no energy to lose the freshman 15

[n1sprinter]

My freshman year at college did not go as planned. I struggled with my classes, only made a few good friends and worst of all gained the freshman 15, well actuall 18 to be exact. I started this summer hoping for things to get better and with the goal to lose the weight. This however did not happen, and as of this morning have gained an additional 12 pounds. The sad thing is this is isn't much of a surprise since I can't seem to motivate me to work out and have definitally not been watching what I am eating. I ran track and cross country in high school yet however I am always finding excuse to avoid running this summer. Has any one else had this same problem where after gaining weight just don't have the energy to lose it?

[ohwhyme]

yea but I got the energy back when me and my ex broke up. Used to have a huge beer belly and now I got a six pack, it feels great. Just suck it up man and start slow. Go running or lift weights, do something. Watching what you eat is a whole new lifestyle. Remember most of it is all about diet. Anyone can get a six pack and look good its a matter of how badly you want it.

[Throne Of Lies]

You can do nothing and still loose tons of weight. You need around 1200 -1500 calories a day just to sit in a bed a survive. Sit in bed, read some books, and pound water for a few weeks on a skeleton diet, and you will shed weight QUICK. Why do you think people get so skinny in the hospital? It is the same type of thing.

[n1sprinter]

I think that part of my problem was that I didn't mind the intial 18 pounds, it gave me curves that I never really had before. However now I need to buy all new clothes and the one thing I hate about shopping is that half of the money goes to bras. Also I am starting to feel self conscious around friends and family, and since I have never been over 120 lbs before I am sure they are talking about my weight behind my back. Dispite all this I have no energy to run like I used to.

[lovestruck818]

There ARE fun things one can do that are exercise...

 

swim, ride a bike, rollerblade, play sports, take a walk. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore and/or be miserable.

[Cheza2920]

You can do nothing and still loose tons of weight. You need around 1200 -1500 calories a day just to sit in a bed a survive. Sit in bed, read some books, and pound water for a few weeks on a skeleton diet, and you will shed weight QUICK. Why do you think people get so skinny in the hospital? It is the same type of thing.

 

That is a terrible idea. Try loosing the weight in a healthy way, not starving yourself. If you do a diet like this, yes it will work, but the moment you go off the diet and start to eat normal again you will gain ALL the weight back if not more.

 

Try getting those few friends to work out WITH you, make it a fun group thing, or even join a gym or work out near some hot girls (or guys, whatever) to keep yourself motivated.

[BUENG1]

My freshman year at college did not go as planned. I struggled with my classes, only made a few good friends and worst of all gained the freshman 15, well actuall 18 to be exact. I started this summer hoping for things to get better and with the goal to lose the weight. This however did not happen, and as of this morning have gained an additional 12 pounds. The sad thing is this is isn't much of a surprise since I can't seem to motivate me to work out and have definitally not been watching what I am eating. I ran track and cross country in high school yet however I am always finding excuse to avoid running this summer. Has any one else had this same problem where after gaining weight just don't have the energy to lose it?

 

Same exact thing happened to me. I ran 50-70 miles a week in high school for cross country/track then I didn't in college and I gained 15 pounds, try to start doing intramurals and stuff like that. Also try to find either former teamates or friends to run with.

[lino]

My freshman year at college did not go as planned. I struggled with my classes, only made a few good friends and worst of all gained the freshman 15, well actuall 18 to be exact. I started this summer hoping for things to get better and with the goal to lose the weight. This however did not happen, and as of this morning have gained an additional 12 pounds. The sad thing is this is isn't much of a surprise since I can't seem to motivate me to work out and have definitally not been watching what I am eating. I ran track and cross country in high school yet however I am always finding excuse to avoid running this summer. Has any one else had this same problem where after gaining weight just don't have the energy to lose it?

 

 

I got out of shape after a long holiday 6 years ago and to get myself motivated I just looked at pictures of myself before the holiday and it worked well.

[Elyssa]

That is a terrible idea. Try loosing the weight in a healthy way, not starving yourself. If you do a diet like this, yes it will work, but the moment you go off the diet and start to eat normal again you will gain ALL the weight back if not more.

 

Try getting those few friends to work out WITH you, make it a fun group thing, or even join a gym or work out near some hot girls (or guys, whatever) to keep yourself motivated.

 

Eh? 1200-1500 is perfectly reasonable to begin a diet. It's not starvation at all.

 

I've lost 103 lbs since November of last year and that's about the amount of calories I've been eating the entire time. My husband's caloric intake has been 1500-1800 for the same length of time and he has lost 78 lbs. Neither of us has any trouble keeping up these calorie intakes, and they have become our normal caloric ranges until we reach our target weights, at which point they will increase to maintain it.

 

OP, the best advice I can give you is to eat better foods and cut down the portions. Snack throughout the day on healthy things (wheat crackers, raw veggies, fruit, etc) and don't eat past 7 pm. Don't worry too much about counting calories and nutrients just yet.

 

Stop eating out entirely if you can, especially fast food (pizza, McDonalds, etc). It's very difficult to regulate what you eat when you're not the one cooking it, as most places add all kinds of fats and hidden calories to your food even if it started out as an innocent vegetable-based dish. Reduce the amount of canned/precooked meals you consume and substitute them by fresh ingredients where possible. Use cooking spray and small amounts of olive oil in place of butter. Make liberal use of spices to condiment your food as opposed to using sauces. Use yellow mustard (0 calories!) instead of ketchup. Switch your milk to fat free or 1%. Add vegetables to all your meals instead of pasta or rice sides.

 

Then, once you've got all this down, start being realistic about your portions. Read the labels, see how much is the recommended serving. It's not always a realistic serving size, but at least you will know how many calories you're consuming by eating that specific amount and you can learn to keep track of them.

 

Try this for a couple of weeks and see if you've lost any weight. If you are losing weight steadily, keep it up, no need to change anything. You probably just needed to eat better. If you haven't lost weight, you will need to start counting calories more seriously to figure out where they're going.

 

I would suggest starting at 1500 (I assume you're female), and see how you feel. Start reading labels more carefully and adding up everything that goes into your mouth. Don't underestimate your calories by ignoring sauces, condiments and cooking oil. If you don't know the calories of something, look it up on the net! (for instance, google "calories banana")

 

It's tedious, yes, but after a while you start knowing the caloric values of most of the things you eat regularly and it becomes second nature to keep track of it. I haven't counted calories in a couple of months and I'm still losing a regular 2 lbs/week.

 

Losing weight is not about starving yourself, is about learning how to eat properly. You CAN have the things you like, you just need to be moderate about it and account for them into your caloric needs. Do you feel like having a small candy bar? That's fine! Just make sure you add the calories up, and preferably, have it in the morning or early afternoon so you have time to burn off all that sugar. Don't buy into fad diets that tell you not to have carbs or whatever. Carbs are essential for your body. Even fat is necessary for you to be healthy!

 

One last thing... if you slip up and pig out one day, don't give up, just have a normal meal the next time and continue eating right the next day. It's not the end of the world! And don't forget there's plenty of people here to support you through your weight loss, as well as specific communities that deal with this exclusively (I'm a regular at this one).

 

So, I hope this wall of text helps you or someone else in your predicament. Do feel free to PM me if you need a weight-loss support buddy!

 

Best of luck!

 

-E

[I love chocolate]

I do agree with the caloric intake being really important. You just have to get used to having less calories. I happened to catch Oprah the other day while channel surfing and they had this couple in their 50's, both very slim, who practice calorie restriction. Supposedly it will add years to your life.

 

I suggest getting out and walking for about 45 minutes a day along with dieting.

Also, when you get back to college, they often have campus recreation centers with equipment and track, and this is all free for students to use.