How can I avoid the freshman 15?"?

Question

I'm about to start college and I heard that everyone gains weight. What can I do to avoid the extra pounds?

Answer 1

1) Don't be afraid of gaining weight
2) Work out and watch what you eat. While at home you didn't have dessert or mass quantities available, you will not.
3) Eat with other people--you'll be more careful about what you eat
4) Don't eat quickly and stay away from late-night snacks
5) Don't have many munchies in your room other than fruit and veggies
6) Don't forbid yourself things you love. Just ask yourself, "do I really need a whole piece of cake?" or "do I need this EVERY night?" --I went to a school famous for their ice cream. It was so tempting and so delicious.
7) Exercise--walk with other people, go to the gym, go to the pool, etc. -- you can even form an exercise group if you like
8) Don't wait until you're starving to eat. You're going to eat quickly and eat more.
9) Rule: if it doesn't good after two bites, it's not going to be worth finishing

Answer 2

I'm not sure I gained 15, but maybe a good 10. Here are some things I could have done, and did start to figure out later on.

1. Join an intramural sports team, some kind of active club, or just get a group of people together at planned times to exercise. Even one work-out buddy is a way to stay accountable. Set several designtated times per week.

2. This seems obvious but avoid desserts. This was my biggest problem because sometimes nothing else in the cafeteria tasted good. Probably the best idea is to pick one or two nights a week you allow yourself dessert, and that's it. And opt for frozen yogurt over cheesecake.

3. Get a limited cafeteria plan and force yourself to go other places where you actually have to pay according to quantity. The all-you-can-eat cafeterias are where you'll be most likely to try everything because you don't pay extra.

4. Another cafeteria tip is to leave the tray behind and take one plate only. Eat only what you can fit on it.

5. Keep your dorm room stocked with healthy snacks. No candy, poptarts, etc. Light snacking keeps your metabolism going and prevents your stomach from grumbling during class. You'll eat less at lunch, too.

6. There will be plenty of occasions like parties to pig out. Eat a little before hand so you aren't so hungry and then start to take pride in how often you can say "No thanks" to cake, cookies, etc.

7. If you haven't switched already, learn to drink Diet Soda. And opt for drip coffee with skim milk and splenda over those bottled Frappuccinos or a grande mocha.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I recently finished my freshman year at the University of Michigan. Instead of gaining 15 lbs, I lost 15 lbs. Here are some things you can to do avoid the freshman 15.

1. Avoid late night snacking and order-ins, such as pizza trips or sushi runs. Avoid too much soda as well.
2. Your dorm might have buffet-style food services. Eat only enough until you're satisfied, not bloated full.
3. Normally, most colleges have gyms near the dorms. Exercise at least twice a week, either by lifting weights, running, swimming, or whatever you see fit. Walking to all your classes is a good way to keep the weight off as well.
4. Go to parties and have fun. Stay stress free so you will have less things to worry about. There have been studies linking stress to the amount of food you eat. Oh, and avoid high calorie beer, if possible..
5. Most importantly, get enough sleep. Your metabolism can burn a lot of calories just by sleeping. Try to get at least 8-10 hours of sleep every night. Sleeping can also help keep your brain functioning well for your classes.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

When you go into the dinning commons, always put a vegetable on your plate. I always got a salad and would eat that first. That way I would start to get full on that instead of the unhealthier things like pizza. I saw people get pizza everyday and no vegetable/fruit. It really makes a difference. Also I would get dessert rarely maybe twice a week, I know it's tempting but that's just extra calories you don't need. Get yogurt or a piece of fruit for dessert. For a main course I would get the hot food options like baked chicken or fish instead of the hamburgers and pizza. You can have the bad foods occasionally but not all the time. Also I exercised. I never gained the freshman 15 and there were others who didn't either but it was cause of food choices and exercise.

Answer 5

Hey, I should be a expert with keeping off the weight. I am almost the same weight now that I was when I graduated from highschool. I've had a lot of chenges too. The first year freshman in college second year first year married (suppose to be another 15 or 20 gained) then my third year husband goes to Iraq (yikes). What I did was just try to stick to the same eating routine that you had in highschool and and you need to add some exercise, cause in highschool you were much more active and spent way less time in front of a book so you need the exercise. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 6

The best way to avoid this is to be concience of what you are eating. Try a variety of different foods instead of sticking with just pizza, burgers, and snacks. Also take up some type of exercise, wether it be walking, running, biking, lifting weights, or whatever. In school you tend to use your mind more and therefore are sitting alot and not getting enough exercise. It also helps if you have a friend that works out with you or goes for a run with you. Try to eat healthy food such as salad and fruits and whole grains. Avoiding soda or only having one a day and drinking lots of water also helps a lot. It is a big change that most people are not used to, you have to watch what you are doing yourself since your parents aren't looking over your shoulder all the time. Hope these ideas help.

Answer 7

Ahh... to be a freshman again. Everyone does not gain weight. It happens to those that forget that your body needs to be nourished correctly. In other words, drinking, eating late at night, and much more will happen, you are only human and college is all about that. Just do it in moderation. Don't make it a habit to eat at 11 pm every night nor drink alcohol every night. Limit yourself and stick by it. Also, exercise. If you are too busy with school and clearly do not have the time to exercise than take it upon yourself to walk to classes instead of ride the bus or pack a healthy lunch instead of hitting Burger king because it's fast. There are several ways to avoid the weight gain, but its you that has to stand by your rules. Have fun, don't get me wrong, its some of the best years in ones life, so don't reject the pizza at 3 am, but just do everything in moderation. That is my advice. It worked for me:)
Good Luck and Have a blast!!

Answer 8

The 1st semester of my freshman year I gained about 10lbs, but lost it all and then some by my 2nd year.
Here's what I did differently to shed off those extra pounds.

1. Any food kept in a dorm should be the kind that has to be refrigerated. Like fruits, veggies, or yogurt.
2. I put all my extra change in a "special jar" trust me during college you can become quite poor, use that money for emergency funds, like gas or school supplies or for going out. DON'T use it to hit the vending machines after hours of studying.. hit the fridge instead and grab yourself an apple.
3. Eat in the cafeteria, most schools are trying to provide healthier options, and if you don't like whats on the menu you can always resort to the salad bar:)
4. Walk everywhere! If your campus is small you might find it easier to drive to every class, but walk instead. If your campus is big chances are you cant drive everywhere so walking is always the best option.
5. Finally, become active in your schools workout gym, if you've never been to one they can be intimidating, so I tagged along with some volleyball girls and they showed me the ropes. Soon I was even going without them!

Hope this helps*

Answer 9

1. Avoid the late night eating, especially after a night of drinking. You've already probably drunk 700-1000 calories of alcohol, so adding even more to this count with some greasy late night meals isnt a good idea.

2. Hit the gym regularly, the key work being regularly ie daily. Make sure you do some running/aerobic stuff in addition even if you concentrate on weights mainly.

3. Choose healthy foods- you don't need to go crazy w/ the salads and calorie counting, but basic common sense stuff like not eating pizza, fries, cheese, mayo...everyday is a great start.

4. Drink LOTS of water and avoid sodas and coffee (unless you need the caffeine kick) b/c they dehydrate you. Milk and juice are always good also.

Answer 10

That's something I've been worried about, too. I've asked around and come up with some basic solutions - and they're not much different from what everyone else has been saying.

1. If you plan on eating in the cafeteria, pay attention to what you eat. Eat regular portions, and healthy, varied foods. Don't eat dessert every day. It will be easier to overeat in the cafeteria.

If you plan on eating your own food, learn to budget without buying cheap junk food. Lots of healthy foods come without a high cost. Note, however, that organic food is usually more expensive and doesn't necessarily contain more nutritional value.

2. Exercise regularly. Take the stairs when you get the chance. Walk with friends. Develop a weekly routine that will keep you active at least five days a week.

3. Don't drink. Seriously. It's easy for me to say, because I don't and neither does anyone in my family. However, it's not impossible to avoid the temptation, and staying away from alcohol will preserve your health.

Answer 11

Don't drink so much beer and avoid eating out after 10pm. If you don't like beer, you will, even if you don't drink , you will. Keep to liquor cuz it gets the job done faster ;) lol! After parties (and if you don't party, you will) don't plan on eating out anywhere! Even if you think your hungry. No more high school gym class, no more running! You're thinking great! Unless you KNOW you have a speedy Gonzales metabolism you WILL gain weight if you don't exercise. So you can pretty much plan on gaining some weight your freshman year whether you like it or not :( sorry! Always keep this in mind.....It's much more expensive to eat healthy and takes a strong will to make yourself exercise and eat right. Most people can't do it, and by the time they realize that they need to, it has most likely gotten to be more than 15lbs that they have gained....if you take any advise from me at all I would tell you this.....You best college investment would be to join a gym.

-tiff