<p>So I'm a freshman here at UCLA where it's notoriously known for really good food. BUT, I really don't want to put on a bunch of weight my first year because I'm really happy with my body right now. How can I avoid this?? I can't really imagine eating salad everyday.</p>
<p>I'd say portion control is the biggest thing. If your school has buffet-style dining halls it's pretty easy to go overboard. Even if you school is the type where you can buy various predefined meals it's still easy to gain weight since they're usually pretty huge portions.</p>
<p>I remember when I started freshman year the quesadilla from the one place on campus was massive (1" thick with chicken and cheese) and it would last me two meals. By the end of the year I was able to eat a whole one with no problem and generally wound up feeling snacky pretty shortly afterwards.</p>
<p>Work out a lot. :]</p>
<p>in addition to the other suggestions...
try to eat as much veggies and fruit as you can... get a salad with your meal and eat it first, so you won't eat a bunch of carbs or opt to get a sub with veggies instead of pizza!</p>
<p>Drink water or Coke Zero or some other zero-calorie drink instead of regular soft drinks. A 12 ounce can of regular soda has about 160 calories. It takes a 130 lb person about 30 minutes of jogging to burn that off.</p>
<p>walk, walk, walk and take the stairs. Lots of water to make you feel fuller and help you to eat less.</p>
<p>Biggest thing is the spontaneous let's get something to eat mentality of the group. Go, but don't have the 10 pm pizza, the 12 am beer, etc. Just socialize with the water or diet coke recommended above. Then exercise.</p>
<p>If you're uni is anything like BC, stay away from "late-night" food. That includes fried chicken, pizza, cheese sticks. That stuff is bad. Pay attention to the portions that you eat. </p>
<p>For instance, when I eat at the dining hall, I skip over the gross pasta, the fried steak & cheese sandwiches and get the grilled chicken or the fish option. My sides are usually the steamed carrots or broccoli.</p>
<p>Try to keep moving. Take the stairs, walk. If your schedule permits, try to go to the gym...mix in both weight training and cardio. </p>
<p>Water, water, water. The Vitamin Waters, the Powerades, sodas...they're filled sugar.</p>
<p>I'm not saying to drastically change your diet..just be more wary of what you consume.</p>
<p>cell tech</p>
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<p>away from soda away</p>
<p>Lots of water, no soda, and plenty of exercise. Thanks guys! (:</p>
<p>Don't just drink a lot of water, but replace as many other beverages as possible with water -- except for orange juice or something else to get in the vitamin C, water is it for me. And if you have a mocha-a-day habit like so many college students, drop the Starbucks... you'll save money and avoid so many empty calories.</p>
<p>Also, get more sleep. When you stay up all night socializing (or studying), you're that much more apt to lounge around in the afternoons or on weekends... and thus you have no energy to go exercise. Right now, I'm actually dropping a bit of weight, which is what I do NOT want to happen... but stay active, and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>My D's biggest problem was vending machine food, especially on weekends when her dorm was not serving food and she would have to walk in the snow to a different dorm. Not a problem at UCLA. She lost the weight she gained last year over the summer. The problem now is that she is so afraid of regaining the weight, I worry she isn't eating enough. Use good judgement, follow the advice above, and you'll be fine. Water is very important for you metabolism. Also, don't just start eating only salads or you will shut down your metabolism. Healthy variety and portion control are the key.</p>
<p>Mix the vegetables with your food. The most important thing is not to cut back on food, but change the ratio of the food you eat. Fiber is filling without giving you any calories, while helping to clean out the colon, and if you toss in some cereal (yes, even at night) and spicy soups you can get filled for the least amount of calories.</p>
<p>And oh, a workout-routine is great. I only started working out a lot a month ago, but I've reached a point where I go to the gym not because I feel I have to work out, but because I have to keep going back for the endorphins, and because it's so pleasurable letting your limbs "lock in" and finish those strokes. It actually feels irritating and mentally-painful if I don't work out, especially on rest days, where my arms will be basically fidgeting about waiting to be applied to some weights or water.</p>
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Also, don't just start eating only salads or you will shut down your metabolism.
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<p>Yes, this is key.</p>
<p>Basically starving yourself is not a good thing -- you'll actually store more calories as fat this way, because your body thinks it's going through a famine. So of course what does it do with food calories? It doesn't return them to you as active calories and make you feel energetic -- no, it pulls glucose from your bloodstream and even your muscles, to convert it into fatty acids and glycerol to make fat ... </p>
<p>So if you want to create an energy "deficit" -- work out till the exercise equivalent of orgasm, replace simple calories with more complex calories (so it costs your body more time and energy to digest them) and decrease your calorie intake gradually in this fashion.</p>
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If you wanted to be really hardcore, you could try various supplements (e.g. 2,4-Dinitrophenol) which temporarily disable certain portions of the electron transport chain while your cells are performing oxidative metabolism, so basically your body ends up burning more fuel to make its needs because much more of it is turning into heat energy rather than mechanical energy. You have to be really wary of overheating though.</p>
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And oh, a workout-routine is great. I only started working out a lot a month ago, but I've reached a point where I go to the gym not because I feel I have to work out, but because I have to keep going back for the endorphins, and because it's so pleasurable letting your limbs "lock in" and finish those strokes.
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<p>Yeah, I've found that too. And it really helps keep off the weight. While my friends are griping about how much they've gained, I'm losing while still being able to eat anything. :]</p>
<p>Unlike most people at my school, I'm trying to see if my fast metablalism can counteract the school's food. I don't mind gaining a few pounds, people think I'm half starved which is not the case. =( </p>
<p>Go to the gym regularly.</p>
<p>^ Same here. I'd love to gain not the Freshman 15 but maybe the Freshman 5 or even 10... It's not working. hahaha.</p>
<p>Go trayless when you eat in the dining hall. Not only will you be less apt to take more food than you can eat, but it also saves water that would be used to wash the trays. It's kind of annoying at first but you can always go back for seconds helpings.</p>
<p>maybe having more fun time at night would help</p>
<p>lol @ you guys. Everyone knows that you can't avoid the freshman 15 without hydroxycut and cell tech.</p>