myUsearch blog

Until I was about 16 years old, I could eat anything without gaining a pound. Then, one day it hit me. My body changed virtually overnight and my metabolism caught up with me. I tried every diet and exercise plan out there, but the weight stayed. I looked to my thin friends and classmates to find their secrets, but it seemed every thin college student had a freakish metabolism, an eating disorder, was addicted to cocaine, or subsisted solely on diet coke and cigarettes. It was then that I decided to give up. I spent most of my college life about 20-30 pounds overweight until one day, about six years later, the weight finally came off. So what was my secret?

Photo by Kevin Labianco

It took me more than ten years to figure out how to maintain my healthy weight, but I have finally affirmed that I don’t have to be a cokehead or a chainsmoker to stay thin. I am so thankful that I didn’t resort to an eating disorder or a drug addiction to achieve my goal and I hope you don’t either. Please read these tips so you don’t have to spend ten years learning things the hard way:

1. Be realistic about what you are willing to give up: Although I am now much healthier than I was in college, I don’t have nearly as much fun. The things that kept me from reaching my ideal weight — eating out with friends, drinking a little too much at college parties, and of course, pizza at 2am — were also the cause of some of my best college memories. If I would have just conceded to the fact that the only way to be thin was to give up keg stands and beer pong — I probably would have been more content with my weight. If you want to party and avoid an eating disorder, you will probably gain a few pounds. But in my opinion, it’s totally worth it.
2. Choose your calories wisely: Some things are worth gaining a few pounds for, but some are not. Avoid wasted calories like the ultra fattening Starbucks concoctions. I used to drink these caramel macchiatos between classes because I liked having a warm drink while I was studying. Now I know my drink had 270 calories, 10 grams of fat and 31 grams of sugar. I would have been better off having Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and would have been just as happy with a plain coffee or an herbal tea. 
3. Limit your sugar intake as much as possible: I love sugar, but it is the number one reason why I gain weight. Although experts haven’t really come to a consensus on anything, many agree that a low-glycemic diet (great article on this) is the best way to loose weight. From my personal experience, I cannot agree more. I avoid sugar for two reasons: 1) When I eat sugar, I crave more sugar and 2) When I eat food with little nutritional value, my body burns through it quickly and I end up with uncontrollable cravings. However, with that said, don’t deprive yourself. I will give more tips on controlling sugar cravings later. 
4. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners: Although there is no consensus on this either (are you noticing a pattern?), many experts agree that artificial sweeteners lead to weight gain and increased cravings. From my personal experience, I definitely agree with this.
5. Eat protein with every meal: Have you ever tried to eat healthy and felt like it didn’t do anything to curb your hunger? Try adding a little protein to your meal or snack and see if that helps. I used to always eat a fat free cereal bar and a piece of fruit for my afternoon snack, but I would be absolutely starving by dinner time. I later figured out this was because my cereal bar had more sugar (again, sugar is bad) than protein. Now I eat plain yogurt, nuts, or peanut butter with my snack because the protein holds me over. NOTE: If you choose a protein bar or yogurt, make sure it has more protein than sugar. Yogurt can be extremely high in sugar and some bars that are packed with protein, still have twice as much sugar than protein. This will not curb your hunger. See tip 7 for ideas.
6. Don’t be afraid of a little fat: Most Americans have too much fat in their diet, but some dieters make the mistake of not having enough. This doesn’t mean that you should be eating chicken fried steak or pizza every day. I found this pdf that outlines how much of certain foods equal a serving of fat (page 17). Try to think about having one small serving of fat with every meal (4-6 nuts in your cereal, a tablespoon of olive oil or 1/8 of an avocado on a salad, some whole yogurt for an afternoon snack and a serving of salmon for dinner).
7. Don’t go too long without food: I carry food everywhere, but it’s not because I’m an overeater. I know that if I let myself go too long without food, I will make bad food choices and overeat. I strongly recommend buying some healthy snacks that you can take with you. You can purchase my two favorite snacks: 1)  Honey Almond Flax Kashi Bars because they are one of the only bars with more protein than sugar, and 2) The slightly more expensive Chocolate Coconut Chew Larabars. They are a gluten free combination of fruits, nuts and spices without any added sugars or additives. Put a few of these snacks in your backpack or purse for a healthy snack or to hold you over until you can have a real meal.

But most importantly, DON’T RESORT TO AN EATING DISORDER  OR DRUG ADDICTION. Quick fact: according to Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc., without treatment, up to 20% of people with serious eating disorders die. With treatment, 2 – 3% of people with anorexia die. Statistics on anorexia show that mortality rates from anorexia are the highest of any psychological disorder. Do you think avoiding a few pounds is really worth that risk? I don’t.

I have a ton of information about this and I am very passionate about health and wellness. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]. Good luck. 

Thanks for visiting. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.