Fending off The Freshman Fifteen...

For those in college, or those quickly approaching it, beware!!! The Freshman Fifteen - the bane of college calorie counters everywhere - is ready to take a new group of victims on campuses nationwide this fall!

For those who have felt the pain of the 15lbs of cafeteria food, hanging out in the dorm, not having your highschool extracurriculars, and just being too darned lazy to get out and about, join me in losing that weight! :) As an upcoming junior in college, i'm still waging war against the last 10lbs - who's with me?!?

*EDIT*

August 4th, 2008

To anyone just seeing this topic, please know that you're still welcome to join us! There are voluntary weigh-ins each Wednesday if you're interested. Whether you're headed to college, in it, or leaving it we're happy to have you! :D

Today was super bad for me. I made father's day brunch, so of course I made the richest food possible. We're talking pecan scones, eggs benedict, champagne, mango salad, etc.

worth it though. oh well.

Hmmm... It's hard to say what'll happen. You were only eating at that low of a deficit for a little while, so your body isn't going to be too wonky. But see with building up muscle strength, your metabolism has definitely gone up. Combined with a low intake of cals, it would account for your really fast drop in weight. You'll probably see some of it come back once you're eating at a more appropriate level, but I doubt you'd gain more than a pound or so. You just don't want to lose any of that muscle you've worked so hard to pump up! Maybe try eating at maintenance for two days, and then go back to your normal 1200 min deficit. Too much of sub-1200 calories and you'll hurt your metabolism.

And holy cow stephy, that sounds delish!

This whole week was really really rough for me, I'm hoping by the weigh in on wednesday the water weigh and bloat will have subsided. I know next week (starting with thursday) is going to be rough because it's graduation and then I have a series of graduation parties. One I know for a fact I'll be drinking at.

Bleh I hate trying to lose weight in the summer. I'm drinking a TON of water lately but I'm not sure it's helping....and i have to pee every 10 seconds!

My Weekend

I had an unbelievably bad weekend. I went to my girlfriensd, had Subway, McDonalds, greasy pizza, a ridiculous amount of beer, margaritas. Then even yesterday I had a real fatty breakfast for fathers day and barbecued my dad some huge juicy burgers for dinner. I even skipped my legs/back workout last night and when I got on the scale today I was back at 191 lbs.

HOWEVER. I had a great weekend. First time I've been at my girlfriends in ages and fathers day was a great time, and I got unbelievably plastered on Saturday night. I also took my Day 7/90 progress picture which has significant improvements.

I'm not discouraged, I know it will come off eventually, and I'm still moving forward. I'm just living my life, and I encourage you all to do the same. It's good that we're aware and we're getting healthy while we're young  but you don't want to have nothing to remember about your life besides the amount of calories you ate.

LIVE.

Heather I've never had that problem, but what Jecca said sounds good to me, lol.  

Stephy, that sounds delicious, and worth it! :)  Father's day is a special occasion, after all.  

Laf, I bet if you keep drinking lots of water, the water weight will be gone by wednesday :).  And I know what you mean with the graduation parties...just make sure if you have a bunch in one day, you don't eat at every single one, lol!! :P  And you've probably seen them, but there are lots of topics on here about how to keep the calories to a minimum while drinking...one suggestion I see a lot is to drink a glass of water between every alcoholic drink.  That will help with the hangover too.  And vodka with some type of diet soda seems to be a common suggestion for a lower calorie drink.

Matt, that sounds like an awesome weekend, and I agree with you completely.  I think it's important not to feel guilty treating yourself when a special occasion comes up :).

So the hardest thing for me lately has been settling into a summer routine.  This morning I went out for a run (well, more like a walk/jog) with my dog :).  This was the first time I'd exercised in a while.  I did a two minute walk/one minute jog alternating for twenty minutes, and by the time I got back, I was tired!  

Gotta go now get the oil changed in my car...

Yeah, freshman year just about killed me. I'm a guy so I never was really concerned about weight. I had a short period in middle school were I was a bit err chubby but I grew out of it and reached a reasonable weight. But once I got to college i gained weight. I am 16 (15 at the time) so I grew about 3-4 inches to end up around the 6" 1' I am today but I also gained almost 40 pounds. And if you never had to watch your weight you might not even notice. I was killing myself on finals and next thing I knew I couldn't wear my favorite jeans.

I later figured that stress, change of diet, and lack of sleep all contibuted. In high school i had a small coffee every morning for breakfast but once i went to college I found myself having somewhat larger portions. So yeah I'll just add on my experience so that maybe others won't fall into the same trap... though I fell into it far more than others. ^^;

Thanks, Carrie. It got down to 128.0 even, but has since bounced back up around 128.5 and stayed there for a few days, which makes me less nervous. (father's day helped with the maintenance cals ;D) I'm starting to have to think about maintaining now. Only 3.5 more lbs to go!

I actually ended up having to go to the doctor yesterday =/ I've been getting pains in my upper abdomen after I eat (Sort of at the bottom of the rib cage, where it comes together just below your chest).  It'll be really sharp just after eating (about 5-7 mins after my first bite) and then it dulls down and is there for another 30min-an hour and a half. It just makes it incredibly unpleasant to eat :( (Don't worry, I still make myself get my cals). Even when I haven't eaten, it just feels like a constant pressure. They're doing bloodwork now, so I guess we'll see what happens. I notice that it also happens a little after I exercise. My mom recently had her gallbladder out, and she thinks my case sounds similar to hers, but if it is, lets hope its just gallstones... anyway, I won't worry until I have a reason to. I could be something silly and minor.

/sigh

Anyways, I'm sticking it out around 128.5 and still trying to exercise, though only 3x /week now, until I figure out what's wrong. The doc said it was ok to still go unless it got severely worse.

I also talked to him a little bit about the diet thing. He did give me a few interesting bits of information. First off, for women (over 18), a good rule of thumb for estimating the healthy weight range is 100lbs for the first 5ft and 5-10lbs for every inch thereafter. Since I'm about 5'4.5'', That'd make my range 122.5-145. Just thought that you guys might find that interesting. He also said that the best way to grocery shop is to not go in the aisles - just the outside part of the store, because those foods tend to be fresh and don't have as many preservatives.

Anyway, hope everyone else is doing well :) Matt's right - if we have a bad weekend, we don't have to hate ourselves or punish ourselves for it. There's no shame in letting loose once in a while, just as long as you can get back on the horse when the time comes! :) Hope you're having fun @ the grad parties, laf, and try not to worry about the father's day feasts, stephie! Its only once a year, right? ;)

Oh I definately must be apart of this!

Thanks to drinking, partying, late night feasts and not to mention my study support group (aka. lots of junk food), I gained 15 pounds in first year!!!! ahh.

anyways ive lost 11 pounds since I have been home, 4 more to go to get off that pesky university weight. But I still want to continue calorie counter to reach a healthy weight!

Anyways next year I will be living in a house with 5 other girls, so I will be able to cook my own food and eat whatever I want (main problem will be the alcohol) ..also I am living with 3 models next year (oh man) so I'm sure they will keep me on track (aka. they dont eat lol)

Hopefully I'm not too late to join this thread

Absolutely, lose :)

We're always happy to let more join - as long as they're following healthy weightloss! Congratulations on what you've burned off so far, and I know you can do it! :D You're a little bit similar to where I started from :) (I read your profile)

I was 19 when I started, a little over 150, and am 5'5''. You are doing GREAT, and keep on pushing! :) I promise, its all worth it in the end.

Lol, that's cool about next year - gives you a lot more control over your intake. As for the alcohol, use diet coke + vodka or rum. Relatively low cal, and still does the trick! ;) Don't let the modeling girls get to you, though, if they have bad eating habits, as you suggested. Being thin and being healthy aren't always the same thing. Sounds like a blast, though, and welcome to the group!

Weigh-ins are every Wednesday if you are interested in participating in those as well :)

Hey lose!!

Everyone ready for the weigh-in tomorrow?  I was sneaky and weighed myself this morning, and I was pretty happy with the results, so I just hope that it doesn't go up for tomorrow...

I ran yesterday and rode (horses) for the first time in six months, and today my legs are sooo sore...running tomorrow morning is going to be interesting, lol!

Now I have to go get in the shower and go meet up with my friends...I'm so lazy though, I've just been sitting on the computer for probably 45 minutes or so :P.

Edit: still haven't gotten in the shower, 45 minutes later...but my mom just came home from the store with skinny cow ice cream cones (150 cal), edy's fruit bars (no sugar added, 30 cal), fat free yogurt, and some nice green apples :).  Yay Mommy!

I'm nervous for tomorrow, I had a really good day today, LOTS of excersize so I feel generally good about that, I'm just always nervous for weigh ins. I don't think I'm going to meet my goal but hopefully I'll be 114.something still.

Don't be nervous laf :)!  It won't do any good...and no matter what, you should be proud of the fact that you had a good day today!  Our bodies are weird and sometimes it seems like weight fluctuates almost randomly, so if the scale isn't saying what I want but I know I've been good I just say oh well and try again in a couple days :).

Ok here's my Wednesday weigh-in

I'm at 115.8, which is a gain, but I think with more of what I've been doing by next week I can be back in the 114's. Good luck everyone else!

Well, its not as low as it has been, but I always get this way after working out and weight lifting two days in a row. I think my body just retains a lot of water to mend my muscles, but it'll be down again by tomorrow or Friday :) I doubt I'll log it on my chart, just because I try not to put a ton of those small fluctuations in...

WEIGH IN:

129.5lbs

Weight Goal for next week: 127.5lbs or better ;)

Work-Out Goal for next week: Assuming everything goes ok with the doctor, go at least 3x and do a 30-30-30 workout :) (Cardio, weight lifting, calisthenics)

Down 3.0lbs from 132.5lbs last Wednesday :)  (Hooray!)

*EDIT*

Work-Outs since last Wednesday: 3x and all were about 30-30-30

Hey everyone!

So I'm still 133 this week, which isn't too bad. I was hoping to see it go down, but I know I've been having deficits and my exercise is definitely sufficient. If I stay at 133 next week as well, I'll probably up my cals by about 100 and see if that helps... I had been losing with a deficit of about 400 cals a day, but now the deficit's a bit bigger (600ish) so I may need to compensate for the extra activity that I'm now handling!

I reached pretty much all of my exercise goals, except for the boxing. I was still tired and took a second rest day instead =)

I'm going away this weekend to stay with my boyfriend and his family, so I know the food intake is going to be vastly different. I'm probably going to be eating at maintenance all weekend, so *hopefully* the weather will be nice enough that we can get outside for lots of activity. He lives in the country though, like, I mean the sticks, and apparently they have a wood-tick problem... so I'm slightly frightened. Normally I'm all about the hiking and spending time in the woods, but he told me a story about ticks and now I'm squirmish about the idea of 'em. Oh well... we'll probably play basketball instead!

Now here's a question. For those of you who are lifting weights, which muscles are improving the fastest/slowest? I find my glutes and quads are becoming super strong, and I will probably be increasing my weight next week on the leg press. On the other hand, my biceps are soooo weak! They show the biggest improvement in definition, but the slowest actual improvement in terms of weight. I started off at 5 pounds, and after 2 months, I can do 8 reps of 15. But I mean, that 8th rep has KILLED me for the past 2 weeks. My routine works so that I do 8-12 reps of whatever weight, and once I can do 12, I increase my weight. But I haven't moved from 8 repetitions at all, even though every other exercise I do shows great imrovements and I'm close to upping weights in everything. Anyone else have a particularly weak muscle? I'm not a bodybuilder and really don't mind that they aren't strengthening super fast, but I do like to see improvement...

Weigh in:

154.4, down from 156.2 a week ago.

Goal for next week: 153 (When I get to 153 I will have lost 5 pounds, whee!)

It's so nice to be under 155...it makes me feel like what I'm doing is actually working! :)

Time to take my puppy on a run :).

Edit:  The best thing about all this calorie counting is I feel like I'm actually changing my eating habits.  I don't think I'll ever be able to eat anything again without thinking about if it's "worth it" (calories vs. nutritional value).  Today I saw my mom had these vanilla snack cake things in the cupboard, and I just thought they looked disgusting.  

Edit again:  Have fun this weekend Jecca :)!!  And stay away from ticks...

I forgot to mention a mini-victory!

My "skinny" jeans all fit now as my "default" jeans. They used to be worn only when I wanted to show off my bum, and only when I wouldn't be sitting down too often haha... now though, they're perfectly comfortable! Actually, one pair is now loose in the bum and thighs. How grand! Hehe AND I measured my waist, and it's now 28.5". That's down from 30". Hecks yes! The bad part is that I can't really afford new pants right now, but back to school shopping will be fun in September =)

Yay for fitting into skinny jeans!!  I'm hoping to fit into mine in a couple more weeks...I only have one pair of jeans that I like to wear right now, and I told myself I wasn't going to buy any more right now, I was just going to wait until I fit into the old ones.  Actually, if I'm down to 153 next week, I might try them on...

Jecca - I took a weight lifting class first semester of sophomore (last) year... I remember them telling us:

• If you are here to get big, bulky muscles - you will want to do the highest weight you can for 5-10 reps and increase your protein intake.
  
• If you are here to get long, lean swimmer-like muscles - you will want to use a weight that challenges you for the last 5 or so reps and that you can do 15-20 reps on.

For my arm exercises, I just moved from 8's to 10's last night and I could do 2 reps of 15 before I was pretty much done. Before, I would do 2 or 3 reps of 20 on the 8's. Of course, it all depends on what you're trying to get. I'm going for leaner and I notice that from weight lifting, my biceps and my triceps. Though my most improved probably comes from the calisthenics and running - my butt and tummy. :)

P.S.
If you do get a tick, you can put fingernail polish remover on a cotton swab and hold it over the animal where it has bitten you. It will suffocate within about 60 seconds and will either fall off or can be pulled off. I'm from the south, and my sisters and I used to play in the woods a lot as kids :) My poor mom, lol!

Jecca - That's great about the skinny jeans!!! Congrats :D

Lol, I feel you both on the "Can't buy a lot of new pants yet" thing. I'm still wearing some of my old (from waitressing in highschool..) black dress pants to work. They're all size 7-9 and I'm down to a 4, so they're practically falling off of me. I feel like my butt looks all saggy because there's so much extra fabric!

Oh well, paycheck comes soon :) And with it, some new threads