Hello friends! Our today’s discussion will be on how we can remain healthy or lose weight when we are staying as a paying guest or at a hostel.
Hostel life can be very fun-filled, but at the same time, it comes with lots of responsibilities. Many times we move out of our comfort zone for the very first time, which means that we have new challenges to face.
One challenge that we mostly face is food availability. So, let’s see how we can make sure that we make the correct food choices when staying in a hostel
How To Lose Weight While Living in Hostel or PG
1. Focus on whole foods
When making a choice from the hostel menu wheat flour roti should be preferred over refined flour. Rice can be eaten but make sure that the portion size is maintained.
Options like poha, upma, idli, dosa, cheela, and paratha without butter can be eaten as a breakfast option. Roti, chapati, or rice can be the cereal chosen.
Dals, chole, rajma, chana, egg bhurji, chicken, fish, and sambhar these can be taken along with the cereals.
Paneer, curd, and buttermilk can be used as an accompaniment. Your focus should be more on whole foods like cereals, lentils, pulses, milk & milk products.
2. Avoid eating all the meals from outside
One of the major pain points of the hostel life is that food habits can change drastically as a result what happens is that if the food inside the hostel is not as per our liking so with the availability of food delivery apps these days, we might end up making wrong food choices.
Eating one meal outside is okay for our health as well as our pockets too.
3. Buy some mid-morning and mid-evening healthy snack options.
To compensate for the mid meals one can buy fruits like apple, watermelon, papaya, and banana and have them as a mid-meal. Nuts and seeds can also be included as an option.
Green tea and black coffee can also be taken in case of time constraints. Roasted chana, murmura can be a healthy choice for the evening snack.
4. Focus on portion size
If nothing else works then one can focus on portion control, reduce the number of meals per day and work on eating smaller quantities. Reduce the rice and roti quantity and make sure you are hydrated.
5. Avoid mid-night binge
One of the most common problem areas is a midnight binge in the hostel due to submissions, projects, group studies, or exams.
One should try and focus on drinking more water and eating lesser calories during this period. Our metabolism is slow during the night it can cause more weight gain if heavy meals are eaten during the night.
6. Motivation
When trying to lose weight something that is extremely important is to stay motivated. Half the battle is won with the positive outlook itself.
Eating healthy at the age of hostel or PG life inculcates good habits for the future as well and thus keeping the metabolic disorders at bay.
7. Supplementation
When staying in a hostel the food options can get monotonous and insipid. Also, the food provided in some places is too watery and not too healthy.
Our health is in our hands. We need to be careful to select options carefully if available as eating the same kind of food repetitively can also lead to getting bored with the same food and nutrient deficiency.
If the dals, lentils, and pulses provided are too watery in nature then meals can be supplemented with a protein supplement to meet the protein needs.
In growing years protein plays an important role in one’s health. Hair damage or a receding hairline can also be taken care of by protein intake to some extent.
If the protein need is not fulfilled with the dietary intake, then supplementation is mandatory.
8. Measuring Success or Results
Weight loss is not always measured by the weight on the scale. On the bathroom scale, all we see is a number staring back at us. We also need to take care of our inch loss, blood parameters, and metabolic rate.
9. Metabolic Rate
Metabolic rate will play a very important role in the weight loss process. The higher the metabolism, the higher will be the weight loss. Metabolism can drop due to lifestyle and unhealthy food habits.
Increased intake of high carb food, oily food, and processed food along with a sedentary lifestyle can lead to high cholesterol levels or depletion of nutrients, these factors also have to be taken care of when living alone.
Tips To Lose Weight While Living in Hostel or PG
- Drinking more than 3l water. Sometimes our body can confuse between the hunger and thirst symptoms, and we might end up eating instead of drinking water. Fluids can include coconut water, infused water, and buttermilk as well.
- Fried and Oily food like pakora, and Vada should be avoided. As they are high in calories and just add on to the bad fat in the body.
- If the tea and coffee are with sugar the intake should be reduced or avoided. Sugar adds on the calories and caffeine can be dehydrating to the body.
- Hostels or PGs usually provide a sweet dish. That can be avoided on a regular basis.
- Fruit Salads/Vegetable Salads should be included with lunch and dinner.
- Workout becomes very important. Calories in should be lesser than calories burned to achieve results.
- Stay away from carbonated beverages as much as possible. The soda-based drinks not only lead to weight gain but deplete bone mineral density as well. Hence, they should be avoided at all costs.
- Always opt for healthier variations like instead of a mayo sandwich, a chutney sandwich can be eaten or instead of a burger or Vada Pao and club sandwich can be eaten.
- Fried chips of potato or banana should be avoided instead khakhra or roasted or baked variations can be opted for.
- Instead of a cheese pizza, one can opt for south Indian food options or a thin crust pizza if the craving is very high.
- Fruit smoothie options can be used if a blender is available.
Some Healthy Food Choices For Weight Loss
Some healthy breakfast options from different parts of the country include:
- Veg Sandwich/ Paneer Sandwich/ Egg or Chicken Sandwich
- Idli with Sambhar/ Dosa with Sambhar
- Upma with vegetables (Oats or Semolina)
- Poha with vegetables
- Dal/Besan/Oats Chilla
- Plain breakfast cereals
- Paratha without butter
- Thalipeeth
- Low oil thepla
- Dhokla
- Pongal
- Veg Dalia
- Oats Porridge
We should always make sure that we include a source of protein along with it. Can be in the form of milk, buttermilk, curd, or eggs.
One fruit serving in the entire day is mandatory. If Sprouts is available, it can be included weekly twice, or plain vegetable salad should be included. Sprouts can be of moth beans, chana or safed matar, or green moong.
Green tea or black coffee up to 2 cups a day is maximum. If the chicken/fish curry or any veg curry is too oily gravy can be avoided and one can stick to the pcs of chicken, fish, or paneer.
Last but not the least SMART Goals should be set:
S is a Specific goal
M is Measurable
A is Attainable
R is Realistic
T is Time-bound
If we set goals that are impossible to achieve in the time frame, we set for ourselves, we can be too hard on ourselves, and weight loss results are also not sustainable.
On the other hand, if we set goals that do not have a time frame then we might end up prolonging the process of weight loss. One example would be 10 kgs weight loss in a month.
We know that is something difficult to achieve, hence such goals should not be let. Or something like let’s lose some weight this year is also not specific.
On the other hand, if we set goals like 3 kgs this month or, by the end of the year I want to fit into my old clothes (keeping the clothing in mind) is something that is more relatable and achievable.
We all do have one or more clothing in our wardrobes that do not fit us anymore. That can be chosen as a perfect way to measure your success.
A perfect example would be to be able to achieve 3kgs weight loss in a month by adding 10 thousand steps as a workout every day.
Where we set the time, and the know-how we achieve our goal and move towards achieving the same. Adding a workout will make the goal achievement easier and some provisions for cheat meals can also be made.
A person can lose weight without a workout as well, but the diet has to be very strict for the same. Hence, adding a choice of workout can prove beneficial.
Hostel life can be tough and enjoyable at the same time. We need to take care of ourselves, and our health and motivate each other to remain healthy as that might also determine our future.
A lot of firms these days are looking for people who are in the normal BMI range and have no medical conditions.
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Conclusion:
So, friends, this was how you can lose weight while living in a hostel or pg, We highly recommend you to please follow the above-mentioned tips and suggestions and surely you will be able to reduce your weight.
If you liked this article then please share it and if you want to ask us anything then drop a comment below and we will try to answer all your queries.
