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Everything you experience when you gain 17lbs during one semester at uni

‘Healthy eating starts tomorrow’


The first term of uni is something a lot of us look forward to. Meeting new people, making new friends, partying day and night, it all seems surreal at first. It is a time where a lot of us move away from home for the very first time and are out into the world. How do we deal with that? We EAT. We comfort eat, we make use of our student cards and discounts everywhere we go. Instead of spending money on proper groceries, we decide to "save up" and buy pot noodles, pizzas and pasta. Very smart decision.

I did not realise how much weight I had gained until I was home for Christmas, stepping on a scale three months later. It finally hit me, and it hit me hard. I had gained 17 pounds. In three months. How on earth did that happen? Wow, I must be talented.

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“Do you really need that extra slice of cake?”, “Oh, do you think you should eat that?”, “Looks like they fed you well at uni ha ha ha”. These are just a handful of comments I heard at a family gathering. All jokes aside, it personally lowered my self-esteem a lot. Weighting myself, trying to get into my old jeans and looking at pictures of when I first started uni, is when it first hit me that things needed to change in semester 2. That is when I decided…

…No more 11 pm snack runs to Tesco

Having no one to tell me what and what not to eat was both a blessing and a curse. Looking at my balance during Christmas break, I realised how much I had spent on a daily basis on snacks which I did not need. I would binge on Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, three Butterkist sweet and salty popcorn and a bar of Reese’s every night, which was horrific, for both my health and bank account. I guess this explains how I got my baby cheeks back.

No more than one chocolate bar…

…a day.

Let’s face it, I cannot deprive myself of chocolate. Instead of having three chocolate bars a day, I’ll start slow by having one a day, then slowly substitute it with dark chocolate until I can satisfy my sugar cravings with fruits. Every once in a while, I’d treat myself with a bar of chocolate. It is all about moderation.

Start going to the gym

Being a first-year student and staying at halls is very beneficial and I cannot believe I did not make use of it during the first semester. We get a free gym membership, and we can attend any of the exercise classes. Gotta be real with myself, I don’t like weight lifting and any cross fit related activity – aka I am lazy. Every person is different and finding the right exercise that suits you is very important for motivation. I know I am more into dance so any cardio, aerobics or dance classes will do the trick and will keep me moving.

BUY a scale

Having not weighed myself before Christmas break, I was not aware of how much weight I was putting on and because I was walking a lot, I assumed my body was burning a lot of calories to compensate all the food I was eating. Again, genius.

Prep your meals

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Being on a student budget, it is very common that we are coninually trying to save up and buy the cheapest food. Our schedules are all around the place, and we do not find enough time to cook so we take the easy way out and stick to junk food. The ideal plan would be meal prepping in the weekend or even having healthy ready meals in the freezer (M&S Balanced for you ready meals are a great option but there are cheaper alternatives at Morrisons) just in case.

Do NOT try a drastic diet

I do not want some three-day radical weight loss plan which would deprive me of all the food I like. I know that whatever weight I’d lose would be quickly gained. Starting a week ago, I have been healthy eating. 2019 will be a year of a lifestyle change for me. Guess what, I’ve been in Leeds for a week now, and I have only been grocery shopping 3 times. Every time I crave sugar I eat an apple. Apples are surprisingly delicious. I started walking a lot and having a balanced lifestyle.

I try to eat a lot of protein along with healthy carbs and veggies. Throughout the past week, I have noticed my skin getting cleaner and have already lost 2lbs. Next time I’m home, no one’s gonna be able to tell me anything or call me out on that extra slice of cake. This time, healthy eating is officially on board.