A
female
age
26-29,
anonymous
writes:Hi all! Hope everyone is having a good week. Some of you may remember I posted a question a few months back about losing weight, I bought an exercise bike and managed to lose a stone! However I am now having some problems with it, and would love some more advice, as the advice I got back those few months ago was astounding. Luckily, since then I haven't put on any weight, and have managed to keep it off. I still count my calories and haven't slipped into old ways, even though I allow myself a treat. However at the beginning of September I joined a new college, which has been amazing, but it has pretty much taken over my entire life. I go to college in a different town to where I live, I have to get the bus everyday, and even though it is only a half an hour drive it takes my energy out of me, as does the stressful amounts of coursework. Some days I'll start college at half 8 and get back at 5, and I will admit I am not the best person when it comes to time planning so it does get to the point where I end up being too tired to do anything. It does get to me, as I love exercise and before I went back to college I was exercising almost every single day and now I am lucky if I can fit it in for even 3 times a week, as I have to juggle coursework, looking after myself and having a social life. Also the balanced meals I was having have become hard to maintain, as when I get home I can't be bothered to cook myself food so I just get whatever really, also most of my colleges food is deep fried and laced with fat! They do have a very small healthy selection but it tastes disgusting, I had one of there sandwiches and it made me sick, so its hard to get food there. Also the high-street where all the food is, is a ten minute walk away, so as I have mountains of coursework I don't always get the time to go there, and of course food costs money, and I don't have enough of it. So I have unfortunately been just...not eating because its inconvenient. I know of course this is a bad route to go down but I really need some suggestions as to how working people/students manage to incorporate losing weight/ a healthy lifestyle when they have so much to do? I really could appreciate any advice. Also as well as the bike, I have bought some weights as I wanna tone up my arms and I want to start sit ups and am looking to get involved in doing Yoga from my home....but how exactly do I fit it in with my day, without being too tired and having time to do coursework among other things? I preferably would like to exercise for around 30-40 minutes, five times a week...if you think I am taking on too much just let me know? I have been stuck at the 12 stone mark for a whole month now, I keep going 1 pound over it, and then 1 pound under it, and then back again. I'd love to lose another stone/half a stone by Halloween! Exercise and getting the shape I want is part of my mission to happiness, and even though work comes first I don't want to give it up! All advice welcome thankyou!
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reader, So_Very_Confused  +, writes (6 October 2014):
 Most adults work 40 hours a week and commute too... we learn to make the time...
for example.. if I get up at 6:30 and I get to work at 8 and I work till 5... I will be home around 5:45. I still have to make dinner and do the home chores.... so when can I work out...
well there are things you can do... planning is involved and weekends will become important.
1. STAND on the bus... standing is much better for you than sitting.
2. make time during your day to exercise... get off one bus top early and WALK to your classes.
3. between classes WALK... 3 ten minute walks will do about the same thing as 1 thirty minute walk. or climb steps in a building... walk a flight of steps.. do a lap in the building on the floor you are on.. then another flight of steps and another lap.
as for food... plan in advance.. cook in advance...
it's coming to winter.. a big pot of chili or stew or soup is great and you can freeze it in single serving sizes... take with you for lunch (nuke in microwave or heat at home and carry in a thermos) also can have it for dinner when you get home.
for me I have been known to have a protein shake for dinner if I am too tired to cook (I have one every morning for breakfast on work days)
I have battled with my weight my whole adult life. 5 years ago I had gastric bypass and while it was a godsend.. I still have to do all the things necessary to keep healthy.
avoid elevators and climb steps...
get up and take a walk every hour or so... for 5 minutes...
prepare food on the weekend for during the week.. cut and prep your veggies in advance...
simple little things... baby steps..
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reader, anonymous, writes (6 October 2014): Ignorance is not the motivation behind my posts, and if you knew better, you wouldn't be asking a question that really isn't that difficult to figure out. Sorry you didn't like it. Advice is either taken or rejected, and it is beneficial to others when it isn't to the OP.
Going without eating isn't good for anyone, but constantly weighing yourself will lead to anxiety. That isn't an ignorant comment. You may not like my advice that's fine with me. There are plenty of readers who do just fine by it.
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reader, anonymous, writes (5 October 2014): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionFantastic advice Ruby! I myself love Carrot Soup, I never even thought about buying a flask or something so I can take it with me. For me, Salads aren't usually fulfilling enough, but i'll admit, I am not very culinary adapt, so I don't know much about different types of salads or soups, so I think I need to dig out some healthy cook books or look up some recipes online. I am definitely going to follow your advice and make my lunch the night before, because you are right, in the mornings I don't have time because I have to get a bus, and in all honesty I just don't feel like making food. I'll take your advice, when I have some spare time i'll look at the salad you mentioned, among other easy to do lunches and start working my way through them. :)
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (5 October 2014): Check out kayla itsines, I bought her ebook training guide (it was £25-£30ish) and boy does it work. 3x30 minute work outs that you don't need a gym to do (you don't even need all the equipment, as she has suggestions on what to replace them with e.g. Bottles of water instead of dumb bells...)
She is really inspirational, fortunately for her she is someone who has always been a naturally slim person but she has pictures of her clients before and after...I was featured on her Instagram with my before and after as I lost 2 dress sizes (and kept it off).
Now is good to get in good habits that can last a lifetime. When you're working a full time job you'll be even more knackered than you are now, but with exercise the more you do it, the more energy you have to get up and do it again. Of course nutrition is key, it you're skipping meals then of course you're going to feel even more tired and then there is the chance you'll end up eating things not so good for you as you blood sugar levels are dropping etc...
You need to have a timetable for yourself and set alarms if you have to. Do you sit and watch tv in the evening? Stop watching it 10mins sooner and there is time to prepare and pack a lunch for the next day. How about waking up 45mins earlier to exercise for 30mins and you'll still have 15mins to shower before breakfast...
Motivation to do it all has to come from you. Instagram is fabulous for the fitness community. I wouldn't pay too much attention to random peoples suggestions for keeping fit and healthy (because obviously some don't know there quads from their biceps). There are lots of meal ideas, and exercise ideas for inspiration.
If you don't fancy purchasing a guide, go on YouTube - Jillian from "biggest loser" has some fitness videos on there, of a channel called "fitness blender" is freaking awesome! They have free fitness videos, all different lengths of time depending on what you can fit in.
I'm currently training for a half marathon, and I am in my final year at Uni, my job is mega demanding and stressful (I work 30hrs a week for a police force, to pay my mortgage while I study - I am a full time student and have 5 modules to study for, amounting to what should be 25hrs a week independent study) and I manage to fit in training sessions around that and my stupidly long assignments. I used to be appalling at time management but you just have to find a way to teach yourself better habits.
I have to mentally timetable my day (often I actually write my plan in my diary and tick it off!) Generally most days are:
Set an alarm for 0600 to get up, then I know I've got an hour to walk my dog, on Uni mornings before I walk my dog a make some porridge and have it ready to microwave before I leave so I can eat it on my journey. If it's not a Uni day, then I have to know that the dog walk and breakfast is done my 0830, I can then settle down to study (reading, assignments or whatever needs doing!) and I give myself until 1230. I might grab a snack (apple, banana) if I get peckish but I make sure I don't get distracted and start cleaning or something. 1230-1330 I make lunch and while it cooks I tidy the house (each day I have different jobs, so everything is always done!) 1330 I nip out with my dog again for some fresh air, and to give him time to play. 1400-1500, depending on workload, I either study again, or fit in some exercise/marathon training, as at 1500 I am getting ready to work and I then work 1545-2300. Then it all repeats...some days I might exercise a bit after breakfast, or before I walk my dog - but whatever I do, it's all planned!
So really it's about getting organised, and sticking to it :-)
Well done on getting healthy so far, brilliant progress. Don't beat yourself up if you're exercising every single day. Its better to have a few, good quality workouts, than madly trying to do a quick one almost every day. Your body needs days to recover too! Days you can't devote time to exercise you could maybe just get the bus and stop at an earlier stop, and walk the rest of the way as that's still better than nothing xx
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reader, anonymous, writes (5 October 2014): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThankyou for your advice! And yes I will agree I need to time plan better and just try and stay on top of things.
I love eating healthy, and I will admit it is getting to the point where when I get home i'd prefer to grab a ready meal than actually cook something nutritious, just because...I really can't be bothered when I get in.
I will stand by what I say, and I can tell you I am not making excuses. When I am at college I like to sit and do my work and my college has a shortage of computers, so if I nip and go and get some lunch normally when I come back I find my computer is gone -_-. I know it sounds silly but I have been kind of putting coursework over food, and I know that is a recipe for disaster.
I do already have my fitness pal! Its brilliant, and from the results I have got from that the stuff I am eating is fairly okay, but I am just not eating enough, and I know because I am not eating enough my body clock is kinda getting turned upside down and I kind of don't get that hungry at lunch, so that puts me off going to get something to eat even more.
I think what I need to do is start planning out each day, what I am going to have for this and that, so then when it comes to it i'll have a plan in action. I know I need to have some more protein, as I have not been eating as much chicken and fish as I did before. I also need to accept that some days I simply can't exercise, and there are two days in my week which I should just accept that I can't do, and that is Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
I as a person too am always pushing myself to do more, and I think maybe I do need to accept that some days, just doing a little bit of exercise is fine, and I don't need to bite off more than I can chew. I am gonna plan out today what I want to do each week so its sorted and I can get my body back into a routien, so thanks :)
Also no nonsense Aidan, I think freezing meals sounds like a great idea! I don't know why I haven't thought of that before. I also do have a sensible weight goal and once I get to that weight goal thats where I am going to stay. I might even get to a certain weight before then and feel that is good enough as I know when you keep on losing weight it can have awful side effects. I have a friend who lost an amazing amount of weight, however she is now stick thin, and is still focused on losing more weight, and there is simply nothing left for her to lose. I don't want to be like that, i'm doing this so I don't have to worry about weight loss. So thanks for your kind words :)
Thanks for your excellent advice, I'll try and stick to it and do my best. :)
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reader, anonymous, writes (5 October 2014): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThank you all for your great advice...but before I want to continue I want to say I am rather angry about what WiseOwlE has said.
How dare you think you have the right to diagnose me with something I don't have. I have posted a lot of things on these websites over the last few years, some to do with weight and some to do with things which are completely different and you seem to have to take things to the extreme and always assume the worst.
I am training to be qualified in mental health, I know a lot about it and I can tell you now I do not have an eating disorder. I miss out lunch occasionally, I always have dinner and I probably buy myself a take away a couple a times a month. In fact I eat a 12" pizza last night and I just love how you think you can determine someones "mental state" by a post which is a few paragraphs long.
I LOVE food. And sorry but we don't all have bag fulls of money, my parents are poor, as I am, so affording to buy food from the highstreet, I can't always do. I can afford in college food because they give me money each month to spend within the college. I also have to see a doctor every 3 months or so, and she is AMAZED by how well I've done and does not think there is any risk of me having an eating disorder.
I am not making excuses, I am past that point, if I was still making excuses about health and food and exercise I wouldn't of been able to lose any weight at all. Abuse my body? Excuse me.... I've done amazingly well, I started off not wanting to get up each day and stuffing food in my face to make me feel better about life, I have found the strength to sort myself out so I can get to the shape I would like...also as far as health goes, I was pretty healthy before I started to lose weight, so thats why it wasn't about that, it was about boosting my self esteem and being who I wanted to be.
I still eat healthy, I just stuggle to find the time to have BALANCED meals because it takes time to cook, and to figure out what to have which is fulfilling yet not laced in calories. And obsessed with the scales? How many times in my post did I say I say I weight myself per week? How many times did I specifically say I look at the scales? I didn't, you have assumed, which makes an ass out of you and me.
Also just for the record, I have been having counselling for 4 years, and I have done so well and improved so much that I am being struck off the list next month...soo that kind of says it all.
Some of you make think I have over reacted due to WiseOwl's ignorant post, but it angers me to know when I first came on here before I started losing weight, I had people on here who told me that being fat was this and being fat was that, and that I needed to lose weight. Now I have done that, through my own free will, I have someone telling me I have an eating disorder... and then people wonder why big people don't have the courage to lose weight, because it just seems whether they do or don't they don't get any support from it. Also to speculate that someone has an eating disorder on a website like this is partly against it terms and conditions. If I was a lot younger and I was diagnosed with something, I could take this so seriously it could really do some damage, so please don't speculate about things you have no idea about, I would say you can only diagnose someoen with a mental problem, if they have posted about SEVERE and very obvious tell tale signs, and even then you tell them to go to a doctor, you don't attempt to diagnose yourself, and I love how you "suspect" I have an eating disorder, but then go on to give suggestions on how I should lose more weight. My goodness.
Sorry folks, going to post my response to the more helpful of your advice in another post, now the negative part is dealt with.
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A
female
reader, RubyBirtle +, writes (5 October 2014):
Take a packed lunch with you. Yes it might be a bit of a hassle to have to carry an extra bag around with you but that's a small sacrifice. If you can, invest in a small cool bag and a thermos flask. I got mine from a charity shop. Maybe put it on your Christmas list. If you can also get an icepack you can take all sorts of healthy and yummy food with you without encroaching into your usual food budget.
Soups are great. Just heat it in the morning in the microwave until it's piping hot and pour it into the thermos. It should still be hot at lunchtime if you've got a good quality thermos. Bring a bread roll with you for a more substantial meal. If, like me, you're not a morning person learn how to make Gazpacho which is a chilled soup -very very healthy and no cooking required. I make a big bowl of this and it lasts me three days in the fridge. It transports well in either a thermos flask or water-tight tupperware container in a cool box to keep it fairly chilled. I even eat it for breakfast!
Taboulleh (Lebanese style salad with grains) is another dish that lasts well in the fridge for a couple of days as long as you don't add dressing to it until shortly before you want to eat it. It's healthy and transports well in a tupperware container. Put the dressing on just before you go or take it along with you in a separate container. The only downside is that it does take quite a bit of preperation time - which is why I always make a massive bowl and make it last. It makes a nice side-salad for other meals too so you don't get the feeling that you've eaten the same thing for days on end.
Most of my packed meals are jazzed up left-overs from the night before. If I'm having pasta with a (vegetarian)tomato based sauce, I'll make extra and pop the leftovers in the fridge. Mix in half a tin of sweetcorn and I've got a pasta salad for the next day.
I do all the prep work the night before because I'm not a mroning person and I know I wouldn't do it in the morning. I even pack the cool bag the night before and put the whole thing in the fridge.
Just a few don't about taking a packed meal (which I've learnt the hard way)
1) Don't forget to take it with you in the morning. Don't leave it in the fridge and end up having to eat it for dinner instead.
2) If it requires utensils to eat it, take them with you unless you know you can get them from a canteen. It looks very unglamourous eating pasta salad with your fingers.
3) Don't forget to unpack your coolbag and wash your containers at the weekend. Finding a tupperware container which has grown a furry inner lining is not pleasant!
As for cooking when you lack energy at the end of the day... I was so pleased when I discovered boil-in-the-bag fish. It's healthy and all you've got to do is pop it in a pan, pack and all, and boil it for the time specified on the pack (usually about 10 mins). You don't even need to watch it closely while cooking. You do some lunges or lift some weights while it's cooking. If you want some veg with it, you can steam them in a pan above the fish or boil them in another pan. Some packs come with two fish fillets in it and the other one can be put in the fridge and eaten cold with a salad the next day as part of a packed meal to. It goes well with Taboulleh.
I also make extra on the days that I do feel like cooking or I have more time and freeze the leftovers so some evenings I can just nuke something in the microwave. I find that the 500g margarine tubs are an ideal size to freeze individual portions of pasta sauces etc.
I hope these tips help some
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female
reader, YouWish +, writes (5 October 2014):
 Yeah, you're dealing with what puts the "Freshman 15" on many college students, dealing with disgusting greasepot fast food and processed crapola. I always ate really healthy when I was in high school because my mom stocked really good food because she was a health nut and a neat freak, but when I moved out to go to college, I found myself counting every single cent paying for college and working a full-time job. I fell into the rut of whatever was the cheapest food I could find along with study groups ordering pizza and Chinese and greasepot crap. I knew the moment I started running up the stairs and started feeling sluggish what the problem was.
I *had* to make the choice to put my health up as a huge priority. I started drinking water instead of snacking whenever I'd get "the munchies", would buy healthy low calorie stuff and cut things out like wrapping turkey breast sandwiches in lettuce instead of bread, and drinking tea or fruit juice instead of soda. I also got out of the awful habit of NOT eating breakfast, even if it was just a boiled egg or a piece of toast or instant oatmeal.
Also, working out can be "on the go" simply by changing things you do, like the stairs instead of the elevator, doing 5 minutes of core exercises if you've been sitting an hour studying, or taking walks in the evening or morning. I had a health club near my place (Bally's) I'd go to at lunchtime before eating. I felt my stamina increase a *lot* when I started thinking about EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth.
Heh, I should give you some "homework". For the next 3 weeks, you should keep a food diary, and be really truthful on it. Write down the time and amounts of EVERYTHING you put in your mouth, whether it's a handful of M&M's, or a piece of gum or fruit juice. Seriously - time and amount. Use Myfitnesspal.com (it's FREE!), and it will calculate the calories of what you're eating. I use it and it is awesome! It also tracks how much you're burning as well in exercise, and it has an app on your smart phone so that when you're out at college and on the go, you can track and make it a really good habit.
Try it! You'll find that just not eating as much is dangerous. It's not about putting less fuel in the tank...it's about putting higher quality fuel in the tank...the kind with less sludge.
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female
reader, Tisha-1 +, writes (5 October 2014):
 Google HIIT workouts and Tabata drills. These are short (20 minutes max) that will rev up your fat-burning.
Prepare healthy meals and snacks in advance so you don't make poor choices.
Get better at time planning.
Build in some down time and some food indulgences into your planning.
Not eating something every few hours is setting yourself up for failure.
Fit people don't make excuses. So stop letting yourself make excuses.
:) Good luck!
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reader, anonymous, writes (5 October 2014): Losing weight too fast is weight you'll gain back, and then some. Your weight loss is motivated by anxiety and could easily lead to an eating disorder. I am quite concerned for you.
You're giving yourself convenient excuses to relapse, and finding a new avenue of anxiety. You admit you don't manage your time wisely. So manage your time wisely.
A ten-minute walk is exercise. You do have ten minutes for your health, that's a lame excuse. Get fruit and health snacks. If you don't know, ask your doctor.
Get an exercise DVD to workout to in your dorm room. Set aside time for studies, relaxing and resting, and running to the store to get healthy food. Stop giving yourself excuses to eat unhealthy food. Stop reading the scale all the time.
You seem to find a lot of excuses to abuse your body. Not eating, not finding the time to get healthy food, not having the money for healthy food, obsession with the scale. I worry because I think you're developing an eating disorder out of anxiety issues.
Budget your time and discipline yourself to get proper rest, eat properly, and study. If you don't have time to workout, you don't have time to workout. Just eat healthy food. I think you're taking on way too much concerning your weight. I don't think you have a healthy mindset for it, and you may need to see a nutritionist and get a little counseling. You're too obsessed about weight-loss, and it's not healthy. You should be concerned about your health, not your physical appearance. That is the problem here.
I've read your post before. I think there is a deeper problem than you share in your posts, and you're obsessed about your weight. Have you asked other students how they do it? If you don't have money for decent food, call your parents.
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male
reader, no nonsense Aidan +, writes (5 October 2014):
IT concerns me that you miss meals, this isn’t good. One solution is to make things at the weekend you can freeze and heat up during the week. The internet is full of student recipe ideas for busy people like you, not to mention the cook books that promise you meals in minutes.
You can also do more of your exercise at the weekend. It’s very common to do little in the evenings after college, work or school because these things are exhausting, and studying is even harder than working for maintaining a bit of life balance, because when you work you have hours to work, and possibly overtime, but there’s a point where you’re done for the day and then you go home. Coursework is different because in theory there’s always more time you could give to it.
I would say reduce the frequency you intend to exercise, because you’ll be exercising anyway just getting around during the day. Perhaps put some time aside 2 evenings a week to do some, and make the most of the weekends. Think about the time you’d like to spend on each item to help determine whether it could be accommodated during the week or should be saved for weekends. Planning your time, and having the self-discipline to stick to a plan, will help you get some structure to your days. Try doing a breakdown of to dos for the week and allocate times for them, stick to it (have it somewhere where you can easily see it), and see how it goes. It definitely should include a time to spend with friends and family as this is very important.
I am a bit concerned about your weight loss though, losing a stone is a considerable achievement for which you deserve credit, but you now want to lose more. Please make sure you’ve got a target weight that is reasonable, and that you don’t give in to the temptation to keep trying to lose that little bit more when you’ve reached it.
I wish you all the very best.
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