Everyone has tried everything, and everyone knows nothing works. That's what it seems like anyways.
But once in a blue moon, you’ll hear of this one friend’s coworker’s sister who tried this potato diet and lost 30 pounds and before you know it, you’re 30 grabs deep into a bag of potato chips. Close enough, right?
It sucks, people. You know you want to eat healthy, or you might need to, but it’s tough to get on track. I thought about going vegan for a second because I read it helps acne and puts your body in a better overall balance.
But then I read online that it’d take away everything that I love: milk, eggs, and chicken. I’m not a cruel person who loves eating animals… no meat-eater says it like that. But like… chicken. It’s just good. You know? Sorry little guys, but you’re tasty. And milk! I crave cereal at every meal of the day, and usually crack an egg or two on the side with it.
Scrambled, over medium, hard boiled… and a vegan diet is gonna take that away from me?! Ugh, sorry, but I can’t do it. Props to the people with that willpower or strong enough sense of guilt with eating animal-based foods.
Originally, I just looked up, “foods to help prevent acne,” just to get a rundown of foods I should avoid and foods I need to eat more of. It’s basically what I already knew: no sugars, no processed foods, no dairy, no bread, no junk, no comfort food, no fun, no happiness.
BUT, drink 8 glasses of water a day, eat all your fruits and veggies and your face will be as smooth as a baby’s bum!
During my last semester of school, I was doing really well with the drinking water part. I’d drink at least 3 Camelbak’s worth of water which is 750 ML each, equaling about 9 cups of water total.
What was the result?
Lots of close calls barely making it to the bathroom. And that’s all you ever hear from celebrities telling “secrets” about their clear skin, “I just drink water!!!!!” Okay, so do I need to drink 9 cups of water per hour just to catch up or??
As for diets to lose weight… Lord.
I’ve gotten into Lean Cuisine frozen meals, which are healthier than most frozen food items, but meal after meal of “healthy pepperoni pizza”, I can’t go on. My stomach turns at the thought of another because I went too hard on them. Right now, I’m really into Slim Fast protein shakes. I’ll blend some bananas and peanut butter with it in my Magic Bullet, and it’s delicious!
But, it’s only a matter of time until I’m sick of it, too.
Since these “healthy” labeled boxes and bottles don’t always work for me, I then try to actually eat fruit and vegetables. I love strawberries, bananas, grapes, peas, and green beans and I’ve recently gotten into blueberries and broccoli. So, I’ll have salad for dinner and a bowl of fruit on the side and feel great about my meal, only to grow a sweet tooth as I’m cleaning up the dishes. And it’s just hard to say no.
On top of that, I’ve read online that too much fruit isn’t good for you either! There’s still sugars and sugars are bad. But?! ...It seems like there’s no winning.
I know for myself, it’s hard to get on track because I don’t like change. I like to think that everything will just kinda happen on its own while I sit back and watch.
Big ole nope!
I guess it’s a challenge for a reason: if you really want it, you’ll really work for it. The rewards are more satisfactory this way too: if you just woke up one day 30 pounds lighter, wouldn’t that just feel awful? Hahaha, okay, sorry, I’m really trying to find my own point here.
Portion control is also a factor, and a hard factor to manage at that. It has its benefits, like preventing a binge on certain foods you might’ve gone cold turkey on, and this works for some people.
But even sizing up how much peanut butter to put in my protein shake gets me in trouble: “what’s another scoop gonna do?” is what goes through my mind. Or, going off of the suggested 2 tablespoons according to the nutrition label, I’ll most likely apply two heaping scoops of peanut butter.
Outside influences are also the worst. Someone down the hall of my sorority house always wants to make a trip to Dairy Queen, or wants to order Pizza Shuttle while we watch a movie, or wants fries from McDonald’s… once again, it’s hard to say no.
“Social eating” is definitely a problem in college, and in life beyond college, too. You do it to spend time with others, pass time with others, for business meetings, school projects, church gatherings, family reunions… the list goes on. Snack food is everywhere, it’s dangerous, and is tough to avoid.
You’d think I’d lose weight just running around trying to attempt these diets and stressing about how to stay on them. Somehow you just have to find a balance between treating yo-self and knowing when to stop yo-self. I’m still waiting for the ultimate “tell-all” that actually works, is cheap to keep up with, and will give me the results I want in 10 minutes. Comment below if you are the one keeping secrets!!!
