In the early years of my college career, I was extremely self-conscious about my appearance. I used to be in awe of my “thin” friends and think they were so strange. In spite of eating exactly the same foods as I did, they didn’t seem to gain any weight. I was concerned about how to lose weight while in college because of the extra pounds on my belly. Fortunately, I was able to achieve my ideal body shape in just a few months.
You will encounter many new things in college and you will also have some questions that you don’t know the answers to. Friendships, parties, and a laid-back way of life are all a part of the experience. If you want to shed a few pounds and feel better about yourself, I wrote this guide on how to lose weight in college.
Freshman 15 refers to the initial weight gain that occurs during your first few years of college.
What is Freshman 15
According to popular myth, college freshmen put on 15 pounds their first year on campus. Only 3% of people gain more than 15 pounds, according to a study. The majority of those who took part, on the other hand, saw their weight rise significantly. 4 lbs is the average weight gain for a freshman in college.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to lose weight in college no matter where you fall on the weight spectrum: whether you’re in the top 3 percent or in the bottom 97%.
Due to a major shift in our environment and lifestyle, we tend to gain or lose a significant amount of weight during the first semester of college. Consider all of the late-night cravings, last-minute plans, and traffic on the weekends. As soon as you enter college, working out is a thing of the past. There isn’t much time left for physical activity with all the classes, assignments, exams, and gatherings.
In order to avoid gaining weight for the rest of your life, you must stay focused during this time. To help you lose weight in college, I’ve put together a step-by-step guide.
How to Lose Weight in College
The following are my top ten college weight loss tips, which I used to lose more than 20 pounds during my time in school.
- Stress and Emotional Eating
“Emotional eating” is defined as the practice of consuming food as a means of coping with negative emotions such as fear or guilt.
It’s not just the food that’s bad when you’re eating in a stressful way. The ice cream tub on the shelf of your refrigerator will tempt you more than a whole-wheat bar. Endorphins are released in the brain when you eat high-carb foods, which gives you a temporary rush of pleasure.
Nothing is more detrimental to one’s health than a pattern of emotional eating. Feeling guilty and ashamed over what you just ate causes a never-ending cycle of guilt and shame! During college, it is possible to cultivate healthy eating habits and a better relationship with food.
The following are some tried-and-true methods for preventing emotional eating:
Know your triggers: The first step to improving your relationship with food is to identify your personal triggers. After a difficult college class or an argument with a special someone, emotional triggers can sneak up on you.
To avoid emotional turmoil, you need to be aware of the things that cause you to feel depressed, guilty, anxious, or afraid. Get a piece of paper and jot down as many instances as you can think of in which you indulged in sinful foods as a form of self-compensation.
Don’t stay up late: One of the most common causes of unhealthy food cravings is overindulging in alcohol and other sedatives after a late night. Stress is exacerbated when you study late at night. Make an effort to study in the morning or during the day.
Keep a supply of water and healthy snacks in your room at all times. Eating unhealthy food is more likely when it is always within your reach. Snack on an apple instead of a bag of chips or a can of soda. Take a step back and realize that eating is only a temporary fix and that you need to address the root causes of this behavior. You can also try deep breathing or stretching if you’re tempted to eat the entire bag of crisps in one sitting.
Avoiding the freshman 15 and losing weight during college can be as simple as following these pointers.
- NEAT (NOT the Drinking One)
