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!