Recently, I have found out that my university offers an amazing and little known service: a nutritionist. I have been trying to lose weight my entire life (and do it in a healthy way) so I thought this would be a great thing to check out. At first, I was extremely nervous to go and see what the nutritionist had to say. But I learned so many new and interesting things when meeting with her. I met with her for almost an entire semester and plan on continuing when I go back to school. She personalized an eating plan for me and gave suggestions for alternatives and so much more. I truly would recommend everyone to meet with a nutritionist either at or outside of college at some point in his or her life. It is incredibly eye-opening. Some awesome weight loss tips I learned from my nutritionist are:

1. Learn your macros.

Macros are amazing. It makes sense, it's simple, and IT WORKS. Fat, protein, and carbohydrates are considered “macros.” The nutritionist recorded my height and weight, did some math, and came up with my parameters. If I stayed within my parameters I would lose weight. AMAZING! When following the macros “diet” the focus is on protein (lean meats, beans, egg whites are all good options), which you eat a lot of. Carbohydrates are what you have to watch out for, and are probably the biggest change (and challenge). I did so well following the macros diet that my mom got her numbers calculated and follows it as well. It is something that everyone can easily do.

Here is an online macros calculator: http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator

2. Quest Bars

I am not sure how I ever went through life without Quest bars. Full of protein with little to no sugar and carbs, and they taste pretty good. With around 20 grams of protein in each bar, it makes hitting your protein goal much easier. I would suggest trying a bunch of flavors and finding your favorite. They make a perfect protein-packed on-the-go breakfast or a great snack. They take some time to get used to, but they are so delicious.

Pro tip: stick a chocolate chip cookie dough bar in the microwave- heaven. They are a little pricey compared to other protein bars, but totally worth it.

3. Fruit

Everyone thinks that if you eat a ton of fruit you will be healthy. Wrong. Apparently, fruit isn’t all that great for you because it is full of sugars (yes, natural, but sugars nonetheless). If you like the taste of fruit, eat it, but don’t shove yourself full of fruit in order to be “healthy.” Instead, make your focus vegetables and proteins. Also, the best choices of fruits are berries because they have a small amount of fiber in them.

4. EAT WHAT YOU WANT

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT deprive yourself of the foods you like to eat. All you have to do is simply work them into your day. If you know that you are going out to a burger joint with your friends for dinner, just plan for it. Focus your day on protein and vegetables. Order the burger you want, but eat no bread or only half the bread and half of the fries. Do you want some pizza? Eat one slice and get a nice big salad as well. You only need a small amount in order to satisfy your cravings. The more you deny yourself, the more you will want it and eventually you will cave in and binge like there’s no tomorrow.