Post 111: How To: Survive Week One.

So, I started a diet a few weeks ago. As many others who have dieted know, the first week is the hardest as you get used to the shift in your diet: from normal foods, comfort foods, and sometimes junk foods to healthy foods.

My mom and I have done lots of different diets and I have had family do a variety of diets. The one that has been the most beneficial and had the most impact, I've found, is the South Beach Diet. The first two weeks are by far the most extreme. 

The first two weeks is no fruit, no starches, no sugar. Basically, it is vegetables and meat. However, one thing that doesn't go away is cheese. Though, it is still limited. It also has morning and afternoon snacks. Anyway, this post isn't about the South Beach Diet (http://www.southbeachdiet.com/) it is about surviving week 1 of a diet, any diet. 

The three biggest tips I can give:

1. Start a blog/journal/diary. 
2. Don't sweat the small stuff. 
3. One weigh or no weigh. 

It is helpful to start a blog/journal/diary. Each one will have a different purpose depending on which is best for you. Journals are good as a way of keeping track of what you ate, drank, or did (like exercising). Diaries are more of a narrative. You keep track of things still, but when you talk more about other things as well like how you are feeling and things like that. Blogs can be a combination of the two, but is really best for support. There are a lot of people out there who are doing them who you can support and you will find that people will support you as well. 

Don't sweat the small stuff is a very important lesson to learn. I have seen people throw away a diet because they cheated in that first week. It is important overall, but especially in that first week, not to let cheating become a reason to quit. If you cheat once or twice, don't just give up on the diet. Don't throw the towel in. Think of it like learning a skill, just because you stumbled or struggle doesn't mean you should just give up. It is better to cheat once and awhile than give up on the diet completely. 

One weigh or no weigh is something that I think might work for some people more than others. I think that for the first week, stay off the scales entirely or only weigh yourself at the beginning. The first week, I think it is important that you focus on how you feel. Some people feel like they lose a lot of weight during that first week, even when they only lose 2 pounds. After the first week I think it is important to remember this as well. Losing weight in healthy weigh is only a few pounds a week, so checking more than once a month can be discouraging. Overall, I actually don't check the scale at all. I think this helps me because I am not doing the diet because I want to be a specific weight. The main reason I am doing it is because I want to be healthier and feel healthier. 

I think that looking at the numbers too much can detract from that. And week 1, when you are still at the beginning, and not truly committed yet it is easy to be disheartened when you are craving things the most and not seeing results yet. 

So, that is my advice. 

Post 95: How To: Talk to Strangers

I figured it was about time that I posted something new, and it seemed like a fitting topic considering where I am. Where am I, you ask? I am sitting in a Biology 100 class, that I am not register in, surrounded almost entirely by strangers. Not that I will be talking to any of the at this point. I look like I am taking notes right now, so I am not distracting anyone. Talking to anyone would mostly likely cause a distraction.

However, it helped inspire this topic.

Talking to strangers is easy, in theory. But, there are a lot of things that are easy in theory. Like cooking. Or straightening your hair.  Or driving a car.  Or riding a bike.

But the number of bicycle accidents per year alone should tell you that nothing is ever as easy as it seems, except breathing. Although, Biology students might disagree (if you want to get technical about it). 

So, how do you talk to strangers? Or rather, how do you start up a conversation? 

Find a common interest, sounds easy enough, but how do you out get to this point?

There are lots of ways to get there but the easiest way requires you to be observant. 

What is the person wearing? Do they have a shirt with a band name or tv show on it? Do they have really cute boots on? Are they carrying an umbrella?

Make note of these things. 

If they are wearing a band shirt and you like the band, there you go. You have something to talk about. So, you might want to start with,  "are you a _______ fan?" This would also work if their shirt or backpack is paraphernalia for a TV show. 

If they are not advertising anything in particular, find something they are wearing that you like. (This might be an easier tip for women to use, as far as I know. I am not a guy, so I can't be sure.) 

Then once you find something, tell them that you like it. They might mumble a simple 'thanks'. But, sometimes, this is really all it will take because they will start telling you more about it and where they got it. If they don't, feel free to ask. 

Ask them where they got it. If you've been to the store, say so. The point is to find something in common. Once you find something in common, it becomes easier to keep the conversation going.

If you are in classes with them or know that they are a student, ask them about their classes. Inevitably they will have something to say. You can ask what year they are in, what their major is, what they want to be once they graduate. 

It is important to note that these people may not want to talk. So, if you are asking questions and they are not really eager to answer, are giving short answers, and/or aren't asking questions back they could be trying to let you know that they don't really feel like talking, at least not with you. 

So that's it. That is how you talk to strangers. I mean, once you get past any awkwardness or feeling of anxiety. I am sort of an extrovert, so I can't claim to fully understand how an introvert feels in these situations. But, I think, that this will work for both the outgoing person and shy person alike.  

Post 88: How To: Pull an All-Nighter

Not another series, are you serious?! Yes, another series: a How To series. Series are important because there is always something to do. Just coming up with random unconnected posts can be difficult. The first post in my How To series is going to be a How To : pull an All-Nighter.

Disclaimer: I am not recommending you pull an all-nighter. Sleep deprivation can have seriously negative effects, including hallucinations, headaches, fatigue (obviously), etc. Sleep deprivation over 48 hours can even lead to death. 

So, with that said let's begin the late-nighter tutorial.

Step 1: Look at why you are going to pull an all-nighter.

• Are you going to be writing and essay/studying?
• Be prepared to take short breaks, too much studying and your mind might go into sleep mode before the rest of you does. 
• Are you going to be watching TV shows?
• Pick one that holds your attention and doesn't put you to sleep. It needs to be fast-paced and interesting, save the intellectual ones for the day lights hours, because it becomes harder to focus on them the later it gets and the more tired you become.
• Are you going to be playing video games? 
• Pick one that keeps you engaged. I would seriously caution you against trying to pull a Wii Mario Kart or Candy Crush all-nighter. 
• Are you going to be staying up for no apparent reason?
• Take a moment to think about why you are doing this to yourself in the first place. Did you not read my warning that sleep deprivation can lead to death?

Step 2: You need sustenance.

• Are you going to be writing an essay/studying?
• You are looking at finger food, my friend. Chips, M&Ms, popcorn, etc. Things that are easy to eat while typing, but not sticky or messy. It is hard to eat pasta or soup when you got to keep typing or you have to hold a book. Sugary substances are good as energizing bites. 
• Are you going to be watching TV shows?
• Popcorn is a classic movie/TV show watching snack. But, because it doesn't require hands more things are made possible. You don't want to eat anything too filling or all at once though. Big or filling meals/snacks will only make you sleepy. You are shooting for little bits over time to keep the energy flowing. 
• Are you going to be playing video games? 
• I'd say look back at studying/essay writing. You're still on the computer or holding something in your hands, so you need food you don't have to use silverware for that isn't really messy. 
• Are you going to be staying up for no apparent reason?
• You're a crazy person and the world is your oyster. Eat whatever you want. 

Step 3: You got your food, know let's talk drinks. 

• Are you going to be writing and essay/studying?
• I would recommend coffee or tea. They have caffeine to keep you awake, but don't have the sugar energy drinks have that can make some people a little nutty. The saner you are when writing that essay, the better. 
• Are you going to be watching TV shows?
• Energy drinks are what I would recommend. Mostly, because slow parts in TV shows or movies can be times where I start to doze and the coldness of energy drinks is a real pick me up. Also things just seem to be more interesting when you're on a sugar high. 
• Are you going to be playing video games? 
• I would recommend energy drinks or soda. They both have caffeine, and unlike coffee and tea, you are less likely to spill them. I say this because I tend to spill hot things. Also, coffee and tea are more calmly sipping over time. That doesn't really match with the video game mode. 
• Are you going to be staying up for no apparent reason?
• Pickle juice and soy sauce. Nothing is quite as invigorating as a shot of one of these. I recommend alternating every hour. 

Step 4: Still starting to doze?

This applies no matter why you are staying up, keep some things in mind that keep you awake. I have, in the past, gone to take a shower as a way to stay awake. What you do then is stay under warm water for five to ten minutes, then switch to ice cold. You'll feel plenty invigorated after being hit with that ice wave. 

Other things you can do are exercising. Stop what you are doing run up and down the stairs a few times. Do twenty jumping jacks. This will get your blood pumping and will help kick up your adrenaline levels. 

A good slap can help too, but really that is probably something you should only use as a worst case scenario solution. 

And there you go, that is everything I know about pulling an all-nighter.