Help how did you do it? (if anyone else has been in my situation)

[wannabeaslimjim]

hey everyone


over a year ago i lost a lot of weight through the Exante meal replacement diet, but then i went back to university and got bored and ate and ate and ate. over the course of the year i put the 5 stone i lost plus another 3-4 stone back on and i tried exante again but it was clear that it is a one try thing as it is near impossible to stay on it. so off i went to America for study abroad and i am determined to lose weight but through work load and just trying to get accustomed to things i havent started yet ( i know as i write this is an excuse) well i decided i am going to eat healthy and excercise.

well the food on campus is not healthy at all, i mean they do make your own salads but i was on them and only salad for two weeks now i cant stand the thought. i dont have basic cooking utensils i have a hob and a microwave that is it so cooking is hard but i am determined to find a way.

well the food i did buy that was calorie deficit-ic ran out and recently started going to the gym and this is my major problem:After i go to the gym and run out of food my mind craves bad food so in the last two days i have been eating bad food i mean ive had wendy's which is like a bad mcdonalds and today i had steak (which is ok) but then i went back and got nacho's and ive had energy drinks more crisps and a slice of pizza with a large coke, a bottle of coke and gatorade.

so really i need help and advice how did anyone else or how would you stop these cravings i plan on going shopping in the next couple of days and having breakfasts of sausage and/or bacon with eggs which is around 200-400 calories depending on what i have or just porridge and fruit and then like 300-400 calories for lunch which would leave me 700-1000 calories max for dinner if i cap my calories at about 1500. also how much excercise as the minimum i am trying to get is about 4 hours a day?

as you can kinda tell from the way my post is constructed i need help..

 

[wannabeaslimjim]

lol ONLY 2-10miles.... and its mostly cardio but i cant run on the treadmill at the moment so its harder i just have to do like an incline of 7 on like 3mph

and i want it but its hard because everytime i get small i end up getting bigger

 

[LinLin]

Sounds Sooo frustrating! I'm hearing that you got small, only to get bigger again, and don't want to repeat that.

And also that you have a real motivation to change. That much time walking shows real dedication!

Here is what worked for me so that the cravings disappeared. 1) I cut out sugar. Entirely. I didn't eat anything processed so that there's wouldn't be any hidden sugar. 2) I cut out wheat. Again, there is hidden wheat in lots of food, so I avoided anything processed.

Within about a week, my cravings for sugar and carbs had vanished, and I didn't want to snack. It was amazing, actually, as I had been a real grazer, nibbling on something every 2-3 hours.

As for what you can do without a lot of cooking.... For breakfast try fruit. Just fruit. Not the kind swimming in syrup or that come form cans where they are in corn syrup. I'm talking about bananas, apples, berries, etc. my breakfast is nothing but fruit, though as much as I want of it. If you are worried about the glycemic index, look up which fruits have a lower gi and choose those.

Try couscous as a grain. You basically pour boiling water on it and leave it for a few minutes and it's done. You can eat loads of raw veg - carrots, sweet peppers, celery, etc. Try them with low-fat hummus, yum! No cooking, no fuss. Rice cakes and hummus are great, and I often add chopped raw garlic to give it a zing.

There's lots you can do, both in cutting out (sugar is the most important) and adding in (whole plant foods).

Good luck and let us know now how you get on!

 

[jezebell]

This thread is kind of old, but I really relate to what you are going through. Living in the dorms is bad enough - not really being able to cook for yourself and the constant temptation of the pizza and soda in the cafeteria. I also ate salad for weeks! Ugh. Then being so busy from classes that you don't really want to cook even if you could! I did manage to lose a little weight though. But only after the first semester, during which I gained weight!
I did it by staying away from meat. I didn't really want to, but the meat you are served at the dorm cafeteria is the cheap, fatty kind. Trust me this will make a big difference - but I would only recommend this if your school serves vegetarian options because it can be unhealthy if you replace meat with, say only cereal or chips.
I love LinLin's suggestion about hummus and fruit, which don't require cooking (but I cant stand raw veggies so I would go for whole-wheat crackers or something) and I would add yogurt and nuts to that list. These aren't "meals" except maybe breakfast. I ate a LOT of "veggie burgers" on toast, which you can buy frozen and easily heat. Not the most delicious but with some simple spices they are pretty darn good, and very quick and keep you full! To avoid the situation you described about eating too much at school - find a friend, or anyone really to eat meals with. Even if its just a few times a week, like the days you are most stressed or the meals when you are most likely to make unhealthy choices. I find that having someone to talk to makes me slow down and think more about what I'm eating. - same thing for exercise. I just don't go running if I'm alone, I just don't.
Protein (non meat if at all possible) and whole wheat, that was pretty much my mantra when trying to eat well at school, and it can be found at the dorm cafeteria and it can taste good. But it does take some getting used to. Good luck in you studies, take good care of that body, sweetheart. It's all you've got!