freshmen15 tips!

Tips on surviving/avoiding the Freshmen 15: (dude, I'm like a pro in this)

1. Go in with a friend. Eat slowly. Make it last. 

Talk more than you eat. Build friendships. Make them last.

Quality over quantity.

2. Take only ONE good-sized (you gauge the size yourself) plate, but fill it up real good, so that it looks satisfying. No small portion business that will make you run back and forth like a squirrel.

3. Refer to above, and do not run back and forth like a squirrel (i.e. no going back for seconds, if you didn't get what I meant).

Found this outside the student activities building one Saturday. :'( :'(

4. Steer clear from alfredo sauces, pizzas, hamburgers, fried chicken, frosting, ranch dressing, mayonnaise and too-much stir-fry sauce. (well honey, this is obvious)

5. Make sure your plate is well-balanced. Always, for every meal, a little bit of carbs, protein, dairy (unless you're lactose intolerant, then figure out some other way to get calcium in your body), fats (healthy fats - nuts, avocados, salmon), vegetables, fruit, and H2O. This is such a great tip to keep your body feeling satisfied. This may seem wholly obvious but strangely, it isn't to most people. If you have cereal for dinner, you're NOT gonna feel satisfied even though that was all you were "craving for" cuz you "weren't feeling that hungry." Your body's gonna feel as if something's missing and you will definitely snack horrendously later on at the worst possible times (like, at 1 a.m.). Just be responsible and get all the correct nutrients in your body.

(almost) Unrelated note: What is up with spaghetti that's always, ALWAYS paired with breadsticks/garlic bread? Carbs with a side of more carbs?!

6. Drink water before eating. Drink lots of water throughout the day. Drink tea ("yum cha").

7. With that said, pee before eating. HAHA. Is it just me? I feel more in tune with my body and less susceptible to overeating when my bladder's empty. Sorry TMI?

8. Don't touch the sugary stuff. Once you touch the sugary stuff, you WILL eat even more sugary stuff (i.e. skip dessert as many times as possible. Works wonders.) There's a theory going around that says you crave for the things you most recently ate, until you spam it and finallyyy become sick of it (cereal, in my case, all the freaking time).

9. No smoothies, unless it's no-added-sugar (and you don't like chewing your foods, because some smoothies are perfectly capable of being meal replacers, just like some granola bars) then that's fine. By no-added-sugar, I didn't mean smoothies spammed with aspartame or sorbitol. They should be whole foods, natural stuff. Homogenous mush is not my kinda thing, but to each their own.

10. Eat breakfast. You've heard this one before, so many times. With that said, also, don't eat too much for breakfast. *face palm* No such thing as eating "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." You = Commoner. All day long you are an ordinary commoner.

Breakfast: not that hard, here you go. I've got you covered. ;P

11. Absolutely NO snacking. No. Snacking. At. All. (unless you have a colossal sense of portion-control) Your body will lose the natural sense of hunger and satiety because snacks are awesome and you cannot stop once you've started. (Just don't buy snacks. Just don't.)

12. Try to eat at fixed times. Keep your body in that pattern so that it knows what to expect. Dinner at 4.30 p.m. is not exactly ideal. 

13. CHEW GUM. ALL THE TIME. Plus, it gives you fresh breath. 

14. Go to the gym. Ever felt like eating 3 slices of chocolate cake right after sweating it out? Don't think so. 

15. Most importantly, remember that food is fuel. Enjoy it with loved ones, but don't center the meeting around mere perishables. Build memories, have lovely conversations. Dwell.

16. Even more importantly, just listen to your own body. Your body is also a very forgiving organism if you mess up once or twice. Respect your body for it's the only one you'll ever have.