Saturday, December 18, 2010

Midterms Lead to Nutritional Decay

Anyone who has ever been a college student should be able to agree with the subject line of this post.  There are two potential ways in which Midterm Exams can lead one to neglect his or her nutritional goals.

Scenario A: Studying is more important than cooking and/or you've been invited to or have invited others over for a study group session and everyone knows that study groups = pizza, copious amounts of caffeine, chips, popcorn, donuts, or whatever else you can have delivered or pick at without a fork while your nose is buried in a book.

Scenario B: Studying is stressful, exams are stressful, you know pizza and chips are evil so, instead, you choose to go with a cup of coffee which you barely touch because you're too busy clenching your jaw until your teeth hurt as you study/complete the assignment.

Guess which one I suffered from today!  Yup ... B!  It's bad enough that we're running low on groceries (I am SO glad today is pay day but it's going to be teeny tiny compared to what we're used to because the rain cut back on "Temptation's" appointments last week and he had two full days with no work at all) so we're having to make do with the bits and bobs that are left in the fridge/cupboard.  Add to that the fact that what we do have requires cooking ... and I don't mean simple microwaving either.  Top it all off with the fact that I had to do two midterm exams this morning and you're left with less than 22 calories consumed by noon-thirty in the form of a partially consumed cup of coffee with creamer.

These were some of the worst midterms yet, too, because I bloody hate my classes!  Class A is allllll about critical thinking; no joke, it is an entire 9 week class based on learning the skills of critical thinking.  Why do I hate this class?  Well for one, critical thinking has never really been a problem for me so it's boring and repetitive.  Also because, in my book, 99% of the "skills for learning critical thinking" are COMMON FREAKIN SENSE!  Do we really need to spend 9 weeks learning how to study the process of resolving problems related to study?  Isn't that redundant?  Furthermore the very phrase "critical thinking" annoys me (Please refer to the third paragraph in George Carlin's "Explicit Lyrics" CD transcript found here for perspective on why this phrase gripes my butt).  "Describe the critical thinking methods you used when evaluating the events of the Boston Tea Party".  What the heck does that even mean?!  I read the material and it made sense ... where does evaluation with critical thinking come in?  It's not like I can create and implement an alternative solution to the problem because it already happened!

The second class is psychology.  GRAWER TWICE!  Does anyone watch Bones?  I love that show and I am so 100% in agreement with Brennan that psychology is mostly conjecture and guess-work.  Freud was a loser with a mommy complex who decided that everyone in the world was disturbed because that made him feel better about himself.  Basically, he was a psychological bully.  More often than not a banana is JUST a banana!  I know this seems odd considering yesterday's post about my dream but sometimes I have to read the fluff in my text book in order to be reminded that it's fluff.  Take motivation for example: motivation is caused by instincts but instincts don't explain physiological needs therefore motivation is caused by drive-reduction but drive-reduction doesn't explain dare-devil sports therefore blah blah blah!  Here's what I think.  No one knows how to explain, define, or otherwise study motivation, dreams, emotions, or personal preferences so everyone is throwing a possible explanation on the bandwagon.  That's fine, all great science has to start somewhere BUT ... until the whack jobs actually figure it out and come to a single, reliable, honest conclusion ... they need to keep it on the down-low just like astronomers used to do in ancient times and noetic scientists are doing now.  I think paranormal science actually has a stronger foot to stand on than psychology ... at least the majority of them are in agreement on the major facets of their conjecture.  At any rate, I got 28 out of 30 on the exam so that's not too shabby.



Food:
5 glasses of water
1 cup of coffee with creamer
1/2 cup of spaghetti w/2 tbsps sauce (last of the leftovers)
4 oz Tomato, Baked chicken (leftover)
1 V8 Fusion
15 Sunchips
1 #9 sammich from Jimmy John's
1 whole dill pickle
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Daily Caloric Intake: 1516


Exercise:
5 min stationary cycle 93 RPM (50)
29 min Wii Active custom workout (266)
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Daily Caloric Burn: 316

3 comments:

  1. Maybe try and purchase things that are HEALTHY and finger friendly ( :
    get some baby carrots, cut up celery, brocolli. Any veggies that you like. Plus they are affordable. Eat these till you can sit down for a healthy meal.
    There are also some pretty healthy snack food. You just have to do some searching for things you will like. I am trying to eat WHOLE so I dont really by anything in a bag of processed. But I also am home all day. So it is easier for me.
    Over time you will find a few things.
    Have you ever tried vita muffins. They are a bit costly. But better for you then donuts. You can also purchase them online for cheaper.
    In order for this to work for you long term you will have to find foods that fit your lifestyle.
    Do a search for healthy snacks. I am not sure what program you are following or just eating healthy as I am.

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  2. Having just finished finals I feel your studying pain. One solution for Scenario A is study groups at coffee shops or the library. A possible solution for Scenario B is protein shakes. I know you talked about looking at some of them but if you haven't tried them I highly recommend it. I like to do a meal replacement after the gym or when I am really busy or just not hungry. Milk, protein and a banana. Calcium, protein and potassium, great for your body and muscles!!
    As for psychology I am obligated by my degree to defend it a little ;) The fact that you use the term “mommy complex” demonstrates how much of an effect Freud has had on the layman. And if he is the center of your subject matter your teacher is an idiot. Freud is the father of popularizing psychology but to any mental health professional worth their salt he was a huge set back. And if you ever want I can give you a whole lecture on how pop “psychology” and Intro to Psych are rubbish ;)
    ~Tia
    PS I'm serious about the protein powder!

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  3. Renea: I'm not really following a program other than counting calories in and calories out. I invented my own plan and posted the specs for it here if you want more details. Although I am trying to incorporate healthier foods and adjust my choices, part of the reason I went with counting is because I can not/will not begrudge myself foods that I love. Instead I am trying to teach myself how to incorporate those delicious yet less healthy foods with moderation in a significantly healthier diet than what I had before. I am certain that if I totally eliminate foods I love because they're not the best foods health wise, that when the weight is gone I will go on some kind of binge and be right back where I started. My plan is to learn how to restrain myself on things like fast food, cheese, and ice cream so that they are occasional treats within my calorie count instead of swearing them off entirely.

    Tia: I did end up trying that Bombers blend that my brother suggested last month. They sent me a free sample and, for the number of calories in it, I thought it was horrible. lol However, you will all be happy to know that we did go shopping last night and picked up some fruit and some rice cakes and some seaweed salad. It is important to note that I do buy good snacks when I got to the store but there is always a day or two between when I run out of healthy groceries and when "Temptation" or I get paid ... those are the days where eating right is hard.

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