I want to be a geophycisist
 

Hey all,

This is my first day in the forums. I'm 33 and have had a few diet experiences in the past. I have a pretty good feeling this time will be different and here is why:

I've never before had any real motivation to lose weight. Sure, it would make me healthier, but I've been too concerned with my health. Recently that has change.

At the end of 2007 I went back to college after spending nearly a year unemployed. At first I had no idea what I wanted to do. I didn't think I had a lot of options because I didn't think I was smart enough to do much. I thought maybe I would end up in law school some day. I dreaded the idea of taking a math class after being out of high school for more than a decade. But then I did take a math class and everything changed. I discovered, much to my surprise, that I am actually quite good at maths and sciences. In fact, I now tutor math at my college and am starting calculus this semester.

I've always been interested in Geology. In fact, I love it. The processes of the earth and the universe are the most fascinating thing to me. Now that I know I can hack the math and science, I have decided to go for it and enter a geophysics program. Remarkably, even though I was out of school for *ahem* years and am working (though only part-time right now) I am on track to get my geophysics degree on time and will graduate in a little over two years (I'll have an Associate of Science at the end of this semester).

There is just one problem, I'm 318 pounds! I don't know if you have noticed, but you pretty much never see a fat geologists. That is because geologists are out in the field hiking, camping, climbing mountains, diving, etc. There is no way I could do those things right now, and I only have a little over two years left to get to the place where I can do those things.

So now, I am more motivated than I have ever been. Failure is most definitely not an option. I started counting calories a few days ago. I am using my Wii Fit to track my weight. I hope to get to 160 pounds before I graduate in 2011. I use a program on my ipaq to track my calories and I have set my goal in the program to lose 2 lbs a week (1000 calorie deficite). I'm taking things slow. I don't want to try to jump into something that is strict and unruly because I think I would fail if I did that.

The biggest challenge I will face will be how to eat right once classes start again. Between work and school and a 90 minute commute I am out of the house from 9:30 am until 9:00 pm with only a thirty minute break between class and work (including the time it takes to get across campus to the tutoring center). I'm not sure how to make that work yet.

Anyway, I hope to become pretty active here, because that means I am being successful.

My biggest challenge will be thursday because I have a geology lab. So I will have class from 11:00 am - 3:20 pm, then work from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm. The tutoring center is at a different campus, which means about a 20 minute drive to the center, so my eating time that day will be from 3:40-ish to 4:00. I'll have to make that lunch I guess and then have a late dinner.

On mon/wed I have calculus from 11:00 - 12:40, then work from 1:00 - 4:30, then comp sci from 5:00 - 6:40. That is not quite as bad. I can definitely make that work. It's tuesday that will be the killer.

Thursday I will have plenty of time between class (geology from 11:00 - 12:15) and work (3:30 - 8:00) for lunch. But it will be another late dinner.

I never know what to do when I have to eat that late. Should I stay awake an extra hour?

Great suggestions. I will definitely give something like that a try. I sure I can do that on thursdays. On Tuesday I will probably bring some snacks like carrot sticks and nuts with me to work and hope my students aren't offended if I am snacking while showing them trig :).

I'm back in college myself. Portable, fast food becomes something you need to take with you. I get that. Things that I've found that work well are fruits, nuts, homemade snack cakes (purchased protein bars might sub for these) and wraps instead of sandwiches. Some of your hours in class seem long, are these uninterrupted? Or do you have a short time between classes?

You mention - 11:00 am - 3:20 pm for one day. No breaks at all? Even when we have a 3 hour lab there are breaks (although I know that the teacher was a smoker). Most of our 'hours' are 50 mins, so a 2 hour class leaves you 20 mins to get to the next one. It's not perfect, but if you have these you can grab a portable snack on the way.

I've raised my protein levels recently and when I'm back in school in a little over a week I'm going to experiment with taking a protein shake in a bottle of some kind a couple of times a week. I wouldn't resort to liquid meals often, but they're also an option as most classes say 'no food' but don't seem to worry about water, coffee, etc.

Anyway, best of luck! I'm back to school after more than 20 years, and having a great time.

Anne, I see you have lost 150 lbs. Congratulations, that is amazing. I'm really impressed.

There is supposed to be a 15 minute break between my lecture and lab on Tuesdays. I've heard the teacher is a real something or other, though, so we will see. I hadn't even thought about protein drinks. I try to limit protein intake, but in a pinch that could definitely work.

Thanks, although I still tend to focus on how much I have left to go (a failing of mine sometimes). It's just an opinion, but I wouldn't limit protein intake. Higher protein levels (with moderate fat as well) can often curb hunger. Some people, and I'm one of them, find that too low a protein level just makes me more hungry. My constant 'before bed' snack is almost always a protein shake and some fruit. The fruit satisfies the 'sweet' cravings and the shake keeps me from raiding the kitchen later. :)

I don't usually hang around the forum, but I do have experience with long grueling days at school with few breaks.

I tend to be on campus from around 7:30 am until at least 5pm. What I do is pack a little insulated lunch box with a freezy gel ice pack. That way, when there's a break, I just pop out a food in one of our 10 minute breaks. And everything stays cool all day.

It does add a little extra bulk to what I have to carry around all day, but I've rigged a carabiner clip so it hooks onto my backpack.

If you truly get a 15 minute break, can you walk for 10 minutes? Five minutes out, five minutes back. If you work in enough little bits of exercise, you can get a good total by the end of the day.

Congratulations on an awesome goal! And you've got two years to work toward it. That's totally reasonable.

Ufi, I don't have to leave my house until 9:30 am, so I will have plenty of time to get on my exercise bike or wii fit. So exercise isn't really a concern. It's getting the right foods and not ending up hungry and the end of the day that I am concerned about.

Congrats on your goals!

Why are you worried about eating late? The new research indicates it doesn't really matter WHEN we eat in terms of burning calories, so I wouldn't worry about it if that's the concern.

Oh, sorry about that.

My friend is some plan that calls for eating small amounts regularly. She carries a little baggie around with her of her approved snack foods. A little handful of almonds or other nuts, a string cheese, some sort of snack bar. She just slips it out of her purse and quietly snacks on it without mentioning it or being noisy. She sometimes carries a little insulated bag with her with the cool stuff and one of those little freezer packs for the cheese and colder stuff. She's never had any problem with people giving her a hard time, as far as I know. She just says that she needs to keep her blood sugar steady, and that seems to do it for people. It isn't like she makes a big mess or is bothersome about it. The thing about eating a little bit at a time is that it doesn't take long to do it.

Hey there!
This thread caught my eye, I'm a geology student going into my last semester. I think most people find geology/geophysics by accident lol. Anyway it's lots of fun in this program, I guess the people that gravitate towards it are a rowdy bunch (from what I've seen). We do a lot of field trips some more intense than others, it really depends on your program, but I'm sure you will do fine. I remember my 2nd field trip ever hiking up this old mudslide was horrible! But just keeping a good attitude will get you through anything. You might want to incorporate short weekend hikes or uphill walking in your routine when you feel comfortable. In most of my labs our prof doesn't allow food or drink of any kind, but I sneak away about every 2 hours and munch on something outside. It's really hard for me concentrate when my blood sugar is really low lol. Anyway, way to go!

*Edit* Don't worry, contrary to popular belief, there are quite a few overweight geologists. That's what eating camp food when you have a cook will do to ya! lol