Follow These Simple Steps and Avoid the Freshman 15!

By Gail M. Davis


Weight gain is a frequent problem for students when they first go off to college. This "freshman 15" as it is called, is usually a result of many combined factors such as emotional eating, cafeteria choices, lack of exercise, late-night snacking, and fast food availability.

Understanding this pattern and knowing how to avoid it can help college freshmen maintain their desired level of fitness. There are easy steps that can be followed to encourage freshmen to make the right choices. Let's review a few of these steps now.

Our mothers knew what they were talking about when they told us that breakfast was the healthiest meal of the day. Eating breakfast actually wakes up your metabolism and gets it in working order for the day. Never skip this meal. If you aren't willing to get up early enough to visit the cafeteria, then have healthy options available in your dorm room that you can grab on your way out the door.

You can avoid the "freshman 15" by making healthy food choices the majority of the time. Buffets can be potential minefields, but colleges are offering healthier choices than they used to. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains. Select meat from the carving station, without high-caloric sauces. Save the macaroni and cheese or the dessert for one indulgence per week.

Beverages can be just as important as meals when it comes to stabilizing weight. Sodas and sweet drinks provide no nutritional value to your diet and they slow weight loss. Water should be your most-consumed beverage. Try to get into the habit of drinking skim milk with your meals, as calcium is believed to boost weight loss.

Avoid late-night snacks to keep your weight under control. Have some healthy options available for those rare times when you decide to indulge. Stop eating 2-3 hours prior to going to bed so that excess calories aren't so easily stored as fat.

The most important and final tip we'll discuss here for avoiding the "freshman 15" is to exercise regularly. It's easy in college to put this at the bottom of your "to do" list, but instead, find a workout buddy in your dorm and make it a priority! Use the college facilities and have an endless variety of exercise options, such as swimming, tennis, weight lifting, and running.

Be aware of this common occurrence and take these important steps to avoid it. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of making unhealthy decisions. You certainly don't want your "freshman 15" to turn into permanent baggage! The power is with you...it's all about choice.

About the Author:
Gail M. Davis provides more suggestions to help you avoid "the freshman 15." You can locate these along with food and exercise logs, weight loss suggestions, low-calorie recipes, and more on her website, Easy Weight Loss Tips.

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