Special K

I am a chocolate lover, as I've previously mentioned. I also love cereal. These two foods are obviously not the best things to be addicted to when you're trying to watch your weight, but thanks to Special K's Chocolatey Delight cereal I can enjoy both without the guilt.



I love this cereal. Not only is it yummy, but it isn't overwhelmingly filling. The flakes are lightly sweetened, and in my opinion would be fine just by themselves. There are also little chocolate bits that make each bite a little better. I usually enjoy a small bowl of it after dinner or for a snack when I get home from class.

I'm also a big fan of the blueberry cereal they offer. It has blueberry flavored clusters and wheat flakes with blueberry flavoring as well. This is my healthy version of Muffin Tops cereal, which is just about the best stuff around.



If cereal isn't your thing, Special K also offers a variety of shakes, protein and snack bars, and crackers. In my opinion, they offer the best figure-friendly snacks, as far as flavor goes.

Beer Guts

As any college student living in these Facebook times, I've found myself spending too much time online browsing photos of my fellow peers. One disturbing thing I've found is the overwhelming number of young girls with beer guts and double chins. Now I'm no pre-med student, but I don't think it takes a total braniac to figure out whats making these girls fat. Alcohol. Whats even more upsetting is that they truly feel they can hit the gym a few times a week and lose the weight they've put on. The missing element to their brilliant plan is a healthy diet plan. They continue to be photographed bonging beer and pounding cheeseburgers at tailgates, but still think they're taking the necessary steps to getting those six-pack abs. Think again, ladies.

Alcohol, like anything that your body won't break down easily, should be consumed minimally when trying to lose weight. This is a common fact that you will find in almost every diet book. Although some would dispute that alcohol consumption is directly related to weight gain, it cannot be denied that overeating is associated with the actual consumption itself.

So what can girls do? Stop binge drinking.

Okay, so chances are most of these girls will not stop drinking, but they can take a few steps to help the binge eating when they feel the need to drink excessively.

1. Do away with the temptation. At most of these functions where heavy drinking takes place, there is sure to be not-so-good-for-you food. Take a tailgate for instance. At most of these you can easily find hotdogs, hamburgers, cookies, etc. Now these don't seem TOO horrible, however when these party go-ers drink a lot, they stop thinking about how many hours at the gym those 3 hotdogs and cookies are going to cost them. They start thinking about how good the food smells, and how much they would enjoy grabbing just one more fistfull of chips. So if you know you're going to be at an event like this, take your own healthy food that you know you can afford to munch on. For instance, trade in the homemade chocolate chip cookies for oatmeal with dark chocolate chips or swap your greasy potato chips for veggies and lowfat dip or hummus. These switches are a sure fired way to help you from popping a button on your cutoff jeans.
2. Only allow yourself a certain amount to drink. If you know you won't be able to resist the snack table, cut back on the drinking or switch to a drink that will satisfy whatever you are craving.
3. The final tip would be to keep yourself active. If you are in a social situation where heavy drinking will be involved, keep yourself moving around. You'll be more tempted to snack if you're sitting around with a drink in one hand and a free hand just dying to clutch a cheesburger.

Also, something else to keep in mind, ladies. With every passing year it gets harder and harder for the pounds to come off. So keep that in the back of your mind whenever you're planning to attend your neighbors keg party. You will regret it later. Promise.

Blogging Blunder

Well, as you can see, my brilliant plan to blog more often has failed miserably. I have started back to school since the last post and have found myself knee deep in homework almost every night. In fact, for the first time in my life, a few Saturday nights ago I found myself writing note cards. ON A SATURDAY.

Last Wednesday in my reporting class we were asked to browse a few blogs and come up with a story idea. As usual I found myself navigating my way around a fitness blog, when I discovered something I'd never heard of before. Orthorexia Nervosa. For those who have never heard of this eating disorder, you are not alone. Apparently it is a disorder that's fairly new to nutritionists and specialists. I was stunned to discover the symptoms were eerily similar to the very lifestyle I lead. Here are a list of the "warning signs."

According to Steven Bratman, MD, (the man who coined the term) orthorexia may look like anorexia nervosa, but it has significant differences. Maintaining an obsession with health food may cause a restriction of calories merely because available food isn't "good enough." Those with orthorexia may lose enough weight to give them a body mass index consistent with someone with anorexia (i.e., less than 18.5).
Eating only the "right foods" (and perhaps only at the "right times") can give those with orthorexia a sense of superiority to others. Relationships suffer as they become less important than holding to dietary patterns. (http://eatingdisorders.about.com/od/othereatingdisorders/p/orthorexia.htm)

Now, I realize this disorder is healthy eating at its most extreme, but this got me a little nervous about my own obsessive eating habits. Let's just say I'll be a little less restrictive when it comes to my caloric intake from now on!