UHealth
By Michelle Burke
Women need to realize the harsh truth: diets aren’t going to work. They will not turn you into Meghan Fox or pre-pregnancy Kim Kardashian (but honestly, who wants to look like a celebrity who’s legs are about to snap in half, anyway?) and they most certainly will not last a lifetime.
"Young women need to start making healthy life choices, not crash dieting to look good in a spring-break bikini,” says Jillian Michaels, Biggest Loser personal trainer. Thankfully, these changes can be made within college campus cafeterias.
making changes
Betsy Ellsworth, a senior at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), walks up and down the isles of the grocery store carefully reading the labels on every item she picks up.
“I never used to do this,” says Ellsworth. “It used to be run in, grab whatever looked delicious, and run out. Now I take time to learn about what I am putting into my body.”
Four years ago, Ellsworth entered her freshman year at a healthy 140 pounds to suit her 5’10” frame. However, socializing over midnight pizza deliveries and calorie-dense soda and snacks quickly caught up to her.
College brings about new aspects of student’s lives: new cities, new friends, and new jean sizes. But that doesn’t mean the jean sizes need to be bigger, in fact, they can shrink down to be just the opposite.
“I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted in high school because I was so active in sports. [College life] came as a shock to me because suddenly I was eating way more than my body could handle, and not burning any of it off,” said Ellsworth.
A year later, Ellsworth had gained nearly 30 pounds and found herself tired all the time. “I would visit the cafeteria at school with my friends three or four times a day,” says Ellsworth. “There wasn’t much of a choice- I didn’t have a car or a kitchen in my dorm room to cook. Grabbing a slice of pizza was the easiest choice."
Ellsworth realized it was time to make a change. “Eating right and exercising makes a world of difference,” said Ellsworth. “I feel so much better now, and am back down to a healthy weight- you just need to know how to make the right choices.”
keeping a balance
cafeteria, I now
have Greek yogurt
with fresh berries
and nuts,” says
Mass Bay College
senior, Rachel
Whittemore.
everything in
moderation
Betsy Ellsworth can still enjoy the foods she loves while incorporating healthier choices.