When I left high school, everyone warned me about the "Freshman 15" (friends, family, online articles) and I promised myself that I wouldn’t get it. But being at college is a whole different experience and it’s hard not to gain weight. So if you’re having the same weight fluctuation problems as thousands of other college freshman across the country, just remember that we’re all in this together and that behind every pound is a good story to tell back home.

1. Escalators And Elevators Are Always There

In high school there was no choice but to take the stairs, unless you were on crutches or made copies of the nurse’s elevator keys. But in college, the escalator’s always right there. It's right next to the stairs, so much easier, and much more convenient.

2. Never Turning Down A Dare

If someone dares you to do something, you do it with no questions asked. Your friends might dare you to eat two whole pizzas by yourself at 2 a.m. or you could dare yourself to eat that whole two pound bag of chocolate in one sitting.

3. Healthy Food Is Expensive

When you’re looking for a quick meal to grab and your choices are $4 for McDonald’s or a $20 gourmet salad, which are you going to pick? We’re all going for the McDonald's.

4. Going To The Gym Means Losing An Hour Of Sleep

Or you might lose an hour of Netflix. Either way, going to the gym just doesn’t fit into the schedule anymore.

5. The “Care Packages” Lovingly Sent To You By Your Grandma

It would be rude not to eat the bag of chips, bottle of soda, batch of homemade cookies, and family-sized bag of popcorn the minute that you open the box.

6. Relationships, Or Your Lack Thereof

The only thing that will help you recover from a one-night stand, a fallen relationship, or not having anyone in your life is ice cream and a lot of it.

7. College Nights At Bars

By college night, I mean every night. Freshman year is the time when students typically drink more frequently and alcohol is filled with empty calories.

8. Stress

College is a much more stressful time than high school and the freshman year transition is very difficult. With midterms, finals, term papers, and trying to figure out the next five decades of your life, the stress that leads to weight gain hits hard.

9. Your Family Expresses How Much They Missed You In Food

When you do venture home, members of your family seem to have a competition over how much they can feed you. They all win by putting weight on you.

10. You Choose Your Own Mealtimes

When living at home your mom would always guide you when it was time to eat with the meals that she prepared. This helped you stick to a three-meals-per-day system, but now you can eat whenever you want. Why should you limit yourself to only eating three times?

11. “I’ll Start My Diet Next Week”

I’ve uttered these words hundreds of times and not once have I started that diet.

12. Lack Of Sleep

College is all about how high you can function with the least amount of sleep. From pulling all-nighters studying to spending the night at a club, the lack of sleep is going to affect you. Typically it does and it brings along with it several unwanted pounds.

13. The Daily Outfit Of Over-Sized Clothing

With the constant over-sized sweaters, baggy sweatpants, and permanent blanket wrapped around you, you haven’t had to face the harsh truth of what is beginning to happen to your body.

14. Free Food Is The Best Food

Being a poor college student, you can never turn down any food that’s offered to you. Personally, I’ve never had someone offer me a stick of broccoli, but I’ve been offered snack food many times and I’ve always accepted.

15. Binge-Eating To Comfort Yourself About The Weight You’re Putting On

There’s nothing to be ashamed about, but we are ashamed of the weight. This starts the vicious cycle of binge-eating.