This year I transferred from another country to a large US university.During the past few years I would always cook breakfast, lunch and occasionally dinner for myself and my mother. I’ve never had a problem with overeating before- we had oatmeal for breakfast, some vegetables with meat for lunch and I usually ate cottage cheese for dinner. But when I came to the US, the variety of food in the dining hall impressed me a lot, so I told myself I’ll just try everything and then eat normally again. But something went wrong and I now eat tons of sugary cereal, chocolate milk and cookies every day. I feel disgusted with myself. Has anyone ever had a similar problem? What should I do?
Gradually wean yourself off it. Don’t just quit cold turkey.
Eat the healthy options, get out of the dining hall right away, and schedule a sweet treat into your eating plan every few days and only after one meal that day. Eating a lot of sweets and carbs makes you crave more. You might feel hungry when you first switch to this healthier plan, but after a while you will adjust. Until you get this under control don’t linger in the dining facility. You don’t want to end up with a big weight gain, that’s even harder to undo.
Talking to a dietitian at the wellness center could help figure out what to eat in the dining hall.
Go to the gym and do cardio and weights. It will suppress your appetite and you’ll feel a lot better. You won’t crave sweets the same way, your body will reject them. Best time for me was before class, I was wide awake instead of groggy and was able to concentrate more during the day.
What I sometimes do if I notice myself going for the less healthy options is plan out what I will eat based on what is always on the menu. For instance, our caf always has soup and salad, so I plan to eat soup and salad for lunch all week. One bowl of soup, one small plate of salad.
Also, try to eat at a similar time every day. Your schedule is probably all out of whack and you might be super hungry when you go to eat, which makes you gravitate towards the filling-looking deliciously sweet food instead of what is healthier and better for your body. Making a pattern helps your body adapt to new eating habits