Can anyone give me some good tips to overcome weight loss obstacles while in college?

Posted by on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 · 4 Comments 

I’m 5’3″ and currently 136 pounds, measurements roughly 35-28-38. I’m certainly not obese but I know from the past that I feel amazing in the 120′s weight range, and I’m definitely not happy with the way I feel and look right now. I’m a weight watchers devotee and have the computerized food log and fitness log (tracks measurements/weight/bmi/fat%) all ready to go, but I need some tips concerning some serious obstacles which have had me yo-yoing in weight since September.

*two free dining halls only source of food–the other, healthier places on campus offer pricey meals on a limited secondary budget of $200 per semester-dining halls generally offer pizza, burgers, eggs, bacon, and an “international” station which serves unfortunately delicious meals of 500-700 calories!
*there is a deli station, but i became quickly bored with their very bland sandwiches and my two former favorites, tuna sandwich and roast beef sandwich
*i’ve tried a couple times, but i’ve never been able to enjoy eating salads-there is a salad station, but it’s not self serve, and i have no idea what tastes good together with what dressing, etc
*the cold weather and the sloppy slushy outdoors makes me generally reconsider bundling up and walking to the campus gym as much as i know i need it

My best friend on campus (and actually kinda my only close friend, I’ve always been held back by my insecurities which I hope will be helped by losing weight) will be my roomie next semester, and she’s been a serious unconscious saboteur of my weight loss….she loves getting desserts after both lunch AND dinner, and always asks me to go with her to check out the dessert tables, if I don’t, she gets disappointed or makes fun of me…I’ve basically joined her in that bad habit where I found myself eating one or two chocolate cupcakes a day! I know she knows I’m always about to be in a diet, in a diet, or falling off a diet, but if I mention that a meal looks good but has too many calories, she’ll usually say “Oh, go on, just get it, who cares?” and when I do fall off the wagon she makes fun of me saying, “Just yesterday you said you couldn’t get dessert with me, and today you’re going back for your second serving of fries!” Right when we first met I told her I was trying to lose weight, and she said jokingly, “i’m your worst enemy then!” because she loves so much to eat.
I know that now she’s my roomie i’ll be eating even more meals with her and I need some tactics beforehand to deal with my cravings and not fall in because it’s easier to conform. She has gained weight in college too, 11 pounds in fact, but being 5’7″ and originally 108 pounds, becoming 119 pounds really has just given her very skinny frame some nice curves and bigger boobs, while my weight gain has me on the fast train towards becoming the michelin man.
I don’t blame my roomie for my weight, it’s certainly the choices I make that shape my size, but I would love some tactics for facing the obstacle of eating with her and the other obstacles I mentioned as well.

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Comments

4 Responses to “Can anyone give me some good tips to overcome weight loss obstacles while in college?”
  1. William D says:
    March 15, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    This is not as uncommon as you might think it is. Here are some sites that deal with this phenomenon called the “freshman 15.”

    The more you know about the enemy the better you can defeat it, knowledge is power and power is great!

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshman_fifteen

    http://www.ecampustours.com/campuslife/yourfreshmanyear/beatthefreshman15.htm

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/expert-qa-avoiding-freshman-15-connie-diekman?src=RSS_PUBLIC

  2. Sarah B says:
    March 15, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    The following are 5 unconventional weight loss tips that worked for me.
    Between January 4, 2007 and March 31, 2007 I lost fifty pounds.
    These tips work well because almost every tip is focused around completing a small goal.

    Here are 5 unconventional weight loss tips:

    Weigh yourself everyday

    You’ll find that almost every other dieter will tell you to weigh yourself only once a week. I recommend the exact opposite. I am very goal oriented and I like to see results everyday. The reason I recommend buying a scale that is accurate to the .2 is that there is a very big difference between weighting 170.8 one day and 170.0 the next day. Losing .8 pounds in one day is excellent. However, if your scale is not accurate enough to report the loss and still shows 170 after a day of healthy eating and working out, you will feel extremely discouraged. A more detailed scale makes it easier to keep a positive outlook. The more successes (days with positive weight loss) the easier it is.

    Drink 8 glasses of water everyday

    This one is obvious and broadly recommended, however, the reason I recommend it is slightly different. Drinking eight glasses of water per day helps you “feel less hungry.” I can’t prove this scientifically, however, when I am at work, I drink 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups in the evening. On the days that I don’t drink the water, I feel hungrier, earlier. Also, on the days I don’t drink water I feel sleepier, sooner. Don’t feel intimidated by trying to drink 8 glasses of water. Try doing what I do: I have a pint glass I keep at work, it holds sixteen ounces (as all pint glasses do). All I do is drink two pints of water in the morning and two in the afternoon.

    Make your diet public

    Tell people you’re on a diet. There’s no reason to be ashamed to be on a diet. I found that trying to keep my diet a secret was harder than just telling people. In fact, telling your coworkers, girlfriend, family, etc. will increase your accountability. It motivated me knowing that my coworkers and family knew that I was dieting because I did not want to fail. I also chose a typical “fat picture” and put it on my fridge, in my cubicle, and on my wall. I wanted to have a continual reminder to lose the weight. I know it’s a cliche, but it was important for me to remind myself of my ultimate goal.
    I feel I should also note that although I was 50 pounds over weight, when I told people I was on a diet they often said “you don’t need to diet.” I found this surprising because I was obviously overweight. Beware that you will likely hear similar comments. I found it easier to just accept the “compliment” than to try to justify my diet to them. Remember that you are on a diet for you, and that you do not need to justify yourself.

    Don’t diet on the weekends

    This is another unconventional bit of advice. I was able to lose 50 pounds without dieting on the weekends. I found myself tired, depressed, and unmotivated if I tried to continue my diet into the weekend. I felt that Friday and Saturday (my weekend) was a time to celebrate 5 days of dieting. You may not find this necessary, especially in the first few weeks of a diet. However, as many weeks passed, the weekend became a time for me to celebrate my weekly successes and get myself mentally prepared for another five days of dieting. I considered it a mental recharge.

    Don’t sacrifice your life for your diet

    On occasion, you will find yourself unable to eat healthy. Whether this is because of lunches with your team at work, birthdays, or special occasions, there will be events that you just can’t (or don’t want to) eat healthy. A diet will feel overwhelming if you have to sacrifice special events in your life. The way I combated this was to exchange a day that I was not going to diet on the weekend. In other words, if I didn’t diet on Tuesday, for example, I would diet on Saturday, instead.

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    March 15, 2011 at 3:18 pm

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  4. GiGi says:
    March 15, 2011 at 4:06 pm

    Hi, you are not the only person with this problem, my friend kate is as the same as you.she read a book and do step by step,now she is fine. I hope the book can help you too, here is the url: http://www.7fastweightloss.com