Ladies, we’ve all been there. With the freshman 15 creeping up on us and major stressors appearing throughout the semester, eating healthy in college can sometimes be put on the back burner. It seems that everywhere on campus, you can find free pizza and other unhealthy temptations that seem to be calling your name. Believe me, I have made many an Insomnia Cookies run in the middle of the night. But maintaining a healthy lifestyle without restricting yourself or ‘dieting’ is a lot easier than you may think. Disclaimer: I am not a licensed professional. These tips are simply what is working for me, so make sure you are consulting with a doctor or nutritionist if you want to find what method will work best for you.
The freshman 15 hit me pretty hard; a combination of C4C soft serve and a bad reaction to my birth control pills resulted in me gaining about 20-25 lbs by the end of freshman year. My weight fluctuated throughout sophomore year; by the beginning of this summer, I had still not lost all of the original weight I had gained. That summer, I convinced myself that I had to go on a strict diet, eliminating entire food groups and limiting my calorie intake every day. I would be glued to apps like My Fitness Pal, entering in every last morsel of food to ensure I was below my calorie goal. Yes, I lost some of the weight (not all), but with that weight loss came an increase in insecurities and ultimately put a strain on my relationship with food. I was beginning to associate food with numbers, whether it is the amount of calories, serving sizes, or my weight on a scale. I hit a breaking point when I was out to breakfast with my mom one day. I started crying in the middle of the restaurant because I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to accurately put my meal into My Fitness Pal and would wind up going over my calorie goal for the day. This is when I knew something had to change.
Since then, I have been trying to mend my relationship with food. Through Internet research and meeting with a nutritionist, I have begun to change my perspectives. The first step is to throw away your scale. Everyone’s healthy weight is relative to his/her own body type. Two people who are the exact same heights can be built very differently, so setting strict limits for what is considered underweight, healthy weight, and overweight is not very realistic. Scales also do not give you a read on weight from fat vs. weight from muscle. All in all, associating a number with success is step one down a slippery slope towards negative self-image. Instead, judge your progress by how you look in the mirror or how your clothes are fitting you. This is a much more natural way to determine success.
Nutrition wise, the key is to not label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Food is just food, nourishing the body and keeping us alive. Think of it this way: Say you are trying to eat well, but your friends ask you to go to Ripple and get some frozen yogurt. Since you don’t want to miss out on all of the fun, you go along and grab a self-serve cup. Take scenario one, where you are reluctant to go because you are on a ‘diet’ where fro-yo is a no-no; you consider it to be a ‘bad’ food. Because you are letting yourself have this treat, you are more likely to get a large size, overload the toppings, and finish it all in minutes. I mean, you already broke the diet by getting fro-yo, so why not take it all the way, right? Now, let’s look at scenario two. You are not labeling the fro-yo as good or bad, and you haven’t eliminated it from your life as part of a ‘diet’. You are less likely to go overboard on toppings and really take the time to enjoy every bite because, in your head, fro-yo is not considered a treat. You are eating the yogurt because it will make you feel good in that moment. You haven’t broken the diet, because there is nothing to break! You’re just living your life. Now, I am not saying that you should live off of unhealthy foods because you’re not restricting yourself on a diet. It is still critical to be eating healthy and having a balanced plate. The distinction is to eat food that nourishes your body and makes you feel good in that moment. If that is a big bowl of veggies, great! If it is a handful of Peanut M&Ms, also great!
For your typical meal, the plate should be ¼ full of proteins (chicken, beef, pork, fish, tofu, beans), ¼ full of complex carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, potatoes), and ½ vegetables (the more colors, the better). Paying attention to serving sizes is also very important, but don’t go carrying around a scale and a measuring cup everywhere you go. Just measure everything the first time you make it so you have a visual as to what one serving looks like; use that as a basis for the rest of your meals. In terms of snacks, some great options are nuts, fruit, hard- boiled eggs, granola bars, or rice cakes with nut butter. It’s a good idea to keep some of these snacks in your backpack throughout the day; if you find yourself in a situation where you are hungry with only unhealthy temptations around, you won’t have to stress.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced is eating when I am not hungry. I tend to eat when I am bored or have nothing else to do. One of the tricks that I have implemented is, when I find myself reaching for a snack, pause and ask myself if I am really hungry. If yes, what is the best snack for me right now to fill me up? If maybe, wait 20 minutes and come back. If no, maybe drink a glass of tea or chew some gum instead. It’s not a quick fix, but it is progressively training my brain to make smarter choices.
Drinking water is a great way to keep you hydrated and prevent overeating. I definitely am one to get the munchies, especially after dinner. I find that drinking a big glass of water right after I finish eating fills up my stomach that extra little bit to ensure I am full and will not continue to graze on whatever I have laying around. Another suggestion is to regularly go to the gym. Not only will exercising help you gain muscle tone, but it will also serve as a stress reliever and mind clearer. Having activities that allow you to put your problems aside and dedicate some time to yourself is critical to a healthy lifestyle.
The hardest thing to come to terms with is the fact that everyone’s bodies are built very differently. With social media as prevalent as it is, seeing fitness accounts and models flaunting their ‘perfect’ bodies makes us normal folk feel insecure and desperate to look like them. It is one of the reasons that a ‘diet mentality’ exists and so many young women develop eating disorders. I can tell you for a fact that my body is naturally curvy; it runs in my family. I understand that I will never be a size two, but I am becoming more comfortable in my own skin that I don’t even care anymore. And neither should you.
Using these rules as a guideline, your relationship with food will slowly change. Don’t beat yourself up if you have an off day either. Just embrace it, and move on; tomorrow is a new day. Changing your mentality is not an overnight fix, but over time, you will be able to find the routine that works for you.
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