This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.
Hey there collegiettes™!
My name is Ally Lopez and I am a senior magazine journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Though I wouldn’t describe myself as having to lose the “freshman 15,” it’s more of a “college 25.” It’s been four years of 25 lbs. more of me to love, four years of an increasing dress size or three, four years of laziness when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and four years of an intense love affair with fast food chains.
With SELF magazine’s Jump Start Diet, I see only success in my future. That success means achieving and sustaining a healthy diet and exercise that will help me get that freshman body and weight back.
Looking back on my days as a high school cheerleader, I am often disappointed in myself for losing my interest in going for 2-mile runs and maintaining a kind-of healthy diet. Though I can easily blame the stress of trying to successfully balance all of my college responsibilities for my poor eating habits and lack of exercise, in the end it’s just me. I’ve become my worst enemy, but I am determined to make 2011 the year for change: a new year, a new me.
My starting weight is… wait for it: 145 lbs. Yikes! That’s a lot considering I’m 5’2 and began my freshman year at a healthy 115 lbs. I began the diet yesterday, and started the day off with a bowl of brown sugar oatmeal and, since I was in a rush to get to work on time, a nonfat latte from Starbucks (350 cal. total). For lunch, I ordered a 6″ turkey breast sub from Subway on wheat bread (450 cal.) and dinner I made a plate of some delish pasta marinara (400 cal.)
My goal would be to lose around 15 lbs but it’s easier said than done. I know it will be work… hard work. I hope you will follow me on my journey for success and hopefully even join me! If you’re interested in joining along in my healthy, happy weight loss, register for the Jump Start Diet on SELF.com and use the SELF logs to keep track of your diet. If you have any suggestion for easy, at-home workout routines or healthy, low-calorie meals or (even better) snacks, then please do share. Summer is a-coming and I’m determined to be bikini-ready as soon as possible, so I’ll need all the advice I can get!
Love,
Ally
To keep up with latest successes and drawbacks of Ally’s journey with the Jump Start Diet, be sure to follow her on twitter (@allylopez), and while you’re at it, follow the latest news from SELF (@SELFmagazine) and Her Campus (@HerCampus)!