How to eat during a college day

debrag12
debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I start uni in 2 weeks, I will be going 3 days a week. Mon + Tue I have classes 9-5/6 with a 1 hr lunch break, Wed I'm usually only in a few hours.

I intend to go to the gym before classes. I'm unsure what I should be eating, I mean I don't generally eat breakfast but thinking I need to eat before the gym (1hr commute) then something before classes.

Anyone give me any pointers?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you don’t normally eat breakfast, why start now?
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    Grab yourself a cheap digital kitchen scale and focus on accurately logging your calories. You just plug your stats into MFP, decide on your weight loss pace (1lbs per week is good for most) and it will tell you the amount of calories you should eat every day.

    If you're making some of your own food, logging is pretty easy. If you have to guess at calories for prepackaged meals without nutritional info, just do your best and err on the side of higher calorie.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    Make sure you eat. Unfortunately, some college students make schedules that do not give them time to eat any meals. This is not good because then you have no energy and also may be difficult to pay attention in your classes. You can try going to the gym without breakfast and see how it goes. You will probably want to eat something afterwards.
  • ifabulocitygirl
    ifabulocitygirl Posts: 20 Member
    edited January 2018
    Hey there! Fellow college student in the building. I'm an on-campus resident, and it sounds like you commute (a.k.a not on a meal plan) so if that's the case, try to go about your regular class routine and observe when you feel most hungry and when you don't. I read in an article
    here (http://www.nowloss.com/Weight_Loss_78.htm)that it's better to exercise BEFORE breakfast, b/c then your body can burn fat instead of carbs. But since you don't normally eat breakfast anyways, you shouldn't try to force that habit. I don't eat breakfast also, and had a tighter schedule my first sem, with my classes ranging from 8 am - 10 pm on Tues/Thurs at worst; I bared through it. I eat 2 big meals a today, "brunch" at 11-12pm and dinner just after 5pm. But you should stick with whatever works with you b/c depending on your classes and activity level you may need 5-6 smaller meals rather than big meals like me. Know your body. Then you can figure out the logistics of when and what to eat. It really doesn't matter.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    ifabulocitygirl wrote: »
    Hey there! Fellow college student in the building. I'm an on-campus resident, and it sounds like you commute (a.k.a not on a meal plan) so if that's the case, try to go about your regular class routine and observe when you feel most hungry and when you don't. I read in an article <a href="http://www.nowloss.com/Weight_Loss_78.htm">here</a&gt; that it's better to exercise BEFORE breakfast, b/c then your body can burn fat instead of carbs. But since you don't normally eat breakfast anyways, you shouldn't try to force that habit. I don't eat breakfast also, and had a tighter schedule my first sem, with my classes ranging from 8 am - 10 pm on Tues/Thurs at worst; I bared through it. I eat 2 big meals a today, "brunch" at 11-12pm and dinner just after 5pm. But you should stick with whatever works with you b/c depending on your classes and activity level you may need 5-6 smaller meals rather than big meals like me. Know your body. Then you can figure out the logistics of when and what to eat. It really doesn't matter.

    Exercising in a fasted state isn't necessary to lose fat (your body will lose fat in a deficit regardless of when you choose to eat breakfast or even if you skip it completely). There are some differences between what your body may use for *fuel* depending on when you exercise, but this doesn't translate into fat loss *on the body* like some people claim it does.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    You do not need to eat before gym or classes. If you are concerned, bring a protein bar to eat between classes.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    What kind of workout will you be doing?

    Some of my quick snacks before a longer (30+ minute) workout include:
    1 banana (90-130 grams)
    28 grams of nuts with 20 grams of dried fruits like raisins or cranberries
    6 triscuits with 28 grams of cheese
    1 apple (130-160 grams)
    protein bar
  • ifabulocitygirl
    ifabulocitygirl Posts: 20 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    ifabulocitygirl wrote: »
    Hey there! Fellow college student in the building. I'm an on-campus resident, and it sounds like you commute (a.k.a not on a meal plan) so if that's the case, try to go about your regular class routine and observe when you feel most hungry and when you don't. I read in an article <a href="http://www.nowloss.com/Weight_Loss_78.htm">here</a&gt; that it's better to exercise BEFORE breakfast, b/c then your body can burn fat instead of carbs. But since you don't normally eat breakfast anyways, you shouldn't try to force that habit. I don't eat breakfast also, and had a tighter schedule my first sem, with my classes ranging from 8 am - 10 pm on Tues/Thurs at worst; I bared through it. I eat 2 big meals a today, "brunch" at 11-12pm and dinner just after 5pm. But you should stick with whatever works with you b/c depending on your classes and activity level you may need 5-6 smaller meals rather than big meals like me. Know your body. Then you can figure out the logistics of when and what to eat. It really doesn't matter.

    Exercising in a fasted state isn't necessary to lose fat (your body will lose fat in a deficit regardless of when you choose to eat breakfast or even if you skip it completely). There are some differences between what your body may use for *fuel* depending on when you exercise, but this doesn't translate into fat loss *on the body* like some people claim it does.

    I wasn't talking about fasting (though the article also mentions that), but rather exercising right before you eat at your normal meal times. It's true that fasting and those other techniques aren't necessary, but they do help speed up weight loss for some people.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    ifabulocitygirl wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    ifabulocitygirl wrote: »
    Hey there! Fellow college student in the building. I'm an on-campus resident, and it sounds like you commute (a.k.a not on a meal plan) so if that's the case, try to go about your regular class routine and observe when you feel most hungry and when you don't. I read in an article <a href="http://www.nowloss.com/Weight_Loss_78.htm">here</a&gt; that it's better to exercise BEFORE breakfast, b/c then your body can burn fat instead of carbs. But since you don't normally eat breakfast anyways, you shouldn't try to force that habit. I don't eat breakfast also, and had a tighter schedule my first sem, with my classes ranging from 8 am - 10 pm on Tues/Thurs at worst; I bared through it. I eat 2 big meals a today, "brunch" at 11-12pm and dinner just after 5pm. But you should stick with whatever works with you b/c depending on your classes and activity level you may need 5-6 smaller meals rather than big meals like me. Know your body. Then you can figure out the logistics of when and what to eat. It really doesn't matter.

    Exercising in a fasted state isn't necessary to lose fat (your body will lose fat in a deficit regardless of when you choose to eat breakfast or even if you skip it completely). There are some differences between what your body may use for *fuel* depending on when you exercise, but this doesn't translate into fat loss *on the body* like some people claim it does.

    I wasn't talking about fasting (though the article also mentions that), but rather exercising right before you eat at your normal meal times. It's true that fasting and those other techniques aren't necessary, but they do help speed up weight loss for some people.

    Sorry for the confusion -- exercising before breakfast is sometimes referred to as "exercising in a fasted state" (because you haven't eaten for several hours). Either way, it won't cause exercise to burn more calories than it otherwise would so it isn't going to speed up weight loss.

    It's just a way to help your body burn fat for fuel (which some endurance athletes find useful for longer events), it doesn't translate into more weight lost or losing more body fat.

    For people who are getting into fitness or just trying to lose some weight, I think it's an unnecessary distraction from what matters -- an overall deficit. For people who have advanced fitness goals or specific events they're training for, it may sometimes be useful.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    ifabulocitygirl wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    ifabulocitygirl wrote: »
    Hey there! Fellow college student in the building. I'm an on-campus resident, and it sounds like you commute (a.k.a not on a meal plan) so if that's the case, try to go about your regular class routine and observe when you feel most hungry and when you don't. I read in an article <a href="http://www.nowloss.com/Weight_Loss_78.htm">here</a&gt; that it's better to exercise BEFORE breakfast, b/c then your body can burn fat instead of carbs. But since you don't normally eat breakfast anyways, you shouldn't try to force that habit. I don't eat breakfast also, and had a tighter schedule my first sem, with my classes ranging from 8 am - 10 pm on Tues/Thurs at worst; I bared through it. I eat 2 big meals a today, "brunch" at 11-12pm and dinner just after 5pm. But you should stick with whatever works with you b/c depending on your classes and activity level you may need 5-6 smaller meals rather than big meals like me. Know your body. Then you can figure out the logistics of when and what to eat. It really doesn't matter.

    Exercising in a fasted state isn't necessary to lose fat (your body will lose fat in a deficit regardless of when you choose to eat breakfast or even if you skip it completely). There are some differences between what your body may use for *fuel* depending on when you exercise, but this doesn't translate into fat loss *on the body* like some people claim it does.

    I wasn't talking about fasting (though the article also mentions that), but rather exercising right before you eat at your normal meal times. It's true that fasting and those other techniques aren't necessary, but they do help speed up weight loss for some people.

    That article makes you believe that you can burn 20% more fat waking up 'fasted' and exercising. It suggest to the reader to believe we are running low on carbs/glycogen when we wake up after 'fasting' through the night.

    We have the ability to store plenty of carbs/glycogen to carry us through the nights fasting and morning exercise before we deplete glycogen and tap into fat for fuel.

    I concur that unless you are specially training for endurance or sports related activities this is a mute point to the average person exercising to lose weight. It doesn't help you weight lose weight faster or better.

    OP, you might want to try exercise with or without a pre-work meal or snack. It will be down to personal preference and what works better for you in the long run. I would carry some sort of snack like a banana, protein/energy bar, etc.. in case you need it and carry something to hydrate you. You can resume you normal eating schedule as you see fit around exercise and your schedule.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited January 2018
    I'm currently on campus three days a week. Tuesday I'm typically on campus/out of the house (on my way to and from appointments) from 8-4:30 with a break for lunch and Thursday I'm on campus from 8am-6 with a longer break later in the afternoon. I try to bring my lunch at least once a week, if not twice a week, given that I can eat lunch at home on most Fridays. Tomorrow is, unfortunately, not going to be a "bringing my lunch to school" day. That said there are a lot of options for food where I go to school, in part becuase so many students commute but also because of the physical location of the campus.

    Given that my first class of the day Tuesdays and Thursdays starts at 10, I swim at 8 and then get coffee and a bagel for breakfast. That tides me over enough to get through my 10am class which gets out at noon. Then it's lunch, appointment, and either eating a snack on my way back to school or finding a snack on campus (ideally a clif bar or kind bar because I can eat them on the streetcar going back to school). On Thursday's it's similar routine but I have significantly more time to eat a snack thus I have more choices.

    Note - I swim before eating breakfast because a. it doesn't bother me in terms of hunger or energy and b. I'm not willing to drag myself out of bed early enough to give myself enough time to eat breakfast and get to school by 8.
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