<p>It certainly seems that the majority of 18-22 year college students are lean and slim. Does being obese and have a bad figure affect you at college? like getting bullied or mocked or something?
And what about keeping facial hair like mustaches? I haven't seen anyone with a mustache so just asking ;) ;)</p>
<p>college isn’t high school. I doubt there would be any bullying or mocking. However, usually college campuses are quite big, so walking may be difficult if a lot of excessive weight is an issue. Some kids gain weight in college (the freshman 15), but some lose weight from all the walking.</p>
<p>As for mustaches. You’re right, I haven’t seen many on college campuses. Do you feel that you must have one?</p>
<p>thank you. I look better with a thin mustache rather then having no mustache. Do you think it will be an issue?</p>
<p>Looking forward to other thread peepers to post. Thank you once again :D</p>
<p>I think you watch too much American drama…</p>
<p>None of the stupid people you see in those stuffs really exist in reality.</p>
<p>I’m obese and attending a particularly healthy school, but I’m not worried about it. Honestly, I never even experienced a negative atmosphere because of it in middle or high school. I do, however, plan to lose weight in college. I’ve been able to identify the reasons why I’m overweight, and because of that, think I’ll do well once I’m able to abandon that situation. Could that be a possibility for you?</p>
<p>I don’t see your mustache being an issue (plus, you can always shave it off if you feel out of place with it).
The obesity will probably be a problem in college to the same degree it will be a problem in “real life”… it may limit your ability to participate in some activities, some people will find you physically unatractive, etc.</p>
<p>@applicannot: That could be possibility 
I’ve tried reducing weight but it seems very very strenuous. Maybe there was a lack of motivation.</p>
<p>Well, it helps to find out why you are overweight. For me, there are many reasons, and many of them will be eliminated or alleviated once I go to college. For example:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>We are low-income, and eat cheap foods. Cheap foods are terrible for you. We really can’t afford healthier foods. Plus, we never throw anything away so sometimes feel obligated to eat food even if we don’t want it. Food is also cheap entertainment - it’s much easier to buy a half gallon of ice cream and a redbox than it is to, say, go to the movies for a night out.</p></li>
<li><p>I am extremely bored. I have that kind of incurable intellectual boredom. I eat when I’m bored. I live in an extremely rural area and there’s just nothing to do, so I eat. Hopefully I won’t be so bored in college!</p></li>
<li><p>Food in my family is a ritual thing. If you are young, you are expected to eat a lot. If you only eat a little - like one serving - another will be given to you whether you like it or not. My grandmother, for example, will forgo dinner because she feels I have not “had enough.” My family prides itself on cooking big meals or huge pots of food.</p></li>
<li><p>If you exercise or eat little, everyone hears about it and everyone talks about it. There’s no privacy to change. Plus, we live very far from any gym and I don’t have any transportation (or money). Working out at home or in the neighborhood just gets “talked about” and nitpicked until I can’t stand it anymore.</p></li>
<li><p>D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-O-N. I hate this place. My family is a wreck. Money problems are huge. And on top of all that, it’s clinical. Etc., etc. This is something I’m hoping will be alleviated once I leave this place.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So, for me, personally, the reasons I’m so overweight are certainly curable. Many of them are a matter of leaving where I am now and gaining freedom in my choices (as well as breadth of options). If you can pinpoint why you are obese, maybe you can start making changes.</p>
<p>applicannot, you will find it easy to live a healthy lifestyle at Stanford. You can exercise outdoors almost every day, there are lots of great gyms and pools on campus, and there are plenty of healthy food options available (even a Subway at Tresidder for those following in Jared’s footsteps).
If you need emotional support, that’s readily available, too.</p>
<p>On most campuses, even just the walking you do on a daily basis will be more than you do now as a high school student. It will be good for you.</p>
<p>My DS is a heavy college guy.( He has been told many times by his doctor to lose weight.) He hasn’t been teased by anyone at school about his weight but it means no girl will look at him twice. (sigh) He would like to date so he is a little saddened by that. He walks everywhere and works out at the gym every day. The food at the main dining hall is awful and greasy so there are not great choices for him. For every meal he will try to grab some fresh fruit and a salad if it is available. And he limits eating pizza and fries to once every other week. It’s difficult because the school offers fries (or hash browns) at every meal. Fresh fruit and the salad bar run out quickly but there is an endless supply of french fries!</p>
<p>We visit him twice a month because he is close by. Every visit we go to Costco and buy him a supply of fresh fruit and a huge bag of carrots. With those supplies, he can skip eating at the dining hall for a few meals.</p>
<p>Anyway, he is doing the best that he can to control his weight.</p>
<p>Re mustaches: I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess times have really changed. When I was in college and law school, I think close to half of the guys I knew had mustaches. It was the 1970’s, after all!</p>
<p>OP - You have approximately 6 months before college begins. What can you do between now and then to get healthier? Think about it. Maybe just small changes. A little at a time…</p>
<p>Agreed with eddie- we have a great thread going on in the Parent Cafe re: health and wellness. Come on over. </p>
<p>D attends a school where everyone (or so it seems) is thin and fit. When she got there, she wasn’t. By making better choices foodwise and plenty of exercise (yes, walking everywhere) she’s lost about 40 pounds. And is much happier. So think about what you can do to improve your health now - you’ll be glad you did!</p>
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<p>That’s my goal. I know that I’m capable of making the right changes, and I’ve gotten to a point where I actually WANT to (motivation, like the OP said, is a HUGE factor), but I’m limited by my situation. The great thing about Stanford is that working out is effortless. I love to take long walks, but here I really can’t. I also love the pick-me-up of exercise, and Stanford has readily available (albeit busy) gyms. Plus, as with any college, there are unhealthy food options, but there are also many nutritionally solid options in the dining halls.</p>
<p>However, although the others are telling the OP to try to lose weight now, I caution it. Don’t fight to lose weight if you’re not ready. I did that a few years ago and rebounded badly. I wasn’t yet aware of the factors of my weight, and at the time felt fine - no need to lose weight. Now I am aware of and feeling the baggage of my extra weight, so I’m READY to live a healthy lifestyle. Don’t diet. Dieting is stupid. You have to be ready to change the way you live. That’s why I stress finding out what the problem is and then attacking it the best way you can. I’m hoping to lose 75 pounds, but if my new lifestyle balances me out at -50 or -100, so be it.</p>
<p>One of S1’s college roommates was well over 300 lbs. Socially, it didn’t seem to affect him (except no gf). He was always one of the guys. Physically, it did affect him. The other roommates were very fit guys who were always playing pick-up basketball, working out at the gym, etc. They liked him a lot and always invited/encouraged him to come along but he got tired so quickly that he could never participate for very long. They lived off campus (but within walking distance) and he would have to stop and rest while walking to class. </p>
<p>S2 was a lineman on the football team all through h.s. He was always working out for football so all the trips to Wendys with his friends never showed until senior yr. when football ended. By the end of summer after grad., he had put on over twenty pounds and was the heaviest he’s ever been. </p>
<p>He went off to big state u. ate less fast food (will never cut it out entirely) and walked a LOT back and forth to class across a big campus. By the end of freshman year, he had lost over twenty pounds. He looks and feels much better and is now wearing the same size jeans(34) he wore as a h.s. jr.</p>
<p>Good luck to you OP. College will be a whole new life for you.</p>
<p>applicannot:
It sounds like you have it figured out pretty well and will likely do very well with your health once you’ve switched environments.</p>
<p>OP:
I think generally, people at college are more concerned about their own interests and also will hopefully be a little more open minded and not be involved in bullying/teasing activities like some (unrealistic) movies might portray. Keep in mind that many people are transitioning from a HS with a fairly small number of students to a college with a large number of students and in many cases are making a fresh start as opposed to going to school with people they’ve been with since Kindergarten. Often the students are coming from many different cultures and backgrounds so things like others’ body size, facial hair, sartorial choices, etc. don’t really matter to them.</p>
<p>I think for those who have been struggling with weight issues the transition to going away to college can be beneficial if the person puts their mind to it. The environment changes, the person has matured intellectually and can possibly realize the factors behind why they have a weight issue, they hopefully realize that now ‘they’ are in the driver’s seat on the issue, they’re in an environment that usually has plenty of sports, gym facilities, etc. However, there are some things to watch out for - dorm food, which can typically be very unhealthy and contribute greatly to the ‘freshman 15’, getting ‘too busy’ to allocate time for fitness although it’s more a matter of focus and priorities, and some students get involved in other unhealthy activities like excessive drinking or drugs.</p>
<p>It’s all about the beards for my s and his friends. Facial hair is IN at his college.</p>
<p>OP I think you judt need to be yourself and not worry about what others think. ometimes whe you feel confident, it shows and can be an asset for you. Do little thnings to icrease your activity and eat healthier options. Don’t focus on losing weight , just being more healthy and active, the weight will follw.
Don’t worry about a beard, if that is you, then so be it. Be yourself.</p>
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<p>Exactly.</p>
<p>And don’t equate thin with health either, OP. I’m underweight (and always have been) but I share Applicannot’s unhealthy eating- because eating that way is cheap and affordable. I have other health problems- asthma which kicks in with too much cardio, but I’m going to be eating much better and walking regularly, not because I need to lose weight, but because it’s good for me, and I need to get healthy. I’m going to a student athlete school too, and I know I don’t do physical activity like most of the student body does. </p>
<p>I agree that dieting is stupid- it’s not about weight, but health. Some people are just heavier than others naturally. Focus on eating well and keeping active. Weight loss is the side-effect, but probably shouldn’t be the main goal.</p>