Being a College Student and Living a Healthy Lifestyle can be F***ing Hard.

brdoyle8
brdoyle8 Posts: 38 Member
edited November 15 in Motivation and Support
To be fair, I live off-campus, my mom has been largely supportive of my weight loss efforts and has kindly given me some more money to support my purchasing of healthy foods (being a college student for me has always meant buying a big box of one dollar Mac and cheese, and largely eating that for dinner four times a week). That being said, what's hardest for me is the social aspect.

I graduate undergrad in May, and I'm very proud to say that I will be continuing my education in a Graduate program in the fall. Being my last semester with my friends, we've been going out a lot and spending time together. Usually this time together means fast food places, fried foods, wing night, trivia with beer, or pizza at 2am (like normal college students). Last night we went out to trivia like we do every week at a wing place. I was the only one without fried food on her plate, because basically the only thing healthy you can get at this place is a side salad, which I got.

It was tough. I felt especially alienated, and the temptations were all around me with friends saying "just eat the fries." Which, I am happy to say, I didn't. Campus food isn't particularly better, I have largely begun packing my own food for meals.

I guess the point of this post is to be kind to each other. I know that no one on here would consciously alienate or point out the changes others are making, and potentially make them feel uncomfortable, but it's a good reminder that we are all living our own lives and to be supportive of each other whenever possible.

Happy Thursday, thanks for the support, folks.

Replies

  • cashidy
    cashidy Posts: 152 Member
    Oh yes! It can. You spend time in class, working, and then you sort of have to eat bad food because it is important to socialize. And the peer pressure to eat! People think they are being nice, but it is never acceptable to tell someone to eat some or live a little if they express they are on a diet.

    I combated this by hanging out with gym rats at my school sometimes and by going to the gym between classes and bringing food with me so if I was invited out I could go and enjoy myself with my own food.
  • gamthe3rd
    gamthe3rd Posts: 9 Member
    You life should be made of laws governed by you and only you, never your friends. Peer pressure and temptations are always going to be there, its how you combat them. A lot of my friends are overweight and don't follow a proper diet. I've had to learn how to be tolerant of other peoples diets. Keep in mind that everyone follows different diets. My diet is a ketogenic diet. I eat nothing but fats, oils, and veggies. But it works for me. I've lost over 80 pounds so far! My friends that practice balanced diets hate it! I eat a big greasy chunk of meat with a side of broccoli smother in high fat cheese, while they eat a really lean salad lol. Its not that I'm trying to rub it in their face, its just how I have to eat to follow the diet that keeps me healthy and gives the energy and protein i need to make gains. Remember, you have gone down a path that a lot of people don't have the willpower to do, and when you have gotten in the shape you desire and are wearing a sexy dress, your friends are going to envy you.
  • motivatingkat
    motivatingkat Posts: 3 Member
    I live in a townhome with three roommates. For the most part everyone tries to eat healthy-ish, but it's frustrating to me that as the only obese one a bad meal is so much more dangerous. I know they mean well, but I don't think they have any idea how much it really bothers me to weigh well over 300 pounds. And then when they talk about being fat....a size 6 is not fat!!!
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    If it helps, grad school is a really different culture than undergrad. You'll be part of a different social circle, but you'll probably be pretty busy too. Grad school was when I really started cooking a lot for myself. I learned how great my crock pot was and how helpful it was to make food that could be frozen for later or used in many ways during the week, like making a big pot of beans and putting them in different dishes.

    Grad school is also when I started exercising more. I started playing a sport, and those friends motivated me to start running. I consider that to be the most important reason why I decided to lose weight.

    Enjoy your time with your friends, but also tell them that you don't want the fries. Grad school is an entirely different part of your life. Feel free to message me about it!
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    As someone who is 20 years out of college and 17 years out of grad school...I have to say that I think that college is the EASIEST time. You have much more flexibility and access to free resources now than you even will again.

    It's easy to get in tons of walking on a large college campus. You can use great athletic facilities. You have access to club sports of all sorts, active hobby groups (dance, for example) and maybe even an outdoor program for things like hiking trips.

    Stop making excuses.
  • brdoyle8
    brdoyle8 Posts: 38 Member
    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    As someone who is 20 years out of college and 17 years out of grad school...I have to say that I think that college is the EASIEST time. You have much more flexibility and access to free resources now than you even will again.

    It's easy to get in tons of walking on a large college campus. You can use great athletic facilities. You have access to club sports of all sorts, active hobby groups (dance, for example) and maybe even an outdoor program for things like hiking trips.

    Stop making excuses.

    I think you might've misunderstood my intentions with this post.

    I am absolutely not making excuses for myself, and if you read the whole thing you'll notice that I said no to the junk food and opted for a salad despite peer pressure. I was just venting about a difficultly of college and that it was a tough choice. I'm doing my best to take advantage of where I'm at, but I am a full time student with a full time job attached to it. It can be tough. I think I can admit that without making excuses for myself to make poor choices.

    Everyone else, thanks for understanding, lending great feedback and being supportive. I really appreciate it and it certainly helped get me up and to the gym for two miles on the treadmill! 15 pounds down, more to go.
  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
    For me it was the opposite. My healthiest was in college. I never had time to eat! And I had to walk 5 miles three times a week to get to and from the bus to get there.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Man college was fun...you are bringing back many fond memories...
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    My freshman 15 was a freshman 30.....And here's my advice. You only get one college experience, and friendships are important. Eating a few fries here and there won't cripple your efforts unless you make it a habit. I've been a firm believer of surrounding myself with people that understand your goals and have goals of their own. That being said, it only gets harder as you get older. So keep in mind that the habits and friends you make today will likely influence to a great deal the life you lead later. Cheers!...and enjoy college!
  • qstneverything
    qstneverything Posts: 125 Member
    At the end of high school I was "underweight" on the BMI scale. By the end of university I was in the 'obese' range. We know not to trust the BMI scale but I went from underweight to overweight so I definitely understand how hard it is to stay motivated in university to stay healthy. The parties don't help, but my downfall was due to the changing schedules, early mornings, late nights on different days then I worked weird hours for part time work as well, not having a regular schedule made it so much harder.

    Anyway it sounds great you started packing your own meals, that's what I should have done. It's a great step in the right direction. I suggest stealing a wing or a chip from your mates every now and again - not only does it get them to leave you alone about your healthy meal, I honestly used to survive ordering a measly salad by savouring the one or two chips I would steal from my boyfriend (now fiancee) when I started losing weight in my final year at uni.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Life is tough, sweetie. Learn now how to deal with the challenges and you will have learned lessons that aren't on any test. Good luck to you!
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