Calories on Campus: Beyond the all-or-nothing diet

A lot of people my age think that they must be extremely strict with their diets, workouts, and overall weight goals. Well let me tell you, being extremely strict is a recipe for disaster.

I’m not saying it’s not okay to have these goals and want to reach them. However, I have actually heard people say “if i eat this chocolate bar today, then i’ll have to skip lunch tomorrow.” And that is most definitely NOT healthy. You should not deprive your body of meals because you decided to reward yourself with a piece of candy. We are all college students, we need to remember that we most likely will not be able to be completely healthy, every minute of every single day. Sometimes you get your heart broken, and you just need to mend your broken heart with a pint of ice cream. Sometimes you do really great on a test, and you need to celebrate by getting a half priced margarita with your best friends. And let me tell you something… THAT IS OKAY.

It is amazing to have goals, and work hard to reach those goals. But it is also okay to be human, and allow yourself to eat something that you really enjoy, that is not totally good for you. You have the rest of your life to diet, lose weight, and achieve your dream body. But you only have four years of half priced margaritas on a Tuesday, pizza that delivers till 3am, and an excuse to eat McDonald s in bed on a Sunday. So be kind to your body, you deserve it!

(Not really related to being healthy, but I thought it was appropriate)

Happy Eating,

Anne

In this day in age, many people believe that hardcore diets, where they cut out a large amount of foods, are the quickest, easiest, and most effective way to lose weight. While it may be true that these “crash diets” are a very quick way to lose weight, they are not the most effective, and certainly not the most healthy.

Your body needs these foods to function properly so when you cut them out completely, you lose energy, have more cravings, and confuse your body. Not to mention, these diets are almost never successful. Yes, it’s true, if you do a carb free diet, you will lose weight left and right. However, almost everyone I know that has done these diets has gained all the weight back that they lost, and often times, even more than that. These diets are also very ineffective because they start to burn muscle instead of just burning fat. So if you’re trying to tone your body while also getting yourself in shape, these diets are most certainly not for you.

Below, I have inserted an image that explains why most crash diets fail:

I think this image really does a good job of summing up all the reasons why these crash diets are extremely unhealthy for your body. These may results may seem very satisfying at first, but I can assure you they will not last. You are actually just hurting your body more than helping it. So, I suggest sticking to a strict workout schedule, healthy eating, and you already know… moderation is key.

Happy Eating,

Anne

New year, New me… We’ve all been there. Today I am addressing new years resolutions, and how to stick to them when it comes to staying in shape.

When New Years rolls around, it’s very common for people to set goals about how they are going to lose weight or just stay in shape in general, and let me tell you, these goals are usually completely unrealistic. “I’m not going to eat any junk food, ever.””I’m going to work out seven days a week.””I’m cutting carbs out of my diet completely.” I’ve seen them all. When you create goals like these, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Maybe you really enjoy working out, and going to the gym seven days a week isn’t a challenge for you, then that’s fine, that goal is something you could probably achieve. But for the rest of us, that realistically won’t happen.

Creating New Years resolutions should be about something that you can actually achieve so that when you do, you feel accomplished. Instead of trying to juggle ten different goals, try only setting one or two for yourself. Trying to accomplish too many things feels like a full time job, and is most likely going to end with you throwing in the towel a week into the new year. Another good way to make sure you stick to these goals is to make sure you set goals that you can actually accomplish. Maybe you’d like to workout more so you set a goal to go to the gym at least two or three times a week. That way if you miss a day or two, you aren’t drowning in guilt. And that way if you end up going to the gym five times that week, you feel on top of the world. Or maybe you eat junk food like it’s going out of style, so you set a goal that you are only going to eat it once a week, or only on the weekends. Whatever it may be, the goals should be fitting to you, and be things that you can actually accomplish. And once you accomplish those, you can keep adding more.

So, take baby steps, start small, and work your way up until you are feeling like the best version of yourself.

Happy Eating,

Anne

One simple way to reduce the amount of calories you’re consuming is to count calories. There has been research done that has shown that one way to lose weight easily is to record everything you eat, this idea goes hand-in-hand with calorie counting.

One of the best apps for this, and the one that I have used since high school, is called “My Fitness Pal.” This app is extremely helpful because it allows you to set a goal of how much weight you want to lose, or if you just want to avoid gaining weight, and it calculates how many calories you should be eating every day. They also make it very easy because you can use the bar code on the back of a lot of food products to scan it directly into your account. If there’s no bar code, you can just search the food, and it should appear in the search results. You are also able to record your workouts and how many calories you burned, which helps you track your progress.

The reason this method is so effective is because it allows people to actually see what they are putting in their bodies. Before I started calorie counting, I had no idea how many calories were in certain foods. Don’t get me wrong, this didn’t stop me from eating ice cream, m&ms, etc., but it definitely forced me to eat them in moderation.

The research that has been done on calorie counting and recording your food intake, has found that people will avoid binge eating just for the sole fact that they don’t want that binge recorded for them to see at a later time. This is something that never occured to me when I first started counting my calories, however, I can see how this can help change someones mind when they are feeling like they want to binge eat.

The app is free, the solution is easy, and it’s really quite interesting. So, I suggest you check it out, just to get an idea of how many calories you eat on a daily basis.

Happy Eating,

Anne

For college students, one of the hardest parts of dieting is the fact that most diets call for absolutely no alcohol. Well, for most college students, this is just out of the question. I am here to tell you that you can be healthy without kissing booze goodbye. One of the easiest ways to cut calories while drinking is mixing liquor with water or club soda. You could drink vodka water, tequila with soda water, or whiskey water. All are better options then mixing with soda or red bull. Mixing your drinks with water cuts out the extra calories that soda has. Surprisingly enough, another alcoholic beverage that doesn’t rack up your calorie count is a Bloody Mary. A typical Bloody Mary is only 125 calories, which is much less than mimosas, margaritas, etc. You could also drink red wine, or light beer to cut back on drinking all your calories.

So, you see, there are many “healthier” options when it comes to alcohol. However, when dieting it’s always a good idea to drink in moderation (told you it would be your new best friend). You could limit yourself to drinking only once per week, or only allowing yourself to have a certain number of drinks when you do go out. You just have to find a happy medium. Bottom line, there’s ways to diet without totally cutting out booze, you just need to be smart about what you drink and how much. So, next time you participate in thirsty Thursday, choose vodka, tequila, whiskey, and water.

Happy Eating,

Anne

It’s no surprise to most that people on college campus’ everywhere go to extreme lengths to get skinny, or stay in shape. A popular diet I have seen many college students try is the Whole 30. This diet prides itself in allowing you to eat real food for the duration of the 30 days. Except does it really?  You are not allowed to eat dairy, sugar, grains, soy, and of course, absolutely no alcohol. To help you understand the magnitude of what you’re giving up, here are foods you are not allowed to eat while doing the Whole 30: peanut butter, soy sauce, corn, rice, beans, cheese, milk, fruits that are high in sugar. Just from reading the endless list of what you can’t eat, I am already convinced this is a diet that I do not want to participate in. But, if you need more convincing, here’s the most important piece of information: this diet has been ranked as the worst diet of the year two years in a row. Nutritionists have admitted that the Whole 30 will in fact help you lose weight during the 30 days. However, once you add back all those food groups, the chances of keeping the weight off are extremely slim. It has also been found that once off the Whole 30, people are more likely to binge on the foods they couldn’t eat because they have been craving them.

So, you’re telling me, I’m not allowed to eat any of the foods I want, and the diet isn’t even going to be effective in the long run? No thank you. I’ll stick to hitting the gym, eating in moderation, and calorie counting.

Happy Eating,

Anne

You must think I am absolutely out of my mind… This blog is called “Calories on Campus” and I just titled a post “Say Yes to Junk Food.” Let me explain myself. Who wants to live a life where they never get to eat pizza, ice cream, etc.? NO ONE. Well, maybe some people do, but I am convinced they are not human. There is no need to be miserable dieting by not allowing yourself to eat the food you want to eat. I mean come on, is wearing a size zero really worth giving up all your guilty pleasure foods? For me, it most definitely is not. Here’s my second reason for saying yes to junk food, if you tell yourself you aren’t allowed to eat that burger and fries, guess what you are going to be craving and daydreaming about? That damn burger and fries. At least, that’s pretty much how it goes for me.

Let me tell you something, moderation is your new best friend. You should allow yourself to eat some food that is bad for you, as long as it’s in moderation. Here’s how I’ve practiced this idea: I allow myself to eat “junk food” one day per week. Now, you can really make this method fit however you’d like. If you’re trying to lose weight, maybe have junk food every two weeks, if you are just trying to stay in shape, i’d say once a week is a healthy medium. Obviously this method is less effective if you eat an entire extra large pizza, and quart of ice cream on this one day, but you get the idea. The way I’ve gone about this, is allowing myself to eat one unhealthy dinner per week. And I have to be honest, this isn’t the easiest thing for me, but when I finally get to eat that meal, it tastes even better, and it feels like a great reward to the hard work I’ve put in. Bottom line, don’t deprive yourself of the food you like just for the sake of being “skinny,” say yes to junk food, and make moderation your new diet partner.

Happy Eating,

Anne

Would you believe me if I said that drinking lemon water every day could actually help you lose weight? Probably not. When I was first told this, I thought, “yeah right, if it were that easy, I would’ve done that by now.” I decided to do some research to see if the answer really was that simple. Turns out, this is in fact true (sort of). Drinking lemon water isn’t going to magically help you shed ten pounds. However, there are many benefits to this simple task. Not only does it help hydrate you, but it makes losing weight much easier. Drinking two glasses of lemon water right when you wake up, and right before bed has been found to kick start your metabolism, which in the long run, will help you out. Another benefit is that this drink can actually make you feel full throughout the day which decreases your urge to snack on unhealthy foods.

Food Network Kitchen
Infused Water Lemon
Healthy Recipes
Food Netowrk

Lemon water can also indirectly help your weight loss journey. Water keeps you hydrated (duh) which ultimately gives you more energy during the day. More energy=more productive workouts. I know this sounds simple and obvious, but in my own personal experience, drinking enough water was something I really struggled with. I have found in my own life that this simple daily task has really changed how I feel, how I workout, and my overall mindset. So, you want my advice? Buy a bag full of lemons, cut them up, and get your water intake on. No carbs cut out, just simply adding something we all need more of, good old water.

Happy Eating,

Anne