Losing weight in college

Eat less.

Bottom line, you're eating over and above what your body needs to maintain. Cut back enough to be below what your body needs to maintain and you'll lose. Even if you eat in a dining hall and can't weigh your food, you can keep a log of what you normally eat for a week and use it to eat a bit less of those foods next week.

I'm a full-time college student and feel your pain. Some weeks are incredibly stressful. I have finals next week and term papers due, plus other assignments due this week. I'm also a mom and a grandmother. I have very little time and energy left to do anything some days. However, I can almost always fit in at least 30 minutes a day to exercise. It helps relieve some stress. Like others have said though, weight gain and weight loss is mostly about your diet. I've learned not to keep junk food or sugary drinks in the house. I don't deprive myself of some comfort food but I don't need a 12 hour-a-day supply within reach. Ha. Learn as much as you can from these forums, especially the pinned topics and you'll figure out what you need to do and not do. Good luck!

I actually lost weight in college. Then when I moved back home I gained it all back, and then some. Why? Because I was walking less, and eating more.

Do you track what you eat on the app? Just do calories in - calories out. You most likely won't be weighing your food, but you can get a good idea of what you are eating nonetheless: eating a sandwich? Then plug in the bread, the slices of cheese, the meat by slice or guestimate on weight. Fries? Put them in by the cup, most places serve ~2 cups per serving unless you go to a fast food restaurant where the size differs depending on what you pay. If you want an idea of how much food fits in a bowl or a glass, take it home and just measure with a filling cup.

The other thing you could do is contact the food services for your college, they most likely do have the nutrition information for what they serve and make it available upon request. It is helpful to get an idea of how to estimate what you are eating, since when we eat out most places don't publish calories, and if they do it tends to vary anyway based on the chef. Nonetheless, if the calorie info is available use it.

Also, don't forget that calories includes food AND drink. Many people forget that alcohol and drinks in any form contains calories.

Muscleflex79 wrote: »

my point being - things only get harder from that point on. and TONS of people have managed to lose weight while in college. there is nothing about being in college that prevents you from eating at a calorie deficit.

This is so true.

If he eats in a cafeteria it may be more difficult to truly know how much he is eating, but he can get a good idea. It also allows him to teach himself how to estimate what he is consuming when he eats out, which is valuable knowledge. If he eats at home even better: he can control what he buys.

Hi All. I'm first year but i started gaining in High School. I actually checked my progress from my first MyFitnessPall entry weight to now and I have juat gained weight. So I guess I'm saying I relate but i do think its possible. I have to disagree on weight loss being about eating less: it could work but only in the short run. Ask me i know. I think weight loss is about loving yourself anf choosing to do this because you want to care for your body. I, for example, take bubble baths more often to just love myself. Tubs are super awesome guys

I am in college + full time job. It's really hard especially when exams/homework cramp up. What I find helps is planing my meals ahead of time and prepping food the night before. I keep protein bars in my bag for a quick snack. Working out is a struggle to fit in my schedule, but I try to get in a 30 min cardio workout if I find the time.

If you are able to buy your own groceries and cook your own meals, it's a lot easier to log all of your food accurately. But if you're stuck eating on campus, find out whether your school has nutrition information available for food served in the cafeteria(s). Many schools publish this online or have it available if you ask. You don't have to exercise in order to lose weight. You just have to take in fewer calories than you burn, and in order to do that, it's extremely helpful to log your food as accurately as possible.

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

Great advice except the barcode scanner bit - it's no more accurate than the rest of the database, so worth double checking the info.

I find that the scanner is generally reliable, but sometimes the serving size is off. Definitely a good idea to give a quick glance, but if it looks right based on the quick math in your head, go with it.

Out of college for nearly 4 years now, and I was actually in better shape while in school for the longest time! I've been working on my fitness and health for the past year and am thinner now than I was then, just takes wayyyy longer once you realize your metabolism has gone down and you're not walking across campus 24/7. I'll just recap my tips from undergrad to keep it simple:

1) I lived on campus 3 years out of 4 and always made time to stop at the on-campus rec center (you pay for it, after all!) after my afternoon classes wrapped up, before dinner or any night classes. I'd usually work out for an hour or two doing cardio and weights 3-4 days a week, sometimes a Sunday morning workout too. During senior year I wasn't using the rec center as often, so I got a cheap gym membership and typically worked out the same amount listed above.

2) Living on campus (or near enough to walk) made it easy to get in extra cardio, as you're walking around from 8am-9pm some days. When you have the option, walk - don't drive! I only ever drove to the grocery store or for trips home. Otherwise, the car stayed in the lot. Better yet - get rid of your car if you don't need it.

3) Make it as easy on yourself as possible to cook. If that means buying pre-chopped veggies and fruit, so be it! Some of my easier meals were whole-wheat frozen waffles topped with nut butter and fruit, or scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast; sandwiches for lunch (whole wheat bread, turkey, 1 slice cheese, romaine lettuce, avocado, sriracha); and typically baked chicken with steamed/roasted veggies or a reasonable size of pasta with tomatoes and turkey meatballs for dinner. Snacks were typically pretzel thins + laughing cow cheese, a string cheese with bell pepper slices, fruit, or veggies and hummus. A lot of these things you can get at Trader Joe's on the cheap.

4) Watch the alcohol. I wasn't a huge partier so this was easy lol. Stick with light beer or vodka+low calorie mixers (club soda, Crystal Light, pick your poison).

Hope you found some of these helpful! The hardest part is just making it part of your routine. Once you've established a new routine and start to feel the effects of eating better and working out it becomes something you WANT to do.