Best Weight Loss Diet for College Students

May 2021 by Keira Bennett

Many people have the desire to lose weight. Especially for those in their teens to early twenties, body image can be a huge issue. If losing weight is on your mind, it can be pretty tricky to find which route to go down. There are so many diets online and plenty that have trended at different times. So how do you choose? We’ve found the best weight loss diet for you to try as well as a couple of other ways that might be of interest.

Why should you lose weight?

Remember, there’s no pressure to lose weight, so only do so if you feel comfortable. That being said, it can sometimes be good to lose weight for health reasons or to help your confidence. It’s essential to stay fit and healthy, so this might be just the post you’re looking for.

This weight loss diet will be perfect for a student because it gives you the chance to be flexible (it is called the Flexible Diet, after all). Here’s what you need to know:

Flexible Dieting

Flexible Dieting, aka If It Fits Your Macros, is one of the safest diets you can do. It gives you plenty of freedom to eat what you want and when you want while working towards your goal of losing weight. The idea of the diet is to think that no food is bad or good for you. If your diet is healthy, you’re on the right track.

So, does that mean you have to cut out food? As you might have guessed, not necessarily. In theory, your body needs food from all groups to stay healthy. And despite what people say, you don’t have to avoid carbs completely. Sure, it’s good to eat in moderation, but you can still enjoy it from time to time as long as you’re strict with yourself. That also means sweet stuff. Your body needs sugar for energy, so once again, you’re okay to indulge.

How does flexible dieting work?

This diet basically works on you counting your macronutrients and keeping track of them. For those who don’t know, your macronutrients are your protein, fats and carbohydrates. Each gram of your macronutrients has a different calorie equivalent. This is a guide for how much each is worth:

1 gram of protein is equivalent to 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrate is equal to 4 calories
1 gram of fat is equal to 9 calories

Calculating your macro

This is where it gets a little complicated. Everybody’s macro is different, so if you want to do the diet correctly, you’ll have to get your calculator out. Once you’ve figured this out, your diet will be easy, but it’s the first step. Also, food is obviously calculated in grams, not macro. That’s why our little guide above will help you put it all together. Here’s what to do when you’re calculating yours:

The first step is knowing how many calories you consume per day. A rough estimate is fine, but the more accurate, the better.
Next, you want to figure out what ratio of food you’d like to eat. This is entirely up to you. Most people choose carbohydrates to be the biggest percentage in their diet and protein the smallest. You don’t have to stick with that though; you have free rein.
Then, you multiply your percentages by your daily calorie intake.
Lastly, divide your calorie amounts by their calorie-per-gram number.

Once you’ve figured that out, you’re good to get started!

Why is this diet over the others? It’s simple. You probably know better than anybody that university life can be pretty unpredictable. Maybe it’s late lectures or nights out with your friends you’re worried about? But with a flexible diet plan, you can do both and not have to worry. Also, this diet has room for alcohol too. That means you don’t have to miss out on anything just because you’re dieting. It’s not going to be positive if you’re too strict with yourself, so here you have an option!

But as we promised, if this diet doesn’t sound good enough for you, here are some ways you can lose weight instead:

Be more active

It sounds pretty obvious, and really it is, but how much do you exercise? If the answer is not enough, then this might be exactly what you need. Not only will it help you to lose weight, but it will also be great for your mental health. Most people feel great after working out, and sometimes feeling good about yourself is just vital mentally. You can find an activity you enjoy such as running or playing certain sports. Or you can just find some workouts online. YouTube is an excellent place for finding workout routines, so see what’s best for you.

Swap out your snacks for healthy ones

Some people are bad for snacking, and it can result in weight gain. That doesn’t mean you can’t snack though, try eating something like fruit instead. Because fruit is sweet, it can often be just as enjoyable as sweets etc. Find a fruit that you like and stock up! You can bring some to class with you if that is when you tend to snack most. It’s always good to find healthy alternatives!

Drink less alcohol

As a student you might like a drink or two (the uni reputation says as much). Of course, you should definitely have fun, but alcohol can have many calories, so cutting it out could be helpful for you. Especially if you drink a lot, you could be putting on weight, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, drinking less is how you’ll lose more. It might be a sacrifice, but it also could help your health significantly, so it’s not a bad idea. Even if you go on a ban for just a couple of months, you might see a big difference.

Hopefully, one of these ideas has helped you out and don’t be afraid to give the flexible diet a try; it’s on your own terms! Do you have any weight loss recommendations? Please leave them below.