I'm going to college next year, and have been getting in a pretty good habit of tracking my calorie intake and making sure I exercise enough to burn them off.

The problem I see coming is my meal plan. I eat vegan, and they have a vegan/vegetarian section in the cafeteria, but I imagine that it would be hard to find out what and how much went into all of the food (unless I constantly pick at them for details). I could probably make some alright estimates.

Anyone go through this before and have some advice? Or am I just stuck to guessing?

I'm in college right now and our cafeterias have a website that displays all the nutrition facts of the meals for the whole week. Our cafeteria is stocked by Sodexho, a pretty large company, so maybe you'll get lucky and have a website too.

I just graduated and my schools cafeteria also used sodexho, I never counted calories and honestly being a meat eater still had a hard time getting enough calories (I lost the freshman 15). I ended up with a Kitchen my last 2 years, and I must say I am a pretty good cook.

Good luck In school, the first couple months can be tough, but it gets easier once you get used to everything.

I'm in college right now and our cafeterias have a website that displays all the nutrition facts of the meals for the whole week. Our cafeteria is stocked by Sodexho, a pretty large company, so maybe you'll get lucky and have a website too.

Ok any place you go that serves food will have a nutritional facts table on anything they cook because its the law the have to have it somewhere whether online or a hard copy. Actually i think restuarants have to have a hard copy somewhere just incase someone asks.

Do you have to eat at the cafeteria? I can't afford it at my University ... I go off campus to the local grocery store and get my food.

I'm going to college next year, and have been getting in a pretty good habit of tracking my calorie intake and making sure I exercise enough to burn them off.

The problem I see coming is my meal plan. I eat vegan, and they have a vegan/vegetarian section in the cafeteria, but I imagine that it would be hard to find out what and how much went into all of the food (unless I constantly pick at them for details). I could probably make some alright estimates.

Anyone go through this before and have some advice? Or am I just stuck to guessing?

I think if you focus on eating quality food and eating based on how hungry you are (ie not eating because you're bored/tired/whatever), you won't have a problem maintaining your weight. I think it's better to focus on quality rather than quantity.

Tough problem. I googled for calories in a keg stand, but couldn't find a good answer.

Do you have to eat at the cafeteria? I can't afford it at my University ... I go off campus to the local grocery store and get my food.

A lot of colleges in the US require you to get a meal plan your freshman year.

A lot of colleges in the US require you to get a meal plan your freshman year.

Yep that is true. It's a great cash cow.

A lot of colleges in the US require you to get a meal plan your freshman year.

Really?? It's optional here, and only for those unlucky enough to live in residence. <<shudder>>

Vegan menu at my school's cafeteria (for the mandatory Freshman year, last year) consisted of highly processed tofu dogs and "bean" burgers. (not enough bean, I say!) They also had a "vegan specific" salad bar with a vegan entree and some other milk-/egg-less pastas; in addition there was a soy milk dispenser for a milk alternative. A problem I think you're going to run into is that "they" will try to give you all of your protein in the form of soy... which, if you look up the downside of soy, can be detrimental in large, unfermented quantities (tofu, soymilk vs. tempe, miso). I ended up eating a lot of the legumes off the salad bar, and the (horrible-y over-sugared) peanut butter as well to alternate my (in their eyes) 'meat alternative.' I swear they cater to the people that don't eat well. The good thing is you should end up getting a variety that will make you (if as I) horribly spoiled when you are off of your meal plan, buying all these fresh veggies and fruits for salads gets tricky when you're not cooking for others :/
Good luck and God speed- and don't freak out too much when/if your weight fluctuates... it should come back to your preferred norm if you're patient. :-)

-a girl.

You guys are lucky; our school didn't even offer vegetarian alternatives other than salad!

Vegan menu at my school's cafeteria (for the mandatory Freshman year, last year) consisted of highly processed tofu dogs and "bean" burgers. (not enough bean, I say!) They also had a "vegan specific" salad bar with a vegan entree and some other milk-/egg-less pastas; in addition there was a soy milk dispenser for a milk alternative. A problem I think you're going to run into is that "they" will try to give you all of your protein in the form of soy... which, if you look up the downside of soy, can be detrimental in large, unfermented quantities (tofu, soymilk vs. tempe, miso). I ended up eating a lot of the legumes off the salad bar, and the (horrible-y over-sugared) peanut butter as well to alternate my (in their eyes) 'meat alternative.' I swear they cater to the people that don't eat well. The good thing is you should end up getting a variety that will make you (if as I) horribly spoiled when you are off of your meal plan, buying all these fresh veggies and fruits for salads gets tricky when you're not cooking for others :/
Good luck and God speed- and don't freak out too much when/if your weight fluctuates... it should come back to your preferred norm if you're patient. :-)

-a girl.

Kind of. They are going for greatest quantity for the least cost. Which usually means pretty crappy/un healthy food.