Hi all!

I'm in my junior year of college and I'm having a lot of trouble with weight gain. I've gained about 30-20 pounds in the last 18 months, and while that may not seem like TOO much, I'm only five feet tall. So proportionally, its quite a bit for a small frame. I have and still am taking stressful courses (organic chemistry, anyone?) and there have been many emotional ups and downs over the last year and a half that I think have contributed to my gain. Not to mention I HATE exercising I love to dance and walk, but my school doesn't offer any dance programs and Chicago winters to lend themselves much to walking. I think my problem with my weight lies mainly in laziness and lack of motivation because I love veggies and healthy foods, I just don't want to take the time to prepare them. How bad is that?! I'm not sure how to get my mental state past the norm, though.

Though it isn't a huge amount of weight, it has affected my health. My blood pressure it elevated, too much for someone my age, and the only thing that has changed in the last year is my weight. Heart problems run in my family, so I know I need to act now before it gets too late. Even the threat of ill health can't seem to get me in gear, though. I'm excited I found this website, hopefully I'll be able to get the support and tips I need to reach my goal!

Does your school have a gym? When I was in college, I found that getting up about an hour/hour and a half early every day and going to the gym to use the treadmill made it a lot easier to get through the day- plus the added benefit of excercise, although to be fair, I never took anything in the league of organic chem (History major here).

Are you on a meal plan or do you cook for yourself? If you're on a meal plan, enlist a friend who you routinely eat with to keep you from going to the pizza/hamburger line- I did that for two months before graduation when I absolutely could not gain a pound or it would make my dress look horrible on me. If you cook for yourself, don't let yourself buy the "quick" foods until after you get what you need for healthy stuff. Also, set aside a few hours once a week and cook and refrigerate- you'll have healthy food for the week and during the week while you're trying to study you'll only have to reheat.

I know it's easier said than done though.

I'm glad your recognizing your heart and health issues before it's too late! Good luck!

oh my goodness you're like my twin! i'm a junior in college @ kent state, and i'm 5'1!!! i totally packed on the freshman 15...and the sophomore 15...

i hate exercising, i feel ya on that one. my school does provide a rec, but i'm so turned off by all the already skinny girls.

i hope you figure everything out, and i'm going through the exact same thing!

You are going to be just fine! I am new also and we are all going to help each other make it! I am also in college and arve a very stressful schedule with a full class load, student council, a service club I direct and on and on, it never ends. One of the things that I am realizing is that if I don't set aside time for myself everything else just doesn't even matter. I have a friend at work and we just made a goal to work out for atleast 40 minutes to an hour three days a week. Maybe you could just start by making a goal to work out for like 30-40minutes one or two days a week and then every week increase your goal every few weeks. I think you'll find that you love working out!

Good luck!
Asher