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

I won’t lie to you, late night snacking is one of my all time favorite things. Cuddled in bed, watching netflix, and just snacking… sign me up. However, this can be a very dangerous game. If you’re sitting there with a bag of skittles, it’s very easy to get carried away and eat the entire bag, (oh wait, or is that just me??) I know that when I am laying in bed, I am always craving chocolate. And like I’ve said before, I can’t just cut chocolate out of my diet, it’s just not possible. So, I’ve found a healthy solution to these late night cravings.

The solution is simple, dark chocolate covered bananas. This snack is almost too easy, it just doesn’t even seem real. All you have to do is buy some bananas, cut them into slices, and freeze them for about 30 minutes. Next, you melt a bar of dark chocolate, and dip the bananas in the melted chocolate, and stick them back in the freezer for another 5 minutes. So easy!

This snack really is so helpful to those cravings because you get so much chocolate in each bite, and you really don’t need to eat an entire handful because the dark chocolate is so rich. These are also one of my favorite snacks because you can put them in a container and keep them in the freezer, so anytime you just NEED some chocolate in your life, you can pop one in your mouth and it does the trick.

Cheap, Easy, and Healthy… Can’t get any better than that.

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

I’m back again with “cooking for one” to share more of the easy, cheap, and healthy recipes I have discovered during my college years. The one I am going to share with you is one of my favorites because it really is so simple. Today’s recipe is Fajita Chicken. Here’s what you need:

• One Chicken Breast
• 1 Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• 1 Small Onion, cut into strips
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Fajita Seasoning
• Foil

Here’s the steps you’ll need to take:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place chicken breast on piece of foil

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper

4. Place strips of bell pepper and onion on top of chicken breast

5. Sprinkle fajita seasoning over top

6. Drizzle with olive oil

7. Wrap the foil around chicken, cook for 25-30 minutes

Total Calories: 299

Again, this is a recipe I make often because most of the ingredients are already laying around my house, or can be used in another recipe. I really try to find recipes that have simple ingredients because that saves a lot at the grocery store. I originally found this recipe on a website designed for family cooking and the ingredients were just complex, and the cost of it was just out of my budget. So, I decided to modify that recipe so that I could cook this simple dinner any night of the week. I also cut out some ingredients that were high in calories. This is a recipe that is healthy but much more exciting than just a simple chicken breast and side. My favorite side to serve with this dinner is just a simple side salad or rice, but you can really serve with whatever you prefer.

Happy Eating,

Anne

I have never really enjoyed just going on a long run for my workout, personally it’s too boring, and my body just wasn’t made for that. I don’t want to bash on people who just get on a treadmill and knock out five miles, I envy them actually. However, I don’t think my body is capable of running more than one mile without wanting to die. Instead, I have started doing interval runs, and all I can say is, holy calories burned. Here is the interval I do:

-Minutes 0-4: Run, Speed: 6.4, Incline: 0

-Minute 4-5: Run, Speed: 5.5, Incline: 5.5

-Minutes 5-9: Walk, Speed: 3.4, Incline: 11

-Minute 9-10: Walk, Speed: 3.4, Incline: 2

-Repeat, total time of workout: 60 minutes

You can really change the speed of any of the intervals, those are just what works best for me. I really enjoy interval workouts because they force you to get the most out of your time. I’m sure most college students are like me, they don’t have time to be at the gym for hours, so doing intervals really makes you work in a short amount of time. Interval runs are also amazing for burning calories. This workout spikes your heart rate, and then forces you to have a “rest” period which lowers your heart rate. This back and forth is what causes so many calories to be burned. It has also been found that any type of interval or circuit workout allows you to burn calories even after you have finished your workout. You are capable of burning calories for up to 48 hours after you’ve finished your workout, depending on how difficult your circuit was. So, if you’re like me, and you’ve got to burn those calories in the shortest amount of time, interval runs just may be your answer.

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

Cook cheap, healthy, and easy dinners can be difficult in college, especially if you’re just trying to cook for yourself. When you try to find recipes online, they are usually crafted to feed 3-4 people. I decided to do all the hard work for you, and find a recipe that you can easily make for just yourself, is cheap, and still healthy. I found this meal on Skinny Taste, however, I modified it to feed only one. This dinner that fits the college trifecta is pesto chicken. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 chicken breast
• Canned Basil Pesto
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Tomato
• Salt and Pepper

This recipe is nice because you only need a few ingredients, and they are things that you most likely have somewhere hidden in your kitchen. To make matters even better, this dinner could not be easier to make. Here’s the steps you’ll need to take:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Place chicken on pan, and spread one spoonful of basil pesto on top

3. Cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken is almost completely cooked

4. Take chicken out, top with two slices of tomato, and mozzarella cheese

5. Cook for additional 5 minutes

6. Serve with desired vegetable

I really love this dinner so much because it is very simple, and doesn’t take very long to make. Another up side to this recipe is that the ingredients are pretty common and can be used in other meals so they will not go to waste. The cost of this dinner is easily under $20 and is only 236 calories. Cheap, easy, and healthy… Music to a college students ears.

Happy Eating,

Anne

Being a college student usually means being absolutely broke. If you can’t afford a gym membership, it can be extremely difficult to get a good workout in. And if you’re like me, running just isn’t your thing, so you’ve got to get creative. A really effective, and free, workout I’ve started doing when the weather allows, is bleacher runs. I’m not going to lie, they are hell. Absolute hell. But they also burn an unbelievable amount of calories (and make you feel like a total badass.) My favorite way to do this workout is to incorporate cardio as well as strength training. I do this by doing intervals. Usually, I’ll run up and down the bleachers as fast as I can, then do some sort of strength activity in between. So if I decided to work on arms that day, I could do push ups, triceps dips, etc. If I were working on legs, I could do squats, calf raises, etc. I would usually do this interval workout for an hour.

On other days I’ve made this workout strictly cardio. I’ll put 30 pounds in a backpack and run the bleachers and take 2 minutes in between to rest. If you don’t have free weights, you could use books or any other heavy objects as your weights. This workout can be modified very easily, you can add more weight, harder strength activities, or make anything easier, depending on how hard you want to work. I really enjoy doing this workout with a couple friends because it helps motivate me to work harder, and it’s honestly just more fun. So, if you don’t have money for a gym membership, but you have bleachers near by, you’ve got no more excuses.

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.

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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