Freshman 15: Advice from Sophomores to Fight College Weight Gain
As a sophomore, I am sad to report that the battle against the freshman 15 does not end after the first year of college. I still find myself tempted by the option of eating ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner, finding time to go to the gym can seem impossible when my to-do list is filled with reading assignments and problem sets, and it’s just too easy to take comfort in a bag of potato chips at 2 a.m. But after a year in college, my friends and I have learned a thing or two about staying healthy and preventing weight gain.
Freshman 15 pizza picture by titanas
Here are a few tips to fight the Freshman 15:
Avoid the fourth meal. Eat dinner late and try to keep a reasonable sleep schedule so that you aren’t tempted by a pizza run at midnight. Late night snacks are usually high in calories and low in nutrition and if you must eat something, grab a granola bar or some fruit.
Even freshman who are conscious of what they’re eating may forget to think about what they’re drinking. Avoid too much beer and too many mixed drinks on the weekends. No nineteen-year-old looks good with a beer belly.
When thinking about how I avoid the freshman 15 (and the sophmore 15), I started to wonder how my friends do it. Here’s some advice from my fellow sophomores.
“Be conscious of everything you put into your mouth– eat small portions and chew slowly. If you’re the kind of person that prefers to think of things numerically, Google your Basil Metabolic Rate to find out approximately how many calories your body burns daily, and make sure you don’t eat more than that. The best thing is to establish good habits early in the year before schoolwork starts to get too stressful.”
Elizabeth
“I think it’s really important not to worry so much about the ‘freshman 15′ but instead to just focus on taking care of yourself by being sure to eat. And at regular times. Mountains of work or personal obligations can easily take priority over getting a meal in the dining hall, and often late night junk, or nothing at all, becomes dinner. But the stress of daily life combined with a lack of full meals will just mess with your weight in an unhealthy way. I’ve realized it really is worth it to just sit down, chat with friends, and get creative with my meals to keep them healthy and tasty.”
Julia
“The truth of the matter is – you will gain weight at college, especially if you were a high school athlete who stops exercising the moment you set foot on campus. To counteract your inevitable freshman 15, try joining club or intramural sport. Not only will you meet people with the same interests, but you will stay fit and healthy and super hot for those late-night frat parties. Not only is exercise conducive to staying in good shape – and helps when you have to climb five flights of stairs at three in the morning – but it helps you stay mentally sound. There is nothing like a long run on a crisp, September day to clear your mind and get you in the study mode. ”
Julietta
Thinking I’m forgetting something? Let me know how you plan to avoid the freshman 15 by leaving a comment.
September 25th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Good advice. The freshman 15 is unfortunately inevitable for most college students. You can’t walk down the street without seeing someone with a beer belly or muffin top. I even have friends that are proud of there weight gain and posted there pics on http://www.BeerBellyNation.com. I however will continue to workout everyday to keep up with my college lifestyle(drinking/late night food).
September 30th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Good luck, freshmen! It isn’t easy to restrict oneself when you’re socializing, on the go, and having fun. I recently read that some colleges are doing away with cafeteria trays to save on water and save on wasted food, etc. when people take more than they really need. It is yet another way that colleges are trying to be more “green.” Perhaps this will help freshmen a little bit. It will also surely make for some clumsy accidents I’m sure!
October 7th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
The freshman 15, is an important issue, here is a new website that will provide you with more information about Preparing for college.
http://www.universityvisitorsnetwork.com/Prepare.shtml
You have got to check it out!
October 18th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
gaining weight in college is almost like a right of passage. If you can aboid it, good for you! If not, that is OK too
June 10th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbour were preparing to do some research about that. We got a good book on that matter from our local library and most books where not as influensive as your information. I am very glad to see such information which I was searching for a long time.This made very glad
April 23rd, 2011 at 12:52 am
personally, i grew up in a very health conscious family and opportunities college campuses give to eat healthy are very limited. There is limited fruits and veggies and if there are veggies they have butter on them. Also, most colleges do not have kitchen in there dormitories which for me is an absolute must to having a healthy lifestlye.