Carlie Cartwright
Reporter
As if starting college wasn’t hard enough on the emotional and physical stress it also has our minds rolling with all the things we are told that happens when you start college. The freshman fifteen is one of the most dreaded things that comes to a new college students mind.
The freshman 15 is fact, but most freshmen don’t gain just the 15 pounds. It is considered an average, so most students either gain more than 15 lbs or less according to WebMD.
So what causes the freshmen fifteen? With changes like moving away from home, students sometimes become off schedule. They eat any hour of the day that they can and have no set schedule and don’t have their parents cooking them meals every night. A decrease in exercise is also an occurrence due to a more hectic schedule. Late night partying mixed with no sleep takes a toll on the body as well including weight, as said by Connie Diekman, M.Ed.
This doesn’t mean everyone will gain the weight. Weight gain is an issue that genetics determine according to Diekman.
Kristian McConnell currently a freshmen at Crowder college hasn’t seem to notice a big difference in his diet.
“Since starting a job I feel like I don’t really have time to eat. I also still live at home so I haven’t had that much of a change in diet, so I feel as if I haven’t been affected by the freshmen fifteen.
Studies show that not everyone is affected with the freshmen fifteen, but the majority of students usually are. A study at Auburn University found that only 5% of freshmen gained 15 pounds their first year. Utah State University found that 25% of freshmen (both men and women) gained an average of 10 pounds during the first semester. Rutgers University study found that 75% of study subjects gained weight making an average of 7 pounds, from eating approximately 112 extra calories per day as reported on WebMD.
So how do we avoid this weight gain? By eating smaller snacks or meals and not skipping meals we avoid the late night binge eating, as well as eating healthy and incorporating exercise in your routine you can avoid the weight gain. Joining the gym at your school can also help you keep the weight down, or by taking the stairs rather than the elevator according to WebMD.
So crush the stories that you almost always gain the freshman 15, and be in percentile range of the freshmen that don’t gain the weight. It’s easy to do and can be 100% preventable by simple steps, eating right and exercising, it’s as simple as that.
Fast facts
- Eating snacks or mini-meals after every three or four hours can help avoid binge eating.
- Incorporate healthy eating and exercise into your schedule
- Eat with friends, don’t isolate, it can cause disorder eating
Information provided by WebMD
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