Mardi Gras is officially over tomorrow, so put your shirts down, drop those beads and celebrate the best day ever: Fat Tuesday!  I like to think of every Tuesday (or every day, for that matter) as Fat Tuesday, so I’m more than ready to celebrate.

A day devoted to all culinary indulgences? Sign. me. up.

Care to join me? Well, you can start by getting a free stack o’ pancakes at IHOP (much love to you, IHOP!), then move onto some of my favorite fatty indulgences. Click on the pics to find out where you can get your hands on such delicious celebratory snacks.

What are your favorite Fat Tuesday treats?

We always hear about the obesity epidemic in America: It’s a major issue! People are dying! Fat people are evil! While it’s true that being overweight can lead to serious health problems, it is not true that being overweight automatically means being unhealthy.

Which explains the new “Fat Acceptance” movement that is spreading across the country. Activists and supporters of this movement are screaming from the rooftops that being fat is OK, and as long as people are making good choices to support a healthy lifestyle it should not matter what size pants they wear.

And I totally concur. I cannot tell you how sick I am of salads, fad diets and feeling guilty when I want a Potbelly Oreo Shake so badly I could punch someone. So, you know what? I’m joining this movement and I urge you to do the same. Stop kicking yourself for enjoying a hot dog at your football tailgate. Stop crying after a late night pizza binge.

Put down that carrot and join me in embracing ourselves, no matter what size we are. And what is the best way to do that? By enjoying some of life’s most delectable treats. Come on, it’s OK; fat is in!

Pumpkin Muffin from Dunkin Donuts

It’s the fall, so you have to have at least one. And trust me – it is totally worth it.

Oreo Cakesters

Like the real thing but bigger, softer and so much more delicious

Dairy Queen Blizzard (specifically, the Cheesequake)

OMG THESE THINGS ARE SO GOOD I COULD JUST DIE. No joke.

Cheese Fries

There is nothing better than fried potatoes smothered in cheese. Especially when you don’t care how fatty they are.

Big Mac

Beef: goooood. Cheese: Gooood. Bun: Gooood.

[Main photo courtesy of the NYTimes.]

So far, the pen and highlighter have spent the majority of the day working their way across my notebook.

My shoes were kicked off hours ago and I would be resting my feet on the chair next to me if it weren’t for this big oafy kid neeeeeeeeding to sit there to study. Ass.

I am literally ready to pull my hair out. Ready to go home and watch some crappy reality television. Ready to do anything but study. But I can’t; I have two finals tomorrow.

And I am in a sh*tty mood.

Not even my friends visiting me with a milkshake could shake me out of this funk.

I’m sure I am not alone.

I actually spent the past 30 minutes not doing what I am supposed to be doing (shocking, really) and playing on the internet instead. And, like a sign from heaven, I came across some very helpful information for dealing with the Taking-My-Finals blues.

Apparently, all it takes is some good food to lift me out of this funk.

Contrary to popular belief, however, ice cream/cake/cheese fries aren’t the answer. (Though they do sound amazing right now, don’t they?!) According to Joy Bauer – some really famous and really smart nutritionist – all we have to do to stay happy is eat foods packed with fiber and other good stuff like omega 3 fats and vitamin D. Just what I need to get through this last week of hell.

Good examples of these happy foods are:

Wild Salmon

Spinach

Skim Milk

Sunflower seeds

Blackberries

Gross examples are:

Sardines

Brussel sprouts

Ground flaxseeds

Simply incorporating these into your diet will give your body the boost it needs during these low and craptastic times. Maybe I should have had my friends bring me a spinach and feta omelette instead of that milkshake. Or some cookies and skim milk.

Perhaps then I wouldn’t be throwing my leftover Cheerios at the annoying kid across from me and cursing him under my breath.

For the first time since graduation, my college roommates and I made a return trip to Ann Arbor for a weekend reunion full of drinking, Michigan football and a general return to the life of college students. I can’t even tell you how excited I was to get back to campus and run amok around the town; visit our old house, drink at our favorite bars and, of course, visit our favorite late night eateries.

And for all intents and purposes, the weekend far exceeded the fun-factor I was anticipating. I got my Long Island Iced Teas and ate my New York style White Pizza. I watched the Wolverines win (even if it was a crappy team) and finally picked up my Michigan Alumni t-shirt.

It was perfect.

But this weekend also made me realize some very key post-graduation truths:

1. I can’t drink like I used to: In the old days I could down a couple (10) cocktails and dance the night away only to wake up the next morning, hit the gym and get to class. Not anymore, my friends. After getting good and drunk on Saturday night, I am still experiencing a hangover. And it is Tuesday. On the plus side: I still got my boozey-moves on the dance floor…and the videos to prove it.

2. College bars are cheap: I always used to hate those grads who came back to campus and screamed about how cheap the drinks were. Now that I am a grad, I have to scream it: drinks are so cheap! Nowhere else can a group of girls get 8 pitchers, a round of shots and 3 orders of cheese fries for $95 including tip! I may have even taken a picture of the bill.

3. Though we are far apart, my girls are exactly the same: I was a little scared for the way everyone would act after having been living on opposite coasts and building new lives over the past year. We were as close as anyone could be when we graduated, but who knows what the dynamic would be like now? One minute in the car together and I realized I had nothing to worry about. The friendships we built (and you are building now) are strong and will survive just about anything. Especially when a drunken dance party is involved.

4. Going back is totally bitter sweet: Being back in Ann Arbor made me so happy and sad at the same time. I love that town and everything that happened to me while I was there, but I also realized – as I walked around campus and didn’t know anyone – that it will never be that way again. College is a one time deal, so make sure to savor every moment while you have it.

Ahhh. So many lessons. And all along I thought this weekend was going to be about beer and selfies. Which, I also learned, create quite the lethal combo.