Don't know what to eat, limited choices

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emadigan
emadigan Posts: 89 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am currently away at college and most of my meals come from the dining hall. I have no choice in the matter. I do cook on weekends, and therefore can choose what I am going to eat, but that just isn't practical for everyday. Plus, since I'm required to have a meal plan, its a waste of money.

Anyway, my dining hall is really limited. A lot of our choices consist of fried food, pizza, pasta (which doesn't fill me up), etc. I find it really hard to stay under my calories goal with the limited choice offerings. I just cannot eat a salad every single day, especially since our salad offerings are minimal and not the best quality (seriously, I've eaten spinach leaves with dressing because its the only thing good).

I'm at a loss. I don't know what to eat in my dining hall and still stay within my calorie goal, especially on days without exercise. Last semester, I found it easier because I had the time to exercise more, so I had a lot of extra room. This semester, I don't have the time to exercise as much.

Replies

  • wanderingpilgrim
    wanderingpilgrim Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    Everything is a choice. :wink:
    Pack a brown bag; fill it with almonds, a whole grain sandwich, some fruit and a few water bottles.
    If you want results badly enough, you'll master your way around this!
    You can do it!

    Keep your eye on your goal:
    "Goal: To look awesome in my bikini in time for my 21st birthday this summer!"
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,231 Member
    Options
    what about chopping up a piece of fried chicken and making a salad with it? Or getting a burger, tossing the bun and have a protein burger? You could also start writing letters/phone calls to request the dining hall provide healthier options. The other option is to buy a bag of mixed greens and canned chicken and make your own lunch (do you have a fridge in your dorm room?).
  • savlyon
    savlyon Posts: 474 Member
    Options
    Your stomach will shrink as you limit yourself. They really don't have healthy choices? What about yogurt, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, etc? I lost weight my freshman year of college--working at Pizza Hut! No joke. Limit your portion sizes and drink lots of water. It also helps to eat every 3 hours. Try stashing fruit and yogurt in your dorm to snack on in the afternoon or if you miss breakfast. Eating more frequently nixes the "starving" feeling.
  • emadigan
    emadigan Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    Everything is a choice. wink
    Pack a brown bag; fill it with almonds, a whole grain sandwich, some fruit and a few water bottles.
    If you want results badly enough, you'll master your way around this!
    You can do it!

    I'm not packing a brown bag when I pay $10,000 a year for room and board! I spend enough money on food just to cook on the weekends and have healthy snacks around (sometimes as much as $40 a week).
    what about chopping up a piece of fried chicken and making a salad with it? Or getting a burger, tossing the bun and have a protein burger? You could also start writing letters/phone calls to request the dining hall provide healthier options. The other option is to buy a bag of mixed greens and canned chicken and make your own lunch (do you have a fridge in your dorm room?).

    I do sometimes grab a piece of chicken to throw in my salad. Unfortunately, the chicken offered is usually a chicken patty. Its not a bad idea to get a burger and toss the bun.
    They really don't have healthy choices? What about yogurt, fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, etc? I lost weight my freshman year of college--working at Pizza Hut! No joke. Limit your portion sizes and drink lots of water. It also helps to eat every 3 hours. Try stashing fruit and yogurt in your dorm to snack on in the afternoon or if you miss breakfast. Eating more frequently nixes the "starving" feeling.

    They only offer yogurt at breakfast. The only fruit is apples, oranges, and bananas, which I do eat (well, the apples and orange but not yucky bananas) if it is fresh (which is a big "if"). They used to offer oatmeal but haven't for since last spring. As for veggies, they serve carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower in a three day rotation. For example, if they serve carrots on Monday, they will serve a mushier version (i.e. reheated leftovers) on Thursday. I often get the veggies, but they are very gross. Maybe I'm picky but I prefer to have my food properly cooked.

    I eat three small meals and two or three snacks a day.

    Here is an example of what they serve:

    Breakfast:
    French toast sticks
    sausage
    bagels & toast (served every day)
    cereal (generally the sugery kinds but once in a while they have cheerios) (served every day)
    yogurt (served everyday)
    muffins & scones (served everyday)

    Lunch:
    hot dog bar
    tater tots
    3 kinds of pizza (served every day)
    burgers & fries (served every day)
    sandwich bar (served every day)
    salad bar (served every day)

    Dinner:
    french onion soup
    pasta (dripping with butter)
    (mushy) carrots
    shepherd's pie
    3 kinds of pizza (served every day)
    burgers & fries (served every day)
    sandwich bar (served every day)
    salad bar (served every day)

    This is very typical. The other day, they served fried, popcorn chicken (or something like that, with sauce on it) that 990 calories for 5 pieces! Oh, and you know that lettuce at the grocery store that you would never buy? Yeah, that's our salad bar. Yucky green leaf lettuce and lots of iceburg.

    I don't mean to whine or make excuses. I just need to vent. Luckily, I only have one and half semesters left.
  • NotaNikki
    NotaNikki Posts: 40
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    I have the same problem in my dining hall. I've learned to be creative. You have a sandwich bar. Make a turkey sandwich, and load it up with good veggies. Or make a veggie sub with cheese. If your dining hall has a microwave, you can also grab veggies from the salad bar and steam them in the microwave if you prefer them that way. The options aren't as limited as you may think!
  • heyitsmekatie
    heyitsmekatie Posts: 544 Member
    Options
    this might sound rude, but seriously... the price of bringing in your own food when you don't have the options you want in the dining hall shouldn't be an excuse. there are many inexpensive and/or convenient options for eating healthy. it is a choice we all have to make. i could feed my kid lunch for a lot less money and hassle if i send him with a couple bucks for school lunch. i don't want him eating garbage, so i pack his lunch. same thing.
  • remembertheharddrive
    remembertheharddrive Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    Are they really strict about taking food out with you? I'd totally get twice what I'd want at breakfast or something, and try to squirrel away some breakfast foods into tupperware or into your bag. My school was pretty strict, but they didn't go so far as to check your bag when you departed. You just had to be subtle. I'd probably double up on the yogurt in the morning and get a bunch of extra fruit on the days when its fresh.

    I'd also try to make something healthier at the sandwich bar for lunch, if possible. If you have to eat pasta or pizza or whatever for dinner, watch portion size. It sucks that your school isn't on board with nutritious choices. In the meantime, I'd take the time to write a letter or start a campaign for healthier choices. You can't be alone in your frustration. There might be someone already out there who just needs support in pushing for change - so you don't actually have to take the time out of school to try to change things.
  • remembertheharddrive
    remembertheharddrive Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    this might sound rude, but seriously... the price of bringing in your own food when you don't have the options you want in the dining hall shouldn't be an excuse. there are many inexpensive and/or convenient options for eating healthy. it is a choice we all have to make. i could feed my kid lunch for a lot less money and hassle if i send him with a couple bucks for school lunch. i don't want him eating garbage, so i pack his lunch. same thing.

    When I was a school, we had no resources for cooking or storing food in our dorm. No microwave, fridge, stove, anything. And when the dining hall is already basically priced into tuition, buying food in addition in incredibly expensive you barely have an income - one that goes towards textbooks, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. The only reason I could "afford" the dining hall plan was because it was covered by my school loans and scholarships. Some people are stuck with it.

    Being a working adult, as I am now, is far more flexible in terms of making food choices. I agree with you completely with respect to making cheap, healthy choices when you have a grocery store at your disposal and a food budget figured into your pay check. As an unemployed student, with limited resources, and already basically forced to pay for a school meal plan - well, its not so easy to throw away $10k just because the choices aren't ideal. I know that I felt really trapped in college also -- but my dining hall was far bigger, healthier and more flexible than hers. I just made bad choices as opposed to not having any good choices.
  • kittyloo123
    kittyloo123 Posts: 300 Member
    Options
    breakfast, yogert and bagel. you could put a little peanutbutter on it.
    lunch veggie sand, or salad with some lunchmeat on it.
    dinner, burger patty,all the fixing on top of lettece.
  • Dawntodusk
    Dawntodusk Posts: 262 Member
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    Talk to the kitchen manager and see if there's something s/he can put out for you that won't disrupt their routine.
  • nicolette311
    nicolette311 Posts: 21
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    I feel for ya! I agree with some of the other posters, talk to your school, the kitchen manager, whoever you can that has any say so, and get others involved. You can't be the only one trying to eat healthy there! Start a group, get petitions signed, as you said, you are paying to go to school there, they should listen to you about what you want to eat! The more noise you make, the more they'll have to listen. In the meantime...I love the idea above about getting a sandwich, tossing the toppings, and getting new toppings from the veggie bar. Take some extra veggies if you can for some snacks to keep you filled up during the day, or fruits if they're available. Also...you can find some coupons websites for restaurants and groceries. I don't know which college you go to, but this is a good website that has many coupons available for different colleges. Hope this helps!

    http://www.mysdh.com/
  • emadigan
    emadigan Posts: 89 Member
    Options
    this might sound rude, but seriously... the price of bringing in your own food when you don't have the options you want in the dining hall shouldn't be an excuse. there are many inexpensive and/or convenient options for eating healthy. it is a choice we all have to make. i could feed my kid lunch for a lot less money and hassle if i send him with a couple bucks for school lunch. i don't want him eating garbage, so i pack his lunch. same thing.

    Yes, but you also probably have a job. I do work, but my paycheck goes towards paying for school. Also, as I said, I already pay $40 a week for healthy snacks and healthy meals on the weekends. I'm already maxed out as far as my money goes. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to throw away a few thousand dollars!


    Thanks for the sympathy, everyone!

    We're technically not supposed to take food out with us but I definitely do it. When the fresh fruit comes in, we stuff our bags full!

    As far as talking to the manager... we've tried. I'm definitely not the only one. My school uses Sodexo food services, which is actually used in a lot of colleges, but we have a much more limited version of Sodexo because we are so small. The manager can do as much as she can, and she is very open to suggestions, but she only has so many choices, as she explained it. The food is mass produced so breads, pastas, and other carbohydrates are cheap and easy. Also, the sodium is astronomical (like in the lunch meat). What she has agreed to do is post the nutrition information so we can make better decisions.

    Thanks for the suggestions though. Nicolette, I'll definitely have to try heating up the salad veggies in the microwave!

    My normal meals look like this:
    Breakfast: toast with peanut butter and water
    Lunch: sandwich w/ lettuce, tomato, provolone, and a smidgen of low-fat mayo and water
    Dinner: salad (green lettuce if I can pick it out of the iceburg, spinach leaves, cucumbers, mushrooms, broccoli) with fat free california french dressing (I bring my own dressing to the dining all so I don't have to use their fatty and high calorie options) and sometimes with chicken if they have good chicken

    I also usually have 2-3 snacks of 100 calories or less everyday, usually whatever fruit is on sale at the grocery store or fresh in the dining hall, granola bar, cheese stick, etc.

    But I'm just so sick of eating the same thing everyday, you know?

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