In college and cant win

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elilly96
elilly96 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a sophomore in college and I find that everything here on campus is a ridiculous amount of calories, sugars, sodium, etc. I'm trying to get to the gym as much as possible, but with all of the stuff I'm involved in, it makes it hard to get healthy and lose weight. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can become healthier while living a at college?

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  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited October 2015
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    Get a small fridge for your dorm, eat smaller portions, and refrigerate the rest for later. Depending on your calorie goals, a half portion might be better suited to your energy needs.
  • nlp154
    nlp154 Posts: 8 Member
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    Hey! If you have access to a grocery store, you could keep bananas and/apples and such fruits in the dorm and take them with you for snacks. If you're able to walk everywhere, that'll be helpful too. I know I have class at 8am almost every day, but I don't mind staying up one hour later at night to get to the gym before I go to bed!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Ask the dean of students/ head of the dorms/ student government to get you the nutritional information of the foods in the cafeteria.
    Good choices can often be found at breakfast, at the sandwich bar, and at the salad bar, and throughout the day with the nutritional information in hand.
    Look for protein options that are grilled, baked, steamed. Skip the choices with heavy sauce or fried batter.
    Look for low calorie (non cream based) soups.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    RodaRose wrote: »
    Ask the dean of students/ head of the dorms/ student government to get you the nutritional information of the foods in the cafeteria.

    I guarantee they tell her to go kick rocks and/or pound sand lol. Most dorm cafeterias have a grilled chicken option that you can get at every meal, I'd ask about that, make that a staple of your diet, and eat that with small portions of whatever else is on the menu.
  • G33K_G1RL
    G33K_G1RL Posts: 283 Member
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    What do you have access to? Fridge, microwave, stove, boiling water?

    There exists some small companies or individuals that offer daily food catering which may or may not be healthier than the food on campus. You pay a monthly fee and get daily meals. It's not super common but worth looking into if you don't have access to a kitchen.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    Everything on campus? No grilled chicken? No salads? Really?
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    elilly96 wrote: »
    I am a sophomore in college and I find that everything here on campus is a ridiculous amount of calories, sugars, sodium, etc. I'm trying to get to the gym as much as possible, but with all of the stuff I'm involved in, it makes it hard to get healthy and lose weight. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can become healthier while living a at college?

    Get friends to be healthy with you
  • KT_3009
    KT_3009 Posts: 1,042 Member
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    I had a similar experience when I was at university but that was more me not wanting to try the salads they had cause I'm super picky with veggies.. Also the fact that they were charging $10 for a simple salad got me eating cheaper fattier foods. So now I learn to pre-make my own meals and bring healthy snacks
  • LadyLallybroch
    LadyLallybroch Posts: 36 Member
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    When I was a freshman in college, I lived in a dorm with a dining hall inside. I also had no money and an unlimited meal plan. So yea, I ate in the dining hall for every meal. For breakfast, I had rice crispies with bananas. For lunch and dinner most days, a salad. I bought a bottle of my favorite dressing, so I'd just take it up to my room and add the dressing. Sometimes I'd get a panini at the sandwich station. Occasionally, I'd get stir fry. I lost probably 20 pounds (that I didn't need to lose - I ended up underweight with only about 15% body fat).

    But really, it doesn't have to be hard. Even if they don't have a salad bar, just get smaller portions. Save some for later. See if they have fruit available. Walk to your classes. Every little bit counts.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Pack your own lunches. A hot plate or crockpot, plus a mini fridge will do wonders.
  • NoIdea101NoIdea
    NoIdea101NoIdea Posts: 659 Member
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    rankinsect wrote: »
    Get a small fridge for your dorm, eat smaller portions, and refrigerate the rest for later. Depending on your calorie goals, a half portion might be better suited to your energy needs.

    On a note, I work for a Halls of Residence and where we are (and most uni's I know) this is against the regulations so you may want to check that out first!

    I lost 3 dress sizes whilst I was at uni, so it can be done! Ditch the cafeteria, buy your own food and cook your own meals, take them with you to lectures, etc. If you have to eat on campus, avoid fried foods, try and go for protein, pre-plan your meals. Good luck!
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    In college I found it a little bit easier to lose weight. Salad bar was there for every lunch/dinner and occasionally there was baked chicken (I'd remove the skin and pat it down to remove grease - I was kind of anal), or steamed vegetables. I also often ate those tiny bowls with pasta and mixed it 50:50 with veggies from the salad bar - they had pasta and marinara at every lunch and dinner as well.

    If I missed my chance to eat, I kept a bunch of low sodium canned soup in my room as well as baked tortilla chips and salsa.

    The best thing about college was having a group of 5 of us who would go to the gym everyday together after our classes, but before dinner. It was the guys on the floor above me and me. Occasionally one of their girlfriends would join us, but it was usually just us.

    The hardest part was that we drank a lot and people always ended up ordering food. The smells were unreal, but I promised myself not to indulge and I didn't.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
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    elilly96 wrote: »
    I am a sophomore in college and I find that everything here on campus is a ridiculous amount of calories, sugars, sodium, etc. I'm trying to get to the gym as much as possible, but with all of the stuff I'm involved in, it makes it hard to get healthy and lose weight. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can become healthier while living a at college?

    Honestly, it's all about eating less and moving more. Can you reduce the number of meals you eat in the dining hall and stocking up on shelf-stable foods that you can eat for your other meals (such as eating a piece of fruit and nuts in your dorm for breakfast, making a sandwich with canned chicken/tuna with some vegetables to take with you for lunch, and eating at the dining hall for dinner)? Can you contact dining services to see if there's nutrition information available (most schools should have it)? Can you take leftovers out of the dining hall and eat those for a later meal (it works better with shelf-stable stuff). If worst comes to worst, could you increase your physical activity so that you can eat more while at the dining hall (even something as a quick walk around your campus quad before a class or going to the student center furthest from you instead of the closest one)?

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