Dieting for College Students!!

For beer, I reccomend Budweiser Select - only 55 calories in a 12 oz bottle! And if you are constantly changing up your schedule and you learn to work around that, that would actually be good for you so that your body doesn't get too used to things.

Hey Jessica, I'm Haley, and I'm also a sophomore in college (Greenville Technical College in SC).

It's definitely a struggle losing weight in college, (my weight has gone up and down like crazy in the past couple years) but it's possible! There are quick, easy 100 calorie snacks in a lot of stores and some personal lifesavers of mine are whole grain cereal in the morning and fiber bars during the day. Really low on calories, quick, delicious, and packed with nutrients. I feel so much better after changing my diet even after just a week of sticking to it. I've lost a whopping 1 pound so far (lol) but it's a start! And I've found that just taking a nice walk/doing yoga is refreshing as well. Exercise doesn't have to make you faint from exhaustion.

Feel free to add me for extra support

For me it was waffle house. I still believe that moving to California was solely responsible for me losing 10lbs. No waffle house here.
I'm a college grad, still due to the recession living in college student mode. I found that frozen fruits vegetables from the grocery store were a really big help. Try and mix it up. I was at Georgia southern off and on for 03-09 and then you could buy a bag of frozen broccoli for 66 cents. I ate too much frozen broccoli and now I won't touch the stuff unless it's with something else. I'd pack lettuce wraps and baby carrots to eat while I was on campus. I lived on campus 3 years and near campus 2 years but I spent most of the day on campus out and about.
When you drink whether at a bar or at a party drink a glass of water in between rounds. I have to do this because of stomach surgery but it was really helpful in limiting my alcohol consumption. At the bar I frequented in college I was known for ordering a soda water with lime in between rounds.

I'm in grad school, but I have these same issues (went straight to business school from UG). Here's a few tips...

1. If you're on the cafeteria plan - get off as soon as you are eligible for a place with a kitchen. The amount of sodium & other 'fillers' in general cafeteria food will crush most large (20lbs+) weight loss goals. There's a reason for the freshman 15 - and its not just the stress!

2. Shopping - plan out what you are going to eat for the week. Buy quality meats & veggies - but JUST for the week so they don't go to waste. If you can set aside 50-60 dollars a week in food (which I know may be a stretch for some...) you can eat incredibly well & healthy.

Try to find farmers' markets that you can walk on the weekends (yea exercise!) and find cheaper prices for fresh(!!!) veggies & fruits. I bet if you talk with your girl friends, you will even find a few that are interested in tagging along with you to the market.

3. Eating - eat small meals throughout the day. Take a bag of grapes with you to your mid-morning class. Raw carrots to your afternoon study session.

Eat foods that fill you up and keep you full. Eggs are good for breakfast - as long as you don't battle with cholesterol. They have LOTS of protein (good for rebuilding your body after workouts) and keep you going ALL morning. I wake at 6a and often can't eat again until 12noon or 1p and I'm not hungry. Yogurt is good too - and fairly cheap since it and/or a couple eggs & a glass of OJ make a balanced & nutritious breakfast. You can find yogurt for 50 cents or cheaper at most grocery stores.

Moderation, moderation, moderation! It applies to diets - AND it applies to alcohol! I LOVE Jack and Coke. But I know that 1 Jack and Coke is the equivalent of a 30-minute walk. So, when I go to the bar, I have a tall glass of water first. Then, when that's done, I can have my Jack and Coke. Just one, because I'm not thirsty for another - and I'm not draining the glass because I'm thirsty...

4. Those special events... I battle with this too... for instance, there is an event tonight that I know I will have to break my 1 Jack & Coke rule at - and have 2. And this weekend, there's a huge event for my professional business fraternity at which I will have a dinner that I didn't prepare and probably will want to eat everything in sight.

So, how do I balance the need to be a student & spend time with friends with the need to be healthy and lose weight? I carry a picture of the reason I am losing weight. It could be a picture of a loved one who inspires you, an old picture of you at a healthy weight, or a picture of something you want to be able to do right now, but can't because you're too heavy or too out of shape.

I look at that picture before these tough events. I lean on my friends and ask them to help me keep my moderation rules (like getting the junior frosty rather than the medium!)- and I enjoy my night.

If I goof, well, then we get up early the next day and go on a LONG walk - burn those calories! - and think through what we could do better next time.

I hope these ideas help. I would love to continue on this thread! Those of us in our late teens/early 20s need to support each other - this is a TOUGH time to lose weight & its an even tougher (in my opinion) time to be overweight.

I can totally relate to this!! I work 40 hours a week and have 4 classes, and scheduling in time for work outs, studying, AND a social life can be really hectic. It's all a matter of time management and determination! I know that a part of the whole college experience is partying and being social, but just try to drink and eat in moderation, and if you know that you're really going to beat yourself up over some late night jack in the box, try to resist!! Hang in there, at least that Texas heat will sweat off some pounds for you this summer

I am also in college. Luckily as a violin performance student I can plan my days very freely as classes are only 3 days per week and there are very few of them. I always have a stock of foods like wraps, pitta, lettuce, spinach, corn, tinned tomato, tinned soup, frozen peas etc and then buy reduced fresh stuff like fish, fruit and veg etc. My meals get pretty samey and are basically completely dependent on what is reduced at 9pm when I walk past the shop on the way back from college.

I quit eating in college (we have a cafe which serves junk disguised as acceptable food) and eating out for lunch and that has made the biggest difference to my eating habits. Enough that I still make regular visits to the pub without it impacting my weight loss or calorie goals (spiced rum and diet coke...).

The main thing that screws me over is when I do freelance gigs and just have to grab whatever I can get during a short break somewhere I have never been before, and then get home at midnight post-concert.

Just try to relax thats key.You will do so much better if you stay calm and dont get stressed.I usually get a footlong sub when im studying and just munch on it a little as Im studying.

destress for finals/midterms & gain calories at the same time - every 60-90 minutes get up and take a 15 minute walk around your building/up and down stairs. Log your exercise & return to your studies with a clearer mind.

Also, on exam days take the time to make an omelete or eat yogurt - proteins to keep your mind working through the morning/day - avoid sugary cereals or breakfast bars. your brain needs protein!

good study foods: rice cakes, fresh veggies (baby carrots are awesome), WATER, raisins, clean fruits like grapes, apple slices, bananas (non-sticky stuff), nuts

try packing some study snacks into the mini-snack bags Ziploc makes and keep yourself to 1 mini snack bag for each hour of studying. if your snacks are healthy you'll do well on your finals & keep from binging too!