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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Starting the Day Off Right

This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.

Aloha collegiettes™!
 
Now, we’ve all heard at some point in time that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but why? According to a recent SELF article, eating breakfast ensures a balanced diet and those who do are “less likely to skip meals and they’re less likely to overeat.”

005But wait—what college student has time to even wake up and make breakfast? Though it’s easy and often tempting to roll out of bed, pull your hair into a ponytail, and head over to that dreaded 10:00 a.m. lecture, skipping breakfast is the last thing you want to do. Studies show that those who do are  likely to be overweight, and doing so can increase your risk for blood pressure and diabetes. I know I’m certainly guilty of pulling that number as are many of you.

With SELF’s Jump Start Diet, waking up your metabolism is the key ingredient in the recipe for happy, healthy weight loss! The breakfast meal option I tried yesterday was two whole-grain waffles with slices of a half of a banana on top. For you honey lovers out there, SELF suggests spreading two tablespoons of almond butter and raw honey on your waffles, but since I’m not a fan of either, I just stuck to my favorite fruit and added a glass of Crystal Light fruit punch to the breakfast (218 cal. total).
 
Frozen waffles with a sliced banana topping? Mmm, I can smell it now! It’s such a quick, effortless, healthy meal that’s perfect for a college student on-the-go. Just pop them in the toaster or microwave while you’re dolling up and zan-za-bam, you have your breakfast! Also, please note that when looking for your whole-grain waffles that you need to look for whole wheat flour as an ingredient!
 
Yesterday after breakfast, I decided to finally head on out for my first run during the Jump Start Diet. I’ll be honest, I thought I was going to die or pass out once I got home but it’s going to be so worth it in the end. I completely forgot to monitor the distance and time during my workout, but I recall my previous round of the entire neighborhood being a little over two miles. Either way, I have a lot of work to do.

008Today is day five of my Jump Start Diet, and wow, this week has just gone by so quickly! My meal plan for the day includes the following: for breakfast, 2 whole-grain waffles with sliced bananas (218 cal.); for lunch, 1 cup of tomato soup with a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread (450 cal.); for dinner, salmon salad (400 cal.); for dessert, ½ cup of vanilla bean ice cream; and for snacks, Sargento mozzarella string cheese and a bag of popchips.

What do you normally eat for a quick  and easy health-conscious breakfast? Send me a Tweet at @allylopez or shoot me an e-mail me at allylopez@hercampus.
 
Love,
 
Ally
 
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)!

Ally is a senior print journalism major at the University of Maryland, College Park with a concentration in magazine journalism. In addition to blogging for the Her Campus and SELF magazine “Lose the Freshman 15” program, she writes for the sex & dating section of College Magazine. Her previous internships include being a UMD “style guru” for the Web site CollegeFashionista, an editorial intern for ARCHITECT and eco-structure magazines, as well as a copy editing intern for The Working Press, a daily tabloid that covered the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2010 national convention. Additionally, she has contributed to the USA TODAY College blog. When she isn’t in her bubble of journalism, Ally enjoys spending time with her family and friends, spending insane amounts of money at the mall, and watching every flavor of the Real Housewives.