Simple weight loss advice for college freshman

[sbbbjm]

maybe this'll give you some motivation too. i'm only 24, and i've put on the freshman 15, then lost it my sophomore year, gained it back again my junior year, then lost it again.

fast foward to this summer, and i had put it back on again BUT i lost it again by october . . .

what's changed though? HOLY CRAP, it was so much easier to drop that weight when i was in college - so don't be lazy!

it may seem tough now bc you've never had to/wanted to lose weight before, but knowing that you've noticed it this early on is great in itself and can help you stay on track later when the good ole metabolism slows down a bit.

this is what 'combat mode' was like for me when i was trying to drop the weight.

- hit the weights hard, do cardio 3 or 4 times a week
- limit your complex carbs like rice, bread, pasta etc
- watch out for things like cheese, mayo, ranch etc (i know, all the things that make stuff delicious, but bite you ********** in the end)
- use cooking spray instead of oil (tbsp of olive oil is 100 calories) - better yet ask for a really nice non-stick pan for your b-day
- especially on salads watch out for dressing, croutons, hunks of cheese (a 1 inch cube of cheese has about 100 calories, and 2 tbsp of ranch have about 150 calories)
- eat more lean meats like extra lean ground beef, chicken breasts (frozen ones are cheaper/last longer), veggie burgers - protein is a lot more filling than salad
- instead of grabbing pizza at the student union grab a sandwich and if you don't need the top or bottom piece of bread or bun, toss it - that's like 100 calories plus carbs you really didn't need and it didn't really subtract from the flavor
- get a book and study on a stationary bike (i could never study on any of the machines where you were bouncy)
- do yoga
- go to the gym when your fave shoes are on and tune in
- ride your bike to class
- mix up your cardio
- try not to eat 2 hours before bed
- set your workout times consistently - when you have it scheduled at set time your much more likely to stick to the routine.

anyway, those were all things i did and i was able to shed the pounds easily back then. the shortest was maybe a month and a half - longest was 3 months. good luck!

 

[shasta]

when I was a freshman I put on the freshman 15, but spring semester, I realized I was a balloon and started eating salads/lean meats/cereal with skim milk from the cafeteria vs. a slice of pizza sandwiched between two chicken patties.

Exercise wise, I would eliptical or stationary bike for 35 minutes 6 or 7 days a week (the scenery was motivation enough at my university's rec center) and also did some of the cybex machines. Overall, about 1 hour in the gym each day.

Bottom line, I went from around 230 to 155 between January and April.

And I pounded light beers friday and saturday nights. the usual - binge drinking.

 

[Bill Smith]

Lay off the beer, do cardio and a weight regime at least four days a week and you will see some results in two to three months.

 

[yjeezle]

I had the same problem. I went from 150 --> 175 --> 145 (sophomore year) --> 155 (senior)

The only difference now from sophomore year is that i'm 12% body fat rather than 16% (sounds so small)... and I'm a LOT stronger than I was freshman year.

Anyways, for me what really worked was cutting down on all types of juices/sodas. It's not even that great for the environment to drink juices and water is the best...

I probably drank soda maybe once a month or less. I also started eating regular meals and getting the right amount of sleep (haha, I'm typing this as it's like 4 am where i'm at... oh well i'll still sleep my required amount... just means I have to start the day later :\\)

If you can start having good time management skills, you'll notice that you'll become a lot happier, feel better (as you can schedule a dedicated workout time), and be able to accomplish more.

start by just having a big calendar where you can write all assignments and things you want to do on it and then everyday wake up maybe 10 minutes earlier than usual and write down on the list all the things that you need to do and accomplish that day (put an est. timeslot for those things) and then try to accomplish those goals.

by doing that you should be able to sleep more, eat at certain times (instead of skipping food), and be able to fit in cardio/weight lifting more often.

oh, and another thing I did was instead of buying doritos or something I would buy a pack of almonds and then divide the almonds in the jar ito small ziplock bags so that I wouldn't splurge on them.

 

[Matt]

go read my Matt Beats His Own Ass thread. Duplicate. Thank me.

 

[taktikz]

Originally Posted by Sherlock

Take up mountain biking or even just road biking. Not many fat bikers. Why would anyone ride a stationary bike indoors when they can be outside enjoying the scenery.
True. But you can't get hit by a car riding a stationary bike indoors

 

[Ludeykrus]

Who the hell tells a college freshmen to cut back on beer?

Drink until your engorged liver is content.

 

[pseudonym]

I'm a freshman commuter and already gained 5lbs.


I'm considering dropping a solid 20lbs, and then clean bulking from there on.

 

[AR_Six]

Throughout the first two years of law school, I gained 25lbs. This is my last term, and I have lost 19 of them since January while adding a bit of muscle. By the time I leave, I think I'll be a good 10lbs lighter than when I started (if all goes as well as it has so far). I eliminated starches from my diet, got on a regimen of 4 weight training days per week, do a fair bit of cardio (probably 5-6 hours a week of high resistance intervals on an arc elliptical), stopped drinking anything except lemon juice in water (of which I drink a LOT), and cut my overall caloric intake noticeably. I eat a decent breakfast (lot of egg whites) and much smaller meals later on, and take some thyroid supplements. I keep a calendar to record the day (ie my workout, current weight, etc). Meanwhile I still ski as much as possible. Who knows what of this is responsible for the drop in weight and to what degree, but it's working so far so I'm not about to mess with the program. It has thus far taken some willpower, but now that I'm in the groove it's not really that hard to deal with, and feeling good about the results makes it easier.