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Wellness > Health

Lose the Freshman 15: Regaining Control

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Coming back from a vacation or a break is absolutely the WORST. You’re forced to face reality and inevitable leave behind the memories you so readily made to jump back into the chaos of every day life.

And while the end of spring break may not be my most welcomed new friend, I am welcoming it for one reason and one reason only: I am ready to regain control of my diet, exercise routine and life.

I feel like my life has been completely out of whack the past two weeks. I spent the week leading up to spring break cramming for exams, stressing out and relaxing my muscles in preparation for my half marathon. And then I spent the past week sailing the high seas, eating from a 24/7 buffet and recovering from a 13.1 mile run.

Needless to say, I haven’t felt in control of myself for a while now. And that’s why I’m welcoming this week to get myself back on track.

I even spent yesterday jumpstarting myself back into my diet and my fitness regime.

I woke up bright and early to run for the first time since my half marathon. You’d think after running 13.1 miles that I would hate running, but I fell right back into my natural stride. And I loved it. So I ran 3.5 miles in the morning. And I just couldn’t get enough, so I ran another 4 miles later at night.

Some people may think I’m sick or crazy, but I just really like running. And afterward, I even did a nice little ab workout. It was a successful day for working out.

In between my runs, I spent my time grocery shopping and meal planning.

IMG 3394I bought a ton of fresh fruit and veggies, as well as whole grain and wheat bread products, yogurt, eggs, oatmeal, sliced chicken breast, low-fat cheese and fat-free milk. I can safely say that I am all set to eat healthy… at least for this week.

Probably the most shocking part of my day came around dinner time, when I decided to cook dinner for myself and my best friend, Luis. All by myself, (it’s a big deal, because like I’ve said before, I REALLY can’t cook) I made whole grain pasta and spaghetti sauce to accompany it.

IMG 3395I don’t want to toot my own horn, but it was pretty delicious. And healthy, too! The only thing you have to watch out for when eating spaghetti is portion control, because too much of a good thing can be a bad thing in this case. But we made sure to ration out our pasta so that we ate about a cup of noodles each.

IMG 3397And like I said, it was delicious! But the best part is that I made TONS, so I’ll have leftovers for days. And I never get sick of food, so I can’t wait to eat spaghetti all week long.

All-in-all, I’d have to say that yesterday was a successful first day back and a great way for me to jump right back into my diet and exercise. I’m more excited than ever to continue on this journey. And, I’m more motivated than ever to continue losing weight and getting myself to the weight and size that I’ve always wanted to be. It’s go time.

Are you back from spring break and looking to start dieting? Try out SELF’s Jumpstart Diet with me and let me know how it goes! We’re in this together.

Sara Kaner was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and first fell in love with journalism as a freshman in high school thanks to her wonderful Intro to Journalism teacher. A family move brought her to Fort Myers, Florida the summer after her freshman year of high school, but she continued to pursue an interest in journalism. She is in her second year at the University of Florida and is pursuing a dual degree in Public Relations and Psychology. She is heavily involved on the UF campus and dedicates most of her time to her various organizations and to her friends. She loves people, magazines, sports and social media, and she hopes to combine all three in her job someday. For now, she aspires to attend Law School and specialize in Media Law. She secretly aspires to be Chelsea Handler, but she's happy being herself for the moment, just as long as she can lose the freshman 15 this semester.