Keto and college

(sarah) #1

hey everyone! I am 21 and I weigh roughly 105 pounds. I have been trying keto for close to a year now. My keto journey has many ups and downs. One thing I am struggle with is how to stay keto when you are away from home. Which why I am writing this post. I am in my first semester of college and away from home. How do you survive college and stay keto? Especially when you discover you are stress eater, lack self-control in most situations and trying to dealing to with depression/homesickness. Any suggestion would be helpful!

(Michelle) #2

I haven’t personally followed Keto while in college, but I can offer my advice. Congratulations on your first year of college!
First of all I would try to be prepared. Have Keto snacks portioned out in your dorm. Macadamia nuts, string cheese (if you have a fridge), hard boiled eggs ( those are available pre-cooked at grocery stores)
Are you eating cafeteria food or preparing your own food? Plan ahead. Know what you’re going to eat before you enter so you aren’t tempted to go off Your plan.

If it doesn’t work out 100 percent of the time, don’t stress. College is stressful enough. Give yourself a break if you mess up. And enjoy college. You’re only this young once and you don’t want to remember college as a particularly stressful time of your life!

(sarah) #3

Thank you for the support! I do have a meal plan, which I have been using. I typically make my own breakfast and lunch, if eat an lunch. My dorm has a complete kitchen. When I eat in the cafeteria, it’s difficult. Especially avoiding the dessert table.

(Michelle) #5

I find it helpful to tell myself that there are certain foods I don’t eat. “Those desserts aren’t for me, but I will have a small square of dark chocolate when I get back to my dorm.” Or “I eat my burgers bunless. Bread isn’t for me.” Remind yourself that those foods make you feel ill and you’ll avoid them as if they’re food that you don’t like.

(sarah) #6

Thank you for the suggestion and the support.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

I find that if I get enough for the main part of the meal, I don’t miss dessert. If you want dessert, however, don’t they have fruit? Granted, an apple has a lot of sugar in it, but it also has a lot of fiber, so your body won’t be overwhelmed with the glucose and fructose all at once, the way it would if you had a glass of apple juice. If they don’t serve unsweetened whole-milk yoghurt in the dining hall, you could keep some in your room, and even sweeten it with a bit of artificial sweetener, if you had to.

My nephew’s college makes provision in its dining halls for vegetarians, vegans, and people who need to eat gluten-free. I wonder if your dining service might consider providing keto-friendly options, if you worked up a proposal and presented it politely. For example, the same wholesaler that provides their skim milk also sells heavy cream, and they might actually save money by buying some fattier cuts of meat and some chicken with the skin still on. Give it a shot!

Lastly, here’s coping a hint I learned in early sobriety: I found it was not a good idea to look longingly and lovingly at bars, liquor stores, or displays of liquor. If I was walking down a street, I would often make a point of crossing to the other side, so as not to pass directly in front of a bar, or find another way into the convention ballroom, one that didn’t take me right past the liquor. It eventually stopped being an issue, but the guiding principle is that I am entitled to do whatever I need to do in order to stay safe.