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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Forecast A Fitter Future

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

Hey collegiettes™!

As I near the finish line for the “Lose the Freshman 15” program (tomorrow is my last weigh-in, eek!), I can’t help but think about how far I’ve come these past eleven weeks.

Eleven weeks ago I weighed 145 lbs., I had poor eating habits, and I had no fitness routine at all. That’s a lot considering I’m 5’2 and began my freshman year at a healthy 115 lbs. and freshly fit from my years as a cheerleader.
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Trying to successfully make a drastic change in diet with the Jump Start Diet, as well as incorporating five days of cardio may not be the easiest of things to do for the busy collegiette™, yet alone me, but I’m proud to say that with hardwork, persistance, and sweat (and lots of it! TMI?) I have lost 17 lbs.!

Resisting my temptations to grab a quick snack or from the vending machine, or sometimes even skipping out on a workout was always easier to stay motivated when I thought of why I wanted to lose weight.

According to SELF: “Women who tie healthy actions to long-term goals feel less tempted by treats than those with a limited outlook, according to the Journal of Consumer Research. To stay motivated and keep the big picture in mind, write down all your reasons, large and small, for embarking on this journey, including more confidence, a healthy heart, lower risk for cancer and other diseases, and—of course—fitting into skinny jeans.”

I won’t pretend I didn’t want to look and feel hotter with a smaller waist, but it’s certainly more than that–a new, healthy lifestyle. A lifestyle change isn’t just going through the motions of a healthy diet and fitness routine, but determining how to live with healthy choices in your everyday life– a key factor in the road to weight loss:

  • Avoiding smoking
  • Reading the nutritions facts on food packaging
  • Choosing healthy picks on a restaurant menu
  • Monitoring alcohol intake
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Being active overall
  • Combating stress
  • Packing a lunch
  • Tracking calories

Remember, it’s never too late to start a diet! If you’d like to join me in my healthy, happy weight loss (and please do), go register for the Jump Start Diet on SELF.com and be sure to use the SELF logs to keep track of your daily workout and meals, which is an awesome way to keep track of your calorie intake and how much you’re burning off!

What’s in your fit forecast? 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.