Help eating in cafeteria to maintain weight loss

I am a 5'10" female and I weigh 148 pounds.  Over the past 8 months I have lost around 30 pounds through healthy eating and exercise. That was when I was in high school and lived at home. I could eat small portions when I got hungry and I was able to go grocery shopping with my parents and choose all the healthy food I was going to eat.

Now I am a freshman in college. I have to eat lunch and dinner at the cafeteria. (Breakfasts I eat in the dorm- usually steel cut oatmeal/eggs/quinoa/cheerios/kashi go lean/ or low fat vanilla yogurt). However, when it comes around to lunch and dinner, I have to eat in the cafeteria.

Let me expalin how the caferteria is- There is a "grill" section with hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, nacho, crispy chicken sandwhiches, grilled cheese- I never get anything from here. Then there is the "main dish" which varies from day to day. Some days they have flounder  or grilled chicken or turkey or roast beef. On days they have this i get this but that is not often. The main dish can also be lasagna, spagetti and meatballs, sloppy joes- when they have this i never eat this. Then there is a pizza and pasta section. I never get anything from there. The mexican section has plain shredded grilled chicken (to put in tacos). I usually eat the chicken plain. Then there is asain which is usually egg rolls, or spagetti or some sort- not very healthy so I avoid this. We also have a HUGE salad bar with everything imaginable- lettuce, tons of veggie toppings, beans, cottage cheese. It has a very good selection. There is also a sandwhich bar and soup section.

Now that you know how the caferteria is set up let me explain my problem. I walk into the cafeteria and look around at everything there is. I grab an apple for an afternoon snack.

 I am trying to eat healthy to maintain my weight loss. I usually get turkey on whole wheat bread with mustard AND A HUGE SALAD WITH lettuce, green peppers, cucumber, broccoli and cherry tomatos. I use a little light italian salad dressing. Some times I get the shredded chicken from the mexican and put this on my salad.

I have been at college a month and I feel like all I am eating is salad for lunch and dinner every day. Some times the main dish has turkey or fish but that is rare, like once a week. They mostly have carby unhealthy things.

Help! I need ideas of what I can eat. I am afraid to eat most things at the cafeteria partly because I have no idea how many calories it has and I go not want to gain weight. I cant survive off of apples/salads/shredded chicken the whole year. Any suggestions??

P.S. there is a local grocery story near by.... is there anything that I could by that is unrefridgerable  but helathy that I can eat as snacks whenever i get hungry??

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but you have to learn how to eat like a normal person. There's no reason to spend money on food when you have a meal plan.

A single burger, single slice of pizza, single grilled chicken sandwich, 1 bowl of pasta...none of it will cause you to gain weight.

You likely maintain on at least 1800 cals because you are young...a single burger is about 300-400 cals without mayo and cheese...a piece of pizza is even less than that. Pair these things with a salad, fruit, cottage se or yogurt if available.

You can gét beansd eggs from the salad bar, top with a bit of cheese and pop Ít in the microwave.

Get a pasta dish and add more shredded chicken to it or slice up the meat from the sandwich bar to add to it

Add beans to your pasta dishes

If there is a cereal bar and yogurt you can always make a parfait

I think dining halls are fabulous and much easier to make healthy than people think.

Try to get creative and eat what you want but don't have seconds. If you're hungry after 1 pizza then have a huge salad but 1 pizza a day won't hurt you. Other peope manage to maintain their weight right?

The freshman 15 is more about alcohol and less about food in my opinion.

Eat fruit and nuts for snacks or yogurt and whole grain cereal and you're good to go :)

Hope this helps :)

I put on the Freshman 15 when I was in college, and I think it was all the fast food, eating out with my boyfriend, pizza and unhealthy snacking while studying that did it for me (I wasn't a big drinker).  I don't remember the food in the dining hall actually being that bad.  I agree with the above poster, you shouldn't avoid a food just because you don't know how many calories are in it.  Any food can be eaten without making you fat, as long as you keep portion sizes reasonable.

Everyone who had a "meals" meal plan gained the 15 my freshman year, so I see why you're anxious.   I had "dollars" and lost about 35.  Your description sounds like we might go to similar colleges.... except that the new caf at mine is the only one (as far as I know) that has asian, and it's stir fry, which is sooo healthy.

That being said, you seem to be in control of yourself in the caf setting (I am not, hence I had to switch) so stop worrying.  Have some lasagne.  It's all about portions.   Normally I wouldn't try to sway someone's opinion on what's good and bad in a diet, but think about it.  You're saying you don't want to eat that stuff because it is carby and bad, but what you are eating is repetitive and lacking in nutrients that you probably need.  So in the long-term, it would be better for you if you at least had a little of those other things.

Are there any other cafeterias?  Try other ones, on the off chance that you go to my school, I'm just going to put out there that ASU's Honors Caf has stir fry :)

Check if your cafeteria will offer you nutritional information. A lot of school caf's are run by Chartwells, and I know at my school they had no problem offering me a nutritional info leaflet.

I know it's kind of irritating to have a ton of fried food choices in front of you, but like the other posters said, sometimes having a burger or fries won't hurt you. Pizza can be a lot healthier than people think- go for the vegetarian option and pair it with a small chicken salad.

Does your sandwich bar offer wraps or pitas for you to change things up a bit? There are usually a lot more possibilities with sandwiches than people think. My caf put up a big sign with "sandwich ideas" and had things like a greek salad pita (grilled chicken, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, olives and a little feta cheese), mexicano (choice of meat with lettuce, jalapenos, and a bit of low-calorie ranch). If you're feeling less adventurous, you can change things up by using hot sauce or salsa instead of mustard, a tiny bit of tzatziki (sp?), or a pickle or something.

Tacos aren't a completely unhealthy option either- make sure you add lots of veggies from the salad section and skimp on the cheese. You can also make taco salads with lettuce, veggies, chicken, salsa, a bit of sour cream and a bit of cheese. Like having a taco without the big greasy shell.

Just a few thoughts. I ate every meal in the caf last year and I know what a pain it can be. Hope this helps, good luck :)

My sister used to go to the pasta section, but she wouldn't get pasta.  She'd get the toppings.  A big plate of brocoli (that they'd have out for the alfredo), topped with marinara sauce, spices, you could add muchrooms, etc.

Just an option..

What did you eat when you lived at home? If you can provide this information, it might help us brainstorm ideas of how to substitute that at your cafeteria.

I think your main concern is you don't know how many calories the food in the cafeteria has. Part of the solution is you have to spend the time to try to figure it out. Buy a food scale maybe? Sounds like the cafeteria has a lot of basics, you can weigh out your food for reference in the beginning. Also, in their method of preparation, if you befriend some of the staff, they might cook things a little different for you. For example, cook the eggs with pam instead of oil, grill the chicken, don't pan fry it with butter/oil, don't add mayo to the hamburger, spaghetti pasta and sauce in different bowls (weigh out the pasta, review what's in the sauce to estimate calories), ask what brand cheese they use and how many slices of cheese in the grilled cheese and not to butter the bread, weigh the flounder, weigh the chicken, weigh the roast beef, ask what they use to make it (so you also add those estimates in your calorie estimation) etc.

Unfortunately, your food environment is a little out of your comfort area. You need to start educating yourself of what's available and how many calories are in each of those items.

Best of luck to you.

Thank you everyone for your responses. To answer some of your questions...

Yes my main concern is that I do not know the caloric info of the food. I have been counting cals the past 8 months and now I am struggling not knowing if i am overeating or undereating..... (calorie wise that is). I walk all over campus to and from classes and to the dorm and cafeteria. On top of that I go to the gym and burn around 400 cals almost every day. I don't even know how many calories I should be eating.  I don't want to seem paranoid about this but I worked so hard to lose this weight and would not like to gain it back.

I have been trying to "guestimate" how many calories I am eating everyday. It is usaully around 1500.

Most of the food is already prepared and i dont think you can ask them to prepare it specially for you. For instance, they have scrambled eggs in a big pan already cooked, chicken sandwhiches from the grill are all fried. Grilled cheese is already cooked and sitting under heat lamps to keep it warm

there is a cereal bar - it has frosted flakes, lucky charms, corn pops, fruit loops and rice crispies- these cereals have lots of added sugars to them and are not whole grain so I think it is best to stay away from there right???(I usually eat cereal in the morning for breakfast in my dorm. I eat healthy cereals like fiber one/ kashi go lean/ uncle sam/ shredded wheat/ whole wheat total). 

 There is also yogurt out at the salad bar. It is in a big container and there is a laddle to scoop it out. Again I have the problem of not knowing if there is a lot of sugar in it or if it contains a lot of calories.

Someone also mention meal dollars. There are fast food places I can buy stuff from like a subway type place that makes subs and pizza hut and smoothie place. I could always get a sub for lunch. But I do not have enough meal dollars to do this every day, maybe once/twice a week.

I take a multivitamin/omega369 oils every day so I doubt i am laking in nutrients.

There is no nutritional info. Sodexo runs our cafeteria.

Yes the sandwhich bar had tortilla wraps, white bread, wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, mayo, sliced turky, sliced ham, provolone cheese, american cheese, swiss cheese, and you can make a snadwhich from those things.

When I lived at home I would eat various things. I went grocery shopping and we usually bought the healthier versions of foods.I ate: dannon light and fit yogurt. Egg beaters. Lean chicken. Lean turkey. Lean ground beef. Whole wheat pasta. Jenn-o turkey burgers. Whole wheat bread. Salsa. Spicy mustard. rice cakes. almond milk. 1% milk. 1% cottage cheese. albacore tuna. Apples. grapefruit. alvacado. peaches. celery and all natural peanut butter.

See i guess my problem is that while living at home I knew what exactly I was eating and the calories of my food. Some days I would feel full but have signifantly undereaten, calories wise. Other days I would be hungry but use my remaining alloted calories for the day wisely. Now I can't count cals to maintain (I can only count cals of what I am eating in the morning in my dorm)

I've never lived in a dorm, so this may be out of line, but I see ads on TV and on the internet for those very small, inexpensive dorm-size refrigerators and microwaves.  If you could swing one of those, maybe you would only have to eat one meal a day in the cafeteria.  Just a thought.  Again, I'm not experienced in dorm living, and this may not be feasible for you. 

It's been a long time since I was in college, but I work in an isolated camp for 2 weeks at a time where all food is provided (been doing it for more than 4 years). The caf set-up is similar (but sounds like you have more choices!). Luckily there's a fridge in my office area where I keep natural peanut butter (no salt or sugar added--just peanuts), some whole-grain bread and some low-fat cheese and sometimes some veggie slices for lunches/snacks. I also bring in mulitgrain crispbread (Ryvita), muslei, almonds, walnuts, oats, whey protein powder, cocoa powder and ground flax seed (the kind that doesn't need refrigeration).

I have salad every lunch and dinner--but not as the main part...tried that, it gets old REALLY fast! For lunches I usually have a sandwich with my "imported" low-fat cheese and some veggies, or with leftovers I've saved from dinner if it was good (salmon, chicken, turkey--if you have access to a fridge). Veggie burgers and veggie chili are also nutritious options for lunch/dinner if they're available.

Some days at the caf EVERYTHING is deep-fried (except the salad bar). On those days I'll have salad, cottage cheese (if they have it out--not everyday), and/or make myself a whey powder-cocoa powder-skim milk shake for some protein. I also often take the raw cut broccoli and/or cauliflower and/or carrots, pour a little boiling water on them in a bowl and microwave for 60 sec for some steamed veggies...get sick of the raw stuff pretty quickly! Sometimes I'll sprinkle on parmesean cheese.

On days they have marinara sauce with the pasta, I get a bowl of just the sauce and mix in some cottage cheese for protein--kind of like lasagne--and then get just a bit of rice or pasta and have a ton of veggies (salad or microwaved).  Many cuts of beef are good too--especially the cuts they stir-fry, roast beef (you can usually trim off the fat), a little ground beef in pasta sauce or taco mix, etc.

For snacks I have apples (or other fruit, if available), muslei with skim milk, toast and peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, whey-cocoa-skim milk shake, etc.  For a before-bed-time snack I microwave some oatmeal and have a glass of skim milk and maybe some almonds/walnuts.

I hope this gives you a few ideas--you can definitely eat healthfully in a caf--but also, allow yourself to splurge too or you'll go crazy and start to dread mealtime (and who would want to do that??)! 

(a cheap bar fridge for your dorm room might be a good investment!)

Liannasmith.... Thnak you so much...  i like the idea of mixing marinara sauce and cottage cheese. Also will try the snacks you suggested.

 

Thanks again!!

PS- you can get pretty close with counting calories--just work on eye-balling portion sizes, cuts of meat, etc. and spend a bit of time looking in the CC database to find the closest match--might be +/- 100 or 200 cals per day, but it's better than winging it!

my college is just as bad

 

i really don't understand why they serve such greasy food

i guess it's what the kids like, but they need more options!!