[muguet]

Hi everyone!

For everyone heading back to college soon, I just wanted to create a motivational thread for us to keep track of our lifestyle changes during the back to school season. For those moving out for the first time that need food tips or just general advice, I think this thread could be a good place to ask questions.

I wish you the best of luck for the upcoming school year and for those (like me) who still have their Freshman 15, I hope we can all lose it together!

[bugsiee]

I actually start school today. Spring semester & summer semester really didn't help my diet. Lol. So I am hoping to be soo engaged in school work that it will help distract me from food. And since it will be less gross and hot, now I can add some extra walking time on my way to school since I walk and take the train to and from school everyday. My hours are a little different this time. I'll get home late, so it's like do I eat dinner at 11:30pm if I'm starving? Do I snack on fruits on those days? And what will I take for lunch? I'm not very good with lunch planning. I take grapes and some possibly unhealthy snack like a cereal bar or pretzels because I believe it's healthy. If my stomach hurts at school, do I take the only thing that actually helps—ginger ale? It's available everywhere on campus.

Do you have any plans for how you will handle health matters and school together? Man, that Freshman 15 is no joke.

[muguet]

bugsiee Oh man, I can totally relate to difficult schedules.
For coming home super late, I wouldn't recommend having a full blown dinner at 11:30PM. If you get a chance to have a snack before (bread with cheese and vegetables or vegetables with hummus, a hard boiled egg, something that's filling and will get you through your class), eat a little fruit or a bowl of cereal when you get home. I remember working for my part-time job until 11PM and getting home and eating the entire world. It made me feel really bloated and heavy and I had trouble going to sleep because I was still digesting.

For lunch ideas, I always take vegetarian options so that they don't spoil. If you have access to a fridge and a microwave, take whatever you usually eat. I tend to go for salads with veggies and hard boiled egg or a veggie sandwich (hearty multigrain bread, hummus, grilled tofu, tomatoes, cheese, cucumbers and a side of some kind of veggie, usually carrots).
If you absolutely need a snack, I personnally try to have nuts and dried fruits on hand (try to get unsalted and unsweetened). If you absolutely need a bar, my favourite kind is Larabars, they are super clean and fill you up like crazy!
Think protein when you're packing things for school, it's usually what gets me through the day!
Oh, and have a good breakfast, it helps!

Don't hesitate to PM me if you need to talk