Besides being meat free my diet is pretty cliché for a college kid!
Friday: I happily rolled out of bed on my classless Friday at 12:00pm and enjoyed 2 Kellog's Pop-Tarts and a large cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. This is easy and pretty routine for me. Then at 3:00pm I needed some motivation and energy to start homework, so naturally I threw back a can of Monster. Healthy. Since it was cold, at 6:00pm for dinner I stayed in my dorm and microwaved a pack of Ramen. Then at around 8:00pm I enjoyed a bag of ACT II popcorn while watching The King’s Speech. Also I drank water periodically all day long from my water bottle which I filled from my sink.
Saturday: This day started off very similar to the one before it, with 2 Kellog's Pop-Tarts and a large cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. However, this time it was on the go and at about 5:45am because I was headed off to work. Before I left my dorm I stashed a Monster in my backpack which I enjoyed as soon as I started to feel worn out, at noon. At 1:00pm I helped myself to a small plate of spaghetti, once slice of pizza (I think Pizza Hut?), and Dixie cup of Simply Orange orange juice courtesy of a buffet at my workplace. I chose to eat these because they were essentially the only meatless options available. For dinner I ordered Papa John's pizza in my dorm. It had made a pretty satisfactory lunch and I was feeling lazy so ordering seemed like a fairly easy option. Plus I had Flex Dine to spend. I ate four slices and drank water because I’m too broke to afford anything else.
Sunday: At 9:00am, once again I started of my day with, you guessed it, coffee and Pop-Tarts! I can’t help it. This breakfast wakes me up and is what I am used too. For lunch, at 12:30pm, I actually ventured out with my friends to the dining hall. This food log had been making my feel pretty self conscious and gross in regards to my eating habits, so I went for a healthier option. Salad. One plate of spinach leaves, a few tomatoes, 4 or 5 olives, just a few croutons, and no dressing. With it I had a very large glass of 2% milk and one apple. Then I forgot to eat dinner because I was too busy doing homework. Oops. But I did have a bag of ACT II popcorn at 7:00pm while watching Inception.
Wow. Honestly, before this food log I was well aware that I was not a healthy eater, but I had no idea just how awful I really was. Almost everything I ate I chose because it was easy. Pop-Tarts I could grab and then go and Ramen let me stay in my dorm and shielded me from the cold. Now that I see how lazy and unhealthy I’ve been though, maybe I’ll start making at least a little effort in seeking out some better options. This exercise has really given me some food for thought (HA!).
I too had the uneasy feeling of broadcasting my eating habits not necessarily caring what other thought but realizing that I had to read over it myself and come to terms with what i was actually eating. I think that this assignment comes at a even more brutal time when most of use have been literally packed away all winter. I know that I am flabbier than ever and beside wanting to get outside and get moving it seems as though my only comfort is walking into the kitchen and eating some sort of pastry that my sweet tooth grandmother keeps in this house at all time. Believe me the will power you need when you live in a house that is the closest thing to actually living in a ginger bread house is daunting. To make things worse I am getting married in July. That seems like plenty of time to shape up but if this wealth doesn't warm up soon I will be stuck in this pastry palace and will only have my self to blame when these next 100 days don't go according to best laid plans of eating better. Believe me, I feel you pain.
ReplyDeleteI think it's probably very hard to eat healthy and vegetarian in the dorms. I think I've always avoided living in one for that reason. I'm not sure how the dorms are set up at the U, but others I have seen have little fridge space and no place to actually cook food. It will get easier once you have a place of your own.
ReplyDeleteI lived in the dorms last year and from my experience, vegetarian options are pretty limited (I'm not actually a vegetarian, but I refuse to eat meat if I can't identify what it is... and that happened more than once in the dorms). When vegetarian options are offered, they usually don't mesh with anything else that's being served. Like I would end up getting some sort of Mexican stuffed peppers while everything else on revolved around eating meatloaf. So usually I'd have to make due with stuffed peppers and macaroni and cheese (really an odd combo, but it works). Maybe it was just my experience and maybe things are different this year, but I think the dining service should definitely look into more options that aren't so meat-oriented.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who kinda loves being an unhealthy eater? I mean, it really is bad for your body, I understand, but sometimes finances and time restrict us! Embrace it. When you're out of school and a "real person," you can eat all the organic whole grains you want. Until then, find the inner beauty in the Pop Tart.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, thanks everyone! I am very glad to hear I am not alone. And yes, I agree that it is incredibly difficult to eat healthy in the dorms and UDS should consider offering a better vegetarian selection.
ReplyDeleteAs for finding the inner beauty in Pop Tarts - HA! What a wonderful attitude. If I didn't feel so sluggish and gross after a weekend of unhealthy eating I would probably make this my new life motto! :)