Law School Newbie

Good luck in law school! I didn't go to law school, but dated a guy for the last 2 of his 3 years. It's incredibly stressful, but entirely possible if you're willing to put your head down and work at it
Glad you found this site at the beginning! Good luck to you!

Edit: feel free to throw me a friend request if you'd like

Welcome - and I applaud your decision to start this process before you graduate from law school. I waited until after graduation, and it's much harder to focus when you're studying for the bar, so your timing is GREAT!

Feel free to add me if you'd like!

I am currently in my 2nd semester of my 2L. I've worked hard all along and I may even graduate a semester early!

I gained 15 lbs in my first year of law school ... all those westlaw/lexis meeting with free pizza. I fell into the trap! Luckily I found love in law school anyway, and since the moment we got engaged (at the end of our 1st semester in 2L), I decided it was time to lose the weight! Here are some tips that I follow and I think they're great for every law student:

- bring your own lunch to school everyday. stop eating the food available at school. remember, there is no such thing as a free lunch! wake up 10 minutes earlier to pack a lunch, it's worth it and you save money. or just do it before you go to bed. make large meals and pack leftover containers with reasonable portion sizes. then just take those to school with you. this has helped me tremendously.

- join a gym with other friends committed to weight loss. i now go to the gym 3 days a week with 2 girls from my class and we stay motivated because we look forward to seeing each other at the gym.

- give away all unhealthy food items in your fridge and pantry and start all over. in my case, i just made my fiancé eat all the bad stuff hahah go to the store with a grocery list (or at least a few key items in mind) so you don't get tempted to start stuffing items into your cart.

- start checking out recipes on http://www.skinnytaste.com or http://lawstudentscookbook.wordpress.com for great meal ideas. get into the habit of cooking your own food. you need a study break anyway!

- walk to school or the library. the library is 1.3 miles from my apartment so i walk! it's a 25 min walk and it's a great way to get exercise and clear my mind before going in to study long hours.

- watch the SUGAR and CREAM that you're putting into your coffee. i switched to stevia sweetener and fat free milk and it has made all the difference. i used to drink a few cups a day only to realize that i was taking in hundred of calories per day just in coffee! buy sugar-free syrups and make your own starbucks flavored coffees at home using fat free milk. again, saves money and is healthier!

- carry a reusable water bottle with you everywhere. aim to drink at least three full bottles each school day. and of course drink more when you get home. doing this as really helped me cut down on wanting sodas, sweets, salty snacks, etc.

- REALIZE that your law degree isn't just about studying hard and getting good grades and getting out of there. it's a complete lifestyle change. everything about you changes. law school changes the way you think, all us law students can attest to that. so that's why you have to make other life changes while your'e in law school. if your mind is evolving and so should your body. you are working hard on making your knowledge the best it can be. why not do the same for your body?