<p>So I leave for college on Friday, and while I was packing stuff up one day, my little sister (she's eleven) comes up to me and says, "If you come home over Thanksgiving and you're fat, I'm going to be really mad at you." </p>
<p>It got me thinking--I don't want to get fat. I'm not really in shape right now, but I'm not overweight. But I hear a lot about the Freshman Fifteen, and my school's meal plan is buffet-style. You pay per meal, so you can eat as much as you want. I'm also not much of an active person. I've never been to a gym before (my only "workouts" came from HS PE and DDR), and my job is sedentary (I work with computers). </p>
<p>My tuition pays for a membership at the school gym, so I can enroll in several group exercise classes and use the facilities for free. I've also been drinking more water and trying to eat less, and I won't be bringing a car so I'll have to walk/bike everywhere. I'm just scared that I'll either unconsciously eat so much every meal that it offsets whatever I burn while exercising or that I won't be motivated enough to go to the gym.</p>
<p>Help me please? Advice or anything, really.</p>
<p>I’m 30 pounds underweight and I eat whatever I want. I’m a constant snacker though so I don’t eat huge lunches/dinners. I don’t go to a gym and my only exercise is biking around to classes. I might be a weird outlier though…I think my life clock is running 6 years slow because everyone says I look like I’m 15…so maybe I still have the metabolism of a 15 year old.</p>
<p>Anyways, to answer your question, it isn’t particularly difficult to exercise portion control. Gyms are not necessary to stay fit…only for if you want a certain physique. In fact, you have to have a healthy diet before going to the gym will do anything at all.</p>
<p>And yeah I’m jealous you have a buffet style meal plan. My school you spend $8 for a sandwich.</p>
<p>Gyms aren’t necessary to stay physically fit, but exercise of some sort is. Just go to the gym or for a run around campus a few times each week, it’s not a hard thing to do.</p>
<p>Don’t overeat, always stay hydrated, maintain a healthy diet, and exercise a few times each week. You really can’t gain much weight (in fat) if you do these things.</p>
<p>Aim for working out three times a week. You can do more, but that should be your baseline. Try to schedule it in like a class- doing so might make you more apt to stick with it.</p>
<p>If you dont want to get fat, avoid eating fast digesting carbs that shoot your glucose levels up and get stored as fat…no bread, rice, potatoes, etc. If you do this, eat as much as you want and you won’t only not get fat but will look better :)</p>
<p>Jesus, I’m bookmarking this thread. Every time I start having an hypochondria attack I’ll look at this and realize “hey, at least I’m freaking out about something like brain cancer instead of weight gain!”</p>
<p>Anyway, OP just don’t be stupid. Eating pizza and burgers every day will make you fat. Not getting exercise will make you fat. Don’t listen to the no-carbs diet **** though, that’s ridiculous. Eat whole grain bread instead. Potatoes really aren’t that bad either, just don’t eat a ton of them. And even rice is okay, you don’t see a ton of obese people in Japan and they love rice.</p>
<p>Please make sure your 11 year old sister has a healthy body image and an understanding that external appearance is a superficial way to judge others.</p>
<p>I would actually encourage you to go to the gym just so you can get healthy. Eating less isn’t always healthy, and I’ve been told by many doctors that someone overweight who exercises can be healthier that a skinny person who doesn’t. Also, I know that after I run I feel a lot better and it helps to clear my mind. I just want to make sure that you don’t think that eating less is good for you, because really you’re just making yourself sick.</p>
<p>Premed is right though. Getting that blood flowing and those endorphins coursing through your veins is healthier than sitting around all day even if you’re naturally skinny.</p>
<p>For sure. Also, although walking is obviously a healthier alternative to driving, it does not count as cardio. Going for a jog/run three times a week (in addition to eating healthy) is an easy way to get fit. Muscle helps burn fat, interval running is killer but will really get you into shape, etc.</p>
<p>What I meant is that starving yourself could be seen as an eating disorder, and since you are eating less it will ultimately slow down your metabolism causing it to not make a difference after a little while. Also, it could but you less at risk for a future health condition.</p>
<p>I’m recalling a recent study that found walking X miles at a quick pace is just as effective as running X miles with the added benefit of not damaging your knees.</p>
I looked it up, and it seems true, although that’s only if you’re walking for exercise, and doing the same distance you would run. A good exercise walk or run would usually be at least 3 miles, but the problem is, OP is not walking for exercise. Either walking or running would be fine, it’s just that walking would take a lot longer for the same effect, and just walking from building to building isn’t that kind of “walking” that would help you be healthier.</p>