Any other college kids out there trying to lose weight? I'm a rising sophomore looking to keep up the good habits and not gain even MORE weight when I get back. It'd be great to have a community that encourages accountability for going to the gym, campus fitness classes, getting enough sleep, eating right in all-you-can-eat dining halls, resisting ordering out at 3am, and holding back from too much of ...certain beverages that pack calories and that we may or may not be of age to consume. I was thinking that we could maybe even come up with a team name and keep a running thread? Post if you want to join in!
I'm a uni student and I'll join you I think there are quite a few 20-something students on the board. I've just finished my final year of my undergraduate degree and I'm starting my masters in September. I don't live in halls though, and even when I did, I lived in a self-catered residence so did all my own cooking. That was a blessing in disguise (not least of all because I heard the halls food was pretty awful haha) as it meant I didn't put on the 'freshman fifteen' when I got here. I also have never really been much of a drinker, mainly because I can't afford it. Good luck, hopefully you can get a thread going and I'll be here to join you!
Yes, me me! I'm just finishing my sophomore year and thank god it is my last year in the dorms! WOO HOO I'd say the Freshman Fifteen should be renamed to like... the Freshman Twenty-Five or something. I cannot wait to cook for myself. It is SO hard trying to figure out the calories of anything on campus, besides the fact that eating healthy severely limits your choices. Can any tell this has been bothering me? lol *crosses fingers* one day left one day left*
I'm a rising senior who is trying to lose about 15lbs this summer before going back to school. So far, I have attempted to set myself up for success in a few ways:
1. I chose to live on-campus right near the gym, so I have no excuse not to go – especially in the winter, when I don’t feel like walking through the slush to get there. So it will only be a few steps away
2. I signed up for weight training during both phys ed blocks the first semester, and I want to be ready for the class so I don’t look like a complete wimp, haha. This summer I am working on adding free-weight exercises to my routine so I can build some muscle and improve my strength.
3. I am planning on making the most of my meal plan, since it is required that we choose one (they are all the same price). While I would like to cook at home, I know I’ll be busy and the dining hall has a pretty nice salad bar which I will be taking advantage of every day.
Anyways, that is my plan for school – right now I am just at home for the summer working, and hitting the gym 5-6x/week and walking during lunch. This is my last year of college, and I am determined to be as healthy as possible so I can enjoy myself without being self-conscious!
yes yes yes yes
I'm going into my sophomore year this semester, though technically my junior credit wise, and will be taking full advantage of the free gym :] I'm actually moving back at the end of next week for summer b as a resident assistant... so I can hit the gym really soon!
I'm a senior. I spent my first two years in the dorms, so I know how easy it is to let things slip! I gained the fresh 10, the sophomore 10, then a bunch of baby weight.
I'm no longer a college student, but I thought I'd share my experience. I packed on a nice freshman 20, then stayed on campus for a language program over the summer and was able to put it off, and a rough breakup with my freshman year boyfriend actually helped me lose some more sophomore fall till I was at my lowest in like 3 or 4 years. But, a new boyfriend led to packing on another 20, which I then put off over the summer (again I was on campus living in a dorm and eating in an all you can eat dining hall). I went abroad to Spain junior year and packed the pounds back on again, but that summer I fractured my foot and kept gaining instead of putting it off, leading me to graduate my senior year the heaviest I'd ever been, a full 40lbs up from my freshman year weight.
I think I was able to put off weight in the summers bc I took up running outside, and also the food in the dining halls included a lot more fresh fruits and veggies so a typical meal for me would be like turkey, veggies, and hummus in a pita as opposed to the regular academic year when i'd eat maybe a hamburger, a bowl of creamy soup, and a piece of cake. I also went to school in the Northeast (and am originally from MD as well), so Bluebird you might have a similar experience being less active in winter and having healthier foods be less readily available. I think if I were more conscious of what my habits were doing to me at the time, I might have been more proactive about going to the gym.
A word about the gym--this may not be your situation, but the gym at my college was filled with athletes and was always really crowded, and I found that really intimidating. It was also all the way across campus and so except for the few times I went on fitness kicks, I rarely ended up going, but I felt like bc it was free it should really be my only option. Now I still live in my college town and could still use the gym for free, but realize that paying for a gym membership to a different fitness center has made a world of difference for me. First of all, they offer classes which the college gym did not, so that forces me to be there for class and as a bonus I've found I really love spinning and love going and love the people I've met in the class. Second of all, the atmosphere is just sooo much better...in the winter I go all the time bc there is parking and I can drive (unlike my college gym) and they have a sauna which is something I can really look forward too. I find the whole experience really relaxing. Third, I'm paying for my membership so that's an extra motivator--the more times I go, the less the cost is per visit. and I justify it a little bit bc now that I have to pay for my hot water, I save money on my electricity bills by showering at the gym Some or none of these circumstances may apply to you, and you may not be in a position to buy a gym membership, but I didn't even think about a gym membership at college because I had the free gym, and in the end, it could have been really good for me.
I can't offer much sage advice about the dining halls...my college had fantastic food and I ate a lot of it!
Oh yes. I'm heading into my final year of school now (changing schools and majors put me on the 6 year plan). At my first school, the food was so good and I was so nice. I gained my freshman 15 and two other people's! Aren't I sweet? Gaining 50 lbs in two years = worst idea ever!
The best thing that I have done for myself since coming to my new school is move off campus. It's not only better for my weight loss (kitchen so I can do all my own cooking, no meal plan I feel obligated to use since I'm paying for it, and my parents are the best and bought me an elliptical), but it's also better for my mental health. I hated every moment of sharing a bedroom. I like my privacy and own space. So, yeah, moving off campus is the best (and since my appt is old and crappy, it's a lot cheaper too!).
ETA-forestroad -The gym at my first school was exactly like that. It was big and beautiful, but I never went either. The school I'm at now is a lot smaller and the gym is a lot crappier, in terms of quality. I still never go. But I've got my own fitness equipment now, so it's ok. I really miss the workout classes that my home YMCA had though (no fitness classes down here! )
Although I'm not an undergrad, I am in the student realm. I graduated from college last year and am starting law school in August. Losing the weight never seemed worth it in college since everyone had already seen me fat. Going into a new program where no one knows me though is just the motivation I needed to lose a bunch of weight.
Although I gained a lot of weight in college I'm pretty sure I won't gain much in law school, since I'll be cooking for myself rather than eating dining hall food. At least, that's what I hope.
I'll be starting my Junior year in the fall. I gained about 30(!) pounds my freshman year, took it all off that summer, and gained 15 of it back my sophomore year. Thank goodness I'll be off campus in an apartment this year so I can actually cook for myself and count my calories! Even though I had a meal plan at the cafeteria, boyfriend and I would eat literally all of our meals either at restaurants, fast food, or frozen unhealthy meals. Of course he hasn't gained an ounce since we started dating 3 years ago. Damn boys and their metabolism. At least he stayed with me at my fattest.
Anyway, I am a little nervous about not having a free gym nearby (not that I used it when I lived in the dorms) but I'm hoping to learn to love to run outside and keep up with 30DS inside.
great so see so many people willing to join me I'm actually running out the door now (to the gym woohoooo!!!) but I'll be back in a few to post and organize
Oh, me me me!! I'm a rising third year - literally JUST finished my second year yesterday, WOOHOO! - and I can definitely relate to the challenges of trying to lose weight while in college. I technically started my weight loss over the summer, but probably like 90% of the "journey" has been done while at school... It's definitely hard at times with all the junk and booze that is constantly around, not to mention the fact that I eat exclusively out of a dining hall, where there are plenty of bad options available... But I would say that I've been mostly successful, so it makes me feel better to know that it IS possible. I figure if I can get through an obstacle as big as that, I should be able to bash through any other challenges in the future, heh. And yeah, I'm living in an apt next year, too, so I am SO excited to be able to cook for myself and actually know *exactly* what I'm ingesting, instead of trying to make accurate guesses from the scant information my dining hall offers about their foods (literally, they give no almost no accurate nutritional information--so frustrating!).
I'll be home for the summer in a couple days, though, and that's a whooole other ballpark... Losing weight while at school is almost a breeze in comparison to all the crap I have to deal with at home. I guess there's always something, isn't there? We can't all be on the Biggest Loser where everything else is totally put on hold in order to focus your life 100% on losing weight. For real people like us, there are other things that get in the way!
College Students for weight loss - UNITE!
I was thinking that we could maybe even come up with a team name and keep a running thread? Post if you want to join in!
I think there are quite a few 20-something students on the board. I've just finished my final year of my undergraduate degree and I'm starting my masters in September. I don't live in halls though, and even when I did, I lived in a self-catered residence so did all my own cooking. That was a blessing in disguise (not least of all because I heard the halls food was pretty awful haha) as it meant I didn't put on the 'freshman fifteen' when I got here. I also have never really been much of a drinker, mainly because I can't afford it. 
Good luck, hopefully you can get a thread going and I'll be here to join you!
I'd say the Freshman Fifteen should be renamed to like... the Freshman Twenty-Five or something. I cannot wait to cook for myself. It is SO hard trying to figure out the calories of anything on campus, besides the fact that eating healthy severely limits your choices. Can any tell this has been bothering me? lol *crosses fingers* one day left one day left*
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I guess there's always something, isn't there? We can't all be on the Biggest Loser where everything else is totally put on hold in order to focus your life 100% on losing weight. For real people like us, there are other things that get in the way! 
