So I am new to the board.. I just thought that I would ask for help..
Currently I am hmm about 100lbs over weight.. or where I would like to be.. and it just seems that everytime I try to diet or exercise I just end up gaining more weight..
I am a college student so it is really hard to watch calories and such.. because I don't cook my meals.. I live in a sorority house and we have a cook.. I know most of the food we eat is loaded in fat and carbs probably..
I was just wondering if there is any one out there who is in my current situation and what they have been doing.. or if anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do to lose all the weight I need to.. I am desperate...
Thanks
__________________ Stephanie
Last edited by AXOCute7913; 11-25-2004 at 12:26 AM.
Hi,
Everyone has different opinions but I'll tell you what worked for me. BTW, before I go any further, if you are worried about a little preservatives in your shakes, then go with the Kashi diet, it's the same thing...slim fast just tastes better. Case in point, I lost 35 pounds in three months on the slim fast diet. They have many options like shakes, bars, and snack bars, that make dieting very convenient. Remember, this is just an idea, but I like it cause it worked for me. You have a meal bar in the am, then a snack like fruit or yogurt, then a shake for lunch, then like veggies, or fruit for a snack, and FOR ME, I ate whatever I wanted for dinner, I just didn't overdo it. Then after dinner you can have a fat free/low fat snack. The diet totals no less than 1200, and since you eat a higher fat dinner (like I did), then this plan should work. If you want to eat without ANY preservatives, the Kashi diet is also a good option.The slim fast products are pretty economical also, which I found appealing at the time. Yes there is foods you can eat too, but the slim fast diet takes the agony out of calorie counting IMO. I've read other posts about their success on this diet, and if I had success, you can too. Being in college and worrying about counting calories is probably the last thing you want to do. The only bad thing about slim fast is the few preservatives in them. Some people don't recommend that diet because of that, but I'm just giving you my .02, because I think it's a very easy diet to follow, and it's fairly healthy, better than pills. I did workout an hour a day 6x a week, but they (slim fast) recommends 30 minutes a day. This diet was only temporary for me, and then I educated myself on how to maintain my weight, and eat healthy. Good luck!!
You might want to try to cut your meals in half and replace the other half with water that would help cut out a ton of calories pluse the water would fill you up and suppress your appetite. If you really want to lose weight you have to exercise at least 3-5 times a week and you need cardio and weight training, if you could stay consistent at least with the exercising you would probably notice a change, enough to keep you motivated to keep going. Also, since your already there maybe look into some nutrition and fitness classes to get more accurate info for now and future use.
Well, I assume you have access to the kitchen at your house. One thing I reccomend, is buying and preparing your own meals. I know that college students have enough to pay for as it is (I am one), but if you can afford it. I'm about 40 lbs overweight now, but I've lost weight successfully in the past by eating Boca products (but not the chicken, the breading is fatty), turkey sandwiches (mustard, no mayo, no cheese), soups, and lots of salads, veggies, and fruit. The main thing is self control and motivation. If you just shove your cravings aside and eat a huge salad with vinegariette dressing. 10 minutes later youll be full, and not wanting junk food. My family is big, and from my experience, the bigger you are, the quicker the pounds drop. But losing weight is like quitting smoking, theres a three to seven day hump you need to tough out. Once you get past that first week, and you've been eating well, and maybe lost two or three pounds, you feel really good about yourself, and it becomes easier.
Also, does your school have a gym? See if one of your sorority sisters will go to the gym with you. Exercise sucks, the only people that like it are people that don't need to do it. But it's crucial to weight loss if your only dieting. Speeds up the process anyway, and helps you get over that hump quicker. I have an eliptical machine, which i definitely recomend. It burns calories very quickly. Or just walk around your campus. Walk (briskly) a mile or two a day. And when your heart gets used to it, try jogging for a half-mile. Jog a half mile across campus, and walk back.
I know that this is long but please read. It is actually a story that I have wanted to share for a long time.
My wife lost a lot of weight following a plan that is not in any of the diets that you see advertised or you read about. You have to change your whole lifestyle. Now that sounds scary but calm down it is not that bad. She joined a health club. She found someone to train her on how to use the equipment there. Just happened to be someone she worked with but does not have to be that. A good health club should have someone there that can help you. Don't be afraid to go there. Other people are in your same situation. You just might find and meet some new friends like my wife did. The next thing that she did was to get these protein shakes that they sell there at the health club. She usually drank one for lunch. They come in a huge number of flavors and no effedron (spelling might not be right). You can also use the Slimfast system or any other brand out there that uses natural ingredients. For breakfast she made her own shake in a blender out of yogurt, soy milk (vanilla soy milk is really better than you would think), some wheat germ, some whole wheat cereal, frozen fruit (bananas, strawberries..), ice if you want it to be thick, you can put some Splenda in for sweetness. You can omit whatever you might not like. Like use 2% milk instead of the soy milk and leave out the yogurt if you are like me and don't like yogurt. For dinner she ate healthy things. Grilled chicken with salad, spaghetti made with whole wheat pasta and these things called grillers that are made out of soy and used like ground beef (honestly you hardly can tell the difference). Just eat healthy!! When you go to a restaurant, eat healthy. For example: I went to an Olive Garden this past weekend. You are thinking thick cream based pastas..lots of calories and fat. I had the angel hair pasta with a basil tomato olive oil mushroom sauce..not much fat there but it was really good. In every restaurant there is some healthy choices on the menu and I can say that from experience as I am in the food selling business and have been to a bunch of restaurants around the country.
The bottom line is that you must change your food lifestyle and you must exercise. You cannot just do a diet to loose a set amount of weight without changing what you do in the future otherwise you will go back to what you ate prior to the diet. And exercise does not have to be confined to a health club. Get out and walk. We started doing hikes in the mountains and I hear you saying like right I cannot walk up some big mountains. You would be suprised at what you can do. We once walked 10 miles one day, 5 miles up a 3500 foot change in elevation and 5 miles back down. I cannot tell you how great we felt when we finished that. And guess what? We got to eat a heavier meal because of that. That is my last point. If you do some exercise and stick to a healthy diet then you can splurge a few times a month without causing any harm. After all, you cannot be expected to always eat good..especially in college. Also, at some point you can eat two healthy meals and one shake or even stop the shakes and just eat healthy.
I wish you luck. My wife is a changed person as a result of this program. People don't recognize her and for the better. She has an incredible self esteem. And I love it too as you would expect!!
any help for an overweight College Student? 
Yes there is foods you can eat too, but the slim fast diet takes the agony out of calorie counting IMO. I've read other posts about their success on this diet, and if I had success, you can too. Being in college and worrying about counting calories is probably the last thing you want to do. The only bad thing about slim fast is the few preservatives in them. Some people don't recommend that diet because of that, but I'm just giving you my .02, because I think it's a very easy diet to follow, and it's fairly healthy, better than pills. I did workout an hour a day 6x a week, but they (slim fast) recommends 30 minutes a day. This diet was only temporary for me, and then I educated myself on how to maintain my weight, and eat healthy. Good luck!! 
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