Dieting in college??

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fearmyclarinet
fearmyclarinet Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there anything that isn't processed in a college setting? I've been stealing apples and bananas from our cafeteria, but I can't survive very long on just fruit alone. I was wondering if there is anything safe in particular to eat in a college setting. I've been using the salad bar, but it tends to get boring after a while. HELP!!

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  • dreamer4
    dreamer4 Posts: 27
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    Salads are great but you have to have a variety of types of salads to keep it interesting. Taco salad. Hamburger salad. Watch the carbs. Make sure you are getting your 8 glasses of water. (I always loose more when I get all eight.) Check out the grocery and dollar store for low calorie snacks with high fiber. I like the fiber one bars (crunchy and chocolate= tastes like a candy bar). They are around 150-250 calories, but because of the fiber they keep you full longer. I also like some of the Special K bars which are 100 calories or under. You can keep nuts and dried fruit in your room which wont expire and are high protein/fiber. They will keep you full longer. All in all, the biggest thing is to manage your stress and don't eat when you study. ;-) Drink coffee (black) or water instead. Good luck!
  • Poemetra
    Poemetra Posts: 47 Member
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    I feel you! I take fruit from the cafeterias too! I am staying on this topic because it is hard for me. My school has salads but everything else is a burger, fries, fried chicken, fries, chips, sandwiches, pasta, etc.

    I would like help to find healthier food on campus too. Lately I bought some food to cook but since I live on campus and have a food card it seems like a waste of money to buy food when I have a certain amount of meals for the week I should use and have payed for.
  • fearmyclarinet
    fearmyclarinet Posts: 12
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    Thank you so much!!!!! I'm gonna go check out those special k bars soon!!! THANKS! :)
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
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    I know it is wicked hard - especially when everyone around you is putting fries on top of wings on top of pizza. What I would best recommend is eating lean meats (cooked without heavy sauces too) and avoiding dishes with LOADS of bad carbs. Don't necessarily exclude them, but there are always better options then a bowl of pasta. Also, check online for unique salad ideas. You may be able to take things offered from outside the salad bar and incorporate it in creatively.

    The biggest challenge for me was not going back and getting seconds, or seeing something my friend got and going to get it too.

    Best of luck!
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
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    i stick by the soup and salad bar. they usually have roast veggies, boiled eggs, cold cut meats, ect to add to your salad, so its easy to switch it up.
  • warmachinejt
    warmachinejt Posts: 2,167 Member
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    brown rice
  • EzraCCM
    EzraCCM Posts: 47
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    It's so tough not to gain that "freshman 15" what with all the (fattening!) options.
    Maybe have a salad as the main portion of your meal, and an entree as a side? So, fill up on fresh leafy greens and then pick a smaller portion of a pasta/chicken/meat dish to go with it?

    I was lucky at college, at breakfast they always had made-to-order eggs, so you could get some egg whites every breakfast (great protein, low calories as long as they don't slather them in oil!) and every meal there was a sandwich bar, so you could get a healthy wrap if the other lunch/dinner options didn't look great.

    Good luck!
  • daeljo
    daeljo Posts: 38
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    I gained 20 pounds my freshmen year off of the caf! But now I try to just stick to the vegetables that they serve, or sometimes the chicken.. I don't know how your school is set up, but we also have a sandwich bar so I usually go make a sandwich with wheat bread and no cheese!
    I know how hard it is to eat healthy in the caf though, especially since the salad bar is boring and all the other food looks so good.
  • xcrushx28
    xcrushx28 Posts: 182 Member
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    Life gets busy. The best way to stay focused and on the task at hand is pre-preparing a lot of your food. 1) You can pre-weigh everything and know exact macronutritional contents. 2) Never have to worry about trying to find something.

    You could bring an electronic scale to your cafeteria, but there would still be guess work involved.

    It may sound silly, but the more precise you are now the easier this will be.

    Yes I've even brought a scale to a restaurant before.
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    I lived off the salad bar. We also had a sandwich bar. We also had things like yogurt and Baba ghanoush/hummus that we'd buy in the caf and keep in our fridge. Hit the gym and burn the calories from the caf food, processed food won't kill you.

    Random fact, my college was catered by the same company that catered for the VA state prison system, yeah our food was awesome *note the sarcasm* We also found out that all of the veggies were washed withed a watered down laxative to prevent food poisoning.
  • Bikini27
    Bikini27 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Fresh whenever possible, high fiber options, and portion control wih everything else. Craving that slice of pizza? *ONE* and lots of fruit and veggies on the side.

    Good luck!

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