Currently: 8:02am, in my room, listening to "Pass the Vibes" by Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment
My first year of college, I was good about taking care of my health and watching out for the "Freshman 15". Even though I lived in a dorm and next to a dining hall, I avoided unhealthy snacks more successfully (ahem, compared to my next year in school). Also, the gym was located right next to my dorm, so I had no excuse to not go!
My sophomore year was different. I still lived in the same dorm - between the dining hall and the gym. But this time, I kind of gave in. I think being busy didn't help my conscience either. You'd think because I'm always out somewhere, doing something, that I'd have no time to indulge on sweets. But wrong. I actually ate more when I could and even took some cafeteria food to go with me. Shame, I know.
I come home for the summer, and uh oh. My mom said I haven't looked this chubby since middle school. (I had cheeks back then.) The scale didn't lie either. I don't remember exactly how much I weighed the start of my sophomore year, but I knew it wasn't that number on the scale. So yeah, I think I gained about 15 pounds. (Pretty much, the "Freshman 15" was fulfilled my second year.) It made sense. Stress, eating, no exercise. I didn't complain. I mean, I let it happen, lol.
But here's the good news: I'm about 2 1/2 months in my summer break now, and I've lost those 15some pounds! I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't planning on losing weight over the summer. My main goal was to get back on the healthy track - with diet and exercise. But yeah, I knew some pounds might drop if I stayed persistent.Here are 2 things I realized/learned these past 2 months:
1. I wanted to become healthy. I want to clarify this goal setup. Becoming healthy and losing weight, in my opinion, are not necessarily the same thing. I believe the first could result in the latter (health -> lose weight), but not necessarily the other way around. *Cough, cough, keyword necessary* Losing weight could mean a lot of things, and these "a lot of things" could consist of some unhealthy habits too. I've seen magic protein shakes (or body creams. Yes, I've seen magic body cream advertisements) believed to melt away the fat. In all honesty, yeah, I've thought about trying them out. Correct me if I'm wrong, but how does one withdraw from these? I think a lot of unhealthy losing methods require customers to rely on them. I believe that healthy weight loss (one that naturally sheds pounds with the change of lifestyle) ensures a long term consistency because you're naturally changing the way you live life.
2. I wanted to become healthy because I love my body. Yeah, I think this kind of goes without saying, but it's important. I felt sorry for myself for being so indifferent my sophomore year. I didn't listen to my body, and just piled it up with stress eating. (I'm sorry, Priscilla.) I wanted to change because it's mine (and God's; somewhere in one of the Corinthians, something about the body being a holy temple of God) and I love it. I wanted to become healthy and change my body, not because I hated it, but because I loved it and I wanted to take care of it.
A quick disclaimer before I go into the more practical aspect of this post:
I am not a professional nutritionist or any type of expert on this! These are some things I've picked up and used to change my lifestyle these past couple months. Feel free to adopt some of these, but make sure to tweak them so they're adaptable and appropriate for your individual body. I believe we all have differently functioning bodies, so some of the tips I'll be sharing with you might or might not work for you the same way. Listen to your body, and pay attention to how it reacts to the foods you eat and the activities you do :)
3. Detox! My mom always finds these Korean tv shows and videos related to improving healthy and life quality, lol. I owe her for this tip, but detox actually did wonders to my body. Let's be honest, some of the things we eat are probably not very clean. Colon cleansing has shown successful weight loss in many people. Here are some easy detox recipes I've been sticking to these past couple months:
- Water + lemon
- Water + apple cider vinegar
- Water + pi water
- Detox smoothie
Also, don't forget to stay hydrated. I know, I see this phrase everywhere I go too.
And another sidenote: I drink a cup of one of these water + [detox] every morning I wake up. Apparently, cleaning your colon with water before ingesting food (probably breakfast) is good because it wakes your stomach!
And another sidenote: I drink a cup of one of these water + [detox] every morning I wake up. Apparently, cleaning your colon with water before ingesting food (probably breakfast) is good because it wakes your stomach!
4. Eat regularly, or by schedule! I was a pig, so I used to eat whenever I want to and whenever I feel like it (or my stomach feels like it). Some people lose weight by eating less and more frequently. This - example: eating every 2 hours - does not work for me. I've gotten my stomach upset a couple of times by doing this. So I've adapted this simple eating style that keeps my stomach on a schedule and lets it digest the foods I eat in a timely manner:
- 9am breakfast
- 12pm lunch
- 3pm quick/light snack
- 6pm dinner
This list is kind of boring, so maybe I'll do another post that goes deeper into what I actually eat.
5. Changing diet. I think this one might be the least appealing tip. But tbh, I don't think I'd be here typing this if I didn't follow this. I don't consider myself vegan, but I like vegan food. It's also been helping my acne and eczema prone skin. So find a diet that works for you! For me, dairy products are a no-no. So I only buy almond milk nowadays. I cut out chips and chocolate-covered pretzels and replaced them with fruits. I don't know what else to say here, so here are some motivational phrases/thoughts to help you reach for that banana and disregard the ice cream pin:
- That ___ tastes so good! But is it really worth it? That temporary pleasure might actually to harm to your body.
- What do I really need right now? On a scale of 1 to 10, that ice cream pin looks good, but it's probably a -14. On the other hand, that banana is probably like an 8. Hmm.
Now, I want to clarify here that I did have some cheats this summer. But hey, nobody's perfect, and everybody makes mistakes. For a couple of days, our freezer had two pins of Telanti gelato (OHMYGOSHTHESEARESOGOOD), and I've nibbled on some Cosco sweet nut snacks to appeal my salt craving. (Btw, I don't know about you guys, but nuts are another no-no for me. They break me out. Sad face.) I think once in a blue moon, you can munch on these. I mean, we got to enjoy life with good foods, right? Just make sure they're eaten with controlled portions. If you really can't help it, find some alternative recipes! These might be vegan and substituted with less-unhealthy substances. Or they might be regular cooking/baking with just less amount of the unhealthy ingredients. Here is a vegan avocado "nice" cream recipe I posted a couple of weeks ago. Feel free to check it out!
6. Keep track of what you eat: Eating log. I'll try to keep this one short because it's rather self-explanatory. I jot down everything I eat in my bullet journal, and this helps me be more conscious of my diet. Often times, I look at my eating log and think, I need more protein/carb/etc. So then I take this into account when I'm cooking up my next meal. I also keep track of how much water I'm consuming throughout the day with the app Plant Nanny. Its interface is simple and really cute! The basic gist of it is that you're a nanny and you feed your plant water every time you finish a cup or bottle of water. I've killed my plants a couple of times. Yeah, they die if you don't drink enough water/feed them. (I don't know how many funerals I'd have to have if I actually count all my dead plants.)
5. Put on a cute workout outfit and do something physical, lol. Exercise. And have fun with it! I'm a very lazy person, so I usually do quick intervals of workouts several times a day. Having a yoga mat laid out in the living room has helped me because I'm constantly reminded of the need to keep active. (Also, I don't have to pull it out every time I want to do some pilates or yoga poses.) Here is my Pinterest board of some of my favorites moves and poses you could try out! Oftentimes, I want to read and workout at the same time. This, I found is not very easy to do on the yoga mat. So instead, I go on the treadmill and walk (at a very slow pace, lol) and read with the book propped open in my hands. (If you're going to do this, just be careful not to trip!) If I'm feeling really motivated, I go for a run around the block or do some stairs exercises!
That's it! I have about three weeks left before I go back to campus. So nowadays, I think about how I can keep up with this and how I'll have to tweak my lifestyle a little to fit my busy academic schedule. I know tt's really easy to relapse and go back to the old way of eating and living, but I'm motivated and planning to keep this a long-term thing!
That's it! I have about three weeks left before I go back to campus. So nowadays, I think about how I can keep up with this and how I'll have to tweak my lifestyle a little to fit my busy academic schedule. I know tt's really easy to relapse and go back to the old way of eating and living, but I'm motivated and planning to keep this a long-term thing!
