You really can’t learn much about college life until you’re living it.

Despite the many campus tours we were all forced to attend and information sessions at random hotels in your hometown, nothing really does college life justice. Recently the Freshmen 15 fable was debunked and with that I have set on a quest to expose the harsh truths of college life. The truth about RAs, roommates, cafeteria food, sororities and other college stapes has been exposed in the 10-image gallery.

You’re welcome. Read More »

Although the 2011 VMAs that took place this past Sunday were somewhat boring and uneventful, there was a lot of buzz about Demi Lovato’s new look. The “Skyscraper” singer walked the red carpet wearing a tight, body-hugging silver mini-dress with a plunging neckline. She accessorized with some metallic bangles and a pair of Louboutin pumps, and even though 99% of us would never be able to pull off a look like that if we tried, Lovato was subject to a lot of criticism that night.

So what was everyone upset over? Her body.

Before entering a treatment center in October of 2010, Demi was a completely different person. The stress of constantly being in the public eye had really taken a toll on her, forcing her to develop an eating disorder in the process. She had a very, VERY slim frame and almost looked a little unhealthy. After entering the rehabilitation clinic, Lovato was able to recover from her disorder and also recovered from a lot of mental problems. That being said, she obviously gained a little weight.

The weight-gain and her new curvier figure caused the star so much Twitter hate, that she eventually had to tweet out the following:

• @ddlovato: I’ve gained weight. Get over it. That’s what happens when you get out of treatment for an EATING DISORDER.

• @ddlovato: Guess what, I’m healthy and happy, and if you’re hating on my weight, you obviously aren’t. #UNBROKEN

Thing is, I’m a little confused. Sure, Demi definitely gained weight (as you can tell by comparing before and after photos), but who in their right mind would classify her as “fat?” I’d kill to have that body, and I know I’m not alone.

…Or am I? Even though Hollywood has been trying to embrace more full-figured women in the past few years by promoting healthy lifestyles and promoting plus-size stars, I can’t help but feel like people are still constantly pressured to be a size 2. After some of the most beautiful bigger women in the industry shed all their weight (Jennifer Hudson, Raven Symone, Jordin Sparks, etc…), it makes me wonder if that really is the key to success. It’s no secret that Demi has an amazing voice, but will her new body boost or shrink her fan base?

Aside from the Hollywood aspect of it, what does it mean for female body image as a whole? If some people look at Demi’s body and think “fat,” what hope is there for girls who are her size or larger? Should we be embracing healthy bodies instead of just skinny ones? I think as a society, we should embrace and encourage more women to go for the healthy look and not the impossibly tiny look. Maybe if there were more women who looked like Demi proudly flaunting their stuff, we could save a lot of young women from the stress of negative body image.

What do you think about Demi’s new look? Do you think women should aspire to be healthy or just to look their absolute skinniest? 

Everyone knows that sex without a condom is better than with that thin latex lining. According to guys it “feels amazing” and is “probably the best thing on earth.” (Clearly, guys have never tried dipping pretzels into frosting….) But we also know that no matter how good it is, it isn’t good enough to risk getting pregnant and spending our days playing peek-a-boo instead of beer pong.

Enter the birth control pill.

Seems like the perfect fix. 99.9% effective (when taken correctly, ladies) and no annoying de-sensitizing barrier to get in the way of some good old fashioned sex. It is probably the best thing to be invented since the wheel (though I would argue the Oh-My-Bod is totally up there), so it always comes as a huge surprise to people when I say that I really truly hate taking the pill.

“WHAT? WHY? HOW??!” you ask. Here are my top 10 reasons: Read More »

You work out. You eat healthy foods (most of the time). You choose fro yo over ice cream, and 100 calorie packs over double fudge brownies. You drink lots of water, get lots of sleep. You do everything you’re supposed to do to live a healthy life and you’re still gaining weight.

WTF? What’s a girl got to do to drop a few lbs?

Avoid these five surprising things, to start.

Diet Soda
It’s one of those things we just assume is good just because it has the word diet in it. WRONG. According the San Antonio Heart Study, the more diet soda someone drinks the higher their risk of obesity. Why? Well, another study reveled that the fake sugar in diet soda tricks your brain and actually makes you hungry for sweeter foods. Because the temptation of Reese’s in the vending machine wasn’t already great enough.

Carb-free Liquor
At first glance you’re like, YES! FINALLY! So you down, like, 12 and feel light as a bird (and drunk as a Disney star). If only it were that easy. The truth is, it’s important to take carbs into consideration, but it’s equally (if not more) important to be on the look out for calories. And I’m sad to say many, if not all, carb-free liquor beverages are still pretty high in calories. Calories that turn to fat. On your thighs. Read More »

I have something to share with you. Something many of you don’t want to hear (ignorance is bliss, right?), but something you all need to hear. Something that goes against everything we’ve been taught our whole lives. Something that is going to rock your world. You ready for it?

Zero calories doesn’t always equal healthy.

If your favorite dessert is claiming to be calorie free, or you’re reaching daily for that “skinny vanilla latte” thinking skinny latte = skinny jeans, think again. The truth is all of these things are loaded with artificial sweeteners. Chemicals. Things your body doesn’t recognize and are actually poisonous for your bootylicious bod.

Hard to swallow, right? Girl, I know it. Every time I try to convince my friends that artificial sweeteners turn into formaldehyde in their body, are the furthest thing from natural and that it’s actually better for us all to have a little of the REAL stuff then this fake crap that millions of us are now putting in our bodies multile times a day, I get the same response: “Everything is going to cause cancer eventually so why not at least look good now?!”

Well, what if I told you that your artificial sweeteners are actually making you FAT? Gasp! Shudder! The horror!

I know, but it’s true.

Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners actually make you… EAT MORE, When you’re sipping on chugging Diet Coke (or whatever other artificial sweetener laden food or drink you enjoy) it confuses your body and convinces your brain that food is coming. To prepare, your body produces insulin, which actually drives up your appetite, slows down your metabolism and leaves you with a few extra pounds around your midsection. Studies have shown that people who drink diet soft drinks at meals end up consuming more food than those drinking water.

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 »

We’re well into another new school year and to honor that, we at CollegeCandy are bringing back the fan-favorite series, “We’ve All Been There.”  (We tried to get another national holiday/long weekend for you guys but it’s way harder than we thought so this will have to do.) Every week, Lauren – University of Michigan will comment on the common experiences all college women share – like blue book exams or, everyone’s favorite activity, procrastinating. Read, relate, cringe and enjoy.

Somehow you ended up with four 9am classes this semester. WTF? You can barely get up for your kickboxing class at noon on Fridays, and someone expects you to make it to class (ready to learn!?) by 8:50am the rest of the week?

Oh hell no.

You hope your professor doesn’t expect you to look presentable. Hell, he should just be happy you left yourself enough time to brush your teeth. Your morning routine is always the same: you roll out of bed at 8:30, grab the first pair of sweats you can find on the floor, throw your hair into a ponytail and run out of the house. You pop into the campus coffee shop en route to lecture and grab a coffee (“Giant, please!”) and something to munch on (“Give me the butteriest bagel you’ve got back there”).

What? It’s early and you need comfort.

You slide into your seat just as the Power Point appears on the wall in front of you. If it weren’t for the food, you’d probably fall right back to sleep – you’re just so comfortable. When class is over, you go to your next class, or to the library, or home for a nap. Whichever you choose, you sport the sweats for the rest of the day: through the classes, the breaks, the meals…

You spend so much time in your sweatpants during the week, in fact, that when the weekend comes and it is time to wear something that doesn’t say “Pink” across the ass you have trouble getting into them. No, not motivating yourself to get dressed; actually getting into them. After the first few weeks of classes your clothes feel a bit snug but you can still make em work (“I must have shrunk these a bit in the dryer….”). As the semester wears on, however, putting on your going-out-jeans has become a sweaty workout. Read More »