Hey everyone.

Recently I transferred to a college far away from home, so I have to live on campus. I have no health insurance (lovely how the economy is) so I cannot do anything about my band, even if I get into trouble. I also don't have a job due to how many hours I'm taking.

Here is my problem:

I am on a meal plan with no income. I've paid to have this meal plan, but the problem is that I've gained two pounds in the three weeks I've been here due to the poor quality of food I'm having to eat. I cannot remove the meal plan, and I don't have an income. How can I eat correctly while I'm up here? I haven't had this problem until now, and I'm in need of advice. I'm literally getting no Protein, have no access to Protein Powder, and (again) have no money.

Example of the dining hall menus:

pizza

burgers

hot dogs

Cereal

omelet

waffles

Desserts

salad

wraps

asian food

carb-heavy Soups

quiznos.

There is literally no source of lean protein on this damn campus. Can someone help? Should I just eat salad for the rest of my days here (two years)? I'm really tempted to, because they give me my Vitamins, but again, no protein at all. Would a better solution (since the last thing I want to do is eat pizza and quiznos) be to try and get money from someone to buy protein powder and drink that between meals (salad)? I'm seriously at a loss here, and I cannot go to the grocery store.

i am sure there are some proteins you can add to the salads, but eating a salad everyday for every meal is going to suck and get old. omelets are not bad, good protein. do you have a choice of what goes in it? cereal is a good choice, the milk has protein.

i wish i could give you more ideas. hope it all works out for you.

I'm worried about carbs because those are what landed me here in the first place, among other things. There aren't any choices between egg whites and just egg for the omelets, and there are choices of veggies to put in them. I can do the salads all day every day, I'm just not losing any weight (I've been on a plateau for a year and a half now) and I honestly am getting really depressed about this situation.

I would eat omelets,burgers (just the patty not the bun),salad - so long as they are salads in the true sense of the word(lots of raw veggies not cheese, dressing fat, meat etc etc with a couple of token lettuce leaves), the asian food and Soup could be OK. I have no idea what a quizno is.

I would try to find someway of getting out of the meal plan or buying some food to add to it but if you can't then you will just have to do your best. It's no wonder so many people have a weight problem if that is the kind of food that is served and deemed to be acceptable. I still feel sorry for Jamie Oliver who tried to help change some of this bad food culture and got no thanks for it just heaps of resistance.Maybe you could get onto the student council or some body that has an input on the food served in the canteen and try to make changes that way.

Yeah the food in college was not exactly health friendly. I'm not really one to condone it because I just don't think it's very healthy but if I were you I might just try and cut carbs completely (or close anyway). So have omelets and other forms of eggs for Breakfast and someone else said hamburger patties without the buns. Hot dogs would be ok occasionally. Salads with lots of veggies and oil and vinegar. Just try and stay away from pastas and breads and desserts. If you can manage that maybe you can get out of your plateau.

I hope your exercising too. My college had an amazing rec center with lots of ellipticals and treadmills and and indoor track and swimming pool. Make sure you take advantage of any of that stuff.

Keep us updated

Okay, I am also a college student and until this year lived in a sorority house for two years where no one knew I had the lap-band for the last year of living there. I had to deal with their meal plans much the same as you are dealing with..it's so much easier than you think

Start off with salad for sure, for supper and for lunch..light dressing or do the dip your fork in the dressing trick.

Also, most of these items are not completely BAD for you. Eat the hamburger (no bun) for protein; eat the hot dog (no bun) for protein; pizza is not bad for you as well..but only eat 1 piece with your salad. Omelets and wraps are good for you as well. Think about portion size. It is not necessarily the food that is going to make you gain weight, it will be how you handle your food choices. It's fun to mix and match with the food choices you have. Try to stay away from the asian food, unless it is vegetable based and light sauced. Let yourself have a dessert every once in awhile as well. Be sure to stay away from drinking anything other than Water and skim milk(natural protein), if you truly want maximum weight loss. Juices are loaded with sugar and calories, and diet soda makes you feel hungrier than you are.

Honestly, you she be more active now that you live on a campus and walk to your classes. Take the extra effort to do a little more exercise than normal every day and that will help you tremendously.

You can do it! This is real life..you have to adjust with your band into real-world situations. You won't always be somewhere where you can choose your preferred healthier options..its about learning to choose from the options you have. The items on your list are NOT unhealthy..you just have to know how to eat the right items in the right proportions.

Good luck, you can do it!

Hey everyone.

Recently I transferred to a college far away from home, so I have to live on campus. I have no health insurance (lovely how the economy is) so I cannot do anything about my band, even if I get into trouble. I also don't have a job due to how many hours I'm taking.

Here is my problem:

I am on a meal plan with no income. I've paid to have this meal plan, but the problem is that I've gained two pounds in the three weeks I've been here due to the poor quality of food I'm having to eat. I cannot remove the meal plan, and I don't have an income. How can I eat correctly while I'm up here? I haven't had this problem until now, and I'm in need of advice. I'm literally getting no Protein, have no access to protein powder, and (again) have no money.

Example of the dining hall menus:

pizza

burgers

hot dogs

cereal

omelet

waffles

desserts

salad

wraps

asian food

carb-heavy soups

quiznos.

There is literally no source of lean protein on this damn campus. Can someone help? Should I just eat salad for the rest of my days here (two years)? I'm really tempted to, because they give me my Vitamins, but again, no protein at all. Would a better solution (since the last thing I want to do is eat pizza and quiznos) be to try and get money from someone to buy protein powder and drink that between meals (salad)? I'm seriously at a loss here, and I cannot go to the grocery store.

Just an idea, but arent quiznos subs made w lunch meat?? You could get the sandwich and take just the meat or meat and cheese off and you do not have to eat the bread.

I had a gallbladder problem during my freshman year of college and had to cut out all fat or have attacks which are horribly painful. I was able to get special protein made after I supplied the food service with a note from my doctor. This was before the American with disabilities act so they should comply with this request. I also was not able to get out of my meal plan. I would have omlets preferrably made with egg whites and veggies no cheese. I would see if they have greek yoghurt.

Our caf is the same (but luckily I'm not a student, so I don't have to eat there every meal). You have my sympathies.

I don't have many suggestions on top of the others. Take advantage of any fresh fruit offered. f the salad bar has hummus, you can dip fresh veggies in it. If you have to get Protein on a bun/bread, just take it off the bread before you eat it. Frankly, if you watch your portion and eat a bandster-small serving you can eat almost anything. I think the main problem you'll run into is lack of variety and I'm sorry about that-- but it is temporary and won't be this way for the rest of your life. Try to keep that in mind.

Thank you everyone for your input! The only reason I asked for help was because I was in a dorm my first year at college (where they had a real head honcho chef working with everyone to make more nutritious meals) and then I lived at home where I had access to whole foods and healthier items.

I just transferred to this university and haven't been in this situation before (it's my fourth year out of a five year program) so I was just wondering what advice everyone had. Thank you so much, now I feel less trapped. I took into consideration everyone's advice and I actually lost 5 more pounds in the last week!

I live at the bottom of a couple of hills so the treks to class are usually my only form of exercise (reading intensive major), but they work. My legs are getting more toned.

I think my problem was more the types of foods I was presented with, not necessarily the portions (I get really nauseous after I eat more than a cup at a time, even if some of it goes through the pouch), but with such high fat and high carb options I was getting bloated and gaining weight that way.

Thanks again! I hope another person in my shoes sees this and gets help, too.

Don't forget yogurt and cottage cheese as protein sources. Most salad bars have cottage cheese, and maybe your school cafeteria has yogurt out for breakfast.

Great news that you've lost some weight - becuase if you're really stuck, you have no choice but to make the best of a pretty revolting menu.

I would handle it with tiny portions and I'd take up running! Cheap and a great calorie burner.

First eat eggs, cheese, and tuna salad from Quiznos.

Second go to the health service doc for advice and help.

Next take the doc's advice to the food service director. You have special needs and I bet they can help you if you are nice about it. You might help a lot of other people on your way.

Last. if you have to, get a short temporary job to either pay for a fill if you need one or to buy some healthy food.

Hey if they have hamburgers, Only eat the meat and dont eat the buns. Eat the meat along with the veggies that come with the burger. If they have quiznos eat salad if available or eat a small sandwich which is not toasted. The toasted things usually dont go down easily. Dont eat the pizzas and heavy foods with fats. If your school has a salad bar, stick to the salad bar. Eat protein first and then eat your veggies. Drink plenty of water and take your vitamins.