It’s been more than a month since the first part of Battling the Bulge. During part one, I was a slightly overweight MSU sophomore looking to shed a few pounds and get back in shape. Well, I’m still a slightly overweight sophomore looking to lose a little weight. Though my looks haven’t changed much, I feel completely different. Here’s why.
I started my diet program enthusiastically; I was on a mission. For the first week or so, I ate only healthy foods and kept my portions pretty low. I was beginning to feel like a healthier person, even though I didn’t look any different. My diet usually consisted of a granola bar for breakfast, a 6-inch turkey sandwich from Subway for lunch (Hey, if Jared can do it, why can’t I?), yogurt for an afternoon snack and a healthy frozen dinner to thaw out after a hard day of work.
I felt very confident in my diet, but I overlooked a lot of factors in the equation when I planned it.
First, there was time. When I started out, I thought I’d have enough time to work out on a daily basis, but balancing work and school usually drained most of my energy and limited my chances to exercise, and by 8 or 9 p.m., I was ready to get home and crash for the night. When it came to food, I’d eat at 10 or 11 p.m. some nights and I didn’t have the patience to cook, so I’d compromise and hit up a fast food joint, usually Subway or Chick-Fil-A. When it came to the latter restaurant, I’d order as healthy as I could, and I’d never finish all of it, simply because it was too much food. I knew my diet was working, though, because a month ago I would have said it was just right.
Second, there’s money. For all of us broke college students, our budgets don’t always allow us the more healthy foods, which are usually more expensive than the quick, easy, sodium-and fat-filled foods we can get by on for a couple of weeks.
Thus, my journey into the dieting world became increasingly harder to progress through.
Though it became harder, I’ve been able to retain healthy eating habits, and the after-effects have been tremendous.
Like I stated before, I haven’t changed much physically, but internally I feel very different. I can feel the positive effects of my diet. I have more energy, I can relax easier and my stomach feels full, not upset, after meals. It’s actually pretty hard to explain, but it’s great.
The antioxidants from the vegetables and fruits I ate definitely contributed to these effects. The whole grains I took in daily helped balance my need for fiber, too. I won’t go into the effects of good fiber intake, I’ll just leave it to your imagination.
But seriously, eating right has put me on the fast track to healthier living. Eradicating the effects of too much sugar, salt, and saturated and trans fats will help me avoid complications such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer in the future.
Of course, I met my mental challenges. I’ve been good so far about avoiding sweets, but it’s been hard. Those iced cookies from Wal-Mart call to me in my sleep. Also, I found out I was addicted to Coke (the drink!) a couple of days after taking it out of my diet. I itch for one every so often, and I gave into the dark side only once with a celebratory carbonated beverage at the Egg Bowl last weekend. But that’s it, I swear.
Now, the little change I’ve seen physically is partly due to the fact that I have not yet started the exercise program. I have shedded about five pounds, but I still have about 15 to go. I noticed my gut has dwindled slightly, and the muscles in my legs are more prominent. But, I’ll have to get on that program to progress with weight loss. That, of course, will be part three of Battling the Bulge.
See you next semester.