Freshmen, September has arrived, and most of you have settled snugly into your dorm rooms, as well as your new college routine of class, activities, friends, and food.
The dramatic change from the home environment to the college environment affects every aspect of a freshman’s lifestyle. Your parents aren’t nagging you to make the “right” decisions. A college student is responsible for making their own decisions and dealing with the consequences. Now you’ll be free to be who you want to be, say what you want to say, do what you want to do, and yes, eat what you want to eat.
If you lived a very sheltered lifestyle at home, you may find yourself letting loose at the start of the semester. Even if you ate healthy foods and exercised frequently in high school, you might not be able to avoid the weight gain trap most commonly known as the “Freshman 15”. If you are in the habit of eating healthy and hitting the gym regularly at home, that’s awesome! But, healthy habits at home do not always stick with you once you’ve left the nest.
Say your new sorority sister likes to eat Ben & Jerry’s by the pint while watching The Bachelorette. Even if your parents shielded you from the creamy goodness of full-fat ice cream at home, chances are you’re still going to dive in to that Chunky Monkey. Splurging occasionally is fine, but if you make this a regular habit, you yourself might become a Chunky Monkey! Don’t let this happen; know that you may be more likely to experiment and overindulge as you transition into the crazy college environment. Try to resist the pressure from your peers and keep your eating habits on track. Staying up too late, downing coffee and Red Bull to finish a term paper, and partying every Monday night are examples of unhealthy yet common habits of college students.
This article is not meant to scare you, but rather to inform you of the choices that lead to weight gain. The “Freshman 15” is a generalization. Not every first-year student gains 15 pounds. Some may gain 25 pounds. Others may even lose weight from not eating the right foods. The point is that if you avoid making bad decisions in terms of your eating and exercise habits during your freshman year, you will not have to go through the difficult process of breaking those bad habits the following summer. Did you ever notice how many teen magazines and blogs have sections dedicated entirely to losing the “Freshman 15”? If you know what to expect before setting foot on campus, you’ll get to ignore all of those depressing articles and enjoy your summer!
Stay tuned for Newfound Freedom and “The Freshman Fifteen” (Part Two) with survival tips and tricks to help you avoid unwanted weight gain during your freshman year.
Sources
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diet-myth-or-truth-the-freshman-15