Slimming down for vacation

With spring break only a few weeks away, students across campus are doing whatever it takes to get the perfect tan, the perfect style and the perfect body. \nMany spring break-bound students are casting aside their usual, not-so-healthy eating habits and replacing the habits with what many students think is just the cure for losing 10 pounds in less than four weeks. \nAnne Reese, director of Health and Wellness Education at the IU Health Center, said many students are asking for unrealistic goals as spring break approaches. Students want to see changes in such a short period of time, and they will do whatever it takes to get there, she said.\n"If exercise is good, more is better," Reese said about what students think they can do to lose weight. "If cutting out a food group is good, restricting foods is better."\nStudents are obsessed with having the ideal and perfect body for spring break because many of them will be in an environment different than the one they are accustomed to, Reese said.\n"They are going from wearing parkas to bathing suits," Reese said. \nChristine Geary, director of programming and research for the Division of Recreational Sports, said there is traditionally a peak usage in the month of February. Last year showed a 20 percent increase in attendance in February over January.\n"We obviously prefer that people exercise on a regular basis throughout the year and not just in preparation for spring break," Geary said. "Our hope is that they may come in and take a group exercise session or use the strength and conditioning center to get ready for spring break but that they will like the way it makes them feel, and decide to come keep coming back long after their tan has faded."\nMany students want to look good while strolling along the beach in a bathing suit, but there are healthy ways to go about losing weight on a long-term basis and feeling better about yourself. \nStudents who are nearly a month away from spring break begin to cut meals completely out of their daily schedule, Reese said. \n"By starving yourself, you are slowing down your metabolism," Reese said. "Then when you go back to eating normally, you will gain the weight back even faster."\nSlower weight loss is recommended, and by keeping up the healthy new eating habits the results will show and benefit you for a longer period of time, Reese said.\nThere is a light at the end of the tunnel for spring breakers who are frantically attempting to fit into mini-skirts, tiny shorts, tank tops and bathing suits, even for those students who are not vacationing but looking to shed a few pounds as the spring season arrives.\nThere are many things students can avoid that end up as excessive calories. Reese said to look at the extras and see what you can do without.\nAccording to the American College Health Association, beer, wine and liquor have more calories gram for gram than carbohydrates or protein, and almost as many calories as fat. There are approximately 150 calories in a beer and 100 calories in a light beer.\nUndoubtedly, students struggle with daily busy schedules and are constantly crunched for time. Students turn to fast food as a quick meal, but in the end, the fast food has little health benefits.\nFast food is nutritionally empty over processed food, according to the Association of Women's Health. Fast food today is now linked with the "super-size" concept.\n"Students are not taking into consideration portion sizes," Reese said. \nAs a result, the AWH said the average women's dress size in the United States is now up to a 14, from a size 10 decades ago.\nAside from overindulging in greasy fast food, many students choose to partake in these habits late at night, or rather early in the morning. Reese said the foods students choose for late night snacks are generally the fatty, fried foods and snack stuff that is not healthy.\n"You are taking in more calories, and then you just go to sleep," Reese said. "In the end, you are just adding that many calories to your day."\nTypically, to lose a pound a week a person must reduce their diet by 3,500 calories a week, or 500 a day.\nEstablishing a healthier way of eating for life and starting an exercise program that fits individuals is the key way to lose weight in a healthy manner and keep it off.\nAlong with the availability of many programs at the SRSC, the Health and Wellness Center on the fourth floor of the IU Health Center provides students with many opportunities to improve their overall health. \nStudents can talk to registered dieticians and get fitness assessment plans for free. A weight control course called Healthy Weigh is also offered. For more information, visit www.indiana.edu/~health.\nDo not think of spring break as a time to partake in unhealthy activities toward your body, Reese said. \n"Try to think about spring break as a time to begin a better way of eating and exercising for life," she said. "Avoid all of the fad diets to lose weight fast for spring break. I want students to think about what their bodies can do for them, and take advantage of a healthy body." \n-- Contact staff writer Kristin Huett at khuett@indiana.edu.