Welcome to my blog! My name's Gracie, and I'm a freshman at the Pennsylvania State University.
A while ago, I hit a sort of awkward plateau: just a little overweight, just a little too sluggish, just a little too tired all the time. Trying to figure out what was going on, I started tracking what I ate, how much exercise I did, and how this made me feel. This regular journaling helped me understand a bit more about what (and how) I ate affected my mood, sleep and general energy levels. Then I started toying around with it.
First came the cutting of dairy— the bloated feeling disappeared. I subbed in almond/soy milk instead. Then the whole-grain in place of white bread. The carrot batons instead of chips, the cup of green tea before every meal. I became one of those annoying people who had to control everything they ate— it had to be "clean", and as raw and unprocessed as possible. I'm sure you know the story— I obsessed and logged every calorie, cooked my own food, didn't go out to eat anywhere. Pretty freaky. I knew it wasn't a long-term solution for me, especially because I started college.
I needed to find an alternative to cooking and controlling everything (because, goodbye pans and actual spices, hello microwave and Mac n Cheese) and this is why I started this blog: to explore different options that would help me remain healthy, but with the convenience and (most importantly) cheapness that is needed in college.
My goal:
Try out different "diets" (namely, going vegan, HFLC, Paleo, gluten free, IIFYM) in these couple of months, and report both "soft" factors (the ones that have to do with perception— hunger levels, energy levels, sleep quality) and "hard" ones (actual hard data—weight, sleep time, caloric input and output, etc.).
I'll be following each diet for about two weeks, and writing a couple of posts about each one, reviews about different products, recipes that I could make out of my (tiny, old) microwave, and how I felt the diet compared to the rest.
Join me in my quest for the trifecta of college diet, navigating the dining halls and college trash food scene armed only with a vaguely dysfunctional microfridge, plastic utensils, and a large (and necessary) dose of humor.
I think your title is great! It definitely argues against the somewhat myth that all freshmen gain fifteen pounds. Stayhing healthy in terms of diet is a major challenge in college. Personally, I have had trouble weith my diet as well. However, my problem was I did not eat. I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of diets you encounter.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janay! I'm meaning to do a cross-comparison in the end, just to see how the diets place against each other. I hope you'll come back and read that :)
DeleteI am so interested by how all of these different diets will turn out, especially while being a college student. I also have been trying to figure out what is best, whether that's dairy free or gluten free, etc. I also think the dose of humor is always great, like the title!
ReplyDeletePlease do tell me how they work out for you! Maybe we could do a guest post?
DeleteI will most certainly be joining you in your quest for the trifecta of college diet. As you know, I love health and fitness, so I can't wait to read about your experiences with different ypes of dieting. I also like how you will be analyzing both "soft" and "hard" factors because it will help convey your experience and the effectivness of each diet plan.
ReplyDeleteI'll be keeping you posted! :) hope you enjoyed the read
DeleteI think the way in which you presented your blog is creative within its self and I am very very excited to see where these trials take you. I can genuinley say that I will look forward to reading your blog eachweek & good luck on your journy!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :D
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