There is no doubt that maintaining a healthy weight is super difficult in college. There is a lot of other things you need to be focusing on, like keeping up with school, trying to get into the gym and sustaining healthy friendships! Many people would say getting in the gym is vital to losing weight, but there are countless other things that play into shedding the pounds. My freshman year of college, I gained about 30 lbs from numerous reasons. By spring quarter of my sophomore year, I was down 42 lbs and felt wonderful about myself!
There are many things besides getting in the gym that I had did to lose weight. I continue to do these different things to maintain my healthy weight on a daily basis.
1. Accept The Process
First things first, you need to realize this process takes time. Losing weight happens gradually, I find that stressing out about losing weight is pointless. Remember, that transforming your body will take more than a month, or even a couple months. To see the results you want, be willing to work hard and be patient. Every day of that hard work and patience will pay off.
2. Daily Exercise
Don’t get me wrong I made it to the gym on average about 5 days a week, but I made sure I was getting as much extra exercise as possible throughout my day. Living off campus has its perks because I lived about a mile and a half from the gym and class. I walked to and from school and the gym. I would try to walk around as much as possible because even the simplest thing like walking everywhere helped boost fat burning. I know how hard it is trying to walk in Ellensburg in the middle of winter quarter, but it helps I promise!
3. Cleaner Eating
Healthy eating is the most essential thing when it comes to losing weight. You need to realize that healthy eating does not mean you should cut all those sweets and mac and cheese cravings down the drain, just remember moderation is key. There are many healthy options and alternatives when it comes to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast, I found myself eating oatmeal with a tablespoon of brown sugar, a banana, and a big glass of water. One important thing about the food you are eating; make sure none of it is premade. Pre-mixed oatmeal has significantly larger amount of sugar and calories than plain oats with packaged brown sugar. When it comes to lunch, you definitely have options. You could go with a pre-fuel meal for before your workout, which typically consists of more carbs. You could also go with a light meal to keep you on your toes for your long day, which could contain fruits and or vegetables. Or you could go with a mix of both to help you find a happy medium Lastly, when it comes to dinner, try your hardest to hit all the food groups. Keeping a balanced dinner is necessary to being healthy because it is your last meal of the day. You need to make sure you aren’t eating after 7 p.m. and your last meal should be the finest one.
4. DO NOT DRINK THOSE CALORIES!
Drinking your calories is one of the easiest ways to gain weight. Stay away from those sugary drinks! I found myself drinking a lot of water, because besides cleansing your body, it helps clear your skin too! My all-time favorite thing to drink is green tea. I found that green tea helps with boosting my metabolism, clearing my skin, flattening my stomach, and it was a great way of getting that boost of energy throughout my day. I was drinking anywhere from three to six cups throughout the day. It cleanses those toxins!
5. Staying Motivated
Lastly, staying motivated is easily one of the hardest things to do when it comes to this process. There are many ways to stay motivated and you can do that in the simplest ways. Progress is important and once you see the progress you have made over time you will not want to stop. Take pictures throughout this development so you can see where you started and how far you have come. In addition, having a friend who is also looking to transform themselves can benefit the both of you. Sometimes you will find yourself wanting to skip a day of working out and having a friend to motivate you occasionally, is just what you need. Let me tell you, cheat days are going to be a huge part of this process. You cannot go every day of your life not eating poorly, sometimes. I had about one to two cheat days a week. Cheat days make your world go around! You must trust the process because in the long run you will be so proud of how far you have come. When you start to notice the growth in yourself and your lifestyle you will start to feel more confident. Don’t give up hope and remember, you have the fight in you to be the best possible version of yourself, no matter what!