College aka the start of my downward spiral

i am a freshman at college this year. i came into here weighing a little above 180lbs. I am now up to 260! i dont know what happened but im very upset. About two summers ago i was this weight , but then lost it all (down to 180) now im up there gain. i just need some good inspiration and some healthy tips to get me back on track

I gained a significant portion of my weight in college too, and I've figured out now a lot of what I was doing wrong back then:

Late night eating: Although there's debate about whether or not eating late is actually bad for you, what I found is that when I was eating late, it was something really bad for me and I ate WAY too much of it.  Try and get something healthy to keep around to eat.  It'll suck to eat carrot sticks when your roommates are eating pizza, but it'll suck more to leave college at the same weight you are now (or heavier).

Drinking: This was a biggie for me (don't know if it is for you or not, but I figured I'd add it anyway).  If you know you're going to be drinking, be sure to try and set aside calories for it.  I eat lots of veggies and drink lots of water on days I'm going to be drinking so I'm full, but I don't go over my calories too bad.

Convenience foods: I was never a Ramen fan, but I loved Chef Boyardee anything.  All that stuff has tons of sodium and very little nutrition, so if you can, try and grab lettuce and other easy, healthy stuff from the cafeteria to eat later when they're closed.

Not working out: If you can, join an intramural sport.  I did IM basketball for two semesters, and just moving around a little helped me from gaining weight that year (I probably should've kept with it for the next two, lol).  Also, just being around people who are reasonably fit kept me in check.  Work out/walking buddies are awesome motivators too, if you can find them.

Anyway, I hope some of that helped.  Good luck! :-)

 

Ugh, that's EXACTLY what happened to me when I went off to college. All of us out-of-staters complained about the quality of food -- you ate it, and then an hour later you were starved, and it wasn't just me with this problem, it was everyone. There was also the availability of food -- one of the grills was open until 1am most nights. Can't tell you how many times I made a french toast and tater-tot run at midnight! And I even had a rather active job, and was doing far more walking around than I did at home, so I'm pretty sure that the reason I gained was the quality of food and my eating habits.

Wish I had known about this site before college -- I could've kept myself from my current predicament!

If you live on campus, making your own food can be SUCH a pain in the a** and often impractical (in our case, I HAD to pay for a yearly meal card -- if I didn't use it, I simply lost out on that money), but my best advice is to try and make your own food as much as humanly possible, maybe only grab cafeteria food once a day, and then really think about what you're eating. Also avoid eating late at night, like Allydan said above.

LOL, avoid chocolate Hostess doughnettes and midnight french toast! They were my ultimate downfall ;)

I am also a freshmen in college.

And I know exactly how you feel...

You should read my profile/ journals.

Basically, I came to college.. gained a WHOLE bunch of weight.. became anorexic..

developed a binge/ fast cycle.. and now I'm finally on my way to recovery.

Don't worry, you can do it. Just change your bad habits and replace them with good ones!

mimi... Being 118lbs at 5'8 is not overweight at all... so I'm not sure how you can even compare gaining 10-15lbs to get up to 118.

I went from slightly overweight to morbidly obese during college as well.  I started out slightly overweight at around 160 and by the time I graduated, I was 230.  Now I am in grad school and back down to 163 and still losing.

What I learned will help, but it will not be easy.

-You need to eat right, limit your fat intake, and keep your calories down to between 1200-1400 (look up the exact number based on your age, you may need more if you are still very young).  This is hard at the dining hall, so I highly suggest getting your own place or getting a mini-fridge in your dorm room.  You can get salad from the dining hall and use low calorie dressing that you buy at the grocery store or make yourself.

-EXERCISE EVERY DAY!  Do whatever you physically can.  When I was 230, I couldn't walk a mile without being winded.  Push yourself a little bit, but not so hard that you get frustrated and give up hope.  I am lazy as hell, so if I can, YOU CAN.  It feels great the first time you walk a few miles without getting tired.  At that point, you'll need to join a gym and start dialing up on your cardio.  Aim to get your heart rate up for at least 45 minutes every day!

-Don't drink alcohol.  If that's all your friends do, limit yourself to one drink, and chose the clear liquors with diet or club soda.  NO SUGARY DRINKS!

-USE THE TOOLS ON THIS SITE! Counting calories and holding myself accountable for how much I was actually eating is the ONLY thing that has ever helped me lose weight.  I have been overweight for my whole life, as long as I can remember.  I used to say, "but I don't eat that much" or "well, I don't look like I weight this much".  I DID.  I DID.  Take responsibility for your situation and know that you are empowered to do something about it.  You are the only person who can change your life.

-If you are a severely emotional eater, see a counselor.  Ask them to teach you ways to cope with your feelings that don't involve eating.  This also worked for me.  Now I rely on exercise instead of food to release my stress.

-Accept that these changes are not temporary.  This is a change you need to make for the rest of your life.  Greasy, fatty foods taste good, but they don't make you feel so good about yourself in the long run.  Commit to changing your life for good.

Good Luck to you!

mb-- the one good thing about university is the free gym access! Check and see if yours offers classes and such. My last year of university, they built this $5million gym with flat panel tvs on every piece of cardio equipment with dvd players and free classes that ranged from kick boxing to step aerobics to pilates and yoga. They offered classes throughout the day so they fit everyone's schedule.

If you have a meal plan, those always suck. After my first year, I never used it so I didn't get one my second year (only freshmen were required to get it). There were never many healthy options and I even heard they put sugar or something in the salad ingredients or something. The only thing I ever did was take a bunch of apples and bananas to stash in my room. I know it's illegal, but what about smuggling a George Foreman grill into your dorm? My roommate and I did this and always grilled chicken to eat with salads.

Eating fruit and salads was easiest for me and keep things to make low cal sandwiches with.

I gained weight in University for all the same reasons as everyone else.

My suggestions for trying to get it off and keep it off is:

- Green tea instead of coffee. I find it makes me feel fresher and healthier, which makes happy and less likely to have a bag of M&Ms or treats during long school days. It also boosts your metabolism. You can have it without cream and sugar so you cut out those calories and I don't have the same after caffeine-low as with coffee. Loaded with antioxidants too. I make it in a travel mug each more before class that way I have something with me so I'm not tempted by a high calories vanilla latte or something like that. You can get lots of flavors of green tea if you don't like the traditional kind. Mint green tea is my favorite it makes me feel fresh each morning. You also don't have to feel so bad if you have 4 cups a day

- Mini carots when studying. If you like me and need to snack on something during exam studying then replace whatever you're eating with baby carrots. At least you're not eating chips or cookies.

- Always carry an apple in your bag. Every morning I make sure to have at least two pieces of fruit in my bag. That way if I get stuck on campus I don't end up buying something like a muffin or donut. It's a lot harder to be strong and eat well when your starving. I also quite often forget to take my wallet, on purpose.

- Vodka and soda water. A lot less calories than an most mixed drink. In University you're probabaly not going to stop drinking entirely so this is a great way to minize the calories you take in when you go out. I add some lime juice to it as well. Delicious! Also, when I'm at a party I try and switch between one drink and then one glass of water. People still think you're drinking but you feel a lot better in the morning :)

- Go for walks. My best friend and I use to always get together for coffee or dinner. Now we go for walks. It's a great way to catch up and chat plus you get a bit of exercise and avoid eating. We got for walks almost every other evening.

Paired with all that I have a gym membership and I buy a pass to take exercise classes. If you can afford it spending money on a membership is a great way to movtivate yourself to go, plus, you have others around you to keep you motivated. Sometiems I get to the gym but don't work out as hard as I should or leave to early. With a class I'm almost forced to keep it up.