College-kid tries to diet...

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CarleaB
CarleaB Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Help! I'm a student at a university and I live on campus. We have a cafeteria with a food plan that we HAVE to have. Problem is, most everything is deep fried or drowned in gravy. I have recently banned myself to the ever-disappointing salad bar just to keep my new diet in check. Do you have any tips to make this more bearable? How do you handle cafeteria/buffet style dining?

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  • supercara7
    supercara7 Posts: 6 Member
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    I am in a similar situation at school; in the last year I gained 20 pounds just eating cafeteria food. I've had a lot of success so for this semester by packing healthy snacks along with me everywhere. I always have an apple or celery sticks or string cheese between classes. That way when I get to the cafeteria I'm not that hungry and I have a much easier time sticking to very small portions of delicios fatty foods! I'm no good at cutting things out, but if I can cut down on the things that are padding me up, I can feel fulfilled and still reach my goals.
  • sagetracey
    sagetracey Posts: 607 Member
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    That must be so frustrating! Do you have any options for appealing for healthier food options in the cafeteria? This is something that you really need to fight for. Maybe you can get other students on side with a petition or something else.
  • playdohpoet17
    playdohpoet17 Posts: 8
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    I'm a fan of a glass of water before a meal to help you eat smaller portions. Honestly it's all portion control and dig for the best options you can find. College food is such a joke, you'd think with the outrageous tuition prices they'd throw us some more veggies or something.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I'm a fan of a glass of water before a meal to help you eat smaller portions. Honestly it's all portion control and dig for the best options you can find. College food is such a joke, you'd think with the outrageous tuition prices they'd throw us some more veggies or something.

    I actually think my school has a decent selection of options. Is it as good as it could be? No... but there are plenty of healthy (and not healthy) options for you to choose from. I don't eat there often because I only have night classes, but I know many people who do. There have even been times where I had a hard time deciding!

    Honestly, you just have to do the best you can. Make sure you have healthy snacks with you for between classes and then watch your portion sizes when you do head up to the cafeteria.

    I do think it is lame you are forced to have the meal plan though =(
  • playdohpoet17
    playdohpoet17 Posts: 8
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    I'm a fan of a glass of water before a meal to help you eat smaller portions. Honestly it's all portion control and dig for the best options you can find. College food is such a joke, you'd think with the outrageous tuition prices they'd throw us some more veggies or something.

    I actually think my school has a decent selection of options. Is it as good as it could be? No... but there are plenty of healthy (and not healthy) options for you to choose from. I don't eat there often because I only have night classes, but I know many people who do. There have even been times where I had a hard time deciding!

    Honestly, you just have to do the best you can. Make sure you have healthy snacks with you for between classes and then watch your portion sizes when you do head up to the cafeteria.

    I do think it is lame you are forced to have the meal plan though =(

    I have to say I'm a bit jealous. Our "food court" is loaded with terrible stuff. There is some healthy stuff in there, but it's usually paired up with some things that rack up the calories and fat fast. There's a ton of temptation, and some of my friends who go to other schools face similar situations. I wish more schools would take a note from yours, Athijade.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
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    Add chia seed to your diet and other healthy foods that you can bring with you to add to what you eat. The salad bar will just keep you hungry in the long run. Chia seed is high in fiber, iron, protein, calcium, Omega 3 so just 2 Tbs a day can help.

    You can also write your cafeteria complaining that they don't offer healthy food. Sometimes they listen but mostly its a budget thing.
  • gregersons
    gregersons Posts: 30 Member
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    I know nuts are high in calories and (good) fats, but if you eat a handful about an hour before a meal AND drink a glass of water right before the meal you won't want to eat as much. This will help you limit your portions. Good luck with your choices. I know that college was a rough patch for me (+30 lbs while there) and I hope that you don't have to go through that.
  • rebelo3
    rebelo3 Posts: 51 Member
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    At my school we are able to use our meal plan at the on campus convenience store where they sell a number of healthy items such as whole wheat bread, turkey, bagged lettuce, apples, and bananas. However those are pretty much the ONLY healthy items.. is there another place on your campus that you can use your plan? You might be able to find some healthy foods if you just look in the right places!
  • Calorie_Killa
    Calorie_Killa Posts: 91
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    I think it is so so unfair that they don't offer healthy food options in college dining halls. With all of the campaigns to fight childhood obesity you'd think they'd carry that over to early adulthood. If you can't get around eating it perhaps try asking for servings without gravy or ask for more veggies than the deep fried meat or eat smaller portions. Maybe you and a health-conscience friend can split a meal. Also stock up on healthy snacks and carry them around with you so you won't resort to stopping by the dining hall when you get hungry for something small. Good luck and don't let that be a discouragement to you reaching your goal.
  • chelseelovesyou
    chelseelovesyou Posts: 109 Member
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    Two words: portion control. one plate, mostly veggies & lean protein (scrape off some of the gravy, take off the breading). I know i'ts hard & the food is going to get boring. Also, if you have a fridge you can get healthy snacks & fruit (I take fruit from the dining hall). I probably have it better than most college students since my school has been on a healthy kick (organic & stuff).

    Also, you are going to have to exercise (do they have a free gym, my school has 5 but we are in California, the Vainest Place In America). Find something you love to do, grab your best friend and drag them to the gym. Make the work out non-negotiable even if it is for an half hour a day. I've lost all the weight I have living on campus, the endless buffet of cookies and carrot cake didn't stop me.

    And don't beat yourself up when that cookie looks so damn tempting and that final looks so daunting :D
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    Write/petition your college to provide GOOD healthy food, not just sad salads. You deserve better. It's a school, they should be educating you all about your bodies and health, and quite frankly a good diet will only help you in your studies. I know that isn't an immediate answer, but there were some good suggestions from other posters for that :)
  • runnergrace
    runnergrace Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm also on a mandatory meal plan, and it does suck! However, I've lost over 20 pounds while being on it... there are a few keys!
    1. broth-based soups to start off your meal- fill you up for like 50 cals a cup
    2. find your best protein sources and stick to them- this means i eat A LOT of cottage cheese, but it's easy to plan for
    3. go to meal hall with what you plan to eat in mind, and try you best to stick to it
    4. a la carte vs. "meal of the day"- in our meal hall, the healthier options like the salad bar, beans, cottage cheese, soups, etc, are there every day so you can plan healthy meals, while the meals that change every day (fried foods, processed foods) are usually less healthy overall
    5. DON'T banish yourself to the salad bar! You likely won't get enough protein, fat or carbs to be sated so you'll end up bingeing on less healthy food.

    these, along with snacks in my room (greek yogurt, protein shakes, almonds, string cheese, and DARK CHOCOLATE) are what have kept me slim at school! good luck!
  • chaitrex
    chaitrex Posts: 94 Member
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    My school cafeteria was so damn expensive...and amazing. It tried to to be local and organic, lots of vegetarian and vegan options, and they even did compost.
    Sounds like your school isn't run by hippies, but I'm sure they have a few standard meat-free, dairy free options. There seems to always be Chinese food in cafeterias, so opt for veggie stiry fry. Another thing that happens is you have all of this disgusting, fried food or stuff in a rich, salty sauce, and then a sad tray or unseasoned, steamed vegetables.
    Load your plate with the veggies and then take a small portion (like maybe 1/4 or even less of a serving) of the less healthy food. That's the seasoning for the veggies now. It's much easier to eat a sad and flavorless carrot if it has a fraction of a french fry escorting it.

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