Going away to college is an exciting time in one's life. There are new people to meet, classes to attend and professors to impress. With all these new responsibilities there's no time to worry about the possibility of gaining weight. However, this possibility is quite real and is known as a little thing called the Freshman 15.
What is the Freshman 15?
The "Freshman 15" is the phenomenon involving college students and weight gain during the first year of college or university. As suggested by the name, it has been said that college students are susceptible to gaining as many as 15 pounds during their first year of campus life. This has mainly been accounted to lifestyle changes that occur during this first year.
What Causes the Freshman 15?
The new lifestyle changes experienced while away at college are mainly to blame for any weight gain experienced during the first year of college. According to the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, these factors can include:
- Lack of exercise or physical activity
- Poor eating habits - Includes eating fatty, high calorie cafeteria foods, snacking on junk food late at night and skipping meals. Skipping meals increases the chance of overeating later.
- Lack of sleep
- Consuming too much alcohol
How to Avoid the Freshman 15
Despite what you may have been told, the Freshman 15 is not inevitable. In fact, it can be downright avoidable with a little common sense and the right lifestyle choices. Here are some ways to fight the Freshman 15:
- Exercise regularly - Exercising at least four days a week is the best way to avoid college weight gain. Join the school gym, walk to school if you live off campus or take the stairs. There are many easy ways to fit exercise into even the busiest of schedules. Work out with your roommates and make it a group activity.
- Make healthy food choices- Choose healthy food items at the cafeteria such as low fat chicken dishes, salads and sandwiches. And don't forget those fruits and vegetables! If feasible, try to cook from home as much as possible to avoid unwanted extra calories.
- Go easy on the fast food - It can be quite easy to fall into the routine of ordering pizza for those late night study sessions. But all those calories, especially late at night, can lead to unwanted weight gain. Try low fat popcorn as a snack instead.
- Cut back on the alcohol - Some people may not be aware of just how many calories are in alcoholic beverages. All that partying and alcohol consumption on a weekly basis can definitely take its toll on the body.
- Get plenty of rest - Sleep is good for many things, including fighting weight gain. With proper rest the body will feel less stresed and the metabolism will be able to function at its peak rate. Also, the more time you spend sleeping, the lest time you spend eating
Fact or Fiction?
So is the college Freshman 15 a myth or is it the real deal? Well according to Cornell University, "Many students complain of a weight gain of five to 15 pounds or more during their first year...but no scientific studies have looked at this until recently...Ongoing research at Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences has discovered that students tend to gain an average of four pounds during their first semester."
Rather than a college weight gain of 15 pounds during freshman year, it seems that four to five pounds seems to be more reasonable. Keep in mind that this is just an average - Some students will gain more than five pounds, some will lose weight, and some won't be affected at all by the transition to college life. It all depends on the individual lifestyle choices one makes.
If the Freshman 15 weight gain is still a concern there are numerous resources available to offer help and guidance. One such resource is The Freshman 15 website. This site offers further information on the Freshman 15, its causes, tips on avoiding the Freshman 15 as well as personal stories from students about their experiences with college weight gain. Hopefully these tips will assist new students in beating the Freshman 15 and help in the goal towards a happy and healthy first year of college
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