How To Lose Weight In College: 8 Simple Hacks For Students

College life can at times be profoundly overwhelming especially when you’re a freshman. It’s statistically known that most college students gain extra pounds on their overall body weight during their first year.

But how can you prevent your body from experiencing this cataclysmic weight gain catastrophe? How To Lose Weight In College Without Exercise?

Well, the good news is gaining undesirable body weight no longer needs to be a problem because this article has the exact tips to help you remain lean throughout your college years.

8 Simple Hacks To Lose Weight In College Without Exercise

1. Drink plenty of water
2. Eat healthy
3. Avoid sugary drinks
4. Make sure you get enough sleep
5. Take advantage of eating a small plate
6. Eat more protein
7. Avoid stressing Yourself
8. Increase Your Daily Activities And Routines

How do weight gains Occur?

Before diving into the bells and whistles for cutting those extra pounds and maintaining a leaner body, how does one gain weight at college?

First and foremost, your body is sensitive to your surrounding environment factors like diet, lifestyle changes, sleeping patterns, stress, and changes in daily routines among other things.[Read: The Top Reasons Why You Can’t Lose Weight]

For some people, a first-time life experience at college puts them in situations of adult responsibilities —juggling social and family life together with school. As you strive to adjust to such a new environment, overwhelming pressure can significantly weigh down on you, leading to gradual weight gain.

One thing about college life is it grants you the freedom of an adult. In most campus cafeterias, students call to fill up their trays with whatever pleasing delicacies they can get their hands on. This makes it difficult to informed dietary decisions or diligently practice portion control.

An individual in a precarious situation of new life experience (college life), may eat poorly or excessively— a mechanism the body utilizes to help them cope with stress.

That’s why even a student from a well-meaning family may feel pressured to do well in their studies. And poor eating habits are an option they might opt for as a way of coping with the stress.

Tips To Lose Weight Fast When You’re In College

When it’s affecting your energy levels, confidence, or health status, weight gain can be very undesirable. If you are enthusiastic about avoiding the dreaded “freshman 15”, the following tips will point you in the right direction to a leaner body.

• Resistance training

You’re more likely to lose significant muscle mass without proper weight training. Also, aerobic activities like cardio which essentially helps with the fat-burning process may slow down, causing decreased metabolism overall.

Note that a resistance exercise is an excellent tool for losing weight. Performing this workout routine consistently alongside a healthy diet will see you gaining leaner muscles quickly. Remember, gaining Leaner muscles means your metabolism will become much faster and more efficient.

A low-calorie diet with countless hours on a treadmill can slow down your metabolism and decrease your muscle mass. Essentially, doing Cardio exercises and dieting simultaneously can lead to starvation.

If you excessively restrict yourself of caloric intake, your leptin hormonal levels will drop making you feel full. This means you’ll not only feel hungry but also experience reduced metabolism.[Read: How To Lose Weight By Cycling]

Generally, the more muscles you gain, the more efficient your metabolism will be. One fact you should know is that about 25% of your metabolism is due to your muscle mass. If you’re a cardio enthusiast, pair it up with resistance training. That will give your body the easy task of burning fat faster.

• Include Complex Carbs in your Diet,

The excellent foundation of a healthy diet is avoiding processed foods and focusing on nutrient-dense foods. For example, if its snacks choose healthy nutrient-rich snacks over the processed varieties.

Nutrients in simple carbs will easily be absorbed into your body, raising your blood sugar levels. For instance, white bread may keep you full for quite a while but it spikes your blood glucose levels compared to whole grain bread. A tip to note, remember to stay full for a long time to prevent uncontrolled snacking.[Read: 8 Proven Tips To Reduce Weight Without Exercise]

According to most scientific studies, high blood glucose levels are linked to obesity, diabetes, and weight gain. But cutting back on meals-dense with simple carbs will be a stepping stone towards losing weight. To tame your poor diet and bad eating habits, ensure you don’t have foods you aren’t supposed to eat in your house.

Though simple, this method is proven to be effective in the weight loss journey while in college. If you want to avoid high blood pressure in your 20s, it’s high time you get rid of the bags of chips, pizza, and candy from your refrigerator. However, don’t forget to swap them with complex carbs as follows; swap:

• Chicken pea pasta for white pasta
• Banana for candy
• Quinoa for rice
• Oatmeal for donuts
• Wheat tortillas for regular tortillas

• Quality Sleep

Quality sleep at a minimum should be 6 hours. However, most health professionals recommend 7 hours every night. According to the National Institutes of Health, most people are more likely to snack and less likely to conjure workout energy due to sleep deprivation.

It’s important to avoid staying up all night. Instead, try and construct a study plan for your upcoming exams. Essentially, you should make it a habit of going to bed and waking at a fixed time. In short, prioritize your sleep as a critical optimal health routine. 

• Beware of what you Drink

Just as there are specific foods to eat to promote weight loss, the same applies to drinks also. Since controlling your caloric intake is of utmost importance, avoid the following drinks;

• Milkshake
• Lemonade
• Flavored milk
• Fruit punch
• Coffee beverages
• High-fat flavored milk

The next time you visit that local restaurant near your college campus, instead of cream, ask for soy milk. Suppose you order coffee. This tactic will help prevent excessive caloric build in your body. And also, helps your body counteract unstable blood glucose levels that may hinder your studying.

Try Intermittent Fasting

Losing weight With Intermittent can be one of the best solutions if you don’t have time to go to the gym. It is also important to check with your doctor to ensure this type of diet is good for your health

Closing Thoughts

The idea of college life is a fantasy most teens yearn for because it means a step into adulthood and independence. However, when this fantasy becomes real, most people find trouble coping with the stress associated with time management, proper diet, and most importantly, body image.

If you are a victim of this circumstance and yearn to cut extra pounds, consult a health professional first before radically adopting a new lifestyle, dietary or workout routine.

By adopting the hacks in this article, you’ll surely recognize a significant change in your body image overall. Remember, as Daniel Tosh once said “big might be beautiful but it’s disgusting to me —freshman 15 isn’t a life sentence”.

Medical Discalimer: The information provided here On Geeks Health website is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect a medical problem, promptly contact your healthcare provider. Reliance on any information in this response is solely at your own risk.