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erinafernandez
Posts: 5
Hi all,
I'm a 19 year old college student, and encountering a very familiar problem, weight gain. Recently, it really has gotten out of control, and I am becoming depressed. I have a meal plan, and our cafeteria is not dependable for a healthy meal. The only solution I have is to shop for groceries, however I don't have a kitchen in my dorm nor do we have a community kitchen. I also only have a miniature fridge and a microwave. What are some nutritious groceries that I can purchase that don't take up much space and don't need to be cooked by another method other than microwave?
I'm a 19 year old college student, and encountering a very familiar problem, weight gain. Recently, it really has gotten out of control, and I am becoming depressed. I have a meal plan, and our cafeteria is not dependable for a healthy meal. The only solution I have is to shop for groceries, however I don't have a kitchen in my dorm nor do we have a community kitchen. I also only have a miniature fridge and a microwave. What are some nutritious groceries that I can purchase that don't take up much space and don't need to be cooked by another method other than microwave?
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Replies
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Welcome to mfp. My daughter actually joined mfp when she was a college student. You can work the plan using your meal plan in the dining hall. Try to stick with lean proteins, green vegetables, and salad. I know there are quite a few unhealthy choices but you can make wise choices and have the socialization that you need. Try to stay away from casseroles and food items where they add cheeses and cream sauces. Also check into the fitness center on your campus. Work some of those calories off. I don't know if financially you can afford to purchase food and cook in the microwave. You may get bored easily and give up if you have to cook your own meals. You may want to purchase your own salad dressing so you know how many calories it has. Feel free to pm me if you have questions or need suggestions.0
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Pretty much everything I cook is sautéed so all I would need is a hot plate, good nonstick pan, and a mini refrigerator with a top freezer. Having a small pot for boiling wouldn’t hurt.
Even when I do meal prepping for the whole week I pretty much use the same two sautéed pans and give it a wash in between. You can do all your proteins in it and veggies. Then use the pot for boiling pasta, rice, potatoes, veggies…. People might look at you weird for having a hot plate but I’ve had plenty of coworkers who use it.0 -
We can't really have anything other than a microwave.
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Welcome to mfp. My daughter actually joined mfp when she was a college student. You can work the plan using your meal plan in the dining hall. Try to stick with lean proteins, green vegetables, and salad. I know there are quite a few unhealthy choices but you can make wise choices and have the socialization that you need. Try to stay away from casseroles and food items where they add cheeses and cream sauces. Also check into the fitness center on your campus. Work some of those calories off. I don't know if financially you can afford to purchase food and cook in the microwave. You may get bored easily and give up if you have to cook your own meals. You may want to purchase your own salad dressing so you know how many calories it has. Feel free to pm me if you have questions or need suggestions.
Thank you! I REALLY need to be consistent with going to the gym. Cardio isn't really yielding results,and want to lift. I get super self conscious. I am able to purchase groceries and have a pretty flexible budget, per my parents.0 -
I remember those days. Your lucky in the sense that you can at least afford to get your own groceries, I struggled a bit with that. A few good options I always had on hand were:
Chobani yogurt-they make 100 calorie version now. Full of protein, good source of dairy. I would throw some granola on there, maybe some slivered almonds or another nut, and have a good breakfast meal.
Whole grain bagels, only 240 calories each and they have a healthy dose of whole grain carbs. I liked to have mine with peanut butter and banana or reduced fat cream cheese.
Skim or 2% Milk for the cereal I would always keep in my dorm room. I recommend a brand of Kashi cereal. Very healthy fats, carbs and full of protein.
A few cans of tuna. Buy a loaf of high fiber, whole grain bread, some celery and some healthy mayo and have lunch!
Peanut butter. Sunflower seeds. Chia seeds for cereal and yogurt mix-ins. Nuts.
Most grocery stores sell pre-boiled hardboiled eggs. Buy a pack of these. If you eat them right away, they will not go bad.
Your meal plan will likely have a salad bar involved. Buy your own dressing so you know whats in it. Maybe take some of the aforementioned hardboiled eggs and tuna with you and make a meal of it.
Frozen veggies in microwavable pouches-none with added sauce! add a little olive oil or butter if you don't want them plain!
You should have access to fresh fruit in your cafeteria, even if it's just apples, oranges and bananas. If you can take some back to your dorm with you, do it. I always took a couple bananas with me and threw them in my cereal. Or dip some apples in your peanut butter. Or just eat the fruit as is. You can always buy other types to expand.
If you can't access lean meats in your cafeteria, a lot of stores sell pre-sliced cooked chicken breast for salads. Yes, there is a lot of sodium, but unless you have a medical problem with sodium, this should be ok.
Cheese sticks, great snack on the go. Just read the labels for a healthy brand.
Hummus. Get some celery or carrots, slice them up and have a snack.
If you don't have a problem with processed food, I used to get progresso or another type of soup. Just read the label. Have a sandwich with them for a complete meal.
You can make a baked potato in the microwave. Really. It tastes fine. Just look up the wattage of your microwave and google how long to cook it.
Brown rice now comes in microwavable single servings.
There are probably thousands more options! Good luck!0 -
The breakfasts in the cafeteria can be fairly low calorie. Have a good breakfast and small lunches and dinners. During those meals, skip the some of the carbs and the sweets. Stay away from fried. The meals in the cafeteria and not horrible. The problem for students is that it is "institutional food" --- not like at home.
It's going to be o.k.0 -
I spent my first two years living in the dorms. I got a personal blender and made smoothies with a banana, yogurt, juice/milk, and spinach. I still eat that a lot. You can change it up based on what you put in it. Also if you're craving sweet things you can do a a peanut butter chocolate smoothie (1-2 tsp chocolate pudding mix, two tbsp peanut butter, a banana, a splash of juice, and some type of berries. also keeping salad stuff, nuts, oatmeal, couscous (which is easy to make in the microwave, 1/2 water+1/2 cup couscous+some yummy vegetable mixins= a yummy filling meal.) Hope this helps a little bit.0
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I actually lost weight in college, I made friends with other girls who were watching their weight, we ate together, only salads, and we went to the gym together. We stopped eating animal products, due to one girl who was vegan, and the pounds flew off my body.
As for eating in your room, just buy protien drinks, Musclemilk is good. And get an air popcorn popper, popcorn is a great snack, and few calories when done on an air popper.0 -
I'm doing my masters and I know what it is to be tied up to a meal plan. I got so bored of eating the same thing everyday that my creativity really came in handy. The worst you can do is eating highly processed foods, stay away from them, they are the enemy!!!
Get a dasher container and pack it up with grilled chicken or any other lean meat they might have (Yeah right, doesn't happen very often but still, burger patties are also a good option).
Grab those veggies, peanut butter, nuts, and fruit. I won't say stay away from sweets… ice cream is my own personal enemy, but instead of depriving yourself eat them moderately. I do not purposely eat many carbs other than my oatmeal in the mornings, the rest come from vegetables and fruits. It helps a lot with cravings and satiety levels.
Get in & get out… hanging with your friends in the cafeteria is always a blast, but the more time you spend there, the more you'l be tempted to eat unhealthy stuff.
Hope it helps, good luck!!!0 -
You can make scrambled eggs, spinach, cheese in the microwave. Add stuff like peppers, onions etc. I had this for breakfast with 2 corn tortillas (which I heated in the oven but I bet there is a way to do that in the microwave too). I Look forward to reading other ideas.0
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Thank you all for your suggestions! I went to the store and got some steamed veggies, salad, chicken, protein drinks, apples, and potatoes. I think I made a good start.0
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I lost the bulk of my weight, close to 40 pounds, freshman year of college on a meal plan and honestly, I DO NOT RECOMMEND you going out to buy the majority of your groceries and depending on that for the bulk of your meals. Financially, it doesn't make sense because you have to pay for the meal plan anyway, but supplementing your meal plan with certain groceries is what you need.
I accomplished my weight loss in about 4 months? Eating wise in the cafeteria:
* for breakfast: oatmeal, egg white Omlette, fruit, whole wheat toast, cherrios, skim milk etc for Stay away from all of the breakfast sweets, waffles, sausage and fatty things that are so alluring! They are so tempting, but don't fall into it.
* for lunch: protein ( they usually always grill chicken, so if the other options for protein don't seem alluring, just resort back to that), veggies (they always have some sort of veggie), salads, sandwiches or wraps with tons of veggies, whole wheat bread, and lean protein, I also frequently did turkey burgers with a whole wheat bun.
* For dinner: same as lunch
As for snacks for your room:
Oatmeal (for those days you can't drag yourself out of bed, throw some fruit and brown sugar in it!), fruit, nuts, rice cakes, peanut butter, whole wheat bread, I loved frozen fruit bars as a treat, pretzels/ wheat thins (idk how you feel about those ... But I loved them, easy to travel with and way better than chips), tea, stuff for sandwiches.
Hope it helps! Good luck girl, you can do it.
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I find it hard to believe that your cafeteria at school has zero healthy options…
Your school must have an omelette station at breakfast as well as fresh fruit, and a salad bar and grilled chicken at lunch and dinner.0 -
I have had a rice cooker with a steaming tray (15-20$ at walmart) ever since I moved out.
Aside from making rice in it, you can steam veggies, eggs and some meat in the tray (be careful with chicken) and the food will be much tastier than food cooked in the microwave.
Great for cooking from scratch, doesn't take up much space and is cheap.0 -
You can steam veggies, poach eggs (seriously, I learned this trick a few days ago, and have been doing it everyday since. Put 1/3 cup of water in a small bowl, a splash of vinegar, crack an egg in there, and pop it in the microwave for 60-80 seconds.) eat fruit, cheese, make pasta, oatmeal, salads, sandwiches, bean salads, and granola bars. Acquaint yourself with ingredients lists, learn about stuff you should stay away from, and best of luck to you.0
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I remember those days. Your lucky in the sense that you can at least afford to get your own groceries, I struggled a bit with that. A few good options I always had on hand were:
Chobani yogurt-they make 100 calorie version now. Full of protein, good source of dairy. I would throw some granola on there, maybe some slivered almonds or another nut, and have a good breakfast meal.
Whole grain bagels, only 240 calories each and they have a healthy dose of whole grain carbs. I liked to have mine with peanut butter and banana or reduced fat cream cheese.
Skim or 2% Milk for the cereal I would always keep in my dorm room. I recommend a brand of Kashi cereal. Very healthy fats, carbs and full of protein.
A few cans of tuna. Buy a loaf of high fiber, whole grain bread, some celery and some healthy mayo and have lunch!
Peanut butter. Sunflower seeds. Chia seeds for cereal and yogurt mix-ins. Nuts.
Most grocery stores sell pre-boiled hardboiled eggs. Buy a pack of these. If you eat them right away, they will not go bad.
Your meal plan will likely have a salad bar involved. Buy your own dressing so you know whats in it. Maybe take some of the aforementioned hardboiled eggs and tuna with you and make a meal of it.
Frozen veggies in microwavable pouches-none with added sauce! add a little olive oil or butter if you don't want them plain!
You should have access to fresh fruit in your cafeteria, even if it's just apples, oranges and bananas. If you can take some back to your dorm with you, do it. I always took a couple bananas with me and threw them in my cereal. Or dip some apples in your peanut butter. Or just eat the fruit as is. You can always buy other types to expand.
If you can't access lean meats in your cafeteria, a lot of stores sell pre-sliced cooked chicken breast for salads. Yes, there is a lot of sodium, but unless you have a medical problem with sodium, this should be ok.
Cheese sticks, great snack on the go. Just read the labels for a healthy brand.
Hummus. Get some celery or carrots, slice them up and have a snack.
If you don't have a problem with processed food, I used to get progresso or another type of soup. Just read the label. Have a sandwich with them for a complete meal.
You can make a baked potato in the microwave. Really. It tastes fine. Just look up the wattage of your microwave and google how long to cook it.
Brown rice now comes in microwavable single servings.
There are probably thousands more options! Good luck!
^
This. My daughter spent the last two years in the dorm and lived on the above. The hard thing was coming home and having so many other food choices around. I cook all of our food and it's mostly out of Cooking Light, so it wasn't as if I was sabotaging her, but her portion sizes grew at home, for one thing. She found herself eating the same things every day. The only other thing I would add is oatmeal with nuts or seeds on top for breakfast. Good luck, and great job taking care of yourself. You have a long, healthy life ahead of you!
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You've already gotten a ton of great suggestions, so I don't feel like I need to chip in. I'm a senior in college and I live in college-owned apartment style housing, so I cook my own meals most of the time. If you need support/friend in a fellow college student, feel free to add me.0
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