Easy Ways To Change Your Diet for Big Results

Going on a diet is always a daunting task, and not the most effortless. Counting calories and cutting out foods can be exhausting and make it difficult to stay on track, especially when those cravings hit. But there are some simple ways to change your eating habits to lose a couple pounds. 

Drink a glass of water before each meal

It will help fill you up and curb the appetite you're feeling from dehydration.

Eat your veggies first

You should eat your plate in this order: veggies, protein, carbs. That way once you get to the fattier stuff you won't be nearly as hungry (a.k.a. fries are last)

Plan ahead

When your left with no food or groceries, you resort to any option available. So planning your meals at least a day in advance will help in the long run. 

Order first when eating out

That way even though you're intrigued and mouth watering over your friends picks, you've already chosen your healthy meal. And there's no going back now! ;)  

Don't eat out of the bag! Or carton!

You may not notice how much you're eating when you're eating a large portion of ice cream or chips, so put it in a bowl. You'll feel better about yourself after knowing you didn't eat that entire carton of Ben & Jerrys. 

Ween yourself off cream and sugar coffee

If you have multiple coffee a day like I do, that also adds a lot of fat and sugar. So start with just cream, or just sugar, you'll get used to it eventually and be disgusted by those extra extra orders. 

Eat a hearty breakfast

Your breakfast should consist of carbs, protein, and fats. It gets you off to a good start. (Also part of the Bikini Body Guide)

Go for the spices, not the sauce

Most sauces are high in sugar or salt, spices and herbs give a natural flavor without the extra calories and sugar. 

How To Pack Stress Free

Having a special trip looming in the distance can only mean one thing: packing, a very precisely packed suitcase. How many outfits will you need? How many dinners will you be going to?? Will the weather be warm or cold, or in between??? Do I need a jacket????!!!!

Well cool it, I've got your back. Here's my step by step guide to packing.

Check the weather

The weather app in your phone forecasts the weather for the next 10 days, and there's not much more information than you can get than that. So take in to account the temperature at your destination before setting yourself on any outfits

Have a plan

Try and get an idea as to how many fancy dinners you'll be going to and how many special events you'll be attending, the rest doesn't matter. If you balance your outfits out enough between stylish and casual a.k.a. street style, you can get away with any casual outfit you pack anywhere. 

Make a checklist

Make a checklist of how many shirts you'll need, how much contact supplies, how many shoes, etc. That way you won't pack too light or too heavy. 

Choose your outfits

Depending on how many days and nights you'll be there, choose one day outfit, and add a top or an accessory that can evolve it into a night outfit as well. Also keep in mind you may not stick to the chosen outfit depending on any weather changes, so bring a jacket and shoes for weather that will go with about anything. 

Packing the outfits

In order to save as much space as possible, I like to lay the outfits out like so: starting from the bottom - pants, shirt, intimates. Then I roll them up into a clothing burrito and toss them in my suitcase. Trust me, its a huge space saver. If you think this may damage an item or wrinkle it to no end, then roll the rest of your outfit, and lay the item on top of everything at the end.

Shoes

Shoes are difficult to pack, I roll my outfits to make room for the shoes really. Whichever way they can fit, toss them in 

Packing the extras

By extras, I mean cosmetics, intimates, accessories, toothbrush and toothpaste, contacts, etc. You get the point. After packing my outfits, I put my bras and panties and maybe bathing suits in the extra space, who cares if that stuff get crumpled. Then I put a bag of my cosmetics and a bag of my bathroom necessities in a plastic bag or two. This keeps any potential leaks from ruining your clothes. Then I put it in a side pocket in my suitcase to give some extra distance. 

Flip dirty clothes inside out

That way when you get back home you know for sure which clothes are dirty and theres no wasting laundry loads

Viola! You're packed! Wasn't that hard was it? Just make sure to set aside maybe an hour or less to plan and pack everything. 

Your Sunday Checklist for A Productive Week

Take some time to sit down and organize the week ahead of you. What else are Sundays for (besides sleeping in). Here are 5 things I do every Sunday, if not every day:

Clean out your inbox

Inboxes can get chaotic. Especially if your signed up for hundreds of shopping website e-mails like I am (oops). So it is important to purge your mailbox of any non-important items, or any items that don't need responding to anymore. It always feels better to check your email went you don't see outlying emails from the weeks prior. 

Write out weekly goals

Key word here is WRITE. Tangible checklists are much more likely to be attended to rather than the one sitting on that app...in that folder... that you never go in to anyways. Yeah, point made. In addition, physically checking a goal or list item off is so much more satisfying than deleting it off your notes or whatever app you may use. And you can pin it in a place you go regularly, your desk, your front door, a bulletin board.

Clean

Everybody is more productive in a clean environment. I use my Sundays to clean my dorm; I make my bed, clear my desk off, throw out old papers, do laundry, clean my sheets, etc.

Check your calendar

Sure you put tons of events in your calendar a couple weeks ago, but it's good to refresh your memory of the week you have ahead of you. It makes it easier to plan the non-calendar events, like hanging out with friends, going to the gym, etc. 

Organize your desk

File loose papers, de-clutter desk drawers, clean out you school or work bag if need be. It helps keep everything archived and create a clean atmosphere to think clearly in, rather than being distracted by every trinket or loose paper floating around.

What do you do to organize your week?

Image via @nomyourself

Valentines Day Gift Guide

As Valentines Day approaches, the gift panic ensues. Especially if it may be your first Valentines Day with that special someone. Thankfully, Nordstrom can be your single go to without having to check every other store in the mall. Here's some gifts compiled off their website: 

1. Gorjana 'Chloe' Small Stud Earrings  2. Kate Spade New York 'Metro' Watch 3. Tory Burch 'York' Passport Wallet 4. FWRD Comme Des Garcons Small Pouch 5. S'well Stainless Steel Water Bottle 6. Golden Alphabet Jewelry Tray  7. Marc by Marc Jacobs "New Q Hillier" Hobo

 

1. Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer Making Kit 2. Herschel Duffle Bag 3. Fossil 'Fossil Q - Founder' Smart Watch 4.  Bose SoundLink Red Speaker 5. S'well Stainless Steel Waterbottle  6. Harry's Winston Shaving Set 7. UGG Ascot Suede Slipper

Wake-Up Shake

I love smoothies, I feel like they are probably the easiest way to get vegetables in your body without tasting them, as long as you pile on the fruit. Recently I've found one smoothie that really kills the veggie game and the best part is you barely taste it!

Ingredients:

• 40 grams low fat yogurt
• 2 cups of any greens of your choice (I use spinach and kale)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of mixed fruit

And blend!! Try to put the yogurt on the bottom and the greens after because it helps things blend better. 

Resolutions... ugh

I have never had an actual New Years Resolution that I can remember. Or maybe I just forget about them by some time in the first week of January and block them out. Who knows. But this year I don't exactly have a resolution. but more of a plan.

Two weeks ago I started Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide. #KaylasArmy here I come...
For those of you who don't know what "BBG" is, it is a 12 week plan formulated by Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines. It consists of two guides, the eating plan and the workout plan. The plan costs about $70 for the most basic package, but I was lucky enough to have a friend loan it to me. THANK GOD. Again, broke college student over here.

The eating plan is based off set servings of each food group, and the workout plan involves 3 resistance workouts a week formulated by Kayla, and some forms of required cardio as well. I don't want to go in to too much detail but I will link reviews that do below.

Kayla Itsines may be a marketing genius. Her Instagram is full of relatable transformations that are the result of her workout guide. She rarely posts pictures of herself because she is aware that women from New York cannot relate to some fit Australian wonder woman. Heres an example of a transformation -

Pretty impressive huh? And persuasive. Especially the fact that there's thousands more posts like this one. Makes you start to think, maybe it really does work.

So far, I'm not seeing much change in my body and its a little bit disappointing. Also getting up the motivation to go to the gym for just a 40 minute cardio session is not the easiest. But on the other hand, the eating plan is much easier. First there's a week of planned meals to get you used to the serving sizes and foods you will be eating. And I have to mention, I am never left hungry, in fact sometimes I don't eat it all because I'm so full. But she gives substitution examples for the picky eaters out there as well!

Overall, the guides are keeping me occupied and active or I would honestly be sitting on the couch all vacation. Actually, I still do that.. But I think it has made me more conscious of how many empty calories I used to eat, as well as the fact that I drink no water. Just coffee. Whoops. I'll do a quick update by Week 4 to inform you on any progress made.

Megan's Review on Kayla Itsines Bikini Body GuideBikini Body Workout - Try Kayla Itsines 12 Week Program‎

Finals Insanity

The week before finals is an obviously stressful time for students. Even the most sane and docile students sometime come to the brink of a psychotic break when they realize they will be tested on a semester of information in 2 hours. Sounds pretty intense, there’s no getting around it.

I consider the majority of students at my school to be considerate, helpful, and overall genuinely nice people. So the weekend before my first finals week came as a shock to me. I was at the final party of the semester; my friends and I were all having a great time, meeting new people, and blowing off some steam before we were slammed with studying. Next thing I knew, all chaos ensued.

I ran to the stairs to see what the cause of the war cry I heard was, only to see a mosh put fight of about 15 boys in the living room below the stairs. Next thing I know, more boys jumped from the second floor staircase to join in on the mosh pit. It was honestly like a scene out of a movie, never before had I seen a fight at my school, people always seem to get along. I later learned the fight was a result of classic male territorial insecurities, but normally it would never escalate to such a brawl. There was only one explanation: Finals Frenzy.

Needless to say, stress gets to everyone. After experiencing my first finals week with relatively low stress and good results, I feel it is my civic duty to share any advice I have to keeping you from the point of psychotic break. I have complied the following DO’s and DONT’s:

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1. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL LAST MINUTE

Waiting until the last minute is detrimental! You cannot cram a semester of information in to one day of studying. And even if you decide to spend your whole day studying, there is no way you will be able to retain all the previously misunderstood information

2. DO TAKE STUDY BREAKS 

Burning yourself out helps nobody!! Take a break every time you start to feel yourself just mindlessly reading flashcards. My favorite breaks are ones that involve food of course, I liked to take breaks to go to the dining hall, get coffee, or take a drive to the town over and grab a cheap dinner with friends before going back to my notes.

3. DO GO TO REVIEW SESSIONS

Review sessions are your professor’s gift to you!! Wether it’s a TA or your professor running it, they can often hint as to major points that will be on the test, or provide a form of a study guide if they did not provide a physical copy. And it’s a better resource to get your questions answered than Google, because then you know the answer your teacher wants to hear!

4. DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF SLEEP

Sleepless nights will only result in exhaustion, causing you to take in information less efficiently. And as much as I am a major believer in caffeine, it can’t change the natural function of your brains ability to retain information better when well rested.

5. DO GO OVER OLD NOTES AND TESTS

Holy crap this was probably the best thing I did for myself. I rewrote old notes that were difficult for me to understand and it helped me memorize the information so much better. And old tests showed me major concepts I didn’t understand with my TA’s corrections, which helped my understanding of it for the exam.

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I hope I can be your Advice Angie for the day and that although winter finals are over, you have a better idea of how to study for your spring finals. Sorry, don’t mean to remind you that those are looming as well…

May the odds be ever in your favor

Winter Break Demise

Winter break... the most sought after yet regrettable time for a college freshman. After weeks of stressing and agonizing over the idea of finals (not to mention your first ever college finals, bit terrifying), you finally made it. The exams are over, even if your exam was at the last possible time slot. Ugh. But you're done, its over. Mama, I'm comin' home!

Your parents roll up the car and you pack away excessive amount of clothes into the trunk for what seems like an eternal 5 week break. But that's all fine with you, you can't wait for real meals, a normal sized bed, and your dog to ecstatically greet you at the door. Not to mention the friends you haven't seen in months. But then you remember, what about the friends I've made at school? You've all become so close, hopefully that won't change in your 5 week absence. I mean after all, you still have the group message. That thing has never failed to set your phone off 24/7, why would it stop now? Now for the winter break breakdown -

Finally, the arrival, there's your puppy, just as you expected. Not at all confused as to who you are, and bouncing off the walls is an understatement. Mom is making your favorite dinner to perfection, you have a full sized TV to binge on Grey's Anatomy (for the second time..), and you have an entire room...to your self...UNIMAGINABLE! This is going to be a great vacation...for a week or so.

After a week or so, your siblings get on your nerves almost as much as your parents do. You have just about half the freedom and social life as you did it school. And couch potato-ing is getting old. The best friends you had from high school are still there, but the other ones seem to not be around as much as they used to. And you miss the fun times in your dorm room with your school friends. How much longer can you sit in this house??

Week 3: Mom is officially slacking on the cooking ("yes I am aware I am a spoiled brat"), you're closing in on the 6th season of Grey's Anatomy, and there is some SERIOUS weight being put on. Not to mention the lacking existence of your social life. And you just want your group chat back together!! Must. Get. Back. To. School.

Week 4: So close, yet so far. You've had so much free time you almost wish you had school work...almost. You've been putting in extensive energy into internships and job searches. And you've even attempted the hardcore gym thing, to no avail.

Week 5: THIS IS IT! You're going back next week, more excited than you were to come home. Although, you are savoring the peace and quiet of your room and the endless availability of free, non-dining hall food (thanks Mom and Dad). You're hanging out with your best friends for the last couple times. And although you'll miss them, you have NO intentions of coming back until they force you out of your dorm for spring break. The group chat notifications about being reunited are absolutely endless.

Then it's time, you're packing up even more clothes than you came with, cuddling your dog until you can't anymore, and you head out the door. Sure you're excited to go back, but there's a little tinge that will make you miss home. I guess its true after all, you always want what you can't have. Oh well, you'll be back soon enough. When the group chat is finally reunited, you all have major plans for your first weekend back. It's gonna be an amazing second semester. But...what the HELL are you gonna do for summer break. That's a whole other story.