Hi all-

I found this on Google and liked the website. I am a college student in my early twenties and just now committing to a workout plan. I have been overweight since grade school and I am now doing something to change that. I am having a hard time working on a food plan. All of my meals are at the school cafeteria, and I have been sticking to low-fat salads and veggie sandwiches, but they are starting to get boring. Does anyone have advice on how to diet while in college? I would appreciate anyone's comments.

are you a vegetarian? Where are you getting your protein?

I'm not a vegetarian....it's just that any meat served in the cafeteria is really sketchy, but at home for breaks I eat meats except for red meat. I try to get protein in by adding kidney beans to my salads, and I know that I should have more protein in my diet. Any tips?

Eggs are a great source of protein (but they may look rancid the way your college caff does them ). Also try snacking on cheese, babybels are good, and they come in light form.

Do you have a chiller in your room? You could keep healthy snacks in there that you can complement your salads with. Maybe buy some pre-packed cooked chicken to put in your salads, you could take it to the cafe with you...?

Hey there helomaa!

Well, when I was going to school I was commuting so I wasn't necessarily forced to eat out of the caf... thank god. As I recall there weren't really a ton of healthy options. One thing they did have though were pre-packaged salads similar to what you might see at Wendy's or Burger King. They came with a choice of grilled chicken or tuna salad. I used to get the tuna salad ones all of the time.

What I tended to do most often though, when I was stuck eating lunch there, was to make a meal out of various healthy snack foods. Most cafs have offer things like V8, yogurt, fruit & string cheese. I would also get not-so-healthy but not-so-bad-either things like the occasional soft pretzel, italian ice, or frozen fruit juice bar.

It sounds like you're already doing great in an very challenging situation! Congratulations and I hope you get some more suggestions about ways to add variety!

helomaa - Does your school have a grocery store where you can spend your student dining dollars? My school had that - we could purchase Lean Cuisines, fruit, milk, etc. instead of eating the hot food.

I know it's tough in college. You're constantly surrounded by not-so-healthy choices. Always keep healthy choices in your room so you won't be tempted to call in pizza when you're studying at 1:00am.

That's the best advice I have. Good luck!

Jocelyn