Most of us have seen or heard the advertisements for diets like Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers and The Zone. However, an unusual new advertisement has been making its way to our television screens. It is not like other diets; it is a fast food diet. Taco Bell calls it the Drive-Thru Diet.

When I first saw the advertisement, I thought it was a joke. I thought, are you seriously trying to tell me that eating at Taco Bell can in any way prove beneficial to my health? Yet, the woman in the commercial, Christine Dougherty, was completely serious as she explained how she lost 54 pounds by eating at Taco Bell. She then went on to describe the different “healthy” options available at Taco Bell for those looking to cut calories.

Coming from any other weight loss program, this might seem normal. I’ve seen the “before” and “after” pictures. I’ve heard the “inspirational” weight loss testimonials and the money-back guarantees. Hearing them from the Jenny Craig Weight Loss Program is one thing. But hearing them from Taco Bell, a repeat offender on multiple “Worst Foods in America” lists, is a completely different story.

Now, I’m not saying it’s bad for Taco Bell to make healthier options more available to consumers. In fact, it’s somewhat comforting to know that Taco Bell offers items with a calorie count that won’t put me over a week’s limit.

I do, however, disagree with the misleading marketing tactics. I highly doubt Dougherty’s weight loss had much, if anything, to do with her taco intake. Most likely, she cut her calories on everything and ate a couple tacos off the diet menu here and there. In other words, Taco Bell’s advertisements change “Hey, this taco is better than the other options” to “Wow, this taco is a magical weight loss mechanism.”

Even the title itself is misleading. “Drive-Thru Diet” gives the false impression that since Taco Bell’s new menu is part of a diet, the food is a replacement for fresh vegetables and healthy homemade recipes, which is simply not the case. This assumption, if anything, will cause nutrition loss rather than weight loss.

In addition, decreasing the amount of calories and fat in food can be beneficial, but when this occurs, fast food restaurants will often overcompensate for the loss with overwhelming amounts of salt. Recent studies from The New England Journal of Medicine are showing that, among other factors, salt is one of the leading causes of weight gain. So, while your Fresco taco may have half the fat of a normal taco, it may also contain twice the sodium.

In the end, the food on the Drive-Thru Diet menu is still fast food. So, whether or not you decide to try one of the healthy options at Taco Bell, remember that they should not replace the real healthy food you find at home. But don’t be afraid to try a Fresco taco; I might just try one myself. Who knows? Maybe I’ll lose 54 pounds too!

Thanks to the STA schedule, every day of my life is now compartmentalized into convenient 40 minute blocks of time. Forty minutes from when I wake up until I arrive at school each morning, 40 minutes in each class and 40 minutes to get home each afternoon.

But don’t underestimate how much this schedule has affected my life.

I now challenge myself to see if I can complete certain tasks in 40 minutes. Whether it’s cleaning the kitchen, finishing a geometry assignment, painting my nails or taking a nap, I feel as if each day of my life has been compartmentalized into 40 minute boxes of time.

I am impressed with what I can accomplish in 40 minutes these days. I can bake a sheet cake for an advisory party, watch what would normally be a 60 minute show on TiVo and study for a test each in 40 minutes.

Most of the time, this schedule keeps me focused and busy, but lately, I have noticed it is not nearly as beneficial as I had initially hoped. I am so obsessed with time at school that I end up fitting my personal life into similar blocks of time.

Instead of enjoying a 60 minute meal with my family, I begin fidgeting anxiously right around the 30 minute mark, and lose out on family time. Instead of taking a long walk outside to relax, I get on the treadmill in my dark basement and run for 20 minutes to exercise. When I could spend 10 minutes enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning, I usually gulp it down, scalding my throat in the process.

Obviously, it would be silly to blame STA’s scheduling for my hurried way of life, but I have finally realized that dividing up my life into chunks of time isn’t making me any happier, smarter or more prepared. When I hurry through life, squeezing out time for family, friends and myself into 40 minutes, I end up unhappy, rushed and tired.

To solve this situation, I will now leave STA scheduling at STA. When I walk off campus at 3:05, I will not look at the clock anxiously, counting out the 40 minutes until I am home. I will enjoy eating dinner with my family, instead of stuffing myself so I can run back upstairs to my homework. Hopefully, after I put the parts of my life back in the right places, I can stop feeling as if I am in a free whenever I relax.

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