<p>So I've kinda been a lurker here before...but I'm looking for some advice about the dreaded freshman 15.
I just finished up my freshman year at college and I've gained a little over 15 pounds since I started. I was a swimmer in high school and in decent shape. When I got to college my dorm was a mile walk from the pool and I didn't go all year except for twice. I go to school in Minnesota, so a mile walk is forever in the winter!;) I also met a great guy and spent a lot of time with him, so exercise just kinda got left behind.
I knew I'd been gaining weight all year and at Christmas Break I'd gained about 5 pounds, but I didn't weigh myself at school. The jeans that had a button break during the middle of my chem midterm during spring semester tipped me off that I was getting too fat. But I was so busy with my boyfriend and my extra weight was not too obvious, so I didn't worry.
So now it is summer and I can't really fit into any of my summer clothes...my bikini is out of the question at this point.:( I would definitely swim for exercise, but I work all day at a bank on my feet and am exhausted at the end of it. Basically I love to eat and hate running on a treadmill, so does anybody have any suggestions?</p>
<p>dont run on a treadmill maybe? make it a point to run/swim with your bf at school or do something at the gym, itll be a good excuse to hang out more</p>
<p>elliptical? Watch tv while you are on it and time will go by fast. I usually jump on the DDR pad too, it makes and hour go by very quickly.</p>
<p>I know most people actually don't gain 15 lbs in their freshman year (more like 5-10...) though so you would definitely want to lose it and go back to your pre college days :D GOOD LUCKKK. I gained 5 lbs during freshman year too but lost 10 lbs during that summer to make up for it.</p>
<p>Just run, or walk around your neighborhood.</p>
<p>i'm losing 15 lbs over the summer so the freshman 15 will make me normal again.</p>
<p>excited-- I'd just like to commend you for wanting to look the best you can, even though you already have the security of a boyfriend. If only more girlfriends out there would share your attitude.</p>
<p>If you're already making excuses as to why you're not running, there's a 99% that you won't go through with your weight loss plan, and you'll just keep gaining weight like most other women do. I've had jobs where I've been on my feet all day. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and try to help you. If you're actually serious about this, you're just going to have to suck it up. </p>
<p>First of all, CC really isn't the best place to ask this. Most of the people seem like chubby girls or anorexic guys, most of which probably haven't properly exercised in their lives. Join forum.bodybuilding.com and read up on proper nutrition and exercise in the Losing Fat and Nutrition sections. And you should definitely be running if you want to properly exercise, get fit, and lose the weight that you've gained. You need to make a lifestyle change, so you need much more than suggestions. You need to do a bunch of research on your own.</p>
<p>the generalizations/assumptions made on cc are atrocious</p>
<p>Hey!</p>
<p>I know where you're comming from haha I have innate fondness for unhealthy foods too lol =). I think that most people have or will face the same problem as you so don't be too embarrassed about it. If you were on the swim team that means that you used to enjoy swimming huh? If you still do, than make it a "date" (like bja advised) with your bf or with one of your girlfriends. I know the walk is long, but think of it as extra effort to get that 15 off :). Just start walking or swimming again; try to work your excersizing schedule up to the point like you used to before freshmen year. </p>
<p>Best of luck and KEEP TRYING :)</p>
<p>Oh and Russell7: It wasn't really necessary for you to put someone down like that even if you do offer them (a little of) advice in the end.</p>
<p>It was just criticism. If she actually wants to lose the weight, the first thing that she has to change is her attitude and realize that losing weight is a hard thing that requires a lot of sacrifice (eating habits, cardio, etc.). I've been weightlifting for a long time. I've done cutting cycles many times. I've had probably hundreds of people ask me about losing weight and the one's that have that attitude in the beginning never last more than a couple weeks. But if you want to talk about what's unnecessary; being that sensitive is unnecessary.</p>
<p>Well Russell put it bluntly, but he's right. I'd say at least 95% of people who go on diets or exercise regimens don't have the willpower or patience to stick it through. Healthy results often take 2-3 months to fully materialize, and it's tough in the beginning.</p>
<p>My suggestion: Just join in whichever sport is going on in your quad 3-4 times a week. Frisbee's a good one since it simulates a sprinting workout and once you get decent at it it's pretty fun. For the summer? I'd say do some running followed by light lifting (5 pound dumbbells are sufficient for most girls), and run through all the exercises, including crunches, with them. Just keep your sets above 20 and you won't build bulk.</p>
<p>"Just keep your sets above 20 and you won't build bulk."</p>
<p>Um, that's pretty inaccurate. High volume is most conducive to hypertrophy (that's what bodybuilders do), but that information is more germane to guys. No one lifts some weights then becomes the Incredible Hulk over night. Girls never have to worry about getting bulky. A little muscle tone will help trim the fat. Train the same as guys, but with just less weight. Do the same types of rep and set schemes.</p>
<p>Um, that's pretty inaccurate. High volume is most conducive to hypertrophy (that's what bodybuilders do), but that information is more germane to guys. No one lifts some weights then becomes the Incredible Hulk over night. Girls never have to worry about getting bulky. A little muscle tone will help trim the fat. Train the same as guys, but with just less weight. Do the same types of rep and set schemes.</p>
<p>No they don't. Bodybuilders train in the 6-12 rep range. Some programs like max-ot have rep ranges around 4-6. Some go as high as 15 on some exercises, mostly isolation movements, or with exercises that train low twitch fibres like calves.</p>
<p>Volume is a term to define the number of sets mostly, not the number of reps in each set. 20 reps won't do hardly anything for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Anything above 15 really only helps with muscular endurance and capillary density.</p>
<p>I agree that she can probably train the same, though; except with reduced volume since women's recovery isn't as good as men's. She won't have the testosterone to gain much muscle, anyway. Muscle tone will not help trim fat, though. Spot reducing doesn't exist; at least not to an appreciable extent (recent studies have found that insignificant amounts of spot reducing might be possible).</p>
<p>edit: Unless by muscle tone you meant that a bit more muscle would raise metabolism and help burn fat, which is true.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions!
So although some of the comments were harsh...they were probably true. Actually I don't have a ton of willpower when it comes to food. In fact here is my diet for today.</p>
<p>Breakfast
2 packets of strawberries and cream Quaker oatmeal (each packet has 130 calories, so 2 packets are kinda necessary)
1 glass of 1% milk
Snack
Cinnamon roll my mom baked fresh (I know thats bad...but they just smelt so good)
Lunch...I went out w/friends
2 slices of Canadian bacon pizza from Pizza Hut
3 buffalo wings w/ranch
2 glasses of Diet Coke
Snack
apple (yay...healthy)
Pop Tart
Dinner
Spaghetti w/meatballs
Fresh salad</p>
<p>So this is all I've eaten so far...how would you guys rate my diet for today.
I'm going to the pool tonight to do some laps...swimming is really relaxing for me so I'll try to go swim more often no matter how tired I am.</p>
<p>lol, is this a joke? You're expecting to lose weight eating that? </p>
<p>I give that diet 0/10. Honestly, you didn't try to eat healthy at all.</p>
<p>Breakfast
2 packets of strawberries and cream Quaker oatmeal (each packet has 130 calories, so 2 packets are kinda necessary)
not bad... quaker oatmeal has quite a bit of sugar, though. Oats are a good idea (low glycemic index - good complex carbs), but try to get oats without the added sugar
1 glass of 1% milk
milk's probably fine, although it still has sugar and bad fats. Try to get skim
Snack
Cinnamon roll my mom baked fresh (I know thats bad...but they just smelt so good)
bad. lots of sugar and bad fats. Pay attention to macronutrients.
Lunch...I went out w/friends
2 slices of Canadian bacon pizza from Pizza Hut
3 buffalo wings w/ranch
greasy buffalo wings... pizza...? honestly...
2 glasses of Diet Coke
Snack
apple (yay...healthy)
not as healthy as you might think... fruit is loaded with sugar, but it's low GI, so it's ok in moderation. Ok, it's healthy, it has vitamins. But it isn't good for fat loss. Stay away from juice, though
Pop Tart
bad
Dinner
Spaghetti w/meatballs
high GI carbs. bad
Fresh salad</p>
<p>This is why I'm saying that you need to research.</p>
<p>It's not always gaining 15 pounds. When I went to college, I lost about 15 pounds, from about 6'1, 238 lbs to 220 lbs.</p>
<p>i'm a senior in HS now, and i'm overweight. it would definitely be a good idea for me to lose about 20-30 pounds. however, i feel like i will lose weight when i go to college easily. here's why. for the last couple of years, my lifestyle has not been good. i basically sit around home eating all day after i get home from school. i don't get much physical activity, and when i'm bored, i just eat some more. next year, i'm going to a small college in a relatively isolated area. my only source of food will be from the school cafeterias. i will also be on a meal plan. this means that i really will only be able to eat during the 3 meals per day i get (i don't really eat that much in each meal). instead of now, when i just munch down on snacks all the time. i think just that change alone will allow me to lose some serious weight, especially since under this terrible lifestyle, my weight as remained constant over the entire year (just 30 lbs too much). i'm also planning to play on some IM sports teams, and probably be more active because there will be a lot more people around me to do things with. </p>
<p>am i just being naive? i can't figure out why people gain weight in college, and not the opposite. maybe they go to colleges where they have an easier access to food? more often? </p>
<p>i also will never ever go to the store (ewwwww), and my mom won't be filling the cupboards with food like she does now.</p>
<p>cowbell, sure.. but what makes you think you are just all the sudden going to change your lifestyle.. sure its possible, and if you truly do pull off what you plan to do (which i'm sure you can) then you will most likely lose weight. My question to you: why are you waiting until college for this? If you are putting it off until college, my guess is you won't change, if you are already starting then you will notice a weight loss probably before college even starts.</p>
<p>Stop drinking soda, even diet soda. I quit soda and lost five pounds in two weeks without significantly changing my diet or exercise plan. </p>
<p>If you're going to eat pizza (and I do it too! Sometimes you just have to have it), eat cheese. The meat on pizza tends to be particularly fatty and full of nitrates and whatnot. </p>
<p>Pop Tarts blow. I love them and they're just the most useless 420 calories you'll ever consume. Just try not to have them around. It's the easiest way to avoid eating something - don't buy it, don't have it in your house/dorm room.</p>
<p>start playing Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) regularly. seriously. it's incredibly fun :D</p>