Tips for staying healthy and fit as a busy college student!
This post is all about weight loss for college students.
There’s a reason that the “Freshman 15” is a well-known occurrence in college… It’s sometimes hard to stay fit and healthy in college! Weight gain is so common for college students. I thought I wouldn’t gain weight in college, but I was surprised when I actually did! So, I wanted to share some tips on weight loss for college students that helped me personally lose some of the weight I had gained in my early college years.
Between the busyness of being a student, the late nights studying, and your limited budget, it can be really difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle in college. But there are simple ways you can make your life easier and healthier!
In this blog post, I’m sharing my own journey of weight gain as a college student, and then I’ll give you 20 tips to achieve your weight loss goals in college.
Before we get into it, please note that I am not your health professional, so don’t take any of this as medical advice. I am simply sharing what worked for me to make healthier choices and speed up my weight loss efforts. Consult with your own doctor and keep in mind that everyone’s health journey is different!
My health journey in college
It really surprised me when I gained weight as a college student because I’ve never really struggled with weight gain or loss. Before college, I always maintained a healthy weight quite easily.
But in my first year of college, I gained almost 10lbs by the end of the year… and it felt like it happened all of a sudden!
Looking back, I’m sure there were warning signs that I just wasn’t paying attention to. But between exams, social activities, extracurriculars, working, and going to class, my stress levels were soaring. So, it makes sense that I gained some weight.
The truth is, I think there are several factors that impacted my body weight in college. Here are a few things that I think contributed:
- A more sedentary lifestyle: Long days of studying and working remotely meant I was sitting down for several hours on end
- More alcoholic beverages: I’ve never been a big drinker, but alcoholic beverages can be a cause of weight gain. This likely contributed a little bit for me, but if you’re drinking regularly in college, this could be a huge contributer for you!
- Lack of sleep: Don’t underestimate the impact sleep has on your health and even body weight. My sleep schedule was all over the place in college, and I think this definitely made it more difficult for me to maintain a healthy weight and healthy hormones.
- Less time for workouts: In my freshman year, I struggled with maintaining a consistent workout schedule. This definitely got better over time, which improved my overall health and helped me lose weight eventually. But it was not easy for me to adjust to the insane college schedule in my freshman year, so this definitely played a role!
- Eating habits based on convenience and cost: I was on a tight grocery budget throughout college, and this meant lots of ramen noodles and pasta dinners. But this was also because those things were easy to make, whether in a dorm room or apartment. It took me some time to learn how to find healthier options that were still convenient.
- Eating unhealthy snacks while studying: I always ate things like hot cheetos and chocolate when I had a long day of studying ahead, because I told myself it was my reward for studying. Now, don’t get me wrong… There’s nothing with having a nice yummy treat, even if it’s junk food! But there was a period of time where this became a habit for me and resulted in me struggling to stay healthy.
All throughout college, I did strength training and went on walks pretty regularly, but in my first two years, my workout habits were not very consistent. Obviously, fitness plays an important role in health, so once I started working out regularly, I definitely noticed an improvement overall.
The tips I’m sharing today are all things I learned through my own health journey in college!
TIPS ON WEIGHT LOSS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS:
1. Avoid too much dining hall food
I know that this is hard, because sometimes going to the dining hall is your only option. But there may be times when you can skip the dining hall and instead opt for healthy snacks and quick meals that you keep in your dorm room.
Think through your class schedule ahead of time and try to pack some nutritious snacks for when you’re on-the-go. This way, you’ll be less tempted to stop at the dining hall or a vending machine.
2. Keep healthy snacks around
I’ve learned from experience that you’ll only eat the healthy snacks if they’re actually easy to grab on the go, because life gets so busy as a college student!
I like keeping snacks on hand like:
- String cheese
- Greek yogurt
- Granola
- Protein bars
- Fruit drinks
- Protein drinks
- Rice cakes & peanut butter
- Fresh fruit like apples and grapes
3. Meal plan whenever possible
It can be hard to do this if you’re living in a dorm room, but meal planning and prioritizing home-cooked meals always helped me maintain a healthy diet.
It’s easier to maintain healthy habits when you plan accordingly and build it into your schedule.
When you meal plan, you have more control over what you’re eating and what ingredients are in your food.
When I meal plan, I look at the week ahead to see what my schedule is like. On busy nights, I’ll purposefully think of healthy meals that are quick and easy to make. On nights when I have more time, I might cook something that needs a little more time and attention.
Meal planning doesn’t mean you have to make everything in advance (but you can if you want!). It just means that you’re being thoughtful and intentional about what you’re eating and when.
4. Think about how to maximize physical activity
Throughout my college years, I really struggled with maintaining a consistent workout schedule.
But remember, you don’t need to do intense workouts every day. Sometimes, simple movement is enough to get the job done.
Now, I make choices that maximize the amount of physical activity I get. For example:
- Taking the stairs up to my apartment instead of the elevator
- Walking to places that are in walking distance instead of driving
- Taking breaks to walk around or stretch on long study days
5. Eat a big breakfast
Personally, when I started eating a big breakfast, that’s when I actually started losing weight.
I’m just sharing my own experience here, but throughout my first few college years I used to barely eat at breakfast and I would jump straight to drinking coffee. By lunch, I would be really hungry and usually craved a heavy meal.
When I started eating a big breakfast, I prioritized getting lots of protein. I would eat things like eggs, yogurt, bacon, oatmeal, or a smoothie with protein powder.
Now I find that this carries me throughout the day. If I’m on the go, I’m less inclined to buy fast food. If I’m at home, I’m less likely to snack on a bunch of junk or heavy food.
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Eating a big breakfast has made me feel so much healthier and stronger each day.
6. Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach
I don’t know if this tip specifically helps with weight loss for college students, but it 100% made me feel healthier and more energetic, because now I start my day with nutritious food instead of coffee!
7. Keep healthy snacks for late night study sessions
I used to eat junk food during late night study sessions as a “reward” for myself, but it’s honestly not worth the health risks.
Now, if I ever need to stay up late doing work, I’ll try to opt for healthier snacks like baby carrots, plain popcorn, fresh fruits, or even small pieces of dark chocolate! This helps me feel like I’m getting a treat while staying healthy.
8. Eat whole foods
Once I started prioritizing eating whole foods, I got healthier and started losing weight.
I have always been pretty health-conscious, but in college it’s easy to grab-and-go or eat lots of fast food. But eating as many whole foods as possible is one of the best ways to improve your health.
Instead of focusing on whatever fad diets are out there right now, just try to focus on foods that were grown naturally, not processed. It’s a great rule of thumb!
9. Find small ways to make lifestyle changes
There are always small ways to make good lifestyle changes.
Here are some examples that have helped me:
- Drinking water instead of getting pop when you go out to eat
- Drinking tea before bed to wind down
- Staying home to rest when you need to
10. Get enough sleep
Sleep is so underrated for health!
I know it’s hard to get enough sleep when you’re a student, but if you can manage to fit it into your college life, prioritizing good sleep will make you so much healthier. Sleeping enough is so important for everyone, but especially young adults!
I always aim to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep, but 9 hours really is my sweet spot.
11. Surround yourself with health-minded people
When everyone is on a busy schedule, you’ll be more successful at staying healthy if you encourage each other to do so. Sometimes you don’t realize it, but your social life plays a huge impact in who you become. If you surround yourself with people who don’t care about their health, you won’t be as motivated to stay healthy.
So, tell family members and friends about your health journey, and get their emotional support on your health goals!!
12. Try making small swaps on your plate
I wouldn’t advocate for eating smaller meals or limiting your food intake… You need food to be healthy and functional in college! But there are simple swaps you can make on your plate to get in some more nutrition.
For example, instead of oil-glazed fries, why not go to the salad bar? Rather than a roll of white bread, what about swapping it for some more chicken to get higher protein?
I can’t tell you exactly what to eat, because everyone’s nutrition needs are different. But think of easy ways you can make simple swaps to keep yourself on a healthy eating plan.
13. Have some go-to dorm room workouts
Losing weight in college isn’t all about body image. Hopefully you also care about avoiding health issues like a cardiovascular disease later in life!!
The best way to set your health up for success later in life is to stay active. That’s why I love dorm room workouts so that I can get some movement in on days when I don’t have lots of time.
14. Aim for 8000 steps per day
This might be easy for you if you’re walking around campus a lot, or it might be difficult if you’re spending a long day studying.
The point is, walking is one of the easiest ways to stay active. Most people thrive off 8000-10,000 steps per day, but set realistic goals for yourself!
15. Always opt for high protein
Eating higher protein is really what kick-started my own personal weight loss.
I started eating higher protein by making really simple swaps. I would take less rice and more chicken, or I would eat a protein bar as a snack rather than having chips.
You need protein not only for muscle, but also for energy! I’m not saying never to reach for chips, fruit, bread, or other food items, but trying to get more protein when you can will keep you full and energetic for longer.
16. Do workouts you love
You’ll never stick to a workout schedule if you’re not doing workouts you love!
Whether it’s pilates, weightlifting, swimming, walking, running, dancing, or something else… You just need to get in some movement you enjoy.
17. Set health and fitness goals
Setting goals is the best way to stay on track.
This could be a weight goal if that works for you, or it could simply be a goal like “I’m going to work out 3x per week.”
You can use my free goal setting template to do this – it’s the goal setting worksheet I used all throughout college to keep myself on track!
18. Focus on aiding your cognitive function
Health in college is not all about having the “perfect” body. Focus on living a lifestyle that will make you an overall healthier person because this will help you achieve higher levels of focus, productivity, and aid your overall brain function.
19. Remember the phrase “Everything in moderation”
Remember, it’s never bad to have some cafeteria food, eat junk one day, or pull an all-nighter to study.
The main point is that you don’t want to turn these into unhealthy habits.
As long as you’re doing everything in moderation, there’s no reason why you can’t make progress towards your fitness goals!
20. Remember that your mental health and physical health are linked
This totally changed my perspective in college. For me, staying healthy was about way more than weight loss for college students. It was also about keeping my mental health in a good place as a college student so that I could succeed and thrive in everything I did.
This post was all about weight loss for college students.
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