College/ late night eating

cmwotton
cmwotton Posts: 1
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey,

I am new to mfp, but not new to trying to lose weight/ get healthier. I have about 130lb to lose to get to my healthy weight. I am in college and struggle to eat well with the limited choices that living in a dorm provides. I find that no matter how well I eat during the day I start a downward spiral at night when I am doing homework around 10 or 11pm and lasts till 3 am. Anyone have any suggestions?

Replies

  • merrillfoster
    merrillfoster Posts: 855 Member
    Don't keep snack food or $1's or change (ie, vending machine money) in your room. That way, if you want something, you REALLY have to make the effort to go get it.
  • cupcakelover103
    cupcakelover103 Posts: 197 Member
    I was in college last year and i know how hard it can be.
    One rule i have set myself is to simply no longer keep unhealthy food around me. If i buy it, i eat it. I'm the kind of person that can't keep a block of chocolate around and only have a square a day!
    You need to keep yourself preoccupied and only keep healthy snacks around.
    But the one tip i have is when you do 'fall off the wagon' just get right back on.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I have the same issue when studying, and in class too. I chew gum instead.

    Also, would it be at all possible for you to move your study time to earlier? Is there really a need for you to stay up till 3 a.m. (I'm a math major ... trust me, I know how intense homework can be!). It might be your body saying that it needs sleep, and giving it sugar is a mediocre substitute for the energy. Poor sleep habits have been linked to weight gain (or at least, difficulty in loosing weight). You might do better going to bed by midnight then getting up around 7 or 8 and studying early. Or just studying before 10p.m. so that you don't have to stay up till 3.

    Oh, and it may be unrelated, but recent studies showed that the college dorm diet tends to be very deficient in Vitamin C (to the point where scurvy is making a comeback), so make sure that your diet includes fruits or fruit juice (but no more than 1 cup a day!). If you're deficient in any vitamins, it can trigger cravings and overeating, too.
  • SparkleKittie
    SparkleKittie Posts: 127
    My advice - if your main trouble is bingeing on snack food late at night for hours, keep healthy snacks in your dorm. These include but are not limited to: organic trail mix (1/4 cup of it at a time will fill you up nicely with a huge couple handfuls of fruit or veggies), organic banana chips (1/2 a cup feels like you just age a bag of thick potato chips and they're delicious!), Snapea Crisps (you can get bags of these in the produce section of most corporate grocery stores, and they're nearly calorie-free in comparison to chips), salad stuff and low-calorie dressings (I suggest shopping at a Trader Joe's if you have one nearby - they're extremely cost-effective and cheap if you buy the right things instead of all the ready-made stuff and fresh meat and cheese that tends to cost more than other stores). I hope this helps. I love to snack sometimes. LOVE. <3
  • emadigan
    emadigan Posts: 89 Member
    I like to keep healthier snacks in my dorm room. Also, look for foods higher in fiber, as they will make you feel fuller. Another suggestion is not to multi-task-- as in, don't eat and study. You're paying attention to your schoolwork (which is a good thing) and not to how much you're eating or how full you are. Take a 15 minute snack break if you need to and focus on eating only. After eating, give yourself 20 minutes to see if you are still hungry.

    Here are some of my favorite snacks that I keep in my dorm:
    Nature Valley Oat & Honey bars (2 for 190 cals; often one will fill me)
    Weight Watchers Mozzerella cheese sticks (50 cals each)
    Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites (190 cals for 51 pieces; I often only eat 25 and I'm full)
    Dannon Lite & Fit yogurt (80 cals)
    Raw baby carrots (35 cals for 3 oz.)
    Special K Fruit Crisps (2 for 90 cals)

    Another suggestion is to go to bed earlier! If you're staying up late, your body needs more energy to keep going. If you go to bed, then your body doesn't need that energy. I go to bed by 11:30 pm at the absolute latest (but prefer 10:30), and get up 7 am. Then I do homework before my 10am class.
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