How do I lose weight in a college setting?

Question

Hi there,

I'm looking for different ways to work out and lose weight while in college. I have always been very overweight my whole life and I want to take whatever free time I have to improve my health and have a better living style. I really don't have a lot of free time during the week due to my workload but I want to change my living style for the better. Here's some things about my lifestyle that may help you guys.

1. I live in a dorm and don't have a lot of space, however I would like to find a way to workout here since whatever free time I have is normally spent here.
2. My school does NOT have a meal plan, however I do have access to a full kitchen. I also have a mini fridge that has a freezer section.
3. I don't eat fast food, I don't drink any sodas and I try to avoid junk food however I don't really know what constitutes a healthy diet.
4. My school doesn't have any workout facilities and there's really no spot for me to exercise around me. Is there anyway I can work exercise into my everyday life?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I would highly recommend you to read the very well researched and scientifically backed "Why We Are Fat" by Dr. Gary Taubes.



Probably someone will hop on here and scream about him, but you'll find a hard time finding anyone who can give proper research to refute him. (As in, not just causal hypothesis accepted as fact, but actual rigorous testing of hypothesis in human subjects). You can also read his blog here: http://garytaubes.com/



I am no relative of his or anything like that. I have no vested interest in his books or in him. I would never have bought one of his books, but I read it one day from a friend on a whim (it's not long and dense if you're a regular reader). I was convinced by his clear logic and sound science and changed our diets immediately. (We were carefully doing all the conventional wisdom stuff that the first responder has already told you, and were still just barely maintaining our obesity and even increasing it slightly at times).



We have been losing weight slowly and steadily every since (2-3 pounds a week), are never hungry, and have a lot more energy and alertness. Although not college students, were in a similar situation to yours: we live in a tiny apartment and an extremely polluted city where exercise outside is dangerous to the lungs. We could never afford the exhorbitant rates of a gym, cook for ourselves entirely, and we didn't eat junk food, never drank sodas, hardly ever had sweets and ate only whole grains. But we had no actual success till this book.



Good luck!

Answer 2

You could invest in a skipping rope, this really helps to lose weight.Also going out for a run is a really effective thing to do. Losing weight is 80% diet, though.

I would definitely recommend stocking up on fruit and veges for snacks, and completely cutting out processed food. If you want to know what's healthy and what isn't try going here - http://shapemytorso.tumblr.com/post/36339055033/beginners-guide-to-healthy-eating



Point No.3 is good, keep that up.

If there is somewhere you can run, that will definitely help. You don't need a gym to get slim!



The healthy way to lose weight:

-It's not about not eating, it's about eating smaller portions, more regularly.

-It's about eating HEALTHY foods such as here (http://shapemytorso.tumblr.com/tagged/fav)

-It's about running, getting some exercise- that's the quickest way to burn calories. This is the absolute most guaranteed way to lose weight. Run 1hr/day (you can break it up into 15 minute sections) every day for a month and you'll like approximately FIVE POUNDS, with exercise alone. So combining that with eating healthily you'll lose heaps!

-It's about getting enough sleep (which will also result from eating better)... because that's SO important to losing weight, stress can cause weight gain!

-It's about drinking a lot of water (about 1-2 litres/day and you'll see an improvement!)

I never believed you need to drink that much water either, I thought.. I'll drink when I'm thirsty. But I decided to try drinking more anyway and I've noticed a major improvement in my health.



If you need help- here's a really great site that will give you tips, facts, workouts, recipes etc- a complete guide to losing weight healthily.



:

shapemytorso.tumblr.com



Good luck.

Answer 3

Hi,



I think the best way for you is to only eat foods that feed the muscle and don't really feed the fat cells. If you didn't know then not all foods feed the same kinds of body cells equally, so this is a great starting point for you to exploit. So it would be a good idea to learn about different food groups. Basically fast digesting carbs like the sugars in sodas and white breads and white rice are the worst for being fat cell feeders with the brown colored carbs being better. The best muscle cell feeders are proteins so you should try and max out on them, just like bodybuilders do.

It's great you don't drink sodas because they are one of the main culprits for being potent fat cell feeders, only drink water because thats the only liquid that your body wants or needs - and avoid alcohol too. Alcohol avoidance may be a bit hard at college but there's really nothing that great about alcohol anyway, it's actually pretty nasty when you think about it.

As for exercise, just try and get yourself some decent running gear and try and do a jog for at least 20 mins a few times a week. You will probably hate it if you have not exercised for a long time but you will get a lot of benefit from believing in mind over matter in this regard.

Answer 4

Same boat here. It may not be much, but I've lost 6 unintentional lbs from it over the past 3 months. Just try to be active in everything you do. Park further from the buildings so you can walk more. Take the stairs instead of elevators. If possible, stand instead of sit. Eat only enough and not over.



Little things like this goes long ways.

Answer 5

Weight loss can only happen if you are eating in a deficit of your daily caloric burn.

You can get a rough idea of that by using this calculator: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to get your BMR (the calories you would burn if you were bed ridden) and multiplying it by an activity number http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/. Most people burn at a 1.3-1.4.



Once you get your number, you eat in a deficit of that number. 3500 calories roughly equals 1 pound of fat loss. If you eat in a 500 calorie deficit everyday for a week, you will lose roughly 1 pound of fat. If you eat in a 1000 calorie deficit everyday for a week, you will lose roughly 2 pounds of fat.



Walking is a great source of exercise. You might also want to looking into getting a suspension trainer, http://www.leighpeele.com/which-suspensio-trainer-is-right-for-you. You can attach them to anything, so that would be good in your case since you don't have a lot of room.



Get a balance of carbs, protein, and fat. Making sure you eat all different kinds of veggies (greens, carrots, potatoes, etc.), fruits (apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, etc.), grains (pasta, rice, etc.), proteins (animal meats, legumes, tofu, dairy, etc), and fats (butter, oil, nuts, etc.).

Answer 6

Enjoy your treats abroad. Pop to the ice cream parlour for a scoop of your favourite tastiness, or plan a meal treat with friends using a weekend. Turning your cravings into an adventure takes the temptation from snacking at home.

Answer 7

Time your feeding on and exercise appropriately. Never eat before you work out, and wait 30 to 60 minutes after training to make sure you catch your metabolism from its highest.

Answer 8

Pineapple: Nibble about it to break down the proteins inside your main meal and kick start off your metabolism.

Answer 9

Banish salt from the foods wherever you can. Not only does it raise your blood pressure and dry out your blood, but sodium causes you to retain water contributing to overall ill health insurance and weight gain.

Answer 10

don t eat dinner to close to your bed time

Answer 11

Try yoga to lose weight

Answer 12

Time your ingesting and exercise appropriately. Never eat prior to work out, and wait 30 to 60 minutes after training to make sure you catch your metabolism with its highest.

Answer 13

drink 3 cups of green tea in 24 hours researchers say it can increase energy expenditure by 106 calories

Answer 14

use a vegetable bean dip such as hummus instead of ranch dressing or a fatty cream based dip

Answer 15

are your dishes too big a healthy dinner should fit on a 9 inch plate

Answer 16

Believe in yourself. How often have you admired someone and their achievements and then instantly thought, ‘I’d love to do that, but I just can’t. ’ Don’t limit your achievements by your thoughts. You can do whatever you want to do.

Answer 17

2 hour power yoga class

Answer 18

15 minute minimum walk after each meal

Answer 19

pay him back with a 25 minute rubdown

Answer 20

when cooking or baking ditch the hand mixer and use a wooden spoon instead

Answer 21

volunteer to deliver meals or help build housing

Answer 22

put less food out and youll take less in