step forward, but a poor diet can be two steps back. So onto the question of nutrition; what are you eating? Have you calculated your caloric needs? I know MFP can do that for you, but you can always double check on your own. I suggest using the Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation to determine your caloric needs.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/178764-caloric-intake-formula/

This link also has the Benedict-Harris Equation at the WHO Equation, if you prefer. But the Mifflin formula tends to be the most accurate. These all find your BMR, or Base Metabolic Rate. Thne you multiply that number by your physical activity factor: x1.2 for sedentary, x1.3 for moderately active, or 1.5 for regularly active. If you are living the university life, you might be either 1.2 or 1.3, depending on how long you sit in class and what else you do outside of class. After mutliplying by that factor, that's where you can cut some calories. I know you're aiming for about 500 calories a day, but start slow, maybe only 200-300 calories less at first.

As for eating healthy on a budget, it is entirely possible. You know, of course, that a healthy diet consists of fruits and vegetables. Buy them frozen - usually they are cheap in frozen bags, plus they last much much longer. If you want fresh, buy the fruits and vegetables when they are in season. Also, try to avoid the prepackaged meals - I know Ramen is a staple across universities, but the high sodium content is not something you should actively seek in your nutrition. University living can be tough to eat right and maintain a very healthy lifestyle, but if you commit to it and make an active attempt to stay active and/or go to the campus rec center, you will seem improvements!

Thanks so much! Yeah I was watching a youtube video and they were talking about buying frozen veggies and fruit. Which is a good idea because I'm only one person, and stuff goes bad so fast! So on the days I do not exercise, eat less? And on the days I do, am I allowed to eat back my calories in what I burned by working out?

If you allow me to calculate your TDEE (based on the questions I asked you above) I'll tell you the exact amount of calories you should eat each day. In the case of TDEE, you would not eat back your exercise calories because you've already factored it into the equation. And frankly, I found that was easier to manage when I lost my weight.

On days that you don't work out, it's not necessarily that you should eat less. But in your OP when you stated that you tend to eat more on such days, that is where you need to watch yourself. And as Brandolin stated, you would not be eating back those calories because they are already factored into your equation in determining your overall caloric needs.

If you share your height, weight, age, and physical activity throughout the day, we can help you determine the number of calories you should be aiming for each day. Additionally, if you do not want to share it on this post, go ahead and message Brandolin or myself or someone else you can confide in if you don't want to share such information. Keep in mind, MFP tends to shoot you higher than that because it will also factor in your calorie burn from a workout. A small tip: I would suggest not trying to factor in calorie burn - just MFP just to track your calorie intake. If you have the right number of calories, eat the right foods in the right amount (here's where MFP really shines) and workout, you will start seeing those results!

Alright, here we go.

Firstly, your diary says you have only been logging for 14 days. That is two teeny tiny weeks, hon.... not enough time to get discouraged yet! You literally just started. I lost about 68 lbs slowly and safely and my weight loss took a little over 11 months. Looks like you want to lose about 35, so expect it to take about 6 months or so. 14 days is nothing compared to that! Give yourself some time.

Second, be very careful not to miss entire days of logging. Simply put, when you don't track, you have absolutely no idea what you're actually consuming. You may *think* you do, but that's part of the reason we all got big in the first place: we kind of tend to live in denial and do what we want now and apologize for it later, if you know what I'm saying. Tracking keeps us honest and accountable. You won't have good, solid long-term success without being honest. So track those calories! I'm 26 days away from 1,000 days of tracking. I do not say that to brag, I say that to show you that there is literally no excuse - if I can do it, so can you.

Third, I looked over your food diary and I noticed you're eating almost exclusively simple carbs, sugary-based snacks, and dairy. I was hard pressed to find a vegetable and there was nary a fruit, nor even lean meat nor a fiber-filled grain. Essentially, you're starving your body of nutrients and packing it instead with what is, for the most part, unhealthy and processed (read: man-made) foods. This will make your belly pudgy, your face puffy, you'll be sluggish and not feel very good in general (that makes studying pretty rough!), and it affects things like your mental and emotional drive to take care of yourself for any length of time. Your body really needs a good balance of healthy, natural foods to optimally burn calories, help you feel on top of your game emotionally, get good sleep, and a host of other life-tools you need to just basically live and feel well.

Fourth, you are rocking that exercise just fine by doing it in classes at the gym with other people. If that's what works for you - milk it! It matters not how you choose to exercise - your way is just as noble as anyone else's. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for not working out outside, etc. It's your call.

Lastly, here are some numbers for you. Are you ready for this?

To lose 1 lb a week, you should be eating 1,670 calories a day
To lose 1.5 lbs a week, you should be eating 1,420
To lose 2 lbs a week, you should be eating 1,200

If I were you, I'd opt to lose between 1 and 1.5 lbs a week, and therefore eat 1,545 a day. That way you don't feel hungry (and sabotage yourself) and you also lose at a steady, consistent pace which will stick with you long term. (Quick weight loss doesn't last).

So to bottom line it for you:

1.) Start replacing some of those processed carbs and dairy with green vegetables, fruit, lean meats, and whole grain card-oriented foods. Reduce your sugar intake. Drink tons of water.

2.) Keep working out like you do - that's awesome, keep it up!

3.) Increase your cals to 1,545 (trust me, don't be scared). Manually input this into fitnesspal. You can put in your exericse if you like to see it, but don't eat back the calories it tells you that you get. Just ignore that.

4.) Track, track, track! Do NOT cheat. Be honest. Even if you had a bad day. Be honest. This is critical to your long term mental and emotional health as well as physical success. You can't "guess" at weight loss - it's a numbers game, so play with the rules.

5.) Do this CONSISTENTLY for four weeks and report back to let us know how you're doing! We'd love to hear.

Questions?

I am bumping for the advice because I always love when people are so awesome and willing to share their knowledge!