Week Two: Dorm Food

Hey everybody! I think today is going to be a shorter post because classes just started yesterday, and things are still pretty hectic. With that said, here we go!

This past week has been a mixture of eating whatever I feel like (I totally went back to IHOP two more times!), and getting used to dorm food again.

For those of you who have never had dorm food, I'll describe the experience: You just finished class and you're starving. You smell something delicious down the hall. You go to the caf (in college it's not cool to say "the cafeteria"), and feel the air conditioning wash over your slightly sweaty body. You follow your nose to the food line. The food generally looks anywhere from "decent" to "get-in-my-tummy-now!". You trek to the drink station, get back to the table, realize you forgot your silverware, go back and get your silverware, and finally sit down. You take that long awaited bite and. . . whatever you eat tastes pretty much "meh".

That's why college students hate dorm food. That tiny spark of hope that whispers at the back of their brain "Thisss smellss really gooood! Maybe today the food will be deliciousssss..." Then the student is embittered by mediocrity.

This can be avoided however. One must mentally prep themselves not to be taken in by the aromas. Then, take a good look at the food. The taste is related to the look of the food by -2 to -5 points. (So basically, if it looks really good, it will only taste alright). All dorm food is edible, but one can't set their standards up too high. Or, even high. I'm 5'2''. They should be a little lower than that. And no matter what the standards, the food will always be bland. No matter what.

That being said, given the circumstances, I am trying to eat better. My school does offer a lot of vaguely healthy options. There's always at least one vegetable, a grain, and soup. I know soup isn't necessarily healthy, but I LOVE IT. They also have soy milk upon request.

As far as my personal diet is concerned, I am doing the absolute basics. I'm making half my plate veggies (legit veggies, not corn or potatoes which is are starches that often impersonate vegetables), and I'm trying to eat less meat and cheese (my kryptonite). And of course, eating a little less in general. I'm trying to drink 8, 8oz glasses of water a day, and I start as soon as I wake up. It jump-starts my metabolism before I go down for breakfast. And for breakfast, I like about a cup of plain oatmeal and about a cup of fruit. Idk why, but I'm super in love with the blandness of oatmeal. However, it's still really good for you if you put a little cinnamon or brown sugar in it. Even raisins are pretty good in it.

As for exercising, I'm doing a cardio/core routine. MWF, I will be using an elliptical machine. Currently I am only going a half hour because, let's face it, I'm mega outta shape (that is really fun to say out loud btw). However, I'm planning on doing the half hour this week, 45 minutes next week, and hopefully by the third week I'll be up to an hour.

TRSa, I will be doing a core workout that I actually got years ago from a friend who was in soccer. I will add that list at a late time. I'd add it now, but there's a few that have really odd names (try "pregnant lady") that need to be explained, and I don't have time just now.

I know I sound confident about the work out, but Sam and I went yesterday, and not even five minutes later, we were pouring sweat, wheezing, and b****ing about how we wanted to stop. Had I not been so distracted by how much my brain needed oxygen, I might have recognized the hilarity of the situation.

That's all for this week. Sorry there's no pictures or cool stuff, but next week I'll give you some really good stuff!

Week One: How do you spell "Disaster?" I-H-O-P

OK! I know there are some people out there waiting with baited breath for my next post (thanks Mom).

All week I've been really excited to post, and I'll admit that one of the biggest reasons I've decided to do  this blog was to keep myself accountable to the world via the internet.

Unfortunately, as I am on summer vacation, my dieting this past week has gone mostly like this:

WARNING! HAS SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

Yeah. AND! In case you don't believe in my utter failure this week, here's visual proof:

Like the action shot? 

I know what you're thinking, and yes, that's REAL funnel cake. And you wanna know the worst part? I didn't even want funnel cake. I wanted an elephant ear. Laaaame. 

Sigh. Aaaand, that's more or less been my week. If I was around people, I ate like a pig. When I was by myself, I was too lazy to actually make food, so I basically just ate sunflower seeds and Ramen noodles (Why, hello salt!) And as far as exercise goes, well. . . I was too lazy to make food. One of my great loves. So, I don't think I need to tell you how the exercising went.

My first failure happened when my friend Christen (LOVE HER!) came to visit me, and we went dancing. I was like "YEAH! Getting me some cardio!" Then we were like "Let's hit up McDonald's!" A crispy chicken sandwich and two burritos later, I had already failed for the day. Then, when my boyfriend came to visit, we ate at IHOP, not once, oh no. Not once. If I'm going to fail, I'm going to fail BIG. So, not once, but TWICE.

Some of you out there might be saying to yourself "Well, IHOP isn't that bad. They have all these awesome healthy choices". And you wise people, would be very right. And these wise choices were totally my plan. That is, until I walked in the door and my nostrils were raped with the mouthwatering aromas of eggs and buttermilk pancakes. I was a goner. 

We picked IHOP because Sam had never been there. Obviously, that meant we MUST GO! As Sam and I (oh, yeah, Sam is my boyfriend's name. Internet, meet Sam. Sam, this is the internet)

What was I saying? That's right: 

As Sam and I sat down, we were confronted with the dreaded menus. A nice little tid-bit about my life, as a chubby person, I have two gears: I could eat, and I'M STARVING. Yeah, by the time I set my eyes on that menu, I was the latter. 

I only bring up this whole experience because it was excruciating. After my McD's run and my funnel cake, I was newly fueled with self loathing. I was NOT going to eat that much. So while my eyes scanned that menu, I was torn. I knew what I should be getting right away: the banana oatmeal. I mean, I LOVE oatmeal. And I LOVE bananas. So it was perfect, right? Well, one would think so. 

Despite knowing what I SHOULD get, it took me an hour to order. That's not an exaggeration. Poor Sam. He just wanted his omelet and pancakes. The waitress, trying to do her job, stopped at the table so many times, that eventually, she just said "Well, when you finally decide, just wave me down" She was so nice about it. God bless her.

I was frustrated to the point that I just wanted to leave. Seriously. If it wasn't for Sam, I would have. Not to throw him under a bus or anything. So, after wrestling with the fat girl on the inside of me (who is progressively taking up more and more space), I got Red Velvet pancakes. And eggs. And soup. Aaaaand. . . a salad. That makes it healthy, right? 

The next day, Sam wanted to go back and try a different flavor of pancake. I was weary, but I had a plan. I was going to tell Sam what I wanted, then go in the bathroom while he ordered. No more ridiculous amounts of food for me! 

Yeah right.

I didn't hide in the bathroom, I once again made the biggest mistake ever: I looked at the menu. Those french fries looked sooo good. And so did the cheesecake. The rest is history.

:(

I think that face covers it all. BUT as I said, I'm still on summer vacation. As a student, a new school year is like New Years for me. Therefore, that's when I make my new year resolution. (Interesting fact, last year, it was to floss more. Nailed it!) 

Anyway, I'm kind of waiting to REALLY start my diet/exercise routine until next week. I will be on the meal plan (they can't screw up SALADS!), and live right by a fitness center (almost always empty! No judgmental eyes for me). 

Wish me luck.

BTW, my dad said he would buy me a funnel cake if I posted a pic of me eating it on my blog. Those parents, always being so freaking supportive! Love you Dad.

Oh! And for the record, the Red Velvet pancakes tasted like regular pancakes. It didn't have any chocolatey flavoring at all! Dang it! I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN THE OATMEAL!!!

What is Living Chubby? Let me tell you!

Before you close the page because you are not wrapped in a huggable layer of bulk, you should know that chubby is not just a physical trait: it's a mindset. It's the mindset that says "Well, I SHOULDN'T buy that bag of Cheetos for my drive to my parents' house, but I'm going to anyway. Besides, I'm starting a diet tomorrow". Whether you're a size 16 or size 2, man or woman, we all have our fat moments. Some of us are just better at managing them (or have a kick-ass metabolism). 

To clarify, I am of the physically chubby persuasion.

If you still aren’t sure you this blog is “for you”, here’s a list of all the people that this blog is written for:

People who love food, but don’t like cooking.

People who are fat.

People who used to be fat.

People who will probably be fat in the future.

People who want to lose weight.

People who want to lose weight. . . right after that last tub of ice cream is gone.

People starting a diet today.

People starting a diet tomorrow.

People who went off their diet just for today.

People who would jog, but just can’t seem to fit it into their schedule.

People who can relate to the constant battle between loving food, and wanting to be healthy.

If you fall under any of those, come back next Tuesday!

This blog will basically be me starting a diet and exercise routine, falling off the wagon, and dragging my feet to getting back on. I will include recipes from time to time, and maybe a work out that I especially like. 

My goal is to post every Tuesday, hear from people who have similar struggles, and, in the end, to lose those pesky 20lbs that just won’t go away.

My goal is NOT to whine about by lumpy body, or big belly, because everyone knows that the whole point of those complaints is to hear the chorus of "You're not fat!" (Which, most of the time, you probably are. And that's OK). I don't need people to tell me how awesome/talented/drop dead gorgeous I am. I already know. If you want to tell me anyway, that’s cool too.