My daughter is heading to a college with amazing free cafeterias - any advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dining Hall OJ is delicious with cheap vodka when you're in college.

Come sit next to me, and let's continue to trash the hopefully troll OP who is a nightmare.

I guess OP's shaming might lead the daughter to drink the lower-calorie Crystal Light and Vodka.

Guys, can I sit on your op-trashing bench with you? I’ll provide the rum and we can use dining hall Coke! Don’t worry OP, we’ll make sure it’s Diet Coke.

[Anonymous]

I waited tables 40 hours a week during my freshman year. I could not have gained weight if i had wanted to.

[Anonymous]

Op’s daughter will be changing her phone number the moment she gets to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell her to make sure she eats her veggies. Seriously. Start lunch and dinner with a big salad and then go back for your entree items.

Most everything offered is heavily processed and full of sodium. Even the "healthier" options like black bean burgers or portabella mushroom pasta.

It doesn't matter if she's walking a lot during the day, the sodium in that crap food is terrible for her! It's why student-athletes get catered meals at a lot of big universities (at least the one I went to).

I lived in the dorm where most athletes lived for this reason. The dinning Hall was the only one that served decent meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell her to make sure she eats her veggies. Seriously. Start lunch and dinner with a big salad and then go back for your entree items.

Most everything offered is heavily processed and full of sodium. Even the "healthier" options like black bean burgers or portabella mushroom pasta.

It doesn't matter if she's walking a lot during the day, the sodium in that crap food is terrible for her! It's why student-athletes get catered meals at a lot of big universities (at least the one I went to).

This.

Don't add a ton of dressing to salad and add a small bowl of steamed veggies to the slice of pizza.

Finally, pick a whole fruit or two to munch on between classes. This will prevent her from getting super hungry and visiting the ubiquitous Starbucks counters for lattes and cookies.

[Anonymous]

I agree with OP

I would also give her the same warnings

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having just written a check for $2,100 to cover my kid's meal plan for fall semester, I am curious where this school with the free cafeteria is. I think I made the wrong choice!

I assume OP meant free, as in unlimited free-for-all with the meal plan. There's no limit to kid's portions. It can be overwhelming. Especially when free snacks are RIGHT THERE every single time you eat. The warm brownies, cookies and granola at my alma mater's cafes had a well-known rep for aiding everyone's freshman 15.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My advice for you is to deal with your food issues on your own time.

THIS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aside from alcohol and obviously late night snacking, the free cafeterias (with freshman meal plan) are probably where most kids gain the freshman 15, yeah? Are there a couple easy to digest tips for that environment to stay fit? One thing that I did clarify after her orientation is that orange juice -- even fresh squeezed -- (in the morning) isn't healthy. She thought it was the coolest thing and was sending me pics of her enjoying a tall glass each morning.

My advice for your daughter is that she should explore eating food she enjoys now that she is out of her mom's helicopter. Also that fresh squeezed OJ goes well with bottom-shelf vodka.

[Anonymous]

"fresh squeezed OJ goes well with bottom-shelf vodka."

HAHAHA I still can't drink vodka over 30 years later....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Having just written a check for $2,100 to cover my kid's meal plan for fall semester, I am curious where this school with the free cafeteria is. I think I made the wrong choice!

I assume OP meant free, as in unlimited free-for-all with the meal plan. There's no limit to kid's portions. It can be overwhelming. Especially when free snacks are RIGHT THERE every single time you eat. The warm brownies, cookies and granola at my alma mater's cafes had a well-known rep for aiding everyone's freshman 15.

But surely OP’s adult child has had free access to food for a while.

[Anonymous]

I gained the freshman 15 from the dining hall food. Lots of free, greasy, fried and sugary food all for the taking as much as I wanted. It honestly only took a month of that food, combined with drinking and too little exercise to pack on pounds. It creeps up slowly.

And no, most college kids really don't know that OJ is just a bunch of sugar. Think about it. All the PPs here who are having a heart attack over the idea that a parent discuss nutritional food choices with their child because they think that will give them an eating disorder. Same logic is applied when the kids are younger so most have very little ideas what healthy eating looks like. I bet there are plenty of posters on this board who have kids who would tell you that Vitamin Water is a healthy drink because after all it says "Vitamin" in the title.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha, OP, I told my parents the freshman 15 was from food. Unless you have starved and restricted your DDs food intake, most of those 15 pounds will be alcohol.

Yes, this, plus late night pizza delivery.


A few weeks (months?) ago there was a thread with plenty of parents who thought nothing of restricting their tweens and early teen's snacking habits. This is the "going to college version." Just crazy. OP, you needed loosen the reins long ago.

[Anonymous]

My freshman year first semester I lost 15 lbs immediately by eating salad bar and just not planning very well. Then I discovered partying, late night study pizza combined with ill fated “mom sent me cookies” and the pounds packed on.

Just tell her to be cognizant of all the “other food” - not really the dining hall but the beer, pizza, etc. get a mini fridge and stick with fruit, veggies, yogurt. I always had cereal, milk and some emergency soup on hand.

Get in the habit of going to the gym.

She will be fine. And if she gains, likely by second semester she will figure it out.

And the food is never really that good,..after 2 months the novelty will wear off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My freshman year first semester I lost 15 lbs immediately by eating salad bar and just not planning very well. Then I discovered partying, late night study pizza combined with ill fated “mom sent me cookies” and the pounds packed on.

Just tell her to be cognizant of all the “other food” - not really the dining hall but the beer, pizza, etc. get a mini fridge and stick with fruit, veggies, yogurt. I always had cereal, milk and some emergency soup on hand.

Get in the habit of going to the gym.

She will be fine. And if she gains, likely by second semester she will figure it out.

And the food is never really that good,..after 2 months the novelty will wear off.

In my experience, those that packed on the 10-20 pounds RARELY got skinny again. Look at any sorority or fraternity - - you can tell the upperclassman by fuller faces. It's soooooo much easier to gain 10-20 than it is to lose 10-20.