Counting Your Macros: Eating Healthy in College

I don't diet, but I do try to eat healthy! I get up for early classes, sit in plenty of lectures, go to a couple meetings a week, and run a blog on the side, so I have to be at my best. If I treat my body like a garbage disposal, I can't give 100% and I feel yucky when going throughout my day. I make the daily promise to myself to provide the fuel my body needs to keep going strong. It seems like something you can blow off until summer because it's a little tricky to be "healthy" or "fit" when you're living the campus life. Don't settle! Try this:

Still trying to perfectly hit my macros as you can see, but this is what my app looks like! 

Counting macros has really helped me to be a healthier version of myself. It can be tricky without a full kitchen and a Trader Joe's around the corner, so I thought I'd share how I do it. Lately, I've heard a lot of people wanting to shape up for spring break and summer. Having salad after salad or restricting yourself is not the way to go. 80% of your journey to be healthier depends on what you eat, so that is step 1! Food is fuel! Try flexible dieting or counting your macros.

I use the MyFitnessPal app to count my macros. Macros are your carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. You have a little pie chart and list to show how much of each you should intake for the day. It's like a game - you try to hit your goal and keep everything balanced. 

The best part about flexible dieting is that you can virtually eat whatever you want if it fits within you macros. This doesn't mean you should eat a doughnut every day because you can fit it, but if you're really craving Chickfila after a long week, you can definitely treat yourself. 

So next I wanted to share a list of what I stock up on that is macro-friendly! I do eat at the dining hall during the week and I do make the occasional trip to my favorite coffee shops or Chipotle. I know some of these foods may not sound super yummy, but I happen to love veggies and have a weird obsession with gluten and dairy free finds.

Carrots
Grapefruits

Baby Spinach
Cashews

Greek Yogurt (Dannon Light & Fit)

Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Organic berries
Sliced turkey breast
Gluten free Van's cereal
Tuna in water
Quaker rice cakes
Thomas bagel thins

Over the summer, my grocery list is a lot different because I have an oven and a microwave. I eat lots of egg scrambles with veggies for breakfast, turkey bacon, salmon, and microwaveable veggies. Next year, since I'll be living in a house, I will keep the blog updated with some of my easy, macro-friendly recipes. Stick around!

I wish I could personally sit down with my readers and talk more about macros and just how to get healthy, but since I can't, I will point you to my favorite sources for healthy meals and inspiration:

Gotti Gets Fit on Tumblr

Marissa Lace on Youtube and her fitness IG: @mlacetonesup

BreeLovesBeauty on Youtube

Please note that I am not telling you to be super strict and obsess over every little thing you put in your body. I love counting my macros because it is the easiest (and healthiest) way for me to make sure I am getting what I need each day. You can lose weight with this method if you begin to eat more nutrient-filled foods, but the goal of this isn't to try to be super thin or anything like that. I am also not a personal trainer or a professional, I just happen to have a passion for life and all things in it - food and health included! But you can take my word for it - this works and is really easy for me to do on campus.

 Although I am not Jillian Michaels, I have learned a lot through my own personal health journey and would love to chat with you if you have any questions! I regularly check my email - cristinaoncampus@gmail.com or you can message me on Twitter or Instagram, both handles are @cristina96x

Have an amazing rest of your week (or spring break) gorgeous! 

X,

Cristina