Not gonna lie; since college ended, TV has become a huge part of my life. And thanks to the brilliant minds behind TiVo, I don’t even have to suffer through those annoying commercial breaks anymore. (Though I do love the new Mac commercials and find myself stopping to watch ‘em).

And according to some dude in Chicago, that is making me fatter!

Recent studies have shown that people tend to eat more when they are watching TV shows that they like. Because their minds are focused on the entertainment from the TV they do not focus on the food they are ingesting or the feelings of fullness being sent by the brain.

Which all means that I don’t pay attention to the amount of Cheetos I am shoving in my face during an episode of The Simple Life because I am paying far too much attention to Nicole Richie’s rib cage peeking through her skin. And it doesn’t matter that my Cheetos are baked, damnit! I am eating way more than I want/need/would eat if I was not watching TV or watching something far less entertaining…like the last season of The O.C. Read More »

Do you fear slipping into that bikini? Do you know that those boxes of pizza and cans of beer that piled up in the corner of your apartment all year will no longer find shelter under a sweatshirt? And with the dawn of summer upon us that means … yes you guessed it, diet and exercise. The two most feared words in a college student’s dictionary. But do not fear; this summer will be different; just wait and read.

I try to stay in shape at college, but diet and exercise take a backseat at the end of the semester when I so meticulously balance my time between finals and end of year parties. So, we must enter summer looking our worst at the time we want to look our best. Thus we embark on a drastic last minute heave to get in shape.

Why should you listen to me? Because you remember that kid who was on a first name basis with Joe the Good Humor man and wore t-shirts in the swimming pool. Well, that kid was me and this emotional scarring early in life created a 20 year old overly obsessed with nutrition and exercise.

So now its time to dive into what you must do to impress that prospective summer fling:

Be reasonable: Do french fries, pizza, or hot wings in any way sound healthy? If you want to get that summer body find an alternative: grilled over fried, salsa/hot sauce/mustard over mayo, yogurt over ice cream, Splenda over sugar, diet over soda, wheat over white, fruit over candy. Read More »

I have a problematic midsection. It’s not that I’m dogging my body; I just know that when I gain some weight, in turns into an inner tube placed directly over what would be my stomach.

As a sophomore in high school, my mother and I went on this crazy carbohydrate addicts diet (very similar to Atkins) where for 8 months I only ate carbs for one hour a day. At the end of those 8 months, I was the skinniest I have ever been. Despite the fact that for one hour I shoved Stouffer’s Lasagna and chocolate chip cookies into my mouth, I got down to about 105 pounds. My thighs didn’t touch. My stomach was flat. It was awesome.

Of course, when I went off the diet I gained it all back. But there was one component of this “lifestyle change” that actually made a bit of sense. The reason I lost so much weight was because my body was releasing insulin (from the high carb foods) for only an hour a day. And yesterday, as I was making my daily scan of all the papers, I happened upon this interesting article. Read More »

So supposedly, researchers are developing a pill that will do both of those things. Honestly, what more could a girl ask for? If this pill actually works, it could possibly be the answer to many common complaints of college women everywhere.Whether it’s due to stress or emotions, I know that I tend to overeat and then as a result, find myself less “in the mood.” If one pill took care of these problems without any weird side effects, it would definitely be hard to pass up.

According to an article on the BBC, “Scientists are developing a pill which could boost women’s libido and reduce their appetite.”

So far, the pill has been tested on female monkeys and shrews who showed more mating behavior and ate less. The researchers hope that a human version will be available within the next decade. Read More »

Sex is awesome.

Sex is empowering.

Sex is hot.

Sex is….good for you?

We all know that a good romp in the sack feels good (great, wonderful, orgaaaaasmic), but now there is an even better reason to strip off the clothes and hop into bed: losing weight.

According to Kerry McCloskey, author of The Ultimate Sex Diet, doing the naughty is the newest – and most pleasurable – way to shed those extra pounds. So instead of ditching your man to make that 6:00 Pilates class, you can stay home, get into bed and have yourselves some good old fashion passion.

Don’t believe it? Well, according to McCloskey, a half hour of sex can burn anywhere from 150 to 350 calories depending on your level of friskiness. That is the same amount of calories you would burn running on the treadmill for 30 minutes! And as much fun as running in place is, I would much prefer sweating with my man.

Even better, sex can also help you tone those not-so-firm body parts, reduce your risk of disease and make you an all around healthier person. Read More »

I don’t know about you, but my days aren’t complete without at least 60 ounces of Diet Coke. On the way to class, at dinner, after a long night at the bar – Diet Coke is my drug. Well, that and the occasional bong hit.

Recently, though, I had to cut back on my DC intake due to some gossip I heard around town (read: on Oprah). Apparently, drinking Diet Coke can make people fat! Yes, you heard me. The high sodium content in my favorite beverage (well, besides rum and Diet Coke, of course) causes its biggest fans to pack on the poundage.

Whaaaaa?!

Oh yeah, and all that sugar substitute crap could lead to some serious health problems.

I was outraged. And apparently I wasn’t the only one.

It seems that Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi have been getting a bad rep lately. In an effort to combat all the negative press, scientists/mixologists over at the headquarters have been working hard to produce a soda product that shatters all expectations. And they have finally done it. YIPPEE!

Introducing Diet Coke Plus, a zero (yes, zero!) calorie soda with some extra nutrients sprinkled in. According to Coke, “one 8-ounce serving of the soda will provide 15 percent of the daily value (DV) of niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, and 10 percent of the DV for zinc and magnesium.” That means that instead of taking your daily vitamin with a can of DC, the can of DC can actually be your vitamin! Read More »

I have noticed a recent trend with celebrities, or anyone in the public eye for that matter, feeling any type of dramatic weight loss entitles them to write a book and coin their own “diet.” Now, don’t get me wrong, losing weight is a great accomplishment, especially if it’s a dramatic amount. Congrats to you, celebs.

But, that does not mean you have the knowledge and credentials to influence other minds. The most recent offender is fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld. His book, The Karl Lagerfield Diet, was created after his 92 pound weight loss. He lost the weight not because he felt he was obese or suffered from health problems, but simply because he wanted to fit into clothes made for younger, slimmer men. That’s a hell of a lot of weight simply for vanity reasons, but hey, whatever works for you. I’m not sure I would take weight loss advice from someone who was quoted in the New Yorker as saying, “I eat next to nothing.”

That’s just the first thing wrong with this book overall. Maybe Lagerfeld is capable of helping out other men with weight issues in his book, but his advice for women and how to improve the look of your breasts is creepy and downright weird.

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I’ll admit it, I hate to cook. My definition of homemade is anything that I have to press a button for. Because of this, I end up eating out at a lot of restaurants weekly. Name a restaurant, and I can give tell you every variation of chicken or salad that it has on the menu.

The only problem with all this dining out is that I am very health-conscious when it comes to food, so I weigh all of the options on the menu to find the best choice. But, restaurants can be tricky. You may think you are eating the better option, but in reality, it may be packed with more calories and fat.

Thanks to dietfacts.com, I no longer am a victim to the restaurant trap that so many college students fall into.

Read More »