College Park-Freshmen year of college is notorious for the “Freshmen 15.” As girls adjust to the college lifestyle of eating in the dining hall, going out and studying late, those pounds always seem to sneak their way on, even for student-athletes.
Many girls struggle to keep the weight off. A 2008 USA Today article reported that the average college student gains an average of 10 lbs. over their college career. Learning to eat healthy, even in the dining hall, is essential for avoiding the dreaded weight gain of college.
So what are the secrets for staying thin? University of Maryland student athletes share their tips for staying healthy and slim with us.
Junior gymnast Ally Krikorian says she did worry about the ‘Freshmen 15.’ “Being a gymnast, I do feel pressure to stay thin,” Krikorian said. “The best way to respond to these pressures is to eat healthy and keep my portions at a good size instead of overstuffing myself.”
Krikorian does not follow a specific diet, but says she tries to stick to making her own salads and always picking up a piece of fruit in the dining hall. She says, “Not every day is perfect, but for the most part I attempt to eat the right foods so that each day I can perform at my best, whether it’s competition or practice.”
Her advice to the UMD college girl for staying healthy? Avoid soda, skip the big pancake and bacon breakfast and exercise!
Sophomore tennis player Welma Luus agrees. “Everyone worries about the ‘Freshmen 15,’” she says. “It’s hard to eat healthy when you eat at the dining hall.” Luus says eating oily and fatty foods can makes you tired and gets in the way of performing your best.
With conditioning and practice every day, Luus has her meals planned out. She tries to eat a light sandwich before practice and yogurt, fruit or chocolate milk between workouts. For dinner, she tries to add some variety to her diet. “If you eat the same thing every day, you pick up more weight,” says Luus.
Going through the dining hall, Luus says to pick grilled over fried chicken for wraps, don’t load everything with cheese and avoid eating pasta every night.
Luus says she credits her rigorous workout schedule for helping to keep off the extra pounds. “To avoid the ‘Freshmen 15,’ I would say you definitely have to work out.”
Sport nutritionist consultant Dr. Larry Plotkin says nutrition is a huge, and often overlooked, factor for student-athletes. “When you get to college and you’re on your own you have good choices and you have bad choices and unfortunately, bad choices are things that are appealing to people,” Plotkin said. “It’s definitely a delicate balance figuring out what to eat.”
He says weight gain is common for female student-athletes their first year in college. The pressure for weight maintenance in the sports world is real, but can be managed by sticking to the right diet.
“There are a lot of healthy options in the dining hall, it’s just most student-athletes and people in general don’t know what those choices are,” says Plotkin.
He stresses that you need to eat protein; food like chicken, fish, eggs or lunch meats. For breakfast, choose eggs or cottage cheese with some fruit. Try to eat salads with some protein for lunch. Even olive oil and avocados can be good for you.
“Fat does not make you fat, excess refined carbohydrates make you fat,” says Plotkin. Though many student-athletes think it is okay to ‘carbo-load,’ Plotkin says to avoid breads, pasta, cereal, fried foods and sugar. The only time to eat those is in a 30-45 minute post-workout window. “Eat ‘til you’re full, eat when you’re hungry,” he says.
For student-athletes today, nutrition is directly tied to training and competition. It all comes down to knowing what you are eating and making those healthy choices every day.
Following some of these tips can help you keep you from packing on the pounds during college, too!
“I think people need to realize this really affects the rest of your life,” says Luus. “Every college student needs to know they need to take care of themselves now.”