This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northeastern chapter.
Do you work out like a maniac but are slow to see results? This could be for two reasons:
1. It takes 4 weeks to really see results in yourself; the human body doesn’t change overnight, it takes time to develop muscles and shed weight.
2. You are still eating more than you should be.
If your goal is to lose weight, there are some things you need to keep in mind
- When it comes to making the effort to lose weight 80% is about eating right and lowering your calorie intake, while the other 20% is about defining muscle and exercising.
- If your calorie intake is higher than your daily intake should be than you won’t lose weight. It’s just like math.
Calories (+) Exercise (-) Daily Intake = Weight Change (+/-)
Some tips to eat healthier
If you are on a meal plan:
- Eat a salad once a day (but be wary of how much dressing you use because that’s where most of the calories come from)
- Limit the intake of Stetson East Cookies (I know how hard this is, especially when they are warm)
- Don’t load up multiple plates (I noticed now that I am off the meal plan, if I ever sweep in, I grab multiple plates and eat 3x the amount that I would for the same meal in my apartment. It’s food that you don’t really need to eat, but you feel so overwhelmed by all the choices, it’s hard to ignore all the options.)
- Be careful of how much soda and juice you drink. (Both can add up in calories, try the fruit flavored water for a nice alternative)
- Check out what’s going on in the Vegan Room (They have so many great options)
If you are NOT on a meal plan:
- Don’t buy junk food (if you don’t buy it, there’s less a chance of you eating it)
- Set a budget for yourself (make it harder to justify buying junk)
- Plan out meals for the week (you are more likely to keep from defaulting to ordering out or eating boxes on boxes of mac and cheese)
- When making dinner, plan for leftovers (that way you won’t buy something on campus)
- Have lots of veggies like carrots and celery to munch on (half the time when you reach into the fridge, you aren’t that hungry anyways so these low calorie snacks will fill you up)