Wondering If anyone has College Advice?

LoseItJourney
LoseItJourney Posts: 122 Member
edited October 1 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm moving into my Dorm room in 2 weeks for my first year in College!
I'm starting my weight loss now, so I was wondering if anyone has any tips / suggestions ways to make sure you don't gain the weight in this situation!

Its my first time moving by myself where I don't have the support at home!

Thanks in advance !

xo

Replies

  • dancer4275
    dancer4275 Posts: 149
    everybody always talks about the "freshman 15"....
    which is the 15 pounds that the average freshman gains during their first semmester in college.
    I'd just say do the basic eating well and exercising. if you don't have a gym, do workouts in your room like crunchs/pushups, etc. when your roomies go out for pizza or mexican food, chose your meal wisely...
    have fun at college!
  • scott1024
    scott1024 Posts: 279 Member
    Stay away from fast food!!! All-nighters with pizza (and maybe beer) equals middle aged with big bellies and lots of student loans!!! Good luck to you!
  • bms34b
    bms34b Posts: 401 Member
    When I started losing weight, it was the last twoish/threeish months of my dorm life. (Just finished up freshman year). I put on about five pounds up until that point, and had had enough. How I did it was logging EVERYTHING that went into my mouth. Those late night easy macs and sporadic McDonald's runs were killer if I let myself do them. Just don't do it. Have a plan of oatmeal or fruit or something in the morning (for me it was coffee with cream and honey, coming out to about 70 calories) and if you're eating in a cafeteria for lunch and dinner, stick to stuff with calories listed or salad bar/sandwich bar where you can really count and know what you're putting into your mouth. As for college drinking, save up calories. Smirnoff red label has 80ish per shot, so that's a good one. If you're looking to drink occasionally, check out www.getdrunknotfat.com

    Hope this helps! Send a friend request if you want :)

    Edit: I didn't mean that I got upset over just the 5 pounds, I was already overweight.
  • bhelmreich
    bhelmreich Posts: 254 Member
    Self.com has some great workouts you can do in your dorm with dumbbells or no equipment. I did gain the freshman 15 my second semester. You really have to watch what you eat in the cafeteria and keep healthy snacks in your dorm!
  • bhelmreich
    bhelmreich Posts: 254 Member
    Self.com has some great workouts you can do in your dorm with dumbbells or no equipment. I did gain the freshman 15 my second semester. You really have to watch what you eat in the cafeteria and keep healthy snacks in your dorm!
  • mommyami1
    mommyami1 Posts: 154 Member
    Make good use of the campus fitness center! My freshman year, many many years ago, my roommate and I would finish studying and then spend an hour or more at the gym. We would swim, do weights, sit in the sauna. It was a great way to de-stress and keep in shape! Good luck and enjoy your first year!!!
  • annabaloo
    annabaloo Posts: 12
    It's the booze that'll get you! Beer is super high in calories, and hard liquor is just waiting to turn into sugar once you drink it.
    I agree with the first reply: exercise regularly (see if your college has a gym), balance out what you eat and...watch the booze!
  • merimeaux
    merimeaux Posts: 304 Member
    Definitely avoid late-night snacks. I went to a small women's college and they had a nightly ritual at 9 p.m. (or maybe even later?) called Snack. That helped a ton of those ladies put on a lot of weight. :/
  • u2fergus
    u2fergus Posts: 422 Member
    Hello... well, first of all, if you can possibly help it, DON'T get in the habit of snacking into the night if you have a late study night. Drink herbal tea or coffee or something, but when the other dorm-mates start busting out the microwave popcorn and ordering pizza and 2:00 in the morning, just say no!! I'm serious... the late-night eating absolutely slayed me in college. If you must snack outside of mealtimes, try to keep some veggies or other low-cal (but high-nutrient) snacks in your room. It WILL be worth it.

    Other thoughts... if you eat in the school cafeteria, think hard about how much (and what) you're slopping onto your plate. I guarantee there will be an enormous amount of tempting things in there, and you'll want to have more than you really should. My college had a freaking soft serve ice cream machine that was always on from morning till night! Talk about cruelty to dieting students! Besides this... remember that granola is healthy in small quantities, but just because you see it in the cafeteria doesn't mean it's ok to snack on all the time or eat a bowl full of it for breakfast every morning. That was another of my pitfalls at school. So good, so tempting, but SO MUCH fat and sugar!!

    Lastly, as much as possible, keep using your food diary faithfully and go to the school gym as much as possible. You can even study on the elliptical machine, you know! I definitely got a lot of good studying done at the gym, I know. :)

    Good luck to you and I hope you have a great year!! :)
  • MisterDubs303
    MisterDubs303 Posts: 1,216 Member
    Don't eat all the crap that is just being laid out in front of you to partake of as much as your heart, tummy and taste buds desire. Try to keep it clean. EXERCISE RELIGIOUSLY. If I went to college with the food service they offer these days I'd put on the freshman 150, not 15.
  • MaitreyeeMAYHEM
    MaitreyeeMAYHEM Posts: 559 Member
    STICK WITH UR DIET AND EXERCISE PLAN!! thats all I can say. lol instead of taking the shuttle to ur class WALK!! I gained the freshman 30, not the 15 but the 30. Just keep focused!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    I assume you'll be on a meal plan. The salad bar is your friend. Hopefully your cafeteria has a decent amount of healthy options. Try the vegetarian options if the regular options aren't good. Eat things you can log easily. You know what's in your salad, but do you know how much butter and salt they put in those mashed potatoes or what's in that pizza?

    Take advantage of the school gym and/or free dorm time.

    Snack light and often, steal a baggie of cereal or a piece of fruit from the cafeteria to eat between classes. (Never eat an apple in class! TOO LOUD!!)

    Take a bus to the grocery store to get your own healthy staples for study time. Stock up on coffee or tea so you won't be tempted to get a frappachino. Get some popcorn, veggies, and other healthy snacks so you don't order a pizza.
  • luvmycandies
    luvmycandies Posts: 489 Member
    Well I gained the freshman 40 lbs, and now 15 years later Im fighting to get it off. So be VERY careful what you eat now. A good way to track it is using this site daily. Also besides using college fitness center. try an active sports class every semester. I took volleyball, racketball, ice skating, etc. Its a great way to meet friends and be active at same time. They are usually 1 credit each. Watch the late night eating and drinking. Have a great time, just be mindful. Where are you going to college? What is your major?
  • shannon877
    shannon877 Posts: 55 Member
    The food is always a challenge, whether you're in college or not.
    The tough transition is with your daily activity.
    In high school, you're moving from class to class, without a lot of down time in between.
    In college, you may not have classes that are at 8 AM each day, which leads to sleeping in.
    In between classes, it's easy to park in the student center and mindlessly munch while waiting for your next class to start.
    And after your classes are done for the day, resist the urge to afternoon nap... a common bond with college students who stay up late at night.
    Believe me, I did all of these wrong things! I went to college at 115, and graduated at 160. Size 4 to Size 14.
    We'd also eat after midnight, and justify it by saying that we will sleep through breakfast!

    I am eating a Paleo/Primal diet now, but it's not for anyone that falls off the wagon easily. I also have joined a CrossFit gym, and they emphasize sleep as much as diet and exercise. I realize now that lack of sleep or irregular sleep has a LOT to do with getting healthy. That will be the biggest struggle - regular sleep. It's very rare in college!
  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
    I actually lost weight in my first year at college. I think I dropped 5 pounds from were I am at now because I hit up the gym everyday. Anyway- go to the gym. There is NOTHING easier than that. If you want to not worry too much about what you're eating (and believe me, I'll only be looking at my food this coming year) then you should just go to the school's gym.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    Also: once you know what your schedule and cafeteria is like, plan out your days. I've already planned out a sample day for next semester. You can check it out if you go to my diary and look at September 12th. It's planned to be a little bit over because I want to make sure I exercise every day.
  • diiiimond
    diiiimond Posts: 23 Member
    I gained the freshman 15! and it happens so fast, you dont even realize.

    avoid snacking while studying. go to the library to get studying done. it helps!
    keep all junk out of your room. if you dont have it, you wont eat it.
    work the gym into your schedule. and take advantage of all of their programs.
    try to get as much sleep as possible!

    those are the major things that helped me through the end of sophomore year.
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