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Hi collegiettes™! 
It’s weigh-in day! My hard work has paid off and I’ve dropped 2 pounds this past week. In my journey to lose the the freshman 15 with the Jump Start Diet so far I have lost a total of 14 pounds! Do you know what that means? I’m ONE pound away from losing my first 15! However, today I decided to give you a different perspective from SELF’s Jump Start Diet and let my friend Lindsay Church–a former collegiette™– guest blog about her quest to lose the freshman 15 as an alumna of UMD on Weight Watchers. Don’t forget to enter in my Saladworks giftcard giveaway!
Love, Ally
This is an interesting blog for me to write because I never thought I would be in the position I am in today. Six weeks ago I began Weight Watchers, and during these past six weeks I have been extremely conscious of what I eat with several servings of fruits and vegetables every day, something I don’t think I have ever done, whole wheat everything, and small portion sizes. Sometimes we like to trick ourselves into thinking that we eat well, by saying “I like vegetables,” and then try to remember the last time you’ve eaten a carrot!
As a high school athlete, I knew that whatever I ate would come off after school at practice. When I started to get older, my father warned me that once I stopped doing sports constantly, I would have to be mindful of my weight and eating habits. I told him that I would always exercise, that it would not become an issue.
My freshman year of college, I did not pay attention to what I put in my body until May when I realized I had received a visit from Miss Freshman Fifteen.
Sophomore year, one of the roommates in my quad was a fervid runner and she motivated me to get back into shape. My University’s fantastic, state-of-the-art recreation center was a mere three minute walk away from my dorm so I started to use the elliptical after classes each day; however, a broken foot at the end of spring semester put a damper on my fitness routine.
My junior year I lived in my sorority house, in a room on the third floor. I walked up and down two sets of stairs multiple times a day and had a long, hilly walk to campus. We had a chef which prepared us three balanced meals a day. I got the flu the second week of school. All of these factors somehow got me within ounces of my freshman year weight; by Thanksgiving I had lost about 15 pounds without even trying. It was just the best feeling; I remember being weighed at the student health center and not believing the number on the scale. That summer I got mononucleosis, and I swear it changed my metabolism forever. Since then, I have not been able to lose weight as quickly and easily.
At the end of senior year I gained it all back thanks to some medication I was taking and I also got mono…. again, but way less severe. The recession was at its worst and I couldn’t find a job. Everything happening all at once made me sad, so I ate and ate whatever I felt like whenever I felt like. I am the queen of emotional eating. I eat when I’m happy, sad, mad, bored. I wore leggings and sweatshirts for days on end because I felt uncomfortable wearing anything else. I ended the medication in the hopes of losing the weight. No such luck. I joined a gym nearby and tried to eat well. I would lose maybe 1-2 pounds and then get frustrated because nothing was happening as quickly as I wanted it to. 
Today, I have a great job in New York City at a public relations company. I live at home, where I do a walking tape by Leslie Sansone almost every day, or when the weather is nice after work, I do interval training (walking then running) around my neighborhood. I joined Weight Watchers in February and the first week was rough. I wanted to eat everything. I felt my hand grabbing for anything that was waiting to be eaten. I had lost total control over my brain when it came to food.
Now, six weeks into it, after fluctuating between the same 1-2 pounds, I have lost a total of 7 pounds and I have kept the same mindset throughout the whole thing. When I first started, I thought about going over my points as a punishment, that if I went over, I would get zapped like a dog when he runs outside his electric fence. While it’s still a little difficult for me to exercise due to my schedule, I still make sure that I follow the points each and every day, but allow myself some wiggle room on the weekends. Working in the city has it’s benefits though, I walk everywhere and take the stairs instead.
If you’re trying to lose weight here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Drink tons of water. Cut out soda, juice, or massive quantities of alcohol. On Weight Watchers, unsweetened iced tea with one sweet and low, or a regular coffee without milk is 0 points.
2. Eat your calories, don’t drink them. Have an orange with breakfast as a substitute for orange juice. Also, eat your fruits first, as they digest faster than regular food. If you’re on Weight Watchers, eat as many 0 point foods as you can!
3. Do some type of exercise each day. This means taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to the student union instead of taking the shuttle, parking further away instead of roaming the parking lots waiting for the first spot to open up. Also if you can, try to exercise in the morning.
4. Walking is one of the best things you can do. It is low impact, and fun! If you go to school in a big city, just walk and see the sights. Before you know it, you will want to walk further and faster, and it will become a part of your every day routine. If you are upset and feel like gouging on cookies or wine, take a brisk walk around the block instead, while listening to music. It will absolutely boost your mood.
5. Measure your food and pay attention to the serving sizes. Exercise is an added bonus to any weight loss routine, but portion size is the number one reason people lose weight. Whatever your meal is, eat half and save the rest for another meal. Remember though, eating less doesn’t mean eating cookies all day and having less than you would normally have. Make sure you have controlled portions of chicken, seafood, grains (no white! only whole wheat!), vegetables, dairy. At restaurants, they will be more than happy to leave off the condiments or change the bread from white toast to whole wheat toast.
6. Get some sleep. I know it’s hard in college, but unless you’re a prodigy, who is taking 22 credits each semester, try to get on a routine! If you don’t have any plans, save yourself from a night of Franzia on the couch by going to bed at a reasonable hour. If you get on a schedule, your body can heal and rest, your mind will be sharp, and you can focus on your weight loss goals. It may not result in your losing weight, but it sure won’t result in you gaining any.
7. Chew sugar-free gum. When you get cravings to eat, it’s mostly because you want to chew something. After eating a piece of gum, you probably won’t want to have that snack anymore.
8. It’s always going to be a constant struggle. All of this isn’t just about losing weight to fit into your bathing suit by summer. It’s about making time to take care of your body, to make healthy eating a part of your life.
How do you eat healthy on campus? Please let me know! Leave a comment below Tweet me (@FabulousLMEC).
If you’d like to join Ally in her healthy, happy weight loss (and please do), go register for the Jump Start Diet on SELF.com and be sure to use the SELF logs to keep track of your daily workout and meals, which is an awesome way to keep track of your calorie intake and how much you’re burning off!
To follow Ally’s journey on the Jump Start Diet, check out her out on Twitter (@allylopez), and while you’re at it, follow the latest news from SELF (@SELFmagazine) and Her Campus (@HerCampus)!