SO this weekend I will be heading back to school. I LOVE college: my room mates are great, i get to be with my boyfriend all the time, all my best friends are there, and I have the peace and quiet that I don't get when im with my parents.

while I love the thought of moving back on campus im also scared to death! I know thats the reason my weight really got out of hand; the cafeterias that only sell fried foods and pizzas, all the beer and drinking with my friends every weekend, and having no one around to steal my food means the ability to snack whenever I want.

I'm not worried about myself. I really really want to change my habits, and since last semester I have started going to the gym an average of 4-5 times a week. What I'm worried about is when I get the call from my friends saying "hey lets hang out and drink" or "meet me for cheesesteaks". I don't know what to do there.

I've always been more of a guy's girl, and most of my friends are either super manly "dudes" or chill girls that aren't concerned about dieting. I know they would just make fun of me if I said I couldn't do something because I'm trying to lose weight, not in a mean way but just because they don't want anything coming in the way of a good time. So I really don't know what to do. I don't want to stop seeing my friends but I really wouldn't mind giving up drinking and snacking for hte next few months.

Any tips????

Tell them you're doing it for your health (its true after all!)

I've found people are much more forgiving when I say I can't drink beer because of medical reasons (celiac) and proceed to order a diet gin and tonic. It still costs a point, for the gin, but none for the tonic as its diet...

Seconded. And you ARE doing it for health reasons! Quite apart from what weight you are, eating endless cheesesteaks is terrible for your cholesterol levels and will very likely lead to a higher risk of heart disease.

But you don't need to tell them that... let's see... I decided to go with vegetarianism as an excuse for some friends who would be unsupportive, and other times, I just say I "already ate" and suggest we meet for something not related to food instead. Hope that helps!

the vegetarian thing is a good idea! and i can just not drink as much as my friends drink when im around them.

Yeah it's tough in school especially when most social things are so food-centered! My roommate, lucky enough, understands.. but with everyone else I usually just go with "I already ate" or "my stomach can't handle that right now" - b/c for some reason when you tell people you are dieting, you either get really supportive people that want to know every detail about it and spend time talking about it (when I don't want to!), or people that tell you you're crazy and try to make you eat.. so sometimes I like to avoid both. It's annoying, but these white lies really have helped me! Also, if it's someone that I've become good friends with and go out a lot with, I just tell them that my family has a history of health problems (like diabetes), so I'm losing for my health.. b/c for some reason if I don't add in the family part, people think I'm lying or they don't take it seriously!
Also, maybe try finding a gym buddy! It helped me out a lot last semester when I went with someone!
I slacked off over break, so I'm kinda excited to go back so I can hit up the gym again~

yea those are good ideas, but i'm weird with the gym. haha i want to turn my ipod (which i have lost. i have to find that ASAP!) and be completely by myself there. when people ask if they can come with me i make up some excuse so i can be by myself, but luckily its working. i go to the gym more than ever

Lol, that's actually what I do, which if you think about it.. makes it weirder. I like having a person to go with, but when I'm working out I just go into my own world with my mp3 player.. but I like getting out of it and leaving with a friend.. if that makes any sense. It's like.. we just periodically glance over and acknowledge each other, than go back to our own worlds. Hope you find your iPod!

I would go out, nurse my drink, order something that didn't totally wreck my diet, and just try to fly under the radar without bringing too much attention to the fact that I'm not eating or drinking as much as everybody else. They may not even notice, especially if you're talking and having a good time otherwise.

I'd like to suggest that you don't have to TELL anyone that you're trying to lose weight as a reason for not going out with them!

If you don't bring up dieting, no one is likely to think of it, even if you order something that's unusual. If you DO bring up dieting, it's possible that every bite you take is going to be under unwanted scrutiny. And people may start asking, "How's the diet going?" Gee whiz, how fun is that as a conversation?

Go or don't go, but don't explain! If you do go out, plan in advance what you will order and eat and drink. Maybe your limit will be one or two beers. Or none! I know that makes no sense to a college kid, but you really can just skip the beer and have a diet drink!

And limit how much pizza you eat, or order a sandwich that's different from a regular cheesesteak. Leave off the cheese, at least! Only eat half the bun!

Your cafeteria may have different items that you've never even looked at--look around--maybe you'll find better foods there.

Good luck! Remember that "lifestyle change" means that your lifestyle actually changes...
Jay

I know how you feel. I live in a huge college town and everyone there is always drinking and eating at fast foods. I live with 3 guys and they live off of wendy's and every night they drink like 3+ beers. And my friends go out all of the time. Right now it helps because i'm not 21, but I will be in a few days. Usually I just drink liquor instead of beer because it has fewer calories and you have to drink less. And I don't drink on weekdays. Also, just tell them you're not eating as much meat if you don't want to say you're a veg. I'm a hardcore veg so that always gives me an excuse. Good luck. College life is hard on the body. Haha

Most of my close friends know about my new healthy lifestyle. However, I try to not tell those that "don't need to know." I feel that people kind of pick on me about it, in a kind way, or they give me unwanted tips that make absolutely no sense (many people who have never had a weight problem have NO idea how little sense their advice makes.. ex: just chew sugarless gum LOL).

Anyway, when it comes to people that I'm not superclose with, I just make an excuse. I already ate, my stomach hurts, I don't really like that (or I don't like it anymore), I drank too much last night, I'm eating a big meal later so I can't now etc etc

I know it can be tough but your health is something that you'll have to live with your entire life, you need to learn these good habits now.

Good luck!

Neither my husband or I went to college, but both of our kids did.

Did they party? Yes!

Did they eat crap? Yes!

But, what they did was set a limit. 90% or so of the time, they ate decent, worked out, did their homework, yada, yada. 10% or so they partied, ate junk and acted like college kids.

My suggestion would be pick a time frame, probably on a weekend, to go hang out, have a few drinks, (not to many), maybe have one serving of something bad and have fun. Account for it so you can work it off in the gym , and the rest of the week, mind your p's and q's.

You can always blame term papers, homework, lack of funds, or any number of excuses, or simply tell the truth, that you're weight/health are a concern and you are can't indulge in those activities as much.

These things will not end when you leave college. You will have co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, etc., who will always want you to go do whatever, that may not be good. Best to figure it out now.

Man, do I feel your pain. I have a gal apartment mate, but all my neighbors are dudes and I spend a lot of time around them. I know that none of them would make fun of me or anything, but I only chose to share my diet plans with the one that I'm a little closer to and who also struggles with his weight.
I did share my plans with my sorority sisters mainly because I needed them to understand if I was a little grumpier than usual and why I might not join them in going out to eat or whatever.

My biggest advice is to get closer to your fitness & health minded friends. I've definitely gotten closer to a friend who's really into exercise and is trying to drop a few pounds herself. It's great to have someone who's always down to head to the gym or listen to me whine about sore muscles or my pizza withdrawal symptoms.

I'm also dealing with all my "OMG THEY'RE ALL LOOKING AT ME" public exercise fears and doing the aerobics classes that the college offers. The instructor is an absolute sadist, but hey, I'm feeling my body getting firmer and I can do things I never, ever thought I could do so all the pain is worth it!

i actually got to talk to my room mates today and i slipped in the fact that i was losing weight and they were great. they told me how badly they wanted to come to the gym with me and how they needed me to get them to not buy junk anymore.

and honestly im not going to miss that food. ive been eating really healthy foods for the last week and i dont remember the last time ive had so much energy or felt so happy all day and all night. this new diet has really changed me for the better that i dont want to go back to that other junk. no cheesesteak tastes as good as i feel.

and i dont really enjoy drinking a lot when its just me and the boys because they can drink more than a small army and not feel a thing and when i have to keep up i end up with a hangover the size of texas the next day.

woo!