No, you do not need six boxes of oatmeal cream pies. But "you're in college now," and "it will last you the rest of the semester." I promise you, it won't. Before you know it, each little perfectly packaged circle of happiness becomes lunch, then a snack, then dinner, and then breakfast the next day. BAM: six boxes of oatmeal cream pies devoured in a solid week or two.
I've already written an article addressing health related tips to stay somewhat "healthy" in college, but then I ate five dinner rolls one night after two servings of pot roast, mashed potatoes, and green beans (which were freaking delicious). I realized the problem for me was having no self control rather than knowing what to do. Everyone knows how to be healthy, but few are proactive about it. Every day I tell myself I am going to stop eating junk for no reason, but I always push it to the next day. Here are some things you need to realize in order to become proactive.
Your peers will not stop you every time you get up for a second, third, and fourth bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch after your stir-fry. Mom and Dad aren't here anymore to make you a proportional plate of food or tell you not to get Cook Out every night.
As college students, we pay a cringe-worthy price for our meal plans, making it seem as if we get more for our money by eating as much as we can hold down in one sitting. I connect with this way too much. The dining hall or greek house meals are, for the most part, unlimited and self-serve; even though there are fruits and veggies next to the burgers and fries, our mind will say, "Nah man, we're havin' burgers and fries tonight." Oh yes, burgers. Plural. We feel like the more we eat, the cheaper it is, even though we have already paid the single set price for the meal plan. Eat what you need, not what you want.
Every factor is against you in college: price, unlimited access, and only having yourself to blame when you become iron deficient. However, if you go just one day eating less crap and incorporating even the slightest bit of nutrition into your diet, you will most likely want to stick to it the next day as to not ruin your twenty-four hour "healthy" streak. Also, a majority of us will want to "reward" ourselves for being healthy for that long. Do NOT let this be you. Stare down that second burger and politely walk away from it. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
