Tips for college students?

annrtterxd
annrtterxd Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Im a college student trying to loose 60 pounds and i'm having a hard time eating and finding time to workout for the amount of time i'd like. I also don't always have the energy to work out as intensely as i'd want. Anyone have any advice on how to manage this in college? I've been working out 5-6 days a week and restricting my calories for about 50 days and not seeing much of a difference, which is discouraging. Any tips on staying motivated?

Replies

  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Try small bursts of exercise between classes (four 15-minute walks?) rather than getting frustrated that you don't have two hours all at once.

    And watch out for the empty sugar and carbs! A foofie-goofie-frappie-latte can have 300 calories, and a quick piece of pizza (or two or four or seven . . .) after not eating all day can pack on the pounds.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
    Do you cook your own food or have a meal plan? Do you drink alcohol? Do you have access to a gym?
  • PennWalker
    PennWalker Posts: 554 Member
    People lose weight by calories. You can actually lose weight with no exercise at all -- eat fewer calories than you burn with your normal activities. Of course exercise helps but it is not essential to lose weight.

    Look at the food you eat and try to get the best value for the calories you have to work with. Good luck.
  • bee_bee8
    bee_bee8 Posts: 96 Member
    I was actually in the best shape of my life in college. I'm not sure what yours is like, but many schools have decent gyms which are a great resource. Oftentimes a certain number of trips to the gym are included in your tuition. I used to try to hit the gym after my last class of the day on my way home (assuming it wasn't too late at night). It can be tough to motivate yourself, I know... But once you get into a routine and realize how good you feel after just 30-45 mins of cardio, it's easier to keep it up.
    Another tip - If it's possible to bike or walk to/from/around campus, always do that rather than driving or taking the bus. The calories you burn walking can add up little by little, especially if it's a big campus.
    The main thing you have to pay attention to, as others have said, is simply calories in vs calories out. Be sure you're logging your food correctly; get a food scale if you can to make sure your portions are right. Make smart food choices, otherwise your exercise won't get you the results you're after.

    Good luck, you can do it!
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    I'm always in awe of people who manage to lose weight in college. I gained the stereotypical freshman 15 back in the day. Personally I find it difficult to concentrate when I'm hungry so if I were you I'd be looking to lose it slowly, as in no more than .5lbs/week. So in 50 days you would look to lose no more than 3.5 lbs. When you say you haven't seen much of a difference, do you know how much, if any you've actually lost?

    I'm hoping that framing it that way will help you be less disappointed by the lack of speed in changes you have seen so far. But to answer your direct question "Any tips on staying motivated?", the best way of course is to develop habits that become automatic enough that you don't need a ton of motivation.

    If you've found it difficult to track and stay under goal consistently (which I would if I had assignments due and tests/exams to write), you might consider IF, dropping your calories lower on your easier day (or days) only.

    Best of luck in school and with your weight loss.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    When I was in college I did quite a bit of walking just getting from class to class. As for eating, you can eat anything and lose weight, but you can't eat a lot of it and lose weight.
  • doittoitgirl
    doittoitgirl Posts: 157 Member
    On one of my off school days I cook large meals for the week. Rice and beans, chili, stir fry, salads and sandwich fixings for lunches, overnight oats for breakfast. If I use a slow cooker I just cook it overnight. It doesnt usually take more than two hours to come up with 3 different rice dishes for the week and prep all that stuff. I measure it out into tupperwares so i can just grab and log real quick on my way out. As for the working out, I just do it when I can fit it in and not stress cause I have a hectic schedule. I usually pick it back up regularly when it gets warm out again.
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    I'm in grad school so can relate. I find what motivates me is results. Besides that, what keeps me in check isn't so much motivation as commitment and habits.

    I second goldthistime's question: How much have you lost?
    What's your food situation looking like - calorie goals and logging habits?

    Exercise is important for health but not necessary for weight loss. (It can be very helpful though.) If you can't afford the time or just don't want to exercise so much, you could cut it to 2-3 days or cut it out entirely. I'd encourage you to keep it for at least a couple days. Life will often be very busy. It's probably for the best to learn how to make room for it now.
  • STC02
    STC02 Posts: 48 Member
    I do around 4,000 steps a day in uni. Track your steps, bulk buy and prep your lunches every sunday night for the week ahead.
    Even go to college in your gym gear and go straight to the gym or change at college. Try just going 3 times a week, I go Sunday, Monday, Thursday because I work Tues and Weds night and by friday am dead on my feet and saturday is a day to spend time with others :)
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited February 2017
    I'm a college student myself and have lost and maintained a 60-ish pound loss. A few tips:
    *Be wary of mindless eating. If your college is anything like mine, there's ALWAYS free food available somewhere. It's tempting to eat everything just because it's available, but take only as much as can keep you in a deficit or take some food home and portion it out during the week.
    *Don't underestimate the power of walking. In time between classes, I walk while I review notes, check e-mails, etc.
    *Most college gyms are free.
    *Choose your classes each semester to best support your health (i.e. try to take classes earlier in the day if you like to exercise later in the day).
    *Tighten your logging. If you're not losing weight after 50 days, it's possible that you're overestimating your burns and/or underestimating your intake.
  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
    I remember in college I lost like 30 lbs my freshman year by working 4-5 nights in the cafeteria - on my feet, walking, wiping down tables, taking out the trash. Plus all the walking to class, carrying heavy books, etc. But by my junior year I ballooned up to almost 180 lbs because I no longer had that exercise-heavy job. And I love chocolate.

    I think it's hard in college to watch your weight because the days are often unstructured except for a few hours of class. So it's easy to graze while studying at home. It's easy to eat breakfast at 10 and lunch at 1 and snack at 4 and a giant pizza at 8 and finish with a late-night run to a diner or Starbucks or the bar. When you were in high school, you were not around cafeterias and kitchens all the time and you didn't have much of your own money to buy snacks or pizzas or beer.

    There are some small changes you can make - planning your meals, bringing your lunch, keeping snacks out of the house, avoiding the ice cream machine in the cafeteria, parking farther away to get more steps. But the bigger thing you'll need to learn (and college is a great time to build this habit) is self-discipline as in...don't eat snacks every day, go to the gym or deliberately exercise whether you want to or not, keep your health in mind at all times. Best of luck to you!
  • katarina005
    katarina005 Posts: 259 Member
    I'm a returning student and I find myself hungrier just from the stress of all the "work". I find myself snacking more..ugh

    As a vegetarian, one idea is to try some of those foods and watch your portions. I would also suggest snacks throughout the day, which will take your mind off eating. I find it helps.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    elenamocovanu wrote: »
    I saw there was a guy, which said that the best way to save some time for sports is buying essays and homeworks from special essay writing service. Despite the fact that he probably was a spammer, the idea is not so bad after all. Because it really can save some time. For example, I payed people sometimes so I can do something more important than boring homework or essay writing. Of course, I checked it before the deadline, because it would be suspicious if I give the professor an essay I don't know anything about.

    ghost writing (and therefore plagiarism) is ground for expulsion from many colleges. I hope for you, that your college never gets wind of it. You might end up with your degree revoked if you've already finished.

    Also, the OP is from 2017. I hope she's done with her degree by now.

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