Hi all -

I've been looking for a thread to air my grievances about trying to diet as a college student.

Now, I'm not complaining about being a student. It has perks (you know, like a degree...and a free gym...) but sometimes I feel like a fatty in a sea of unhealthy skinny minis!

I live in a sorority house which both helps and hurts my progress. My sisters make sure I go exercise every day with them, and they have stopped me mid-binge-episode before.

But they're always sitting around eating pizza, fried foods, baked goods, and going out drinking, while I nibble on celery sticks and look longingly at their tiny little size-zero frames. And then I go work out while they head out to the bars and drink their entire caloric intake for the day. Oi.

Does anyone else feel like this?? Am I nuts?
What's YOUR college experience?

I can so relate to this! I gained 30lbs while I was in college. My friends just always told me that I looked good even as I was ballooning. (God love them for being supportive).

You just have to come to the realization that your body is not like theirs. I was in a sorority, but we did not have houses. However, I did live in an apartment building that was full of sisters. My two roomies were tiny! One was about 5'10 and ate whatever she wanted, one was about my height, weighing in at 105 lbs. I used to get so frustrated that I could not eat like them all the time, but I had to realize that just like we all have differences in our personalities, etc. we also have differences in our bodies, metabolisms, etc. It can be so difficult, but try to keep your head down and stay focused. All the junk food they are eating will catch up to them one way or another!

Hang in there! I know it is hard! I am STILL battling the weight that I gained in college and I graduated May 2008. I have 11lbs to go and it has not been an easy journey. I wish someone would have clued me in to my gain at the freshman 12 I put on!

You can do this and I promise all your efforts will be totally worth it!

That sounds tough. When I was a student I couldn't afford to eat, so I didn't really, and lost weight (I was also depressed so that probably had something to do with it).

I go away to University once a month for a week at a time at the moment, and all my classmates go out for dinner (pizza, curry, chicken, etc.) every night. I feel bad because they think I am being rude by declining but I much prefer buying food in the supermarket and knowing exactly what I am eating.

Sorry, I seem to have rambled off topic quite a lot there!


Anyway, good luck, stick with it. Just keep picturing your goal and push on!

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about!!!

College has been tough on me from that aspect. I dread going to school and seeing all these skinny girls who seem to have it "all". They are skinny, beautiful, athletic, have tons of friends, etc. etc. But I have to remember what appears on the outside isn't what may be going on in the inside. Nobody is perfect and sometimes I think I focus too much on the fact everyone seems skinny and I feel like a total fatty.

Don't get me wrong, one reason I am trying to lose weight is so I can feel thin and good about myself, but I'm also doing this for my health. I want to live a long life and being 24, I am not getting younger. As we get older, our metabolism slows down and I so don't need that right now lol.

But I do understand you and know you are talking about. Those girls seem to eat whatever they want and still look amazing...but there is more to it, they probably exercise themselves to exhaustion or throw up their food or just starve themselves. No one can constantly eat like that and stay skinny. As Lindsb said, it will eventually catch up with them.

Today is actually my first day back to school for spring semester. I'm not the happiest about it since I've gained 15 lbs since before Christmas. My jeans aren't fitting well and I'm sure most of the girls haven't gained a pound but that's okay. I'm there for me and I'm doing what i can today to make sure I get a healthy weight.

If you want to be buddies and help each other out through this...that would be great. It's good to have someone who understands you and maybe we could help keep each other accountable..PM me if you wanna talk more..i'm new to this site. anyhow, just keep your head up and I will too. College is tough but we can do this!! Remember it's for our education!!!

Thanks for the support, girls!

It's tough (today I was sitting in my friend's room while everyone was eating chocolate and crackers - and i politely abstained) but I think I can do it.

It's really tough reminding myself that I'm not them - but it's not about feeling bad for myself because I'm not a "lucky" one - but rather that I need to work and make my own luck.

Right? Oi.

I think you have to come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as luck. If you want to lose weight you won't lose it by luck, only hardwork. It sucks! Trust me- i know. Those girls may seem "lucky" today, but they may get preggers and gain 50lbs and you may only gain 20 because of your new found eating habits----DOWN THE ROAD. (sorry if that is a poor example, it is just all I could think of at the moment)

I'm right there with you (in age, weight, height, skinny friends and all)! Haha!

I'm a senior in college, and my two ultra-thin roommates don't quite understand my plight, but they have been super supportive. Still, I can't afford alcohol calories in my diet, and I pretty much abstain from going anywhere to eat that doesn't post nutritional information so that leaves me out a lot lately! They've both agreed to go to the gym with me several times, though, so that helps me have a reason to get out there and do it.

Oh, college. I'm a freshman this year, looking to losing the freshman weight instead of gaining it.

I've been overweight since I can remember, but I guess you could say I was in the 'popular' group in highschool, at all the parties, had all the friends, a 'go to' girl. Now, I'm thrown out of my little nice life I had into a town where I know nobody, and it is completely different, in the sense of being overweight.

I want to lose weight, most importantly for myself, and my health. But I also want to lose so I can go back to my home town over summer with a good start on my weight loss goal, just to see what people say

I also am planning on transferring schools for next semester, starting next august, and would love to 're-start' my college experience, as this one is NOTHING like I expected.

TOTALLY know what you mean!! Everyone told me to watch out for the freshman 15, but I think I gained at least 50 pounds. I stopped all of the exercise I was doing in high school (sports and dance) and started eating all of that crappy univ. diner food. I'm sure you can eat healthy with a meal plan, but I couldn't until I moved off campus and could actually grocery shop and cook! My thought is that I feel overweight no matter where I go (is it just me or do I only see skinny people everywhere I go?!) so as hard as losing weight is in college, I assume that it's probably as difficult out of school too. I wouldn't know since I've only tried to lose weight in college, but it makes me feel better to think that way

That is frustrating as ****. My freshman roommate wore a size 0. I was a 6/8 when I entered, and a 10/12 when I graduated :P

I went to a small private liberal arts school where at least half the student body was vegetarian and everybody went to the gym, ran, and did yoga. There was no Greek life, and people were really into health food - our cafeteria had a "vegan stir fry station." People drank but a lot also did coke which kept them skinny and not hungry.

The hardest part is accepting that your skinny housemates simply have higher metabolisms and can eat and drink more than you can. But you can get yours up by eating the right stuff and working out. Take advantage of that free gym!!!!!!!!

I feel your pain. I'm not in college anymore; I moved to Japan for work. Most of my coworkers wear a size 0-2 and they eat big lunches with lots of rice while I sit there trying to make 350 calories of vegetables and tofu last. It's so hard sometimes not to just feel bitter.

I was so grateful that my sorority chapter didn't have a house for this reason. Props to those who can do it, but weekend retreats with my chapter was enough for me. I will say that when I was still active in sorority and losing weight, several other sisters decided to start eating better as well; the group of us managed to get some healthier choices brought into our food-based events. I think you need to focus on making foods that you enjoy, rather than just nibbling on celery. I find that if I'm happy and excited about the healthy foods I cook and bring with me, I care less about everyone around me eating not-so-good for me foods. I also still went out with my sisters; I would build a (reasonable) amount of alcohol calories into my life, go out, have my drinks and then switch to diet soda. No more hang-overs and I still got to go out.

I'm actually having more difficulties loosing weight now that I'm credentialing and NOT in college. Then again, I had a lot more control with my own apartment than I would have had in a house.

Junk food is bad for you whether you're size 0 or size 24. One of society's greatest myths is that skinny people can "eat whatever they want". That social attitude ends up killing thousands of thin people every year, especially because it is SO prevelant!

Think about your health, not your weight! And remember that in moderation, the pizza and alcohol can be okay, too.

I WAS one of those girls. I specifically remember one day, when I was 19, sitting at a table eating breakfast- Chocolate Zingers, and washing them down with Mountain Dew. And all the girls where like, "wow, how do you eat like that and never gain weight??" Well, a year later, I was fat. It caught up with me. I was active in high school, and I got down to 115 (I am just under 5'6") when I was 18/19. As soon as I went back to my hs eating habits, I ballooned to 160. Add 10 years and 3 kids, and I was at 217 (maybe even 220). I didn't have the hs activities keeping me fit and burning those calories. And I am 30 now and still working on it. All said and done, I gained a 100 pounds. Sick. SO don't think it can't happen to them. It can, and will, if they keep it up! You can and will do this, just don't let them curb your efforts!

I feel everyone on the difficulties of losing weight in college; however, it didn't really happen for me this way. I have kind of gone the opposite direction gradually ever since I left home. Granted, I think...save that. Know a lot of emotional eating stems from my home life. Add to that a constant stream of food that I don't have to pay for and there's a recipe for obesity. Anywho, when I got out on my own I had to make my own choices. Admittedly, I do not make fantastic food choices. I pretty much eat what I want, when I want. This is why I have been losing so slowly. Also, I have a lot of better options and know that if I overeat, there goes lunch the next day. I also am involved in college athletics so that plays a large role. I'm fairly tall and my bodyfat is at the lower end of average, despite my high weight and some of my teammates think I'm crazy if I say something about weight or because I check the scale like its my job [thank you old eating disorder...not] but I guess they don't know where I'm coming from. That being said, I totally dislike those girls who eat anything...though it will catch up with them. Probably by the time they're 25 and we will have lost ours by then and will know how to lose weight on top of it in case any should creep back on. Hello, pregnancy. Sorrry for te long ranty/offtopic post.

In my undergrad, it seemed that way, with all the skinny girls running around, but now that I'm in grad school, it seems that there are actually more overweight women. It's probably because in the program I'm in many of us work full time, go to grad school full time, and juggle an internship. Crazy!