College girl needs help!!

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LadybugMeghan
LadybugMeghan Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone! I need help!

I have issues not going over the amount of calories I'm suppose to eat a day (MFP has me at 1350 because i started at 244 and want to get to 200). I try hard to stay at or under but i don't know how to cook much, my fiance and I go out to eat a lot (mostly fast food, not subway) and i live on my college campus so i eat dorm food (mostly grease covered food) because the only appliances i have in my dorm are a microwave and a toaster.

Has anyone else been in my shoes? or know someone in them currently? I try so hard to stay on my diet but its so hard to "stay on the wagon" when i don't have great food options. Yes my school has salad bar and some fruit but the salad bar is limited and most of the fruit is covered in syrup so its not too healthy.

Please respond soon :) Right now I'm not at school because I'm home for the summer and eating semi well but i'll be at school in August.

Thanks everyone! Hope your dieting is going well :)

<3 Meghan!

PS. I have a weakness for chocolate and drink at least one can of coke a day because i get headaches if i don't.

Replies

  • crissyxo
    crissyxo Posts: 2
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    try eattting fruits instead of junk<333 no SODAA MISSSYY!!!!
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
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    You can pack a cooler and prepare you're own food. When you go out to eat you can request plain grilled chicken breast with steam veggies. Almost all restaurants have that kind of food.
    Bring good snacks in your cooler...celery sticks, carrot sticks, fruit and healthy nuts. If you really want to do this you'll figure it out. Read all you can on CLEAN EATING.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    Save money and instead of going out to eat, invest in some healthy staples. Fresh fruits and veggies are cheap and stay well in a mini fridge or dorm fridge (labelled!)

    Find a couple things in each food group that you like and are cheap enough to buy on a regular basis. I have a lot of kale (lettuce), cherry tomatoes, oranges, yogurt, crackers, chicken, almonds, TVP (textured vegetable protein, cheaper than meat, can be used like ground beef).
  • jesslynn23
    jesslynn23 Posts: 2
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    Hey!

    I had a similar problem my freshman year of college. I used to dorm kitchen a lot and tea or coffee is better than Coke.
    Maybe have some meals pre-made from home and freeze them if you have access to a freezer and re-heat them. Chocolate is a weakness for me too, but I found that some yummy frozen yogurt (better for you) with some raw almonds and a little bit of chocolate syrup is delicious!

    Hope this helps!

    Good luck with school and your diet!
  • wishing_well
    wishing_well Posts: 6
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    The headaches are from caffeine - I'm assuming you don't drink coffee, but what about tea? Green tea is GREAT for you, much lower in calories - just generally much healthier. A lot of people drop weight just cutting soda out of their diet. But if you can afford it and have the room, I'd very much suggest getting a mini fridge and stocking up on fruits and healthy snacks. When you're craving something unhealthy, it's usually because you're hungry, and if you eat a healthy snack that craving should go away or ease up. Good luck!!
  • abellone7289
    abellone7289 Posts: 70 Member
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    I totally understand! I am in college myself and eating the food there is where all my weight (and cholesterol) problems started in the first place. I managed to drop 10 pounds sophomore year, but I gained it back this winter because I sprained my ankle and my roommates were cookie baking maniacs at the holidays...

    I am in an apartment again this year, so Hopefully I will have better control of my diet. Although I was in one last year too and gained more weight than I did in 2 years of dining hall food...

    Feel free to add me if you need some support, one college girl to another!
  • Kitiara47
    Kitiara47 Posts: 235
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    I have the same problem! It was so easy to get the junk food from our dining hall "convenience store", but I tried to eat the healthiest stuff they had (and that was hard...) Moderation really helped in the dining hall. I was eating so much and I really had to cut back. This coming semester I'm moving out of the dorms into an apartment, so the food should be a lot easier to control.

    Good luck and try your best!! Try exercising a little more if the calories are getting the best of you.
  • blpope
    blpope Posts: 163
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    College girl here too (but thank goodness I'll be living in an apartment next year!) Have you tried switching to Diet Coke? I'm a soda addict but last summer I switched to diet and I saw some good results. Now I'm even cutting down to one can a day, sometimes none and once in awhile I'll have the occasional regular :)
  • SavannaN
    SavannaN Posts: 148
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    You can buy your own fruits and keep then in your room. One thing my friend did was befriend me...lol and now comes over here to eat alot. I dont live on campus so I have my own kitchen. She comes and cooks for me from time to time too so it all works out. If thats not possible, try getting a small fridge and when you go home on the weekends (if you live close enough) then cook a weeks worth of meals and put them in portion sized containers and re heat on one every day. Hope this helps... :)
  • LTFranz
    LTFranz Posts: 1
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    I find a great way to counter those days when I can't eat healthy is to work out, giving me extra room in my calorie intake for the day. The key is not to overdo the food to "make up" for the work out. Exercising is just as important to living a healthy lifestyle as diet. Your college probably has a gym you can use for free with elipticals and bikes, take your iPod and zone out for an hour and you will be suprised at what you can accomplish.

    Also, you can try a crockpot (not sure if it is allowed in your dorm). You can throw in a bunch of ingredients in the morning before you go to class and have dinner and a few days of left overs ready when you get back. The key is to using fresh instead of processed ingredients.
  • Sophie2304
    Sophie2304 Posts: 8
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    Hey Meghan,

    I understand exactly how you're feeling.

    I've recently finished university and living away in student accommodation is one of the hardest things when you're trying to diet.

    Just keep thinking about your goal weight.

    Also I'm in the same position as you are with your boyfriend. Mine plays rugby so he easily burns off a lot of the takeaway foods, while i'm left with all the calories still on me. Maybe try talking to your boyfriend explain to him what you're trying to achieve. You could make cook a healthy meal together :-) that's always fun, and more romantic than just getting take out.

    Hope this helps :-) I'm new so add me as a friend if you like.

    P.s. I'm also addicted to cans of coke to..
  • meryllb
    meryllb Posts: 28
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    eggs are great made in a microwave! get eggs or egg whites in the carton, some deli slices of ham, turkey and cheese, and low calorie bread (oven joy bread is 50 cals a slice). for breakfast you can use the meat and cheese in the eggs for an omellete, or put a sunny side up egg on a slice of toast then sandwiches for lunch.
  • CaseyBee
    CaseyBee Posts: 163 Member
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    I drink at least one can of coke a day because i get headaches if i don't.

    Hey Meghan! I know it's really rough, but you can kick the caffeine addiction! It can take anywhere up to a week or so of headaches, but then you won't have any more trouble with it. It's like detoxing from drugs - go through the worst, and then it's over. You can do it!

    As far as dorm food, is there a salad bar? I spent a lot of time there and at the toast bar. You can go a long way with the fresh fruit, veggies, and whole wheat toast. One of my favorite snacks was a scoop of cottage cheese (from the salad bar) topped with ~1/4c. chopped pineapple (also from the salad bar.)

    At my school, we had nutrition info posted at each "station" in the dining hall, and if yours employs Sodexo, it probably does too. You can do a walkthrough of all the options before making a final decision. Also, we had a "deli counter" where they often had wraps, subs, and sometimes pita/hummus/feta/cucumber plates for assemble-your-own greek style pitas. Mine often took "special orders" while they were assembling sandwiches behind the counter - no mayo, cheese etc.

    It's really difficult to find good options in a dining hall, but you CAN do it!!
  • sejunco
    sejunco Posts: 16
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    It can be really difficult to eat well in college! But there are always healthier options available, the problem is usually choosing them. One thing about cafeteria food is that the portion sizes are way out of control. They tend to give you enough for two meals! It can take a lot of practice and self control to eat the correct portions.

    I have a bad habit of going to fast food places too, but I can always find something on the menu that won't ruin my calorie intake for the day. Example: at Taco Bell you can get 3 Fresco tacos for a total of 450 cals. Wendy's: a large chili and a jr. hamburger for around 550 cals. Chik-fil-a's grilled chicken sandwich (NOT the club) is only 280 cals. Of course, these are sodium disasters, and there are always better options out there, but sometimes you just don't have the time or energy to find better things!
  • mamacremers
    mamacremers Posts: 183 Member
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    depending on dorm rules, you can get fresh fruit and keep it in your dorm room. Just get enough to eat for the week and go shopping every week. Most fruit doesn't need to be refridgerated. AND you can't have a dorm fridge in your room? If you do get one, you could keep deli turkey meat in there, and some mustard and you can have turkey sandwiches. Soups are usually low in calories too, you have to watch it, and also pick ones low in sodium. You just have to look at the grocery store. Spend an hour in there, and really look at stuff.

    Eating out, you NEED to pick where you're eating! Don't let him pick! And if he really has to pick, you could probably still make good choices wherever you go. Most restaurants have a diet part on the menu that you can pick from. And another thing I do is I only eat half and stop or order a half serving. You may still pay half price, but it will be worth it!

    Soda and chocolate... Diet Coke! I have to have one a day too! And I've found a way to help my chocolate cravings and still not eat too much Dove Dark Promises. They are 40 calories each and I can usually control myself and eat 2-3 a day.

    Drinking a BUNCH of water will help you. I read an article that said you should divide your weight in half and drink AT LEAST that much in ounces. Adding more for exercise and caffeine intake. My hubby just started doing this and he travels for work, so he takes a two gallon jug with him, fills it with ice and water in the morning and then has a water bottle that he refills as needed. He tries to drink the entire jug every day.
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    if you have a car invest in a mini fridge and buy lots of fruit! eat what you can at the salad bar, eat small portions of the bad stuff at restaurants/dining hall. go to the library and check out the Eat This! Not That! books. that gives you great ideas what to eat at certain restaurants
  • mamacremers
    mamacremers Posts: 183 Member
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    The headaches are from caffeine - I'm assuming you don't drink coffee, but what about tea? Green tea is GREAT for you, much lower in calories - just generally much healthier. A lot of people drop weight just cutting soda out of their diet. But if you can afford it and have the room, I'd very much suggest getting a mini fridge and stocking up on fruits and healthy snacks. When you're craving something unhealthy, it's usually because you're hungry, and if you eat a healthy snack that craving should go away or ease up. Good luck!!

    for the green tea, Yogi (the brand) makes some DELICIOUS green teas! They're kind of expensive, but it'll be the best tea you'll drink. I wasn't a big tea drinker, but read up on the benefits of green tea and decided to make myself try it. Yogi tastes so good, and most of them have Stevia in the blend, so you don't need sugar either!

    And I agree on avoiding the unhealthy cravings. Two of my weaknesses at work for snacks are popcorn from the convenience mart downstairs and oreos. I've found that if I have them once during the week, I will crave, crave, crave them until I finally eat some for the rest of the week. But if I go a day or two without them, the craving goes away and I don't HAVE to have them the next day!

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