Does your weight fluctuate like a yo-yo? This is not a surprise, especially during your college years. In college it’s not easy to fit the gym into your schedule, still have time to sleep the recommended eight hours and eat healthy. It is crucial to never stop trying because if you want to find a happy and healthy medium and feel comfortable with your weight, it takes dedication!
Credit Kathy C. Antigua
While in search for your happy medium, here are a few helpful tips by acknowledging the roadblocks that might be keeping you from achieving your weight loss goals. By targeting the issues that are keeping you from achieving those goals, your journey towards a healthier you will be made more realistic rather than a “leap” resolution.
1) Incorporating breakfast to your diet. This is hard to do especially when you have an 8:30 a.m. class, but this meal is worth waking up for. Starting your day with breakfast in the morning is essential because if you have something to eat earlier in the day, you are less likely to binge eat later on. Also, the calories you intake during breakfast have the rest of the day to burn off so you won’t be storing any fat as you will be moving around the whole day.
2) Put away the scale and take your independence back! Many of us depend on the scale too much and become obsessed with the number it shows. After working out so hard at the gym and controlling your appetite, don’t come home to weigh yourself. Stop obsessing! Instead, let those jeans you’ve been dying to fit in, be the test. Muscle weighs more than fat so as you’re going to gym, you will be gaining muscle and losing the fat, depending on what exercise you do. The scale is important though, so only weigh yourself 1-2 times a month or wait for your annual health visits to the doctor.
3) Make a change in the foods you eat. First, decrease your meal portions. As you decrease your intake, you’ll notice that you will get fuller quicker. Then, make minor substitutions such as drinking more water and cutting out soda completely. Instead of fried foods, eat more grilled and baked foods with wheat and multigrain substitutions over plain white. Start dinners with a salad because when you fill up with vegetables, it is harder for you to finish the rest of your meal. Simple alternatives such as these make for significant, noticeable differences, that you will love!
4) De-stress. Weight has a lot to do with your psyche. Under stress, you will conserve more fat; therefore it is important to find ways to relax even if it is just giving yourself 10 minutes a day for breathing exercises. Whatever you do, make sure it is purposeful and that you will come away from it relaxed.
5) Keep track of your progress in a small notebook. Record what you eat and how long you exercise for. This is an opportunity to track your achievements and keep note of what you could be doing differently.
These 5 simple steps will help you look and feel healthier. Losing weight is not an easy task but it is possible. Good luck!
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/health-and-diet-eating-healthy
Le Moyne College Wellness Center