University is calling my name!

DaniiDean
DaniiDean Posts: 162 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I am moving to University in September wooooo yeeeeah goooo meeee!

I am hoping I can lose 31lbs by 1st September and keep it off forever. I am 151lbs and I would be 120lbs!

I am really hands on at home as my dad works two jobs and my mum doesn't live with us so I take care of the house and my brother and sister mostly. I cook, clean, do the food shopping and do all of the other jobs, I am like a 50s housewife to be fair and I enjoy it.

I know how expensive food is and especially healthy food. So I was just wondering are you at uni or is your child?
How do I budget but keep eating the healthy food. It is so easy to just opt for the cheap processed food and I don't want to do this. I want to prepare as much as I can and maintain my weight because loads of my friends who have gone to uni have put on at least 2 stone and that would horrify me :)

Replies

  • ybba12490
    ybba12490 Posts: 252
    I am in college right now! It's actually not as hard as you think to buy healthy foods. Plus, your school dining hall is not completely terrible. Yes, almost everything in there is processed, but I usually eat the fruits, whole grain breads, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. As for buying your own food, you will be living at school right? Hopefully you will have a kitchen in your residence hall or room, because I don't and it's terrible! I cannot prepare food so I usually keep snacks around that I buy during the week: protein/power/granola bars, more fruit, more yogurt, 100 cal snack packs, low cal/non-sugar juices, nonfat cottage cheese, etc.

    I do not pay for my school (parents do) but I have a job and have to buy all my extra "wants and needs," and that includes food. It's not terribly expensive if you are using a school meal plan and finding other healthy alternatives, aka we have a Subway on campus and you can use your meal plan to buy food there. However I wouldn't suggest buying ALL your food, you would be broke every week! It takes time to learn how to do things at school and what works for you, but you will figure it out :) I never gained the "freshman 15" or any weight while at college, and I did it by eating the processed dining hall food and not exercising PLUS drinking! lol. That is until I met boyfriend... since dating him I have gained 20-25 lbs! :(
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
    Hey - are you going to be in catered or uncatered halls? I put on all my weight basically in my first year of Uni by eating fried breakfasts every morning!!
  • DaniiDean
    DaniiDean Posts: 162 Member
    I will be buying all of my own food without the help of parents.... just relying on a loan from uni or if I get work.
    I will probably have about £15 a week if I don't get a job :/
  • Genie30
    Genie30 Posts: 316 Member
    it's a long time since I was at uni but I work for one now :-D

    I agree with the other posters, it's not too hard to eat healthily and if you cook your own meals you'll be OK. I was in catered halls for the first year and fried breakfasts didn't help me either but my main problem was alcohol! Drinking lots of beer really packed on the pounds and made a mess of my insides. Plus, when you've been drinking your more tempted to go home and have late night fried egg sandwiches or takeaways.
  • tinareet
    tinareet Posts: 126
    ahhh £15.00 a wekk is easy. I feed me and my bf(!!!) on about £20-25 a week. I'm a meat eater so its a lil different. Remember you only have 1 fridge shelf and 1 freezer shelf generally. Buy tinned tomatoes(cheap) and use it as basis of stews. Keep pearl barley, pasta, cous cous, rice, lentils in your cupboard. Jacket potatoes are so easy to do in the microwave and i buy coleslaw, tuna, or low sugar/salt baked beans. Have porridge oats for breakfast with long life soya milk. Buy fruit and veg from asda/morrisons as its cheaper for fresh produce than tescos. for example in asda you can get 5 mixed peppers for 1.58 and in tesco you can only get 3 peppers for 1.68. Ohhh and another tip is find food in asda that is part of the kids good stuff selection as its really healthy and cheap. I often like the sauces, pasta, and mini meals in a tin. Ohhh and store your bread in the freezer, and get out a slice or two about 30mins before you want it to defrost it, makes the bread last longer, as you will never eat a whole loaf to just yourself in 3-4days!!
    Xx
  • littlemili
    littlemili Posts: 625 Member
    £15 a week is fine. You just have to be clever about going where the best offers are, also if you walk to the shop rather than go by bus you will save yourself an extra £2 or so each time. I am also at uni and I try to buy foods that last a long time (as it's just me and my bf living here) and also a lot of veg that bulks up meals like spinach, lettuce - both are cheap and you can eat them with every meal, add to stuff like tuna mayo so you don't use so much of the expensive stuff. Also seriously consider going veggie most of the time as meat and fish is what will destroy your budget. My main tip though - figure out what time your local shop discounts its going-out-of-date food and always go at that time. I go most days at that time and spend £2-3 for the next days food mostly on fish, meat, fruit and veg, and then have a stock of stuff like pasta, noodles, tinned tomato, soup, ryvita etc at home which go with everything. You're welcome to look in my food diary to see what I eat on a student budget :)

    By the way ready meals are almost always more expensive that cooking your own. Especially if your gas/electricity are included in rent. And buy a lunchbox.
  • DaniiDean
    DaniiDean Posts: 162 Member
    Thank you :)
    I just got a bit worried because my best friend Tina spends £40 a week on food, she does work though but she still says that is too little to deal with. She is tiny and barely eats too so just got a bit worried.

    I really don't want to put on weight after trying so hard to lose it all. I am worried about being hungover because I eat so much bad stuff but should be ok. Did most of my partying when I was 14 so got most of it out of my system haha
  • smileylittleorange
    smileylittleorange Posts: 45 Member
    ahhh £15.00 a wekk is easy. I feed me and my bf(!!!) on about £20-25 a week. I'm a meat eater so its a lil different. Remember you only have 1 fridge shelf and 1 freezer shelf generally. Buy tinned tomatoes(cheap) and use it as basis of stews. Keep pearl barley, pasta, cous cous, rice, lentils in your cupboard. Jacket potatoes are so easy to do in the microwave and i buy coleslaw, tuna, or low sugar/salt baked beans. Have porridge oats for breakfast with long life soya milk. Buy fruit and veg from asda/morrisons as its cheaper for fresh produce than tescos. for example in asda you can get 5 mixed peppers for 1.58 and in tesco you can only get 3 peppers for 1.68. Ohhh and another tip is find food in asda that is part of the kids good stuff selection as its really healthy and cheap. I often like the sauces, pasta, and mini meals in a tin. Ohhh and store your bread in the freezer, and get out a slice or two about 30mins before you want it to defrost it, makes the bread last longer, as you will never eat a whole loaf to just yourself in 3-4days!!
    Xx

    This is brilliant advice!! I have not bought pasta sauce in a jar for years - a tin of chopped toms, some garlic , chilli, herbs etc is much nicer!!

    Also plan ahead (which i'm sure you do anyway) that way you can plan healthy meals in advance and it works out cheaper. I work at a Uni too now....stay away from the Student Union Shop stuff - packed full of unhealthy Ginsters sandwiches and overpriced bread!!!!!! In fact it is one of the most expensive shops I have ever been in! Lastly dont be afraid of spending a bit of money on veg and fruit as long as it's in season it shouldnt hack too much into your budget.
  • DaniiDean
    DaniiDean Posts: 162 Member
    I am a veggie already :) yay
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Just go to a local market once a week and load up on fruit and veg. It's much, much cheaper than fast food. Then stock up on supermarket own-brand pasta, rice and tinned tomatoes, beans, lentils etc. and you're sorted. And go easy on boozy freshers' parties! Good luck!
  • lrns88
    lrns88 Posts: 151 Member
    Hey hun, which Uni are you off to? And what are you studying? I wish I could go back to Uni - best years ever!

    Loving all the tips here for food - they are fantastic!

    With your friend who spends £40 on food a week, is that because she has £40 free to do so? What I spent at Uni massively varied depending on what cash I had available - drinking and shoes were far more important! So I'm sure you'll manage fine, and as quite a few people have said, just plan in advance and maybe rely a bit more in tins and frozen bits rather than fresh. Nothing wrong with frozen fruit and veg in my opinion - just check they don't have added sugar!

    Good luck! xxxx
  • DaniiDean
    DaniiDean Posts: 162 Member
    Hey hun, which Uni are you off to? And what are you studying? I wish I could go back to Uni - best years ever!

    Loving all the tips here for food - they are fantastic!

    With your friend who spends £40 on food a week, is that because she has £40 free to do so? What I spent at Uni massively varied depending on what cash I had available - drinking and shoes were far more important! So I'm sure you'll manage fine, and as quite a few people have said, just plan in advance and maybe rely a bit more in tins and frozen bits rather than fresh. Nothing wrong with frozen fruit and veg in my opinion - just check they don't have added sugar!

    Good luck! xxxx

    Norwich university for the creative arts to study photography :)

    I think it is because she is free to and she works so she doesn't really have to budget, she choses what she spends on. I think frozen fruit and veg are fine too. Everyone has given great advice. Happy to know £15 will be ok. Wont be drinking that much don't think.... saying that now haha. Thank you :)
  • lrns88
    lrns88 Posts: 151 Member
    Hey hun, which Uni are you off to? And what are you studying? I wish I could go back to Uni - best years ever!

    Loving all the tips here for food - they are fantastic!

    With your friend who spends £40 on food a week, is that because she has £40 free to do so? What I spent at Uni massively varied depending on what cash I had available - drinking and shoes were far more important! So I'm sure you'll manage fine, and as quite a few people have said, just plan in advance and maybe rely a bit more in tins and frozen bits rather than fresh. Nothing wrong with frozen fruit and veg in my opinion - just check they don't have added sugar!

    Good luck! xxxx

    Norwich university for the creative arts to study photography :)

    I think it is because she is free to and she works so she doesn't really have to budget, she choses what she spends on. I think frozen fruit and veg are fine too. Everyone has given great advice. Happy to know £15 will be ok. Wont be drinking that much don't think.... saying that now haha. Thank you :)

    Ahhh a family friend is there at the moment and loving it!!! xxx
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
    :flowerforyou: I'm just finishing my degree....it's an experience and I hope you love every second of it. I'm not in the same situation as you, as I live with my fiance, but many universities now offer healthy eating options...so if you're hungry between lectures, you always have that option.

    £15 will be perfect! I would also advise you to buy as many frozen bags of vegetables as possible. You can always bulk out a meal with a side of vegetables. You can usually buy sprouts, peas, carrots e.t.c. in ASDA for about £1 a bag!

    Good Luck :flowerforyou:
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