We all know your Freshman year is the first time away from home and the first time with an all-you-can-eat buffet…all the time. With all the drinking and sleeping in, it’s easy to forget the gym and opt for bigger clothing instead. But if you are tired of resting your beer on your beer gut, follow these tips and find yourself looking and feeling better in no time!

FOR GUYS

Weight Loss Tip #1: Start small

Don’t set goals you can’t achieve; start out small and you will reap the benefits in the end.

Cut down on unnecessary sugars.

Start by cutting down on sugars in the easiest ways. Switch to diet soda if you can’t cut it out completely, if you love coffee, switch to skim milk and a low-cal sweetener or start drinking tea. And yes, tea has caffeine!

Got a sweet tooth?

Try lollipops; they last a long time and it seems like you are getting more when you are actually having less.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Lose the beer, lose the weight

This rule sounds like no fun, but you don’t have to cut our beer completely, just opt for healthier drinks.

Try switching to light beers

We know how a lot of guys feel about light beers, but they actually make a lot of great ones. Coors Light, Sam Adams Light, Sapporo or Amstel Light are all great choices with each containing somewhere around 100 calories.

Want to know exactly how much you are taking in? You might want to check out Beer101.com, and get the low-down!

Another great way to cut booze calories is to stop drinking during the week and save your partying for the weekends. Can’t get by without your after-school alcohol fix? Limit yourself to one drink and stop there, but if you can, try to at LEAST cut down to every other day.

Still want to party?

Try alternating drinks with seltzer water and lime so you can still join the party, but cut calories at the same time. No one has to know you aren’t drinking gin, and you will still have fun.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Don’t diet, adjust.

You don’t have to cut all the foods you love to lose weight, you just have to eat a more balanced diet.

Want pizza for lunch? Balance your day with the food you love with healthier options.

Weight Loss Tip #4: Start eating more

…more often, but less food!

Eat a lot of small meals/snacks.

Instead of starving yourself all day in an attempt to lose weight, try eating small meals, more frequently. Meals packed with fiber and protein will fill you up and keep you from feeling hungry during the day.

Why eat protein?

Not only will it keep you feeling full, but your body will use that food you ingest to build muscle mass. Protein = More muscles = burn more calories = lose more weight = feel/look better = sexy time.

Snack, snack snack.

It may seem counter-productive to snack while you are trying to lose weight, but if you stick to eating healthy, filling snacks, it will pay off in the end.

Try low-fat microwave popcorn, sliced apples and peanut butter, string cheese, a piece of fruit, or a handful of nuts like almonds.
Pack some snacks in your bag for in between classes (or during if your teacher doesn’t mind), so you aren’t tempted to buy high-calorie snacks at the college cafes.

The best portable snacks are those that last without being refrigerated like nuts, fruit, or low-calorie jerky.

Weight Loss Tip #5: Join an intramural sports team.

What better way to lose weight than to meet new people and have fun while doing it?

Check out the inter mural teams online.

Scope out your schools’ list of intramural sports and see if one catches your eye.

Join a team or start your own.

It’s a great way to work up a sweat and meet new friends at the same time.

Weight Loss Tip #6: Hit the gym

Start a schedule/routine.

Talk to a few friends who work out regularly and see if you can get some tips from them.

Not sure which exercises are best for building muscle?

Check out sites like MensHealth.com, and see their tips for the best exercises for building muscle fast!

The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

While you may think hitting the treadmill is the way to go, you may want to think again. Try working out with free weights or using some of the machines to build muscle mass and strength. The more muscles you build, the more calories you will burn during and after your workout.

Think your weight gain is due to a low metabolism?

This may or may not be true, but the best way to raise your metabolism is to get to the gym and start building muscle.

According to weightlossresources.co.uk, cardio is great for burning fat, but once the workout is over, you slowly stop burning calories. However, if you build muscle, that muscle continues to burn calories well after your workout if over:

Aerobic exercise may burn a few hundred extra calories for dinner, but for every additional pound of muscle you gain, your body burns around 50 extra calories every day of the week.

So don’t be afraid to hit the gym and start pumping zee iron!