Strict schedule. How to lose weight?

Robotgirl3
Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay :) so for the next three weeks i do not have college classes so ill be working out and eating healthy but as soon as college starts its going to get a lot more difficult. I'm going to have class from 9-4 and then work from 5-11. After work ill be studying for classes. I usually get 1 or 2 days off from work a week. It also gets hard to eat healthy since ill be in class all day. Any tips? Lunch suggestions besides sandwiches? If i stick to eating healthy will i still lose weight? Can i lose enough weight working out twice a week? I want to lose at least 45 pounds before july. Also i am worried about loose skin. :(
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Replies

  • Triplestep
    Triplestep Posts: 239 Member
    edited December 2015
    I'm assuming there are breaks between your classes in that 9-4 time frame ... can you get any exercise during those breaks? If not a real gym break, then how about long walks?

    What's your living situation? Do you have access to a kitchen or are you in a dorm? Are you on a campus meal plan? What's your work environment? Do you have a break to eat? Is there a break room with a fridge and/or microwave? The answer to these questions will get you better advice about how to eat well on this strict schedule.
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    :o yes there are usually 10 minute breaks between classes to get from class to class. If i am lucky i can squeeze lunch in somehow either rushing before work or eating in the class if teacher allows. I live in an apartment with my bf but its 30 minutes away from the school so i cant just go home and make lunch. Its a community college so i do not think there is a meal plan and they only serve pizza and fried chicken.
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
    Eating healthy is important (as in plenty of fruits and veggies, lean protein, etc.), and eating healthy will help with reaching your weight loss goals but the most important factor in weight loss is eating at a caloric deficit. It doesn't matter if your diet is salads, fruit, and lean protein, or if your diet is pepperoni pizza and ice cream. It doesn't matter if you run every day, or never exercise.

    Calculate your TDEE, eat below it, and you'll lose weight. Eat above it, and you gain. Simple as that.
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    So i just need to eat below my calorie goal? :o
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
    Oh, and yeah - at 45 pounds of loss (and presuming you're of average height for a female), you'll have some loose skin.
  • ElJefeChief
    ElJefeChief Posts: 650 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    So i just need to eat below my calorie goal? :o

    Factoring in exercise, yes.

  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    If i lose weight slower will there less chance of loose skin or do you think its just unavoidable :/
  • Triplestep
    Triplestep Posts: 239 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    I live in an apartment with my bf but its 30 minutes away from the school so i cant just go home and make lunch.

    No, but you can probably make healthy food and bring it with you. That was more my point - if you have a kitchen, you can meal prep. I would use one of your days off from work to plan and prep ingredients for meals. For example, I have a M-F day job. Tomorrow (Sunday) I am going to the gym when I wake up, going directly to food shopping, then coming home and doing some cooking for the week. One of the things I make will be grilled chicken which I will divide into 4oz servings and freeze to have in salads for the next two weeks.

    For exercise, maybe you can arrive on campus an hour early and hit the gym a couple of days a week? The hard part here will be getting your gym clothes/school clothes and food all packed up the night before, so maybe plan to do this the days after your days off from work. I pack up my lunch and work clothes the night before a few days a week, and it's a pain, but worth it when I can just wake up and leave the house. It may take a few tries before you get it down, but keep at it.

    This is going to require a lot of planning, but it's doable. I would make small changes that fit into your daily/weekly work schedules and go from there. Baby steps ... you can do it!
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    :) ill try the packing of clothes and meal prep when school starts and idk if i can wake up that early after staying up late from studying but ill try thank you for the advice :smiley:
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    These days you can buy cheap, healthy, ready made lunches in the supermarket.

    Things like tuna or salmon and pasta or rice and veggies and beans. Also I like the tuna & crackers packs.

    I take them to work and eat one in about 15 minutes, then I have 45 minutes to go for a walk on my lunch break.

    I'm in Australia, but I'm sure you've got even more choices in the supermarket in the US.

    And yes, "calories in" less than "calories out" (CICO) means weight loss. Give MFP your stats and set a 1-1.5 lb per week goal, and there's the number of calories you can eat to lose weight.

    And if you exercise, you get to eat more.

    Good luck!
  • cdudley628
    cdudley628 Posts: 547 Member
    I don't know about your college, but I go to community college as well and they offer fruits, salads, sandwiches, etc. There's a lot more than just the greasy food. Also, there are several microwaves in the common area where you can heat up whatever you've brought from home. But some community colleges may have better amenities than others.
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    Maybe especially since where i live has one college and one university and the college i go to is located in the ghetto with lots of homeless people walking around and asking the students for change. There is one microwave in the food court area that is always busy. Ill have to double check for sandwiches and salads because i am rarely ever in that building.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    Okay :) so for the next three weeks i do not have college classes so ill be working out and eating healthy but as soon as college starts its going to get a lot more difficult. I'm going to have class from 9-4 and then work from 5-11. After work ill be studying for classes. I usually get 1 or 2 days off from work a week. It also gets hard to eat healthy since ill be in class all day. Any tips? Lunch suggestions besides sandwiches? If i stick to eating healthy will i still lose weight? Can i lose enough weight working out twice a week? I want to lose at least 45 pounds before july. Also i am worried about loose skin. :(

    Spend a few minutes about what "eating healthy" means.
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    What does it mean? Is there a secret meaning? :'(
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    What does it mean? Is there a secret meaning? :'(

    There really isn't such thing. Just eat a well balanced diet while paying attention to your calorie intake and all will be well. It doesn't matter so much what you eat. Calories are like money. Spend them as you wish but know you can only spend a limited amount per day.
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    Ohhh okay i see what you are saying now. :p
  • Expatmommy79
    Expatmommy79 Posts: 940 Member
    Pack your lunches. Get a good lunch bag with space for the cooler packs and pack lots of snacks. Carrots, celery, apples. Salad and protein for lunch and dinner. A side carb like pasta or beans in small quantity. Nuts and seeds.

    If you are into shakes, that could replace one of your meals so you carry less around. Get a nice meal replacement shake with a shaker cup, buy milk on campus and shake/drink when you would eat lunch.

    If you do the meal replacement I would for sure make sure you have enough snacks packed. The last thing you want to do is drink a shake and then go eat a full lunch on campus to settle your munchies.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    So i just need to eat below my calorie goal? :o

    You've gotten some good advice. Someone mentioned this, but I want to reiterate - you eat below your maintenance calorie goal. If you set up MFP to lose weight, you need to eat to that goal, not below it. But, you also need to make sure you're logging as accurately as possible. Since you don't have a meal plan and it seems you have to make your own meals and snacks, that should help with logging.


  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    Low calorie; plenty of protein. Everything you need for the week in the house Sunday nite & preportioned for your long days. Focus on calorie deficit now & walk whenever there's an opportunity. Start & end each day with your own mini hotel-style workout, like X push-ups, X burpees, X high knees, X squats, etc. If you manage just a few small but smart changes I bet you'll see that work pay off!
  • Jericha1992
    Jericha1992 Posts: 80 Member
    When I was still in school (also a commuter), I would stuff my bag with fruits and veggies to snack on. They would keep me full and energized until dinner, and didn't take up too many calories. :)
  • Ponkeen
    Ponkeen Posts: 147 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    Okay :) so for the next three weeks i do not have college classes so ill be working out and eating healthy but as soon as college starts its going to get a lot more difficult. I'm going to have class from 9-4 and then work from 5-11. After work ill be studying for classes. I usually get 1 or 2 days off from work a week. It also gets hard to eat healthy since ill be in class all day. Any tips? Lunch suggestions besides sandwiches? If i stick to eating healthy will i still lose weight? Can i lose enough weight working out twice a week? I want to lose at least 45 pounds before july. Also i am worried about loose skin. :(

    Meal planning for the week is a lifesaver. I usually do all my planning and food prep on Sunday afternoon for the week, but wherever you can fit it into your routine can work. Also-make it part of your routine! Just like school and work, but instead of nurturing your brain and bank account, this is time spent nurturing your health and the body you have to live in for the rest of your life. It deserves the time.
    As for loose skin, strength training helps.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    Okay :) so for the next three weeks i do not have college classes so ill be working out and eating healthy but as soon as college starts its going to get a lot more difficult. I'm going to have class from 9-4 and then work from 5-11. After work ill be studying for classes. I usually get 1 or 2 days off from work a week. It also gets hard to eat healthy since ill be in class all day. Any tips? Lunch suggestions besides sandwiches? If i stick to eating healthy will i still lose weight? Can i lose enough weight working out twice a week? I want to lose at least 45 pounds before july. Also i am worried about loose skin. :(

    You will only lose weight if you eat at a calorie deficit. Eating healthy, whatever that means to you, is just a way of eating.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    DrEnalg wrote: »
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    So i just need to eat below my calorie goal? :o

    Factoring in exercise, yes.

    Exercise is not necessary to weight loss. Eat below your TDEE and you will lose weight.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    So i just need to eat below my calorie goal? :o

    Yes!!!!

    Use walking to each class (briskly if possible), walking up stairs, walking, walking, and more walking during your daily routine on the days that you cannot "work out".

    However, as you mention - eating fewer calories than you burn per day is the key to losing weight.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    You are asking the right questions, OP. Even if there is some loose skin - give yourself time to see if it is still there a year or two from now. Develop your priorities to be active and it will be easier - go to school in an active manner, etc...
  • Triplestep
    Triplestep Posts: 239 Member
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    :) ill try the packing of clothes and meal prep when school starts and idk if i can wake up that early after staying up late from studying but ill try thank you for the advice :smiley:

    Don't stay up late. Seriously, after a while you get diminishing returns. If your body and mind are tired, then you're better off turning in a little earlier, waking up a little earlier, and getting some exercise. If you can't spare 60 minutes, try 15. Get up 15 minutes earlier and get some exercise at home. There are free yoga videos on youtube. Or buy a weighted hula hoop for some cardio. (I'm trying to think of things you can do in an apartment where possibly there are downstairs neighbors.)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    There will be some low-ish calorie choices at the schools's food court.
  • brownels
    brownels Posts: 29 Member
    It's probably none of my business, but how do you study for class with that schedule?
  • Robotgirl3
    Robotgirl3 Posts: 22 Member
    Oh so much advice <3 thanks!
    brownels wrote: »
    It's probably none of my business, but how do you study for class with that schedule?

    i usually have 2 regular classes like algebra and history which i study on my few days off and the rest of my classes are art classes which are usually 3 hours long or so, i usually do not have to study for art classes but when i do i smoosh it in with the other classes i study.So pretty much my days off=more school work.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    It is
    Robotgirl3 wrote: »
    Oh so much advice <3 thanks!
    brownels wrote: »
    It's probably none of my business, but how do you study for class with that schedule?

    i usually have 2 regular classes like algebra and history which i study on my few days off and the rest of my classes are art classes which are usually 3 hours long or so, i usually do not have to study for art classes but when i do i smoosh it in with the other classes i study.So pretty much my days off=more school work.

    Thanks for clearing up the art classes. I was guessing that maybe you are a science major stuck in labs. :)

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