So we are in a little bit of a predicament, my friends. On the one hand, summer is almost here, meaning bikinis, boats, and (hopefully) cute boys to hang out with in said bikinis on said boats. On the other hand, summer is almost here (wah wah), meaning we are not only spending these weeks studying our little (or big) badonk-a-donks off, but any moment not spent studying (or stress eating) is spent drinking with our pals because hey, we only have a few more weeks left and we want to remember all those good times we spent drinking together until we didn’t remember drinking together. Ah, those times are the greatest. I think.

The only problem is that situation numero dos (the drinking/not remembering eating that entire pizza at 2am) doesn’t help us out with situation number one (bikinis and fitting our booties into one).

When we drink (and we all know this by now), we’re not only consuming a ton of calories from our friend the frozen marg, but much like that fabulous children’s book “If You Give A Moose A Muffin,” if you give me a tequila shot, I’m going to want some mac and cheese/pizza/other late night snack to go with it. And that means may-jor (Rachel Zoe voice) extra fat and calories.

Unless you have some healthier versions of your favorite tasty treats up your sleeve, which – yay! – I do.  I’ve spent some time playing around my kitchen and come up with a trusty arsenal of late night foods that satisfy the late night craving minus the late night calories. Seems too good to be true? Well, whip these up in your kitchen (or dorm room) and you’ll realize that it’s not! Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Melissa's been trying to stop her late night snacking. She hit a few bumps the first week, and sorta hit rock bottom on week 2. And now, thank god, it's all over. So what did she learn?]

It’s my third (and basically last) week at this, and I have come to a conclusion — this challenge, in its perfect entirety, is impossible to complete. At least for someone like me who stays up way past 10 p.m. at night. However, I’ve still learned some very valuable lessons.

Eating is meant to fuel your body. Although after 10 p.m. we all want to nosh, I believe we should try not to, as that is not conducive to food’s goal. Through this challenge, I have learned a lot about my habits and why I eat late at night, and this challenge has made me so aware of my actions.

There is so much dieting information out there that will tell you that eating late at night is the key to weight gain. I don’t necessarily believe that is true — I believe that we eat calorically dense foods late at night, and that is connected to weight gain, not the time of day at which we consume them. But if we change our habits and use the food we eat late at night PURELY for fuel if we absolutely need it (read: if tea or water just doesn’t do the trick), then I personally think that’s totally acceptable. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Melissa's going to stop her late night snacking. She hit a few bumps last week, and it looks like this week didn't get much easier.]

Make this challenge stop. PLEASE, make it stop! I’m failing at this challenge quite miserably, and it’s just so discouraging.

I tried on Valentine’s Day. I really, really did. But my single girl friends and I all gave into our sorrows and ate our feelings and drowned our single girl worries in chocolate. Come on, can you blame me? Worst. Day. Ever.

That night definitely gave me a “screw this” mentality throughout the rest of the week. I know, I’m not proud. I could have told you how well I did this week, but that would have been a lie. And no one likes a liar (Unless they’re on ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars, during which I also found myself snacking on Monday night. UGH! I really failed this week).

I think I’m starting to lose sight of why I decided to do this challenge in the first place. I’m letting the stresses of everyday life get to me and make me forget that food is never, EVER the answer to stress. This is definitely the hump week. I feel as if I have hit the rock bottom, and the only place to go to succeed in this one-month challenge is up. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. Last month Charlotte gave up coffee. This month, Melissa's going to stop her late night snacking. Can she do it!? Could you?]

It’s one week in. And my late-night self is hungry. Really hungry. Ugh.

The college atmosphere definitely makes it really difficult to complete this challenge. I definitely had a few nights that I caved, and when I caved, I caved badly. After a long day of sorority recruitment, all the girls ordered pizza at 11:30 p.m. Seeing how we had to be at the house for even longer after 11:30 to clean up, my starving self quickly forgot about my challenge and caved on a slice of pizza. Oops.

Another night, my roommates and I were thinking of our costume ideas for a themed social we were having this weekend. My costume involved making a dress out of candy (it looks AWESOME, by the way!), and when I had a little bit of candy left over, instead of looking the other way and remembering my challenge, I unwrapped those little chocolates like a little kid unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. Oops again. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. Last month Charlotte gave up coffee. This month, Melissa's going to stop her late night snacking. Can she do it!? Could you?]

Oh, the wonderful world of late night eating. Whether it’s 2 a.m. pizza or that leftover Chinese food during your favorite nighttime shows, late night eating goes with college like studying goes with college. Except we actually, uh, do it. So, yeah, bad analogy.

Now, I don’t mean to sound like a party pooper, but get this: according to the New York Times, a 2009 Northwestern University study found that late-night eating does lead to weight gain.

Are you really surprised? The drunken munchies, the nighttime study snacks, or the boredom eating that so often takes place on college campuses definitely contributes to college weight gain. Something that I don’t want. So, when I was presented with this challenge, I asked myself — “Hey, if those things all lead to weight gain, why not just not do them?” Seems easy enough, so I accepted the challenge. And one day in, as I sit watching my 10 p.m. TV, dying for a snack to nosh on, I ask myself another question:

“Why the heck did I agree to this?” Oy. Read More »

Your mind says no, but your body says yes, yes, yes!

About to pop the lid off of that pint of Ben and Jerry’s? Ripping open a huge bag of salty chips? Read this before digging in.

New findings from the University of Texas Southwestern’s Medical Center suggest that the fat found in certain foods actually make their way to your brain before they add the dreaded cellulite to your hips and thighs. Once there, they order the brain to send messages to your body’s cells, telling them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals that stop us from stuffing our faces (well, sometimes).

And the worst part? This only happens when you’re eating good (read: bad) food, so you’ll end up overeating foods high in calories and fat instead of healthy options like fruits or veggies. Read More »

What is it about alcohol that makes you want, no, need to eat a meal for a family of four when you get home from the bar? Things you’ve never craved before and suddenly you can’t get enough.

Jill and Lauren discuss this…the morning after a particularly long night. Please excuse their hot mess-ness.

[To see the last installment of CC TV, click here.]

When I was drunk off my ass at some random bar in the Lower East Side last night, making eyes at the hot (or so he seemed at the time) bartender all sloppy-like, inevitably my stomach started to crave falafel. The crunch of the lettuce, the slight sting of the onion, the tahini sauce, oh the tahini sauce…all for around four dollars.

At that moment, oh around 3:30 in the AM, my world seemed to revolve around getting my newly painted mitts (inky violet with sparkles, so hot) on one of those Middle Eastern delights. I was like a junkie or something.

Luckily I could easily get my fix around the corner, because there just happens to be a falafel place in a one block radius of any given point in Manhattan, even in Chinatown I suspect, although I have yet to test this particular thesis. This convenience makes them the perfect drunk food. Sure falafel doesn’t have the melted cheese + marinara sauce appeal of a slice of pizza but those mildly spiced chick-peas…orgasmic. Read More »