Any Uni People Out There

After running all summer and losing 3 stone i want to get back into the running and diet again, however im back at uni and finding it hard to focus, also play rugby so that takes some training time. How do you all fit it in, especially in bleak winter months?, also what sort of food you eat, i have to keep my budget small around £20 a week so any ideas

Hi,
i'm at uni to(open ) and work shifts..
planning is the only thing that works-does for me.
as to what you can eat,i always try and eat as fresh as possible,my other half usually does most of the cooking-maybe thats the answer they do say two can eat as cheaply as one.
i suppose the simple answer to loose wwight is burn off more clories than you consume.you're doing great so far

Hiya,

I am a veteran student, been one for the past 5 years!!

Urm though not the best to ask regarding the subject of eating, as Im veggie, so i eat a lot of vegetables, pulses etc!! Though I to have small food budget, and a love of nice food, cant be doing all this tesco value malarkey!! The best way I have found to make money last, and to make sure I buy sensible food, is to plan it! I know it sounds incredibly dull, but it works. Write up a rough plan on the meals youll be eating, try and pick things that share some of the same ingredients so you dont end up throwing ingredients away! Then buy just whats on the list when you go, so you dont end up buying impulse purchases of things you dont really need. That always works for me, the writing the list and sticking to it, means i dont spend a lot, buy junk, or throw half the stuff away, its all what i need!

Another well known food shopping trick, and it really does work. Is go shopping after youve just eaten. Coz your full yo dont get random craving for things and buy junk! Honestly it does work, or for me it does.

As for fitting running in, im not that serious a runner, I do it for fun, so Im not any strict schedule for anything, which makes stuff easier it gets fitted in when there is time! Though if your playing rugby, the training for that will be helping to keep the fitness up. Though I know it can be so hard to fit in everything inbetween work, deadlines, socialising, and on that I have no advice, Im crap at it! And i tend to justify my running time as a "good thing" coz it relaxes me so much, I kid myself it makes me more efficient!

But I do truely hate running in the dark and the cold, I cant make myself do it. So Ive taken the rather lazy option of joining a gym for the winter months, which I know sounds an additional stress on finances, but youd be suprised how reasonable it can work out. Loads of chains do a reasonable student discount, my gym also has the advantages of having a "running club" a few evenings a week, which means theres someone there to bully me to get out to do some "real" running!

Planing with food.

BIG TIP....FREE TIP! Have one pint after a rugby game to be polite and leave.
hardest thing when you do rugby and running. right im off to the rugby club.

make a timetable and stick to it


i am in totally the opposite situation
i went back to college to do a degree (have 3 kids) and was fit and lean whilst i was there as i had so much spare time (got a 2i so i did do the work) during the day.


now i am working almost full time
i have put on weight and do not have enough time to train

so, make the most of it

:-)

and

WELL DONE ON LOSING 3 STONE!!!

Duck's vegan student chili - idiot-proof, bung in anything that's going, & cheap, & only one pot.

Start cooking whatever you will eat with the chili - rice or baked spuds are good.

Fry up some onions, maybe garlic if you like it, in a big saucepan. If you can afford olive oil, it tastes nice.
Put TVP/soya mince in a big saucepan with tinned chopped tomatoes (careful - TVP swells up muchly, only put a little bit in at first if you aren't used to using it), & a splodge of Marmite (cheaper than stock, & has a good kick - i like Marmite), & a bit of curry paste & mixed herbs.
Heat & stir, the TVP will rehydrate in about 30 seconds (you may need extra water or another tin of tomatoes, the 'value' ones are really cheap). Add baked beans with all their sugar-laden tomatoey goodness, &/or tinned kidney beans (again 'value' stuff is very cheap).
Bung in any other veg lying round - frozen peas are handy.
Ready to eat as soon as the TVP has rehydrated (~30 seconds), & the veg is cooked, & it's warm enough to eat.
it's got enough veg in to be rather healthy.
Serve with ketchup, and I like pumpkin seeds or redskin peanuts on top.

student cooking at its best :)

Time - get up reasonably early, don't stay up too late, and have some vague timetable of work / sport / social life. You have the luxury of being able to run in daylight - make the most of it!

Food - Mine's about £15/week, although being vegan makes it cheaper.
Get a bulk delivery of healthy staples at the start of term (supermarket website) - spilt delivery costs with friends. That way you always have something quick & handy to eat rather than resorting to takeaways.
make big meals, share with housemates, & freeze.
depending on where you live getting fresh veggies regularly might be difficult - if you can find a local vegbox scheme this will ensure you have to eat loads of different veg every week. Also, frozen veggies can be handy & simple to bung into a pot.
Porridge in the mornings is cheap & healthy as it gets - try bunging in dried fruit & nuts.
Pick a couple of cheap, simple, fast meals and vary them by adding different veggies, herbs & spices, & tweaking the ingredients a bit. A decent tomato & bean sauce can be eaten with almost anything and will take lots of variations - and is dirt cheap made with 'value' tins of tomatoes & beans.
Work out what 'value' stuff doesn't make much difference & where you really need to spend a bit more for edibility. i don't like cheap baked beans, but tinned tomatoes for 13p & kidney beans for 20p make many a meal.
look at what you can make cheaply yourself. eg if you like cereal bars & cakes, flapjacks homemade are cheap & simple & bombproof.

thanks guys this helps a lot, will try some of those ideas out!

the luxury of running in the daylight?!

i knew i did the wrong degree.

I'm at loughborough doing physics in my second year, so its a pretty high work load, especially with exams coming up! I have only been running for about three months but have worked up to running for 30 mins non-stop, 3 times a week about 10 miles a week, but looking to add another day.

as i'm revising a lot at the moment i have chosen to view my runs as a break from revision. so il revsie in the day, have a small break for time to eat and then about an hour in the evening about 5ish to go for my run.

as for eating,i tend to buy eggs, pasta, potatoes and tuna as my main staples, along with cottage cheese.

these tend to be cheap and as i try to get a lot of protein in my diet they are good for that too. I think planning is a good tool to have in your kit as if i try to stick to a shoppin list i have made i am less likely to grab what i fancy at the shops and instead buy what i need.

phil

Your university should have a running club which you can join. I was a little nervous about joining mine thinking they would all be stupidly fast athletes who could run twice as fast as me.

I was right, they are mostly like that. But, there are also others who run at a more sensible pace and plenty of people who the right people for me to be running with.

I would contact the university running club as you'll be able to join in with their sessions, and meet other runners of your ability to get training partners to help 'force' you to train more often.

I used to lead the beginners section of uni running club. It was about a mile run-walk round the playing fields - if anyone got too out of breath we stopped & walked for a bit. So they are not all full of speedy athletes :)

"at loughborough doing physics"

Well he will have some 1st class faciltys to abuse there!

I'm not a student any more but was one for about 8 years (and escaped a couple of years ago). Ran for about 4 of them at one of two times - either 3pm (when i was falling asleep from studying all day) or 6:30am (to keep me awake during the day). It kept me sane and less stressed so no matter how close to exams it was - I just would get up and go out. 1 hr 3 times a week was great with a longer run at the weekend. Having friends to run with too was great as well - got you out of bed in the morning.

Food wise - if you have a freezer - cook for 4 and freeze 2 or 3 meals. You've then got ready made meals which are healthy for when you can't be bothered cooking. The other trick when doing that is to go to the "almost out of date" bit of the supermarket - buy it cook it and freeze it.

Philip - good luck with the Physics :) - if you ever feel like some light reading, try the time and space of uncle albert!