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Lose the Freshman 15: It’s Just a Number

 

Greetings collegiettes™!

Happy Monday! It is almost spring break for me and I have got two more weeks to get through before I spend a week relaxing.

I am officially starting a Weekend Warrior club. All members will not let the weekend mess up their diet. Starting today, I am taking a new attitude towards weekends. No more are they days to slack off and lose my healthy eating mindset. They are just any week day. Yes there are more temptations on the weekends, but I have got to remember what my mission is! Want to join the club? Good, you just did! Lets tackle weekends together!

Tomorrow is weigh in day to see if all my hard work from last week has paid off. Funny how the scale can either be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on what it gives you. We so easily define ourselves and our self worth by a number and that is not healthy!! There are so many other ways to measure progress whether it be how your clothes are fitting, how you feel physically and mentally, or how your fitness is improving. Take my running for example. 4 months ago, I was maybe 1 or 2 pounds lighter, but I could only run for about 10 minutes before I gave up and walked. Now I am the same weight, but am running 50 minutes straight! There is progress! I will admit I am not perfect and have spent many mornings crying because the scale showed me a number I didn’t like, which then led me to having a bad day and punishing myself with food. (I told ya, vicious cycle!) But if I am going to follow my own advice, I need to use the scale as a tool in my weight loss journey, not the defining piece! It helps show me if what I am doing is good, or if there is room for improvement i.e. if you don’t lose that much weight, maybe really start to pay attention to all your calorie intake. Any hidden calories? I will admit I have swayed a bit from the Jump Start Diet plan, but watch me get right back on in the morning! Easy as that!

I also really wanted to share a great recipe I found tonight. So easy and so yummy. After completeing a round of Jillian’s Elliptical Interval work out (still taking it easy on the knee), I came home and made healthy chicken strips. They take less than 30 minutes to make and bake and taste even better than the fried kind! 

Try them out and let me know what you think!

Take care of yourselves and have a great week!

xx Jessica

 

Let me know of other ways you think of to measure progress!

Jessica is currently studying Graphic Design and Psychology at UC Davis. She hopes to one day move to New York and work for a fashion or fitness magazine. When she is not dreaming about her life in New York, she is either running, watching shows on hulu, socializing or baking cupcakes. She loves anything that will make her laugh, sunny days  and everything purple!