It’s officially February, which means you are probably one month into your yearly “loose weight/get healthy/workout more” New Year’s Resolution.

How’s it going for you?

Well, if your response looked something like a Melissa response from Pretty Little Liars:

Don’t worry. Save your eye roll, ladies, because I have some ways to help you get back on track, while staying on a college budget! You don’t need to go for broke while trying to shed those extra holiday pounds.

1. If you have a meal plan, you’re lucky, so use it wisely! I am on a meal plan at my college, but I make sure to stick to the healthy foods at my school. Every night I can have grilled chicken grilled for me at any time, which is awesome! Or I can get my new favorite, a turkey burger! I also have a salad bar, which most schools have. Every day, even if I don’t get something from the salad bar, I make sure to eat a hard boiled egg from there because it is full of protein! So my whole entire meal was just FREE because it came from my meal plan, which is factored into tuition.

2. Stay away from the soda. When you go out to eat with your friends, ask for water – it’s free. Filling up your water bottle in the cafe – free. Ask for soda at either of these places, not only will you be paying money out of your pocket, but your body will be stuck paying for it because of all the extra calories and sugars that are packed in soda. I will admit, I occasionally do drink soda – such as Diet Gingerale for a stomach ache or Diet Coke for some caffeine (I’m not a coffee drinker), but did you see the key word? Diet. Drink soda sparingly, but when you do – make sure it is diet. Also, drinking water before meals can help keep you from eating more. Plus, you should be drinking eight glasses of water a day (not only will your waist line thank you, but so will your skin!) That $2.50 for a soda will start to add up overtime. Say you get one soda, for $2.50 every day, that’s $70 a month on soda!

3. If you have a kitchen, take advantage of it! If you don’t, get a microwave! Put down that phone and don’t order take out (as easy as it may sound). Yes, it is SO easy to order up Dominoes and cheesy bread while finishing up that last minute essay, but you will most likely regret it the next day. So, if you have a kitchen, or even just a simple microwave, you can take great advantage of this! Get some frozen bags of vegetables, lean cuisines, frozen chicken breasts, Special K frozen meals, and much more. If you do have to buy your own food, coupons are your friend! You can make this work, I promise!

But remember, you must also try and exercise! Take advantage of your college’s gym – because you won’t be paying for a free gym once you’re in the real world. Feel like you have no time to go to the gym? Do what I do – multitask! I will bring notecards to study, read a textbook, or try to help relax my mind by watching Netflix. There are 1,440 minutes in a day – you can try and find 30 minutes of your day to get your butt to the gym! Not only will you thank me come summertime, statistics show that you will sleep better at night and feel better mentally.

Eat healthy, work out, and feel great, readers!