I know being busy is usually just an excuse. After all, there's people out there who will wake up at 3:30 a.m. just to get their run in before they have to rush around to get ready for work, or to get their kids to school.
I mean, who am I to complain? I'm just a busy college student. I don't have kids to cook for. But I really don't get a day off.
I'm taking 18 credit hours. My classes and school-affiliated jobs start at 8 a.m. and go until 5 p.m. usually, 10 p.m. on Mondays. I have a work study to help pay for school. I'm also assistant editor in chief for my college's newspaper. On top of that I have a part time job on Saturday and Sunday, and I usually work 8-10 hours on each of those days, totaling 16-20 hours. And I have an amazing opportunity to get paid to design ads for our school's athletic programs. By the time I get home at night, I'm absolutely exhausted. Not to mention I have a ton of homework. All I want to do is curl up on the couch and eat dinner. How do those people get up at 3 a.m. just to make sure they get their work out in? How do people keep motivated when they're so busy?
Geez, girl, you are busy! If I were you, I'd be focusing more on the food part of the equation right now. Just carrying the extra weight around is exercise, and it sounds like you are carrying it all over the place! I think exercise is fantastic, and good for the body and soul, but I also think real, awesome weight loss is possible for you without a lot of it right now.
I don't get up at 3am. I get up at 5:30 have a cup of coffee, get out the door by 6:00. Run for an hour. Get back take a shower get my 2 kids on the bus by 7:45 and get to work by 8am. I work until 5:00 get my kids, attend any Lions Club, marketing meetings, chamber events, kids lessons, games that I have to attend go to sleep and do it again. I want it bad enough. I find a way to make it work.
Busy is busy, regardless of whether it's kids or other activities. Girl -- you are BUSY! When I was in university, what saved me was my freezer (I would cook ahead and freeze meals, and m/w them on campus), biking everywhere in summer, walking everywhere in winter (with snow up to my hips sometimes!). The last two were because I had no money, but they certainly helped keep me in shape! But I agree with Shannon - you're so active you're likely burning calories you don't even know about; I think your best bet is to concentrate on eating healthy food and making sure you're not eating calories you don't know about!
I mean, who am I to complain? I'm just a busy college student. I don't have kids to cook for. But I really How do people keep motivated when they're so busy?
They're so busy, they want/need/desire to be at their OPTIMAL, so that they are better equipped to handle all that they need to!!
But really, seriously, it has to be a priority. It has to be THAT important to you. You may compromise on other things - laundry piled up, messy bathroom - but not your health. That there is no compromising on. That comes first. Because having that, being fit, trim, and slim provides you with so much more stamina and energy that you are able to do more. It provides you with a wonderful sense of accomplishment - you feel as if there's nothing you can't tackle. It gives you that much more self respect, self worth and self confidence that it propels you to do better in all areas of your life.
Any time spent on getting and remaining healthy is time very well spent. It frees you up to be the best you possible.
For now, I'd focus on the food aspect if I were you. Plan, plan and than plan some more. ALWAYS have healthy foods on hand - get rid of the junk, get rid of the junk, get rid of the junk. Plan out your meals and snacks IN ADVANCE, always knowing where your food is coming from. Eating healthy won't happen on it's own - just like a college degree won't. You've got to plan for it. And boy is it worth it.
Make large batches of soups to have on hand for all week. Grilled chicken cutlets, veggie burgers, salad fixing, fruit, fruit, fruit.
You CAN do this. We all have the ability to lose weight. We are all capable of it. Yourself included. Make it and you a priority. Commit to it and therefore whether or not you are motivated is inconsequential. Decide to do this once and for all, permanently and no matter what. How I wish I would have done it at your age.
Hey! Well, you sound to me like an "overachiever"! Which may be all well and good, but you know, that schedule is a killer. Why are you taking 18 hours on top of work study, etc. etc.?
If I were in your position, I'd re-evaluate my schedule and decide what I could drop. Maybe it's a class, maybe it's one of your jobs.
There are two reasons why this might help. One is that you'll be able to fit in an hour to get some physical activity. Maybe it's a half-hour walk twice a day (on average), or maybe it's an hour at the fitness center, or an exercise video. But it's a start.
The second reason is the stress. Stress produces cortisol (also known as cortisone) naturally in our bodies, and cortisol makes one want to eat and store fat as well as retain water. This works against weight loss. So, if you lighten your load, that will lessen your stress--plus exercise also reduces stress, and you might actually get enough sleep! Which is also important for stress reduction and health.
Take it from one overachiever to another... Balance is possible, but you need to let go of something...
One word, priorities. I want to be fit and slim more than I want to sleep in (it's Sunday and 5:00 am and I'm up getting ready to go for a run) or stay up late. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it, absolutely. That said I also had a busy college life and that's when I gained all my weight.
Making one thing a priority means giving other things up. Not everything, not all the time, but there are only so many priority slots in one's life and you have to chose. I've become less supportive of my students to lose weight: fewer afternoon tutoring session, fewer evening team meetings, a little less prepared in class, a little slower returning papers and responding to emails. I've become less fun to my friends: less likely to go to happy hour after work, and more likely to leave early (and not eat or drink while I am there).
These are real prices I've paid to lose weight and be healthy, and at times I have wished it could be different. But in the end, if my students are 5% less educated and some of my friendships are 10% less tight, it's ok because now I get to live to 60.
Anyway, you have to decide what things are the most important to you. You can have several most important things, but at some point you have to make some choices.
How much walking do you do? When I was in college, I had to walk everywhere because we weren't permitted cars. If that's NOT the case for you, can you do more walking? College campuses are often set up such that if you drive there, you could pretty much just park the car for the day and walk. That's enough exercise right there.
I feel like weight loss really can be accomplished through diet alone for busy, on-their-feet people.
Geez, girl, you are busy! If I were you, I'd be focusing more on the food part of the equation right now. Just carrying the extra weight around is exercise, and it sounds like you are carrying it all over the place! I think exercise is fantastic, and good for the body and soul, but I also think real, awesome weight loss is possible for you without a lot of it right now.
Good luck!
I agree with this. Just try to walk more than drive between all these activities while you eat a balanced diet in reasonable calorie range. The weight will start dropping off without you even noticing, cause you're too busy to even get on a scale.
Actually, when I was in college (and I was overweight), I found myself spending a lot of time at restaurants/fast food places. In the 15-20 minutes it took to wait for my hot wings, I could have prepared a quick chicken breast, instant brown rice, and broccoli.
I don't buy busy as an excuse. If you are busy, and you want to go to Wendys, you can buy a plain grilled chicken burger with side salad and water bottle or diet coke. You can run into a grocery store and buy a rotisserie chicken for dinner, with leftovers for lunches. Crossfit workouts are often 5-20 minutes long (and 20 max), often with no equipment.
Making one thing a priority means giving other things up.
I'm in total denial about this, but it's absolutely true. My top priorites haven't changed, my son, my husband, but I've certainly taken on a little less responsibility in my career to make time for my health/fitness. And my social life, well let's just say it's pretty pitiful, but I've never been all that social.
I do walk every where. I live three blocks from campus so I don't waste my money on a parking permit. (They're outrageously expensive anyways!) I know I'm probably burning a lot of calories that way, but it doesn't seem to make a dent in the scale. I could probably eat better- but I don't eat out that often. Mostly because I'm a broke joke. You guys are right, I need to start planning ahead. Because while I could pick up something healthy on campus like a cup of fruit, soup, or sandwich, it probably isn't as good as what I could have planned for ahead of time. And a lot of times I find myself not eating at all, which means I'm really hungry at night, and I over eat. Which isn't good for my metabolism or weight loss.
I've thought about dropping something. But unfortunately it just isn't an option. Two of the jobs are resumé builders. They don't pay much. The weekend job pretty much supports me. I know I may seem like an over achiever right now, but the truth is I really blew it my first two years of college. And now in order to graduate on time I have to take 18 credit hours this semester, and 17 the next. And my GPA is shot, so if I want a 3.0 before I graduate, I need A's. So the stress level is up there, but I think I manage the stress pretty well.
It just sucks. Over last two months of summer I lost about 7 pounds. Because I was able to work out every day- all I had to worry about was my part time job, so half of my day was free. I have absolutely failed in trying to push my new lifestyle into the school year. Maybe you all are right. I just have to make it a priority.
Well, if you are unwilling to change things in your situation... then concentrate on the food. Weight loss is mostly about the food. I watched one of the National Body Challenge shows, and a young woman contestant was overweight even though she was a marathon runner. The reason was that she rewarded her running with food. Lots of food.
I work 60 hours a week at least. If I don't go to the gym, the stress of my job overwhelms me. So I always make exercise a priority.
I started exercising when I was in college taking five classes (20 credit hours) and working full time. Sometimes I stayed up all night long doing homework. And I got straight As and graduated in 3 1/2 years. But I still made it to the gym three times a week at 5:00 a.m.
It can be done. It can always be done. And you definitely don't have to be as crazy as I was to get it done. Looking back, I'm sure I worked harder than I needed to.
Whether you exercise or not, however, what you eat must be a focus.
Last edited by Petite Powerhouse; 09-12-2010 at 06:17 PM.
How do those crazy fit skinny people do it?
Which may be all well and good, but you know, that schedule is a killer. Why are you taking 18 hours on top of work study, etc. etc.? 
