Help me to start

I am a university freshman. I've been gaining weights since college, from 152lbs to 180lbs. Before college, I was on diet and manage to lost few pounds..that was during 2 months holidays. Now, due to my busy student life, I couldn't use the same diet anymore.

I couldn't stop thinking about food. And always craving for more. I know the best way to lose weight & stay healthy is eat in small portion and exercise more. But I just can't stop eating & unable to control my appetite.

My classes start at 8am everyday. Sometimes I skip my breakfast because I need to rush for the bus. For lunch, I usually consume white rice, fried meats and fried potatoes. I didn't think much about good and bad foods because I only have an hour break before the next classes. For dinner, I eat the same kind of meal. And everytime before and after meals, I still wanting to eat more. I ended up eating more than I should.

I am very depressed everytime after I have my meals. I want to lose weight but I don't know how to start. I need some advice.

Thanks,

Sawajiri.

I have graduated, but my sitch sounds a lot like yours - done this previously, know exactly what to eat and how, how to exercise, etc. can't stop eating...

Wanna hold each other accountable? I am moving soon and planning to overhaul my eating habits once and for all! We can do this! (fyi, a huge help for me while in school was actually scheduling the gym into my day. i.e., the two hrs between these two classes are for the gym and shower, then 10 min to walk to class, etc. Try it, it helps!) Another thing, walk to classes, pack an apple and cheese stick to munch in class for breakfast, raid the salad bar at lunch, etc.

There has to be something there to eat besides white rice and fried food.  Start making smarter food choices.  I don't know about your college, but mine and those my friends went to had good salad bars, hot vegetables, vegetarian choices, yogurt, etc.  It's not the easiest thing eating healthy in the dining hall, but surely you could make smarter choices than you are.

Don't skip breakfast.  That will just encourage you to overeat later in the day.  Pick up a package of something like Fiber One bars for those mornings when you are running to the bus.

Try to eliminate all of these fatty things from your diet. You're school should be providing you with a small choice of good foods. Staying away from the fats is only difficult the first 2 or 3 times. soon you won't be craving it as badly anymore.

I've heard that getting addicted to foods is just as easy as getting addicted to bad attitudes. It's really difficult to change your thought process but that's what you're doing here. even if you don't feel hungry for it, your body will thank you. Just like if your body said " i need a cigarette" and you were trying to stop. you wouldn't tell it, "ok!" you would  just say no and go about your day. I think you can muster up that will power that you have deep inside you and apply it to your food choices as well. Good luck!

when my body tells me it wants a cigarette, I say ok :(

omg me too. today I'm doing very very well today tho :D

Hey Sawajiri,

When I started university I was big for my age (6ft 2 - 215 lbs) but I found easy ways to loose weight. I am now 170lbs and maintaining very easily. The key is you have to understand food, learn about it like its a subject at university! When you understand what you are putting into body does it all becomes alot easier, when someone says 'diet' I get annoyed because you shouldn't be going on a diet, you should be learning about your whole outlook on food. Once you know the basics then you build on your knowledge and eventually junk food and other bad foods will repulse you. For me the basics are: Eat plentyoof fibre (Wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, Anything wholemeal if given the option) with all this fibre you will need to drink plenty of water because water binds with the fibre causing you to feel fuller for longer. In turn this reduces cravings and keeps your blood sugar level are a constant medium. (High/low sugar levels contribute to weight gain)

Drink plenty of water (2-3 litres a day) I fill a plastic litre bottle with water and everyday refill plenty of times during the day. Add juice if you don't like water on its own. Drinking lots of water causes weight loss and keeps concentration at an optium. (Weightloss because fat breakdown is more efficient when well hydrated.)

Eat in the mornings, I find the best thing to eat in the mornings are either museli or a bowl of oats with bran and linseed seeds with skimmed milk. Don't skip breakfast because you need something to kick start your metabolism.

You need to maintain your metabolism for the whole of the day, this is gonna sound stupid but eat every 4 hours during the days. It sounds stupid to tell you to eat more rather than less but if you eat a small meal (300 calories) every 4 hour it will keep your blood sugars from dropping causing you to crave a high fat, high calorie meal.

Finally I think eating more protein helps with weight loss, eating plenty of chicken will garentee you to feel fuller for longer. Also protein tends to be low in calorie.

Hope any of this helps, like I say I stuck to this and the weight came off in roughly 3 months. It just fell of me. Now I feel happy and confident all the time.

Regards, Alex

Original Post by alexanderthompson:

Hey Sawajiri,

When I started university I was big for my age (6ft 2 - 215 lbs) but I found easy ways to loose weight. I am now 170lbs and maintaining very easily. The key is you have to understand food, learn about it like its a subject at university! When you understand what you are putting into body does it all becomes alot easier, when someone says 'diet' I get annoyed because you shouldn't be going on a diet, you should be learning about your whole outlook on food. Once you know the basics then you build on your knowledge and eventually junk food and other bad foods will repulse you. For me the basics are: Eat plentyoof fibre (Wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, Anything wholemeal if given the option) with all this fibre you will need to drink plenty of water because water binds with the fibre causing you to feel fuller for longer. In turn this reduces cravings and keeps your blood sugar level are a constant medium. (High/low sugar levels contribute to weight gain)

Drink plenty of water (2-3 litres a day) I fill a plastic litre bottle with water and everyday refill plenty of times during the day. Add juice if you don't like water on its own. Drinking lots of water causes weight loss and keeps concentration at an optium. (Weightloss because fat breakdown is more efficient when well hydrated.)

Eat in the mornings, I find the best thing to eat in the mornings are either museli or a bowl of oats with bran and linseed seeds with skimmed milk. Don't skip breakfast because you need something to kick start your metabolism.

You need to maintain your metabolism for the whole of the day, this is gonna sound stupid but eat every 4 hours during the days. It sounds stupid to tell you to eat more rather than less but if you eat a small meal (300 calories) every 4 hour it will keep your blood sugars from dropping causing you to crave a high fat, high calorie meal.

Finally I think eating more protein helps with weight loss, eating plenty of chicken will garentee you to feel fuller for longer. Also protein tends to be low in calorie.

Hope any of this helps, like I say I stuck to this and the weight came off in roughly 3 months. It just fell of me. Now I feel happy and confident all the time.

Regards, Alex

I'm not disagreeing with anything that he said at all, however boys can drop weight a lot easier than girls can. I don't know why but anytime i find a guy to work out with and eat with we have the same everything and the guy always drops quicker. So you might not get his same results in that short of time.

I remember those days ( I just graduated last April) and I agree it can be hard to find healthy choices at the dining hall- it seems like everything is made of bread or meat.  The salad bar is always a good choice but can get boring if they serve the same thing every week-same goes for fruits ( I couldn't eat an apple or orange for like 3 months I was sooo sick of them).  My advice is to get creative... if you have a sandwich lady make a veggie sandwich, swap your special breads into your sandwich, make asian dishes out of the hot items-uses less rice, use cereal as a granola topping for yogurt.  If all else fails find the healthiest item they have-get a large plate of that, and then add in the other not so great for you items.  Another good thing for me was drinking only water or the rare sports drink- not so many calories that way.  Hope this helps!

I'm a senior in college, so I completely understand the hectic lifestyle thing. One thing that really helps me out a lot is to make a monster of a grocery shopping list. I plan out meals that I know I'll be able to make, and I always make sure that I have easy things to grab before I head out the door (cereal bars, fruit, etc.) I don't know if you can store food where you live, but I love to chop up a ton of veggies and keep them in small containers. I can toss them into my bag before I leave or just munch on them in the afternoons like I would chips. That kind of stuff curbs my appetite until dinner, so I end up not needing as much food as I used to. Try starting out with smaller portions too, because you could be surprised at how satisfied you are just finishing everything on your plate (even though it's much less food).

Hi Saw:

Your situation resembles mine in 2007 before I lost 80 pounds.  I couldn't get enough food.  I was eating all the fatty foods and was left always wanting more.  Come to find out the reason I wanted to binge all the time was that my body was starving for the nutrients in veggies and fruits.  Now I eat salad or veggies with each meal and three fruits per day and I don't crave anymore.  I feel satisfied all day.  I have not given up the foods I like either.  I just eat a healthy version of them.  I know that's going to be hard if you are eating in a cafateria, but it can be done.  Have smaller versions of the foods you love and add salad, veggies and fruit.  It works.  I promise.

I know the feeling. Four years ago I hurt my back and gained 40 pounds. Since then, I stopped exercising and caring about what I ate. I was stressed out from a new job and dealt with the stress by treating myself everynight with three beers and then eating tons of cake and chocolate and salty snacks. I noticed my already big clothes starting to feel snug at Christmas time and by the beginning of this January started to feel horrible because my buttons were popping on my suit pants! I was feeling HORRIBLE about myself. To help get rid of this horrible feeling, I went home, drank my beers and ate MORE. I was self-sabotaging myself.

This is what happened. Mid January, I decided that I would try the WII Fit board and program. I worked out on it once a week for two weeks. The next week I did it twice. I did NOT change my eating or drinking habits. I still over ate and over drank. Then, one day I realized that drinking beer every night became a HABIT - I wasn't enjoying it anymore on a daily basis. So I stopped that. Along with stopping the alcohol came the feeling that I can actually CHOOSE whether I'd eat that piece of chocolate, or that large piece of cake. I could choose to eat a slab or a little piece or no piece. So I stopped the junk at night.

Right now, I am working out four times a week. I have to make a choice every time I feel like something sweet, but as time goes on, my choices are getting better. Here's the best part though. If you end up eating something really bad, you can still do your workout (anything that gets your heart rate up). That's it. That's the only commitment you need to start with. Other things fall in place over time.

I believe that what you're doing has simply become a habit - and the reason why they started is because of boredom or rewarding yourself or from stress. Just DO one thing. Don't do everything at once. When you feel like dipping into your favorite bad snack, just ask yourself this question EVERY TIME....why? if it's to relieve some stress, CHOOSE to do something else. Write a list of things you love to do and look at that list.

It just takes ONE change to set off another one. It worked for me and I was stubborn! I didn't want to change! I didn't care! But actually, I did - I was just avoiding some more pain (dieting, exercise, blah, blah, blah) but now I'm glad I stopped the habit of getting home and having that one beer!

You can do it! You can stop it. Just tell yourself you can, Yes, you can, You can!

When I was in college I ate lots of frozen dinners like Lean Cuisines and that helped me stay thin.  I know they don't have the nutritional value of a home cooked meal but they are calorie controled and can work well when time is short.  Also try getting some bannanas or apples to grab on the go in the mornings that you can eat on the bus.  I am also addicted to my water bottle and always have been.  Drinking water all day will help you lose.  It is all about calories though!

I had the same thing happen to me when I graduate from college.  I went in a whopping 120 lbs and came out a 170lbs.  I ate things that I shouldn't have been eating.  Fast food was easy to get and eat and was always with in reach. 

Its hard to eat healthy when you don't have time to do it. 

My advice is cook what you want to eat the night before.  Put it in microwavable tubware so that it is ready to go just like fast food.  The only thing you will have to do is heat it up.  On a college campus there are plenty of microwaves.

The main thing is to work hard to lose the weight for you and no one else!  If you try to lose it for someone else you will never reach the goal that you have in the back of your head.

Just remember that losing weight is 20% exercise and dieting (what you eat) and 80% determination.

I am a college sophmore now and I often feel overwhelmed in the dining hall like you mentioned.  What I try to do is not feel limited by the hot food entrees that are prepared already for students.  My college posts the menus from all of the dining halls online so I can look up whats for dinner before heading down to the dining hall.  This way, when I get there I already have plan and an idea of how many calories are in all of the foods.  When I can't find healthy or appealing prepared foods I try to make some of my own.  I love to create healthy veggie paninis on the grill provided for students, and sometimes a good bowl of healthy whole grain cereal plus a few fruits and a glass of skim milk really does the trick for any meal.  Don't feel constricted by the food items that are prepared, and always try to fill up on fruits and veggies.  They are very low in calories, give you lots of energy,  and fill you up!

Im in college as well. Those cafeterias will kill you on a diet.But i totally understand the struggle. However, i managed to avoid the freshman weight gain by picking up running. its so hard at first, to get the energy to go after you've been in classes all day and haven't had the proper nutrition, but you just gotta push through it. Eat breakfast! That's probably why you're still hungry after every meal. Also, if its that feeling like, you just want to eat more, not necessarily that you're hungry, you may be missing some vitimins. so try to eat a greater variety of food with vegetables and fruit with a possible multi-vitimin.

also, exercise has been said to suppress appetite and fight depression. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. If you mess up, you mess up. Not the end of the world, just make it a goal to do better on your next meal (not the next day, that never works). Good luck! you can do it!

I know what its like. I am finishing my Junior year. My first year I just kept on gaining and gaining. I realized that hanging out in the student center was bad for me. Too much temptation since my university has Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Dunkin Donuts. SO I stopped visiting the student center, but these places also deliver so I found myself ordering and eating a whole lot more then if I had been in the student center. I was on the university's women's soccer team, but I still gained because of the amount and type of food I was eating. Due to classes, the amount of work I had, and soccer practice I did not have time to do any more exercise.

Near the end of my third year I figured out what I had to do. You need to eat 5 meals a day. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and 2 small snacks. Always carry a healthy snack with you like an apple, a low fat granola bar, pita bakes, etc. I found that this helped me control my hunger. Every three hours I would eat. Now always eat something healthy. White rice, fried meat and potatos are terriable for your health. The worst thing you could eat is something fried.

When I started using calorie counter I started to loose weight.

Also don't restrict yourselfe from certain foods. Ocasionally have a small piece of chocolat, or a piece of fried chicken, but make sure that for another meal you eat less calories.

Good Luck!

But. . .  . (referring to the post above) if you have your fried chicken fried in a healthy oil (like canola or olive) and you eat it with a salad, it becomes healthier according to the Calorie Count site.  Here's how:

According to the Calorie Count site a 2.2 ounce fried chicken thigh has 162 calories and it gets a grade of "B" healthwise.  Now, if you eat it with a salad and 1 tbls dressing, your overall grade improves because a salad or veggies get a grade of "A".  If you select a healthy ranch fat-free dressing to go with your salad, you will get a grade of B+ for the dressing. 

So you've eaten fried chicken, which gets a grade of B and improved the overall score by eating a salad and healthy dressing.  Your overall score will be: 

Calories 221 (thigh-164, 1.5 cups salad- 33, 1 tbls fat-free dressing- 24)

Overall Healthscore: B+A+B+ equals a B+ overall average for the meal. 

I orginally thought I could never have fried chicken ever again in my life and that was very depressing when I was trying to lose weight and caused me to binge all the time.  But, I have learned differently through the information provided on this wonderful site.  Thanks, calorie count.  You have made a huge difference in my life.  I've lost 80 pounds and maintained for a year so far.

If you want a healthy meal similar to KFC then here is a good, healthy equivilant;

1 Chicken Breast (2 If your hungry)

**A 150gram chicken breast has roughly 180 calories, however it is very high in protein so you will be fuller for longer. Reducing cravings.

Small amount of extra virgin olive oil (Olive Oil)

Seasoning (My favourite is Jamican Jerk because its low in salt)

Get you breast drizzle some olive oil on it, then rub in your seasinging till covered. When covered put in a george foreman or any other grill. A total of about 250 calories with very little fat and is tastier than kfc!