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1. Counting Calories makes me angry--I refuse to do it. I am not bashing the science behind our body fuel, but calories need to stay in the clinics, labs, and on cereal boxes. It's okay when you are trying to get the mental picture of portions down, but measuring cups and handfuls are far more effective ways of judging your food. If you begin counting and specifically stressing about the amount it takes to raise a gram of water one degree Celsius, you will develop far more problems than you will ever solve by keeping track of everything.
2. Do I own a scale? No. I actually have no clue how much I weigh right now...of course I have a ballpark, but it kind of goes along with #1, in that if I weighed myself every day, I would lose my mind with even the least bit of fluctuation of numbers. Again, scales are a great thing, but please don't step on them every day.
3. I use a tape measure to keep track of "size" as opposed to weight. I actually do look at numbers every so often, but I use a tailor's (you have to at least smile at that one..... : ) ) tape measure to keep track of my hips, waist, etc. These numbers give you are far more accurate and specific gauge at where you are at and what you could work on.
4. I am not in amazing shape--setting aside time to exercise is something I am not good at at all. That is one of my goals for next semester, and I am blessed with amazing friends who are willing to take this on with me. Note: You can eat extremely healthy 24/7, but exercise is a physical and mental necessity, and food will work for you more, if you are also working your body!!!
5. I use more sugar as body and face scrub than in my cooking. White granulated sugar is the secret to super-soft skin. :) I am willing to bet I'm up there on the list of softest lips, thanks to buffing them with sugar! This doesn't mean I do not consume sugar--I do, but I try to only eat things with sugar if they actually sound good, and not just because it's there. By telling yourself you can't have any sugar, just keeps that 5-letter-word in the front of your brain, and it's harder to avoid it. However, I can't say I haven't had too much ice cream, oatmeal cookies and pie in my lifetime.
6. If I do not set water bottles out in my apartment, I will forget to drink water. I'm serious, literally forget. It isn't extremely earth-friendly, but I buy a case of water bottles a week--a different brand than my roommates so I can tell them apart--and try to go through 4 a day. Depending on what I'm doing, it may be more, but staying hydrated is a huge factor in being your best self. Water does wonders, and you can't afford missing it.
7. I do love to cook, but I am not the next iron-chef. I love keeping recipes fresh and healthy, but comfort foods have lots of nutrients too. (ok, chocolate cake won't get you too far.....but chicken noodle soup is like miracle grow for kids! :) ) I've collected so many cookbooks that the rule is to try something out of them every week.
8. I listen to music if I'm cooking. If I'm creating, then it is anything from classy country to Boyce Avenue, but if I'm doing dishes, it's jazz--hands down.
9. I love doing dishes...if I'm with good company. The best conversations are over dishes with your hands in warm, soapy water. Before you know it, the dishes are done, but you're still standing there talking.
10. Is my boyfriend the best cook in the world? Can you repeat the question?
Guys that can can cook are yes, that much more handsome. :) I guess I have to rephrase that--It is amazing, and so much fun when a guy knows how to cook, but just being my right hand man in the kitchen sends my heart spinning.
11. Lucky number 11, so this one's got to be good.....hmmmmm
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Yes, this is a bell pepper :) And I am eating it like an apple at the moment.
I was reading an amazing food book in high school, and the author said that she eats bell peppers like apples for a super-quick and awesome snack.......I've been hooked ever since!
12. I believe in midnight snacks--When a girl's craving mashed potatoes--I mean real mashed potatoes, not that instant stuff--she's got to go for it. Go big or go home! No really, don't they look divine?!
15. Movies and Popcorn are a match made in heaven!! But, I'm a "smart-pop" girl. (Knowing how the extra stuff processes through your body is sometimes enough of a deterrent to not eat movie theater popcorn--but sometimes it still tastes good.)
16. I have yet to eat pizza while at college......how I have managed to do that, I have no idea!! Believe me though, I am going to have to do it some time soon--it sounds like something to celebrate with after finals.
17. In a perfect world, I would start my day with a green smoothie no matter what. My stomach is sometimes kind of a wuss, and Greek yogurt is my friend--yet I can't stand the smell or texture of it--so it goes in a smoothie.
18. I can't stomach avocados--the texture freaks me out
19. Food is the way to a man's heart, but picnics are the way to a woman's. This includes packed meals in general. I know the song goes "brown paper packages, tied up with strings" but brown bag lunches are one of my favorite things. :)
20. I do have a scar on my pinky-finger from a battle with a cheese grater. No pain, no gain. (I don't necessarily believe that.....)
21. My roommates tease me for taking photos of my food, but I still can't resist.
22. I have never had Pepsi or coffee in my life.......I scare people with that fun fact.
23. I am vitamin D deficient, and ironically my lack of sunshine has caused my foreign roommates to make the decision that I'm the color of Taiwanese cellophane noodles......very funny. :) (As they fished them out of the pot, they kept--talking to the noodles--saying "come here Tayler." You think I'm kidding!
24. Ice-water isn't ice-water unless you are drinking it out of a Mason jar. And you all know this already, but everything tastes better in a mug. :)
21. On a more serious note, my last confession is a follows:
Obviously I am a student right now, and along with 30,000 other BYU students, trying to get good grades, get into my major, and grow spiritually at the same time. It is very stressful, and there are most definitely nights where you wonder how you are going to accomplish everything you need to, the next day. I had one of those nights last week.
I had gotten home from classes and had been out later. I could feel a tension headache coming on, just like the one that had kept me up the night before, and I was beyond frustrated. Really?!?! Two nights in a row?? After talking to my mom for a few minutes on the phone, she reminded me that I could go jump in the hot-tub. Perfect! 10 minutes and it should get rid of this headache and I would be able to then study for my nutrition exam the following day. I called a few friends but they were all busy. (Going to the hot tub by yourself, at night, is not the smartest thing to do.) After a while, I decided to just go anyway. As soon as I get there I notice an awkward couple really enjoying themselves, and the hot tub was no longer an option. So, grumpily, I walk back to my apartment in my flip flops and swimsuit, while it happens to be below zero. I put my pajamas on, and start going after my nutrition homework. I felt like I was going to throw up--my head hurt so bad. I get up and stretch, then drink more water, then do more homework. Finally, I finished the online quiz and went into the living room to read through the material I was to be tested on the next day. I sat there for a minute with my book in my lap. I thought, why an I even here? Why was this semester so hard and so crazy?! I'm sorry this is super personal: I honestly had yet to cry about a lot of things that have happened--a lot of things that would maybe make sense to cry about (if that makes any sense) and tons of stress that I didn't want to admit was and is extremely real. I just sat there worried and overwhelmed.....my grades.....my plan.....my life....my future....my health......for a split second it felt like the world was ending, and I started questioning why I picked my major, and dwelling on how terrible of a student I am, and the fact that I felt and looked like a failure. Finally, I opened my book, because let's face it, I was not ready at all for my test the next day. I began to start skimming and trying to hit the key points then move on--I desperately needed to do better on that test.
But this stopped me in my tracks:
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I just stared at the page. A massive tear rolled down my cheek and my heart ripped in half. Who cares about calories? We don't even know the number of people who want enough food to just be able to wake up and tell their children good morning. That little girl is someone's daughter, and they couldn't do anything about the fact that she was about to die. Here I am sitting trying to just learn the information to do well on an exam and ensure I am qualified for a future job, while people are starving, and I'm reading off their statistics. I honestly sat there and just cried in my living room with the text opened to this page wondering why on earth I am doing this--studying dietetics.
Someday I will be working in a hospital or a clinic teaching people how to eat better to better their lives, while others are losing them because they have nothing.
The last week or two I've looked in the mirror and thought, wow, I need to watch what I eat, and I need to work out this part, and try to drop some here. There are parents out there who look at their children and wonder what they would be like if they were healthy and strong.
How do celebrities have dietitians at their fingertips, while children are starving. I guess it is the age-old question; how can it be? How is it fair? And the answer is it is not.
What killed me is that I was studying all of these disorders and deficiencies as facts and sitting here thinking my life is going to end because I needed to memorize all of it--the reasons people are dying.
Don't get me wrong, I have an amazing major, and will be able to do great things--life-changing things--with it. However, never has it hit me as strongly that I may be learning to count calories, and what happens to people in other countries (and even our own) when basic needs aren't met, but this, this photo, is really happening. What shook me was the photo on the right. That little girl is beautiful, and strong, and what every child in this world should look like, but that vision is a reality that will probably never be achieved.
At the end of the day, yes, I need to study harder, and a degree gives me the tools to help people, but why am I wasting time worrying about points and a test, while people are starving.
I finally closed my book, brushed my teeth, turned off the light, and after saying my prayers, I got into bed. More tears came as I thought about how cold it was outside, and how warm I was under my sheets. There have been few times in my life when my heart has truly ached as it did that night. I went to bed numb.
Now that I have had some time to really ponder it, it actually makes me feel more confident in my decision to study dietetics. I will have the knowledge to help children like that little girl. I have been blessed with the opportunity to come and learn at BYU, and that knowledge will give me the tools i need to go and be an instrument in the lives of others. Great blessings come with great responsibilities. What does your bright future hold?
Love, Tayler
2. Do I own a scale? No. I actually have no clue how much I weigh right now...of course I have a ballpark, but it kind of goes along with #1, in that if I weighed myself every day, I would lose my mind with even the least bit of fluctuation of numbers. Again, scales are a great thing, but please don't step on them every day.
3. I use a tape measure to keep track of "size" as opposed to weight. I actually do look at numbers every so often, but I use a tailor's (you have to at least smile at that one..... : ) ) tape measure to keep track of my hips, waist, etc. These numbers give you are far more accurate and specific gauge at where you are at and what you could work on.
4. I am not in amazing shape--setting aside time to exercise is something I am not good at at all. That is one of my goals for next semester, and I am blessed with amazing friends who are willing to take this on with me. Note: You can eat extremely healthy 24/7, but exercise is a physical and mental necessity, and food will work for you more, if you are also working your body!!!
5. I use more sugar as body and face scrub than in my cooking. White granulated sugar is the secret to super-soft skin. :) I am willing to bet I'm up there on the list of softest lips, thanks to buffing them with sugar! This doesn't mean I do not consume sugar--I do, but I try to only eat things with sugar if they actually sound good, and not just because it's there. By telling yourself you can't have any sugar, just keeps that 5-letter-word in the front of your brain, and it's harder to avoid it. However, I can't say I haven't had too much ice cream, oatmeal cookies and pie in my lifetime.
6. If I do not set water bottles out in my apartment, I will forget to drink water. I'm serious, literally forget. It isn't extremely earth-friendly, but I buy a case of water bottles a week--a different brand than my roommates so I can tell them apart--and try to go through 4 a day. Depending on what I'm doing, it may be more, but staying hydrated is a huge factor in being your best self. Water does wonders, and you can't afford missing it.
7. I do love to cook, but I am not the next iron-chef. I love keeping recipes fresh and healthy, but comfort foods have lots of nutrients too. (ok, chocolate cake won't get you too far.....but chicken noodle soup is like miracle grow for kids! :) ) I've collected so many cookbooks that the rule is to try something out of them every week.
8. I listen to music if I'm cooking. If I'm creating, then it is anything from classy country to Boyce Avenue, but if I'm doing dishes, it's jazz--hands down.
9. I love doing dishes...if I'm with good company. The best conversations are over dishes with your hands in warm, soapy water. Before you know it, the dishes are done, but you're still standing there talking.
10. Is my boyfriend the best cook in the world? Can you repeat the question?
Guys that can can cook are yes, that much more handsome. :) I guess I have to rephrase that--It is amazing, and so much fun when a guy knows how to cook, but just being my right hand man in the kitchen sends my heart spinning.
11. Lucky number 11, so this one's got to be good.....hmmmmm
-3.jpg)
Yes, this is a bell pepper :) And I am eating it like an apple at the moment. 12. I believe in midnight snacks--When a girl's craving mashed potatoes--I mean real mashed potatoes, not that instant stuff--she's got to go for it. Go big or go home! No really, don't they look divine?!
13. Yes, that is butter, but I am a big olive-oil person. I love how the bottle looks like wine, and people always have a heart-attack if they look in the cupboard. :) Oh BYU.
14. I only brought 15 cookbooks, and have only bought two more since I've been at school.15. Movies and Popcorn are a match made in heaven!! But, I'm a "smart-pop" girl. (Knowing how the extra stuff processes through your body is sometimes enough of a deterrent to not eat movie theater popcorn--but sometimes it still tastes good.)
16. I have yet to eat pizza while at college......how I have managed to do that, I have no idea!! Believe me though, I am going to have to do it some time soon--it sounds like something to celebrate with after finals.
17. In a perfect world, I would start my day with a green smoothie no matter what. My stomach is sometimes kind of a wuss, and Greek yogurt is my friend--yet I can't stand the smell or texture of it--so it goes in a smoothie.
18. I can't stomach avocados--the texture freaks me out
19. Food is the way to a man's heart, but picnics are the way to a woman's. This includes packed meals in general. I know the song goes "brown paper packages, tied up with strings" but brown bag lunches are one of my favorite things. :)
20. I do have a scar on my pinky-finger from a battle with a cheese grater. No pain, no gain. (I don't necessarily believe that.....)
21. My roommates tease me for taking photos of my food, but I still can't resist.
22. I have never had Pepsi or coffee in my life.......I scare people with that fun fact.
23. I am vitamin D deficient, and ironically my lack of sunshine has caused my foreign roommates to make the decision that I'm the color of Taiwanese cellophane noodles......very funny. :) (As they fished them out of the pot, they kept--talking to the noodles--saying "come here Tayler." You think I'm kidding!
24. Ice-water isn't ice-water unless you are drinking it out of a Mason jar. And you all know this already, but everything tastes better in a mug. :)
21. On a more serious note, my last confession is a follows:
Obviously I am a student right now, and along with 30,000 other BYU students, trying to get good grades, get into my major, and grow spiritually at the same time. It is very stressful, and there are most definitely nights where you wonder how you are going to accomplish everything you need to, the next day. I had one of those nights last week.
I had gotten home from classes and had been out later. I could feel a tension headache coming on, just like the one that had kept me up the night before, and I was beyond frustrated. Really?!?! Two nights in a row?? After talking to my mom for a few minutes on the phone, she reminded me that I could go jump in the hot-tub. Perfect! 10 minutes and it should get rid of this headache and I would be able to then study for my nutrition exam the following day. I called a few friends but they were all busy. (Going to the hot tub by yourself, at night, is not the smartest thing to do.) After a while, I decided to just go anyway. As soon as I get there I notice an awkward couple really enjoying themselves, and the hot tub was no longer an option. So, grumpily, I walk back to my apartment in my flip flops and swimsuit, while it happens to be below zero. I put my pajamas on, and start going after my nutrition homework. I felt like I was going to throw up--my head hurt so bad. I get up and stretch, then drink more water, then do more homework. Finally, I finished the online quiz and went into the living room to read through the material I was to be tested on the next day. I sat there for a minute with my book in my lap. I thought, why an I even here? Why was this semester so hard and so crazy?! I'm sorry this is super personal: I honestly had yet to cry about a lot of things that have happened--a lot of things that would maybe make sense to cry about (if that makes any sense) and tons of stress that I didn't want to admit was and is extremely real. I just sat there worried and overwhelmed.....my grades.....my plan.....my life....my future....my health......for a split second it felt like the world was ending, and I started questioning why I picked my major, and dwelling on how terrible of a student I am, and the fact that I felt and looked like a failure. Finally, I opened my book, because let's face it, I was not ready at all for my test the next day. I began to start skimming and trying to hit the key points then move on--I desperately needed to do better on that test.
But this stopped me in my tracks:
.jpg)
Someday I will be working in a hospital or a clinic teaching people how to eat better to better their lives, while others are losing them because they have nothing.
The last week or two I've looked in the mirror and thought, wow, I need to watch what I eat, and I need to work out this part, and try to drop some here. There are parents out there who look at their children and wonder what they would be like if they were healthy and strong.
How do celebrities have dietitians at their fingertips, while children are starving. I guess it is the age-old question; how can it be? How is it fair? And the answer is it is not.
What killed me is that I was studying all of these disorders and deficiencies as facts and sitting here thinking my life is going to end because I needed to memorize all of it--the reasons people are dying.
Don't get me wrong, I have an amazing major, and will be able to do great things--life-changing things--with it. However, never has it hit me as strongly that I may be learning to count calories, and what happens to people in other countries (and even our own) when basic needs aren't met, but this, this photo, is really happening. What shook me was the photo on the right. That little girl is beautiful, and strong, and what every child in this world should look like, but that vision is a reality that will probably never be achieved.
At the end of the day, yes, I need to study harder, and a degree gives me the tools to help people, but why am I wasting time worrying about points and a test, while people are starving.
I finally closed my book, brushed my teeth, turned off the light, and after saying my prayers, I got into bed. More tears came as I thought about how cold it was outside, and how warm I was under my sheets. There have been few times in my life when my heart has truly ached as it did that night. I went to bed numb.
Now that I have had some time to really ponder it, it actually makes me feel more confident in my decision to study dietetics. I will have the knowledge to help children like that little girl. I have been blessed with the opportunity to come and learn at BYU, and that knowledge will give me the tools i need to go and be an instrument in the lives of others. Great blessings come with great responsibilities. What does your bright future hold?
Love, Tayler
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