I pondered the thought, and finally decided to ask in this forum. I hope it's one that is appropriate enough for this.

I'm going back to college this year - in fact, I'm starting the actual classes next week - and I was wondering who here is in the same situation (going back or starting, whatever gives). I'm sure we could do with support for each other... Perhaps even start a support group, if there isn't one already?

I'm asking the question simply because we all know the famous "freshman 15" (or 10, or 20, or 5, or whatever). It's not necessarily the easiest period, it often goes hand in hand with lack of time and lack of money to really eat "the perfect way"... and I won't even mention the numerous temptations of dorm pals trying to get us to drink beer, eat pizza, and slosh on the sofa with them. Oh, wait, did I just mention it?

Anyway... Who else would be in the same situation this year?

*hopes she still makes sense, after a day of working, running everywhere, and generally trying to find her way on the campus*

I'm not in the same situation anymore, but when I was in college, I did work on losing weight. My tips:

1) First and foremost, see if your school tuition includes a gym. Ours did, and I had a free place to work out the entire time I was in school. Take advantage! Gym memberships are EXPENSIVE once you leave school, and after all, you're paying for it with your tuition money, so you might as well get your money's worth.

2) Exploit the dining hall for its healthy options. Our dining commons had a GIANT salad bar with fat free dressings, and it had a stir-fry station...I used to go get a big salad, then go to the stir-fry line to get some cooked chicken breast. Sometimes they had broth-based soups to go with, if you need a bigger meal. On the other side of the coin, avoid the high-cal dining commons foods as much as possible - the first half of my freshman year, I lived on grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in ketchup, french fries, and soda. Horrible! For sweets, our DC had a frozen yogurt machine that always had a sugar-free option - a cone of that made a perfect sweet treat. Explore the options in the dining area, zone in on the healthy choices, and leave the rest of the stuff for sometimes-treats.

3) Get healthy snacks for your dorm room. These are great for late night study sessions, grabbing to take to classes, and other times you need something healthy to snack on. Almonds, yogurt, crackers with lowfat cheese, 100 cal bags of microwave popcorn, and fresh fruit are great additions to your dormroom fridge (and if you don't have a mini fridge in your room, get one if you can...you can usually find them cheap at garage sales or on craigslist, and even new they're only 100 bucks or so).

4) This one goes without saying, but watch the alcohol. It has a TON of empty calories. If you're going out, though, try a rum and diet coke, and alternate every drink with water...this will help cut your calories AND keep you hydrated.

5) The following tip was the HARDEST for me to do, but try if you can...eat breakfast! Either grab a yogurt and some whole wheat bread out of your dorm fridge, or go to the dining area and have some whole wheat toast with a little bit of peanut butter and some fruit. Breakfast won't just help you keep your mental focus during classes, but will rev your metabolism and keep you from overeating when you get to lunchtime.

6) Scope out other healthy options on campus. For instance, my particular campus had a student-run food establishment with TONS of healthy options, and all nutrition information available. They had a salad bar, broth-based soups, whole wheat bagels, and other choices, and were located in the center of campus so I could stop in quickly if I needed lunch between classes.

7) Carry a giant bottle of water with you wherever you go. Refill often. Repeat.

Heya!

I'm not in college any more but I might have some tips for you!

I agree with mandalinn esp. number 4, I sincerly believe that alcohol is a big factor in why I couldn't lose weight in college.

My suggestion if this is your thing: join a club sport team. You don't have to be terribly athletic, it comes with built in friends and it's good motivation to go out there and exercise.

I myself did rugby (not NEARLY as scary as you might think).

But if you get exercise and watch the middle of the night food runs to fuel all-nighter study sessiions you should be okie doke!

good luck!

Hey there, I've recently started my 4th and final year. I successfully lost a lot of weight last school year, so it definitely is possible. I plan to keep it up this year. All the tips you've gotten so far are great.
I don't think there's a specific student support group, but lots of students hang out over at the 20-somethings board. Come join us.

Ehe, thanks for the suggestions. Actually I'd be very tempted by a nighty snack now, but oddly enough, I'm too tired to eat. I think I'll need to get used to this feeling in the two years to come.

There's a gym on the campus, indeed, and it's dirt cheap. Perhaps something like $5. It's like, "why don't every student subscribe anyway!". I used to practice fencing there, and I'm considering doing it again, even if I'm too old now to really become good at it. I also hope they have strenght-training machines, or free weights. I need to build more muscle, and I could also do with a form of exercise that doesn't demand me to follow a specific schedule each week. (Not out of laziness; I'm simply balancing job and studies, and it'd be too bad to not be able to take part in what I want because of conflicting schedules!)

Tip 5 and 7 are probably the easiest for me. I just can't go without a breakfast, no matter what it is, and I need my 3L of water everyday, else I'll be tired, cranky and prone to headaches, so it's all set.

I guess that if I find more tips to add as well later on, I'll... eh, well post them. Thanks again for sharing yours!

futuresurferchick - You posted while I was answering, I didn't see your post at once. Thanks for mentioning it, I'll have a look at the 20-something board then (it'll have to be tomorrow though, right now I'm afraid I need my sleep).

I'm in college as well. I gained weight every year in college but not the two years I took off. Manda's options 3-5 and 7 have worked for me!

Ooh, Amber, rugby OWNS! I did rugby in HS and loved it.

As far as losing weight in college - if you live on a mid-sized campus, WALK EVERYWHERE. Ignore the buses. Don't drive to class. WALK! And the water bottle thing is huge too.

For me personally I found losing weight in college easy. That was back in the good old days when only exercise was enough to lose weight.

If you don't live on campus, park further away (usually not a problem LOL) and take the stairs when possible. Also taking the scenic route to a class also helps.

The campus gym suggestion is a good one and also see if there is any jogging path nearby as well. There is a four mile one at my alma mater and I used to walk it five days a week.

Another thing you may want to try is taking up a sport. My alma mater offered clubs and classes that taught a sport for beginners. That's how I learned to fence! So if there isn't anything interesting in the classes offered, attend the organizational fair if your school has one and you may find a club offering a sport that interests you.

As for food, if you don't have a dining plan, then generally the places on campus offering food for sale have at least one healthy option even if it might be hard to find. And there is always the option of packing a lunch.

Redlight - Good luck (or whatever is needed, I'm never sure ) to you for this college year to go well regarding the weight thing!

Nikaia, Zorak - The first time I was in college, I found it easy as well. In the meantime, I had developed really bad food habits (worse than before), though, so I know I'd better be extra careful from the start now. I live very close to campus, so I can go everywhere on foot, and there's a park nearby in which I could jog (I just need to get running shoes before that; if I run with what I have now, I'll just ruin my ankles. Stupid inappropriate shoes :x).

Anyway, to whoever else is in the college case (and the others as well, hehe), good luck, hang on, the whole stuff, and let's hope this year will yield good results!

I am in my second year at college, and I DEFINETLY gained the freshman 15... and than I gained it again! Lucky for me the campus has a good gym, with free membership, and with my student card it is only $1 to get into the community center gym or pool, which is right by my place.

My journey started THIS saturday when I weighed myself to discouver, to my complete horror, that I am now 60 lbs over weight.

However, I am NOT going to give up the things I love (cheese, wine, chocolate, and sherbet). I am just going to eat waaaay less of them. Today, for example, I had a square of chocolate as opposed to a bar.

I am completely there for you if you ever need encouragement!

Pool is also dirt cheap here - with the currency conversion, it's probably $1 as well. I absolutely love all the cheap stuff we can get with the student card, and/or the students' insurance card... and sometimes these add, too. Yep, love that.

Eating less of them is a good start already. Some people can get away with completely removing their 'dangerous foods' from their diet, but if you're like me and will deprive yourself from them only to crack down and gorge on them later on... yeah, better lower the quantities and not embrace the "must not have ever at all, else I'm doomed forever" mood.

When I started college, I was bad, and I mean really bad. I put on about 60 pounds in three years. I first started bring my own food or not bring any money so I couldn't buy anything. It worked for awhile, but sometimes I would come home and be so hungry that I would binge. Then I started scoping out what the student union had to offer. Each restaurant offers their nutritional information so that helped a lot. Now that I educated myself on the union's food, I feel more comfortable eating there.

Ooh, this just reminds me that back when I was there 9 years ago, there used to be "classes" about nutrition at the campus medical center. Perhaps they still have these. Or, who knows, perhaps they also have meetings. One can always dream!

Hmm... well, I think the freshman 15 or whatever is a myth, and those that do gain it do so from too much partying.

I graduate this coming May. The only way that school has impacted my weight issues is that my routine is turned upside down. I do best when I know what to expect day to day; I do not function well when things are random different and unexpected. When I get out of my routine, my stress level goes through the roof, and I want to binge and whatever else. This semester has been a struggle for me.

I don't know what your classload is, but if you are still doing gen eds, you probably won't be experiencing the chaos that I am. Actually, I often wonder if other majors are easier as far as keeping a routine. I am in nursing and it is total chaos. I can't wait to be done.