University Weight Gain

Hi, I'm in my first year at university and I think I've gained about a pound or two and I try to make healthy choices, but it's always difficult when you don't always have healthy options and it's too time consuming too cook.  I've had a pretty sedentary lifestyle since starting school, I haven't been to the gym since March but I was active throughout the summer.  I'm also in physiotherapy so I've been laying off the gym.  I've also been trying to estimate and keep track of my calorie intake.  Any ideas on how to maintain and not gain anymore weight? 

Cook your own food. At all costs, stay far away from the cafeteria.

There's always time to cook. I'm in my final year and I work on top of that and I cook every day. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, but there is always time.

I think the biggest problem when you are in college is how busy you are and going from class to class...you get really hungry.  One of my really good friends and I went to school together and we would always have lunch in between classes...Unfortunately we always ate at the schools fastfood places.  We both gained weight.  I have started to bring tons of snacks with me every where I go.  I take it to school and to work and then I cook a "real" meal for dinner.  So, what I bring is prepackaged baby carrots, pre-cut and packaged apples, yoplait light and fat-free yogurt, string cheese, dried apricots, dill pickle slices, and measured 2 TBSP portions of peanut butter.  All of this food lasts me from the time I wake up until I have dinner.  The best part is that it all adds up to only 600 calories and I didn't have to prepare any of it.  I do not eat it all at once.  I generally have the yogurt for breakfast at about 8am, I go to class at 11am and have the apples, get out of class at 12:30 and have the carrots and peanut butter along with the apricots and cheese.  After my last class at 3:30 I might have the dill pickle slices.  Then I go home and make dinner...either pasta and salad, baked potato and veggies, veggie chili, veggie burritos, etc...By the way I am vegetarian.  However, you need to find the healthy foods that work for you.  A girl at my work thinks what I eat is gross and asked me, When do you eat "real" food?  I said, I am a vegetarian...this is real food.  The fact is if you want to lose weight and maintain, you either need to change your eating habits or start exercising more to combat the crappy food you might be eating...Just to be healthy, do a bit of both.  Good luck, and don't worry, everyone has this problem when they go off to college.