I am a huge fan of the Jazzman’s yogurt parfaits — the blueberry ones. For less than $3, I can get my daily “yum” of sweet dairy, fruit and carbs.
But when I told this to a friend of mine, who works at Excel Fitness, she dropped her jaw and said, “The yogurt parfaits? No way; do you know how many calories those have?”
Well, my friend, no I don’t — nor do I care. Anymore.
This summer, I practiced yoga for two hours a day. Then, I powered through an intense hour-long butt workout, an hour-long leg workout and a 30-minute arm workout. I tried to eat only nutritious, healthy foods.
There was no way to keep up such a routine when I got back to school. With an average sleep schedule of two to three hours per night, I would probably pass out during every workout. And I love junk food. Give me lime Tostitos, and I’m in hog heaven. Often, it’s not even junk food; I just love foods that tend to be calorie rich.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this.
I have heard far too many people, especially women, at this school complain about calories, thunder thighs and big booties. Our era of see-through leggings and T-shirts for dresses fosters this awful behavior. And I’ve done it, too. But I’m trying not to.
I’m starting with my diet. Eating at Taco del Mar three nights a week has not been so great for me; I’m limiting it to double-punch Mondays, but I won’t feel guilty. And I stopped buying nonfat products. I buy low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt, and I’ve stopped buying nonfat, skim milk. Now, I buy whole milk fortified with Vitamins A and D.
But wait, isn’t switching to nonfat dairy an easy way to skimp on calories? Maybe not. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who consumed whole milk and cheese gained less weight than those who ate nonfat. In addition, low-fat dairy products are often higher in that evil fat fiend: saturated fat.
Plus, let’s be real. Whole milk tastes better. I conducted a side-by-side taste test, and skim milk just tastes like milky water in comparison.
So I’m going to stop counting calories and start looking at the rest of the nutrition label. I hope others will do the same. Even if you’d rather be sad and skinny than fat and happy, I’d rather be “fat” (I use quotes because, no, size five is not fat) and mentally sane than a skinny (anything less than a size two is too skinny) basket case who stresses about the caloric content of gum.
That brings me back to my super “nom” yogurt parfait. Screw the calories. If it goes to my thighs, who cares? Didn’t you see that Pitbull video? Curvy is gorgeous.
Regardless of figures, I love the antioxidants in the blueberries. I love the carbs and protein in the granola. And I love the calcium and probiotics in the yogurt. Even if I don’t love the calories, there’s so much more in there that’s wonderful for my body.
So just eat it.

Kelley Hungerford
Editor-in-chief