Dieting in College

Bananas are pretty much a perfect food and make a great inexpensive snack- they also boost energy. Apples are good too. Get a can or bottle of almonds and divide them up into little plastic bags so you can grab one in a hurry for a snack. Your favorite cereal can be a good snack too if you like it without milk. I'm a big fan of Vegetable Thins crackers & cheese as well.

Make sure you're packing a lot of nutrition into every calorie...especially if you can't afford a lot of food. It wouldn't hurt to grab a multivitamin as well. Centrum Forte is a good, complete and inexpensive multi.

Eggs are good for breakfast, or snacks as hard boiled, or sandwiches. I personally feel like cereal has gotten really expensive lately... FIber Plus granola bars are yummy and have lots of fiber. Just try and find the healthiest version of what you can afford and don't eat past a certain time (like 10pm) cuz most college weight gain is from eating late and eating fast foods. Also, if you drink coffee watch your creamer measurments, or calories at Starbucks, those can add up!

i'm a sophomore in college. i started this summer at 165 after a year of college, lost 10 lbs and have been trying to lose a little/maintain my weight loss throughout the year. here are some of the changes i've made:

--i've been eating a TON of cereal lately...i bought some cheap cereal from target and a measuring cup so every morning i scoop out one serving (1 cup for this particular brand), put it in a baggie, and take it to class. that way i am actually more alert and awake for my 8:30am class and the gym afterwards. i also get like clifbars and lunabars for days i don't feel like having cereal, but those are more expensive

--for lunch most days i try to get a salad with protein (usually chicken or shrimp) and some kind of carb (usually spanakopita from the mediterranean place in my food court). if i don't do that, i try not to get something too crazy. also, most of the food locations at my school list the nutriiton informaiton, which has been amazing.

--i always get coffee with skim milk. also tea is another option; no calories but it has caffiene!

--i really like dried fruit that i can keep in my room or carry with me, like dried cranberries and stuff. all fruit in general is good

--i also recently discovered granola, and i like to eat that with peanutbutter (not the healthiest thing calorie-wise but SO GOOD!)

--i've found that the weekends are what screws me up the most, when i go out and drink with my friends. i go to a party school so that's been a struggle, but i've been trying to keep going out to the weekends only, and filling my time with other things to keep me from going out during the week. but i still go out; even though this is a lifestyle change it wouldn't be one i could stick with if i couldn't continue to go out and have fun.

--definitely hit the gym. you'll be amazed at how much more energy you have after just 30-45 minutes of exercise...and it's also a great stress reliever. if running to nowhere on the treadmill isn't your thing, your school probably offers some free or inexpensive classes you could take, that are a lot of fun. i've recently gotten into spinning (biking to nowhere) through the gym at my school and i'm pretty much obsessed.

these are just a bunch of thoughts i had - hope they help and enjoy your freshman year!

I was stuck in the same boat in college... No time, limited money, and about 20 pounds of weight gained from nasty cafeteria food. No worries, though, you can fix it...

DO
- Use the gym
- Make coffee and tea in the dorm.
- Invest in a good water bottle and Brita pitcher.
- BUY IN BULK. If you have a farmer's market nearby, hit it up. If you have a Sam's or Costco nearby, go in with a couple people for a joint membership. Split the bill. I recommend - almonds, cheese, meat, and fruit. Awesomely cheap and healthy.
- Walk everywhere (this is pretty hard to avoid at most campuses I guess)
- Avoid the temptation of nightly take out food. It's bad for you and breaks the wallet.
- Consider a George Foreman grill or crock pot. I know a lot of dorm policies shun these, but seriously...just hide them when the RA comes around. I did.
- Keep salad ingredients in the fridge. Keep some bagged, washed lettuce on hand along with bite size veggies and precooked meat (chicken, tuna, etc). It's fast and generally, roommates don't steal the healthy food
- Drink in moderation. I know it's college, but usually what I did is made the rule of choosing one week night to drink - Friday, in most cases. Saved me a lot of $$$ and I got props for being the DD for my friends.

DON'T
- Eat ramen noodles, canned soups, or frozen meals. Under any circumstances. Noooo.
- Skip breakfast. Eat a filling breakfast each day with a good protein source. I don't recommend a high carb breakfast (ie. cereal) as it will leave you hungry an hour later and bound to hit up the snack cart. That and cereal (outside of bulk oatmeal) is a huge ripoff. Hardboiled eggs are good to keep around.
- Buy a bunch of mini snacks and treats to have in the room. I know a lot of people enjoy 100 cal snacks and what not, but they're crap in a foil wrapper that breaks the wallet and most of the time, other people (aka roommates) end up eating the whole darn box. A better suggestion is to buy a can of almonds (someone said this already) and put them in small containers or baggies. Jerky is good, too.
- Drink juice, soda, or sugary stuff. Reach for the water. It's free.
- Give in to roommates / friends bad behavior. If they want you to chip in on the pizza, just tell them no.