Weight Loss Tips for College Students

Avoiding the Freshman Fifteen

In my experience, the beginnings of weight gain happen when you graduate high school and go to college. This is mostly due to college students being less active (no more after-school sports), poor diet habits, and alcohol consumption. So if you’re looking to avoid the freshman fifteen pounds of weight gain, these weight loss tips can help. Here are 4 weight loss tips for college students to avoid the freshman fifteen

Make time in your schedule to do cardio

Depending on what you’re going to school for, it may seem impossible to get in cardio. If you played sports in school, then that was something that was already in your schedule in terms of activity.

The same thing must happen in college if you want to succeed. If you’re not playing sports, set aside 30-60 minutes a day of walking, light exercise, or anything that will improve your cardiovascular health.

I think jumping rope is a great way to stay active, you can do it at home, and jump ropes are cheap. Also, did I mention it burns 1000 calories per hour?

Here is the jump rope we’d recommend for beginners. We like it the best because it is a weighted jump rope. It will help you burn more calories and build muscle. You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Stick to low-carb alcohol

In all honesty, it would be better if you didn’t drink alcohol at all in terms of weight loss and health., But let’s face it, part of college for many people is socializing and going to parties. While not everyone will indulge in alcohol, many will.

To avoid gaining weight as much as possible while still being able to enjoy alcohol, stick to the following lower-carb/sugar drinks.

• Low-carb light beer
• Dry red or white wine
• Hard liquor

This will reduce the caloric load of other alcoholic drinks, leading to better results.

Strength Training

Weight or strength training can help college students avoid the freshman 15 by helping the body burn more calories at rest resulting in increased metabolism.

Building more muscle will also dramatically change your overall appearance for both men and women.

Remember to get enough protein during strength training and take it slowly. If you do too much exercise at the same time as going to college, you’re bound to burn yourself out.

Meal Prep

When I was in college, I started getting into bodybuilding and burning fat. The best way that helped me build muscle and burn fat was meal prepping. Now I still had my cheat meals once or twice a week, but meal prepping set up my success.

Also, I was pretty much broke in college, so I needed to make every calorie count. Here are some of the items and meals I made during college that kept me healthy and satisfied. Therefore, I literally couldn’t afford much so shopping at the dollar store was a must.

List:

• Canned beans (1 dollar)
• Canned Chili (1 dollar)
• Cheese bricks and slices (1 dollar)
• Flour Tortillas (1 dollar)
• Salsa (1 dollar)
• Spaghetti (1 dollar)
• Pasta sauce meat flavor (1 dollar)
• Frozen meatballs (1 dollar)
• Whole wheat bread (1 dollar)
• Canned Chicken (1 dollar)
• Light Mayo (1 dollar)
• Mustard (1 dollar)
• Pickles (1 dollar)
• Box Macaroni and Cheese (1 dollar)
• Milk (1 dollar)
• Nestle quick chocolate flavoring (1 dollar)
• Ramen Noodles (1 dollar)
• Chef Boyardee beef ravioli (1 dollar)

My brother and I only had a budget of $20 per week, but we made it work with the items above.

Actually, I am sort of shocked we were able to make it work with that low of a budget and feeding two men in their early to mid-20s.

Here are some of the meals we would make throughout the week:

Breakfast

Protein Drink (milk and chocolate flavoring)

Lunch

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

• Bread
• Canned Chicken
• Mayo
• Mustard
• Pickles

Chicken, bean, and cheese burritos

• Canned Chicken
• Beans
• Cheese
• Salsa
• Tortillas

Dinner

Spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs

• Spaghetti
• Pasta Sauce (meat flavor)
• Frozen Meatballs

Chili Macaroni and Cheese

• Canned Chili
• Boxed Mac and Cheese

Ramen Noodles with chicken

• Ramen Noodles
• Canned Chicken

Chef Boyardee beef ravioli

• Canned Ravioli
• Cheese on top

These may not be the healthiest items, but they will help you lose weight and stick to a budget. Remember these 4 Weight Loss Tips for College Students and help prevent the freshman fifteen for good!