Old habits, new year

Happy 2011 everyone. Only a little less than two years until the end of the world or the zombie apocalypse, depending on your opinion.

As it is the new year, ’tis the season for everyone to make New Year’s resolutions. I bet you can guess where I’m going with this — I’m going to talk about the typical resolution to lose weight.

I am going to do my best to lose weight this year. I’ve decided to do this for a number of reasons, some involving self-confidence, others involving health concerns.

I want to feel better about myself when I get dressed up. I want to be happier and less stressed.

I know I’ve made this resolution in the past, or I’ve at least thought about making this resolution. But you have no idea how conflicted I can feel about this at times.

My major is food journalism. A good portion of my happy memories from growing up involve food. Whatever future career I have will eventually involve food somehow.

I can’t abandon any food. I can’t wrap my head around the idea of sticking to a specific diet, unless seriously ill and directed by a doctor. I eat what I want because I figure my body craves it for a reason.

My other concern with this is that I’ve finally started coming to terms with my curves. I am, without a doubt, what most people consider an hourglass figure. Friends like to comment on my  “Beyoncé  booty” from time to time.

I’m okay with this. And I’m mostly okay with my body.

So it’s going to be a struggle to figure out a way to efficiently lose some weight while maintaining my lifestyle and beliefs.

However, it’s not impossible. I know this because I’ve been able to work at this before and have been somewhat successful when I’ve tried.

So what is my diet going to consist of this semester or for the rest of this year? Well, this past semester I really got into eating soups and salads, even if they weren’t that healthy. That’s bound to affect my tastes and cravings because when you get in the habit of eating certain foods, you begin to crave them.

But what happened to the weight I gained this past semester from my new diet? 
To be honest, I can’t tell you how much weight I gained, so for all I know it’s just an
illusion.

But perhaps it has less to do with what I eat and maybe more with my being a stress eater. Even as I’m writing this column, I’m snacking on crunchy things to soothe myself. But if I stick to healthier snacks like trail mix, which contain more good proteins and fat, I’ll be putting better things into my body.

What about eating out? Restaurants are fairly important for what I’m going to do with my life. But I realized this year that since my boyfriend has a car now, we have not been walking downtown like we used to.

Last year, I really didn’t have the time to work out, so I would just go for walks at night with him or other friends. If I can pick up that habit again, I should be fine.

I guess to sum it up, I’m not changing that much for my resolutions. If anything, it’s like restocking my pantry or my fridge with better ingredients and doing my best to keep all of the good things stocked.

Just remember, if you have similar resolutions, they are attainable as long as you keep them realistic. Just never try to lose more than two pounds per week, as that’s not healthy.

Good luck, and happy first week back.