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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Celebrating Small Victories

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

Hey collegiettes™,

Success is what every hard-working collegiette™ wants and deserves, whether it be personally, academically or professionally. But on that journey towards achieving success, every now and then a few obstacles can come our way making the ultimate goal(s) feel almost impossible.

I bring this up because regardless of the fun I had on my weekend of partying with the BFF, I know there are quite a few mistakes made this weekend in terms of achieving successful happy, healthy weight loss with the Jump Start Diet. winning

But rather than being a huge Debbie Downer about my not-so-great and incredibly huge calorie intake from last night, I’m going to start fresh this week and look at everything in a positive light.

Though my long-term goal is losing a total of 15-20 pounds, it’s essential to identify the rewards that come with each step of progress made in my quest to “Lose the Freshman 15.”

One of the daily tip e-mail reminders I receive from SELF suggested writing down a long-term goal, and detailing the benefits of getting 25 percent, 50 percent and so 75% of the way there.’

Valuing incremental change is key in my motivation. Even if I don’t end up losing 20 pounds, I’ll have my list of mini-accomplishments to brag about!

Here’s my list of things to help me keep winning:

25% of the way… [COMPLETE]
I’d like to lose 5 pounds from kicking bad habits of snacking on junk food and soda and opting for a healthier lifestyle with diet and excercise!

50% of the way…
I’d like to lose 10 pounds by the time my spring break comes so that I can look and feel great on vacay!

75% of the way…
I’d like to lose 15 pounds and get ready for a shopping spree at the mall for new, smaller sized clothing as a birthday present to myself!

100% – Long-Term Goal
I’d like to lose 20 pounds on the Jump Start Diet for a hotter, healthier version of me, so that I can feel great about myself just in time for the summer!

What are some small goals you have or have achieved? Have any suggestions for my list? Let me know! Leave a comment below, e-mail me at allylopez@hercampus.com or  Tweet  me(@allylopez).

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.