6 Ways to Avoid Weight Gain at College

Starting college means starting a whole new episode of your life. You change your routine completely to keep up with the fast-changing pace of college life. The pressure is high and the stress isn’t going away with time. This is why so many college students completely disregard their health and focus on accomplishing their academic goals. One of the problems most students face is gaining weight.

Although weight gain isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you during college, you shouldn’t take it for granted. It can affect the way you feel in terms of energy and self-confidence. It can damage your health and prevent you from doing your best. If you want to prevent this from happening to you, you’re in the right place.

Here are 6 ways for you to avoid weight gain during college.

1. Time Management

The most common excuse you’ll hear from anyone not being able to complete all their tasks is lack of time.
College students struggle with studying, homework, projects and all the other academic obligations they have. They hardly manage to get all of this don in time.

So, how can they find the time to think about their diet or health? The truth is, without proper time management skills, you won’t be able to make this necessary, healthy change in your life.

This is why, before starting working on maintaining a healthy diet, you need to:

• organize your time
• write schedules and stick to them
• set goals with clear deadlines and timeframes
• spend less time on social media

Removing distractions and focusing on your daily tasks will help you make room for some healthy habits.

2. Physical Activity

If you’ve managed to organize your time properly, you can now think in terms of selecting a physical activity which suits you the best.

For you not to gain weight, you need to activate your body and do some kind of exercise at least three times a week. Choose something you like and feel comfortable doing:

• swimming
• jogging
• dance
• yoga
• kickbox
• tennis

Whatever makes you break a sweat and feel energized, you go for it.

Remember, exercise is great for both your body and your mind so you’ll benefit from it beyond maintaining your weight.

3. Healthy Stress Relief

Stress can be a major reason for why we eat without control. When we feel stressed out and under a lot of pressure, we need something to make us happy. That’s when we turn to food.

College students are often under a lot of pressure, and food offers an instant consolation.

This is why you need to find other ways of removing stress instead of eating junk food.

Try out things such as:

• meditation
• listening to relaxing music
• exercising
• scented candles
• long baths
• keeping a diary
• breathing exercises

Whatever makes you feel better, continue practicing it. Don’t eat to make yourself feel better, and you won’t be gaining any excess weight.

4. Appropriate Diet

Coffee and fast food are what most college students consume regularly daily. This is far from a healthy lifestyle and has an impact on your weight. An appropriate, healthy diet will help you stay fit and in good shape.

There are several things you can do to ensure there’s always something healthy for you to eat:

• prepare healthy meals in advance
• carry around healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts, or shakes
• drink a lot of water
• find a healthy snack bar or restaurant near the college

With just a little bit of time and energy invested, you can always make better food choices and give your body what it needs.

This will have a major influence on your weight and you won’t have to worry about it.

5. Find a Fitness Buddy

Every challenge is a lot more interesting and enjoyable when there’s someone to share the experience with.
Staying in shape during college is a huge challenge for you, both mentally and physically. But, if you had someone to push you when you think about quitting or to praise for your great results, you’ll be more determined to persist.

Find someone who’s going to:

• exercise with you
• motivate you to keep going
• prepare healthy meals with you
• compare results
• celebrate milestones

A fitness buddy can be your anyone you like to spend time and communicate with. Try it out to see how much it’ll mean to you.

6. Get Enough Sleep

Finally, there’s one more piece of the puzzle that you need to find a way to fit into your busy college schedule.
Sleeping.

Lack of sleep can cause problems such as:

• anxiety attacks
• low levels of energy
• need for overeating
• tension
• health problems

All of this leads to an unhealthy lifestyle which subsequently leads to weight gain. You can use online apps and tools to help you get more work done faster, and use the rest of the time for sleeping. For example, you can find online help for college academic writing, science assignments, math, etc.

Make sure you sleep properly and you’ll feel and look much better.

Final Thoughts

Fighting weight gain on college is something you’re most likely going to face. Don’t despair and don’t give up.
Instead, use the advice above to ensure you stay healthy and fit. The simple advice provided will help you stay in shape and maintain the weight you feel comfortable with.