Munchies

Today I found myself craving fruit, so I reached for a FUJI Apple, my favorite because it's sweet and tangy! Even now as I study for my exam on Wednesday, I feel hungry. I've noticed the change in my metabolism. Nearly every 3 hours, I start feeling like I've got to munch on something, STAT! My meals have been small and healthy, so this makes sense. I did not think that re-training my body's rhythm would happen so quickly. Don't get me wrong, it sure as hell is not easy. I'm sitting in class today, just minding my own business and taking notes, when my stomach decides to try to answer the prof's query with something sounding similar to an incoherent velociraptor: RWARJFHERT...or something similar (because, I expect you all to have conversed with one before, of course). The guy sitting next to me was kind enough to pass me an energy bar, aka - death in a chewy stick. It had peanuts. ACK! I'm terribly allergic and had to decline it and then proceeded to sit in class for another 45 minutes with a grumbly tummy and no hunny in sight. Thankfully the tiny eatery inside our science building had bananas! I <3 these little beauties, but tend to avoid them during Texas Rainy season. You see, mosquitoes love potassium and (so I've been told by countless entomologists) that you'll attract crazy-huge blood-suckers the more you eat the nanners. Sorry, I took a rando-turn. Point being, I have been replacing my hunger-pangs with fruit and man does it fill me up! The water throughout the day definitely helps me stay satisfied, but a girl's gotta eat! I've been eating a nutrigrain bar and an apple for breakfast, which I am thoroughly enjoying. Don't skip breakfast! If you're like me, always flitting from one activity to the next, make it easy and stuff a couple of snacks in your backpack or purse - this way you have a backup in case you fly out the door with wet hair, coffee (I don't think I have ever, ever, ever forgotten my coffee...that would be the day hell freezes over, my friends) in one hand and a stick of gum that you're certain is floating around in your purse. NO! Don't even think about skipping breakfast. You'll stay more alert, happy until you can get a mid-morning snack and will keep your metabolism on a healthy track. Forgetting to eat (or simply not doing so on purpose) is not healthy, I repeat...NOT HEALTHY! 

Here's a list of yummy-for-your-tummy snack ideas that you may find helpful:

  

Find what works best for you. I'm not on any particular diet, I'm simply eating healthier and being much more conscientious as to what I put in my body. I think the first step (and frankly, the most difficult) is deciding to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Once you get passed the thought that you "can't have" this or that and how "it's going to be so hard" - give yourself a swift kick in the ass - and get going, you'll see that the change is easy. I was standing in my own way, no else was preventing me from getting in shape and being fit. I did all of that by simply staying in to study my days away, snacking on Doritos and Kit Kats, because I could. Looking back on all those hours of studying and the amount of pringles and desserts my gals and I went through during the past four years of finals, it's staggering! We should have gone for a jog, a swim, a walk (ok...we did this a couple of times) and now I find myself here on this upward climb. I don't regret all the snacks and great laughs, those were fun. What I do know is that I have learned to enjoy a healthy snack. I'm a Biologist, pre-med...I really don't want to be too much like Dr. Oz, but I think it would be much better for me to tell a patient how they can get in shape when I am in shape. No one wants to listen when all they're thinking is, "um...hello kettle." Make today your first day, if you haven't started already. Get out there an get fit!