We’ve all heard of it -- the dark stories of the growing waist lines from the first semester away at college; your favorite pair of skinny jeans becoming more ‘skinny’ lately; shirts that used to be a looser fit somehow beginning to feel a bit snug now.
The dreaded Freshman 15.
Yes, it’s a thing, but it doesn’t have to be for everyone! I made a few rules for myself before going into college that I follow strictly to avoid this issue, and as a result, I have not gained the Freshman 15. In fact, I’ve lost weight!
Here are some rules I told myself to follow.
1. Limit going out to parties.
WHAT! Won’t I miss out?
No. You won’t.
First of all, the snapchat stories of that dirty frat party your friends are at is not as crazy and fun as it looks.
Second of all, alcohol is very high in calories -- beer especially (check out the beer bellies of freshman frat guys). On top of many alcoholic drinks comes cravings. Then, you somehow find yourself at a McDonald’s or Whataburger at 2 a.m., eating your life away with fries.
One idea is to limit your going out to about once or twice every week or two. Another idea is to just have one social beer and carry it around with you all night. That way, you can still socialize at a party without feeling out of place or awkward, but you still save your gut in the end. It’s okay not to get absolutely trashed every single weekend. College isn’t just drinking and wild parties anyway. You’re there to LEARN and GET YOUR DEGREE. You can have fun without alcohol too, you know.
2. Watch your late night snacking.
Here’s the thing – the most weight gain, besides going out, happens from late night eating (also my struggle). This happens more often when people are up late studying, especially before finals. They rely on highly caloric, processed foods for the late night snacking. Comfort foods. However, when you eat late at night with foods like that and don’t do much movement, the calories from the food sit in your gut as unused energy and potentially gets stored up as fat. This is not bad every once and awhile, but it adds up. Try to stop eating about three hours before bed -- about 8 or 9 p.m.
If you must snack, choose very unprocessed foods. Bananas, apples, bell peppers, and whole natural almonds are some excellent examples of healthy late night snacks.
Also, you may just be bored. Drink around two to three glasses of water and wait about 20 minutes, and then see if you’re still hungry.
3. Stay busy.
How many times do you forget the last time you ate whenever you are running around between classes and social events? I have done this many times. I will be running around doing errands and hanging out with friends, and then I will eventually look up at the clock and realize it’s been a few hours since I’ve last eaten.
Staying busy will help you keep your mind off food. So maybe find a club on campus to join, or start volunteering at a local humane society. You could even find a part-time job on campus. Maybe ask your friends to go shopping around town. Any idea works; just STAY BUSY.
4. Find a workout buddy.
Exercise can suck sometimes. But you have to admit, don’t you feel good AFTER you finish your workout? Yeah, that’s called endorphins, and that’s the ‘high’ you feel after you exercise. You treated your body right, and you feel good about it.
Working out with someone holds you accountable, which is what you need to make sure you stay on track. Find someone who enjoys the same kind of classes as you, or both of you can try a new class together! The Colvin and Seretean Center offer many interesting workout classes, so you have a vast majority of options to choose from! Maybe you could find someone to run with if you aren’t really into classes.
On an unrelated note, I know someone quite close to me who is need of a running partner, so if you know of one, let me know. Please.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter what the workout is. All that matters is that you’re out there being active and treating your body right.
5. DO NOT CRASH DIET.
Okay, so maybe you did gain that Freshman 15 (it’s okay, it happens to the best of us). You’re about to be on break and reunite with lots of family, and you want to make sure none of them mention that new weight gain. You decide to begin a strict crash diet. You know, crash diets? “Lose 10 pounds in one week with this juicing diet!” “Do this military diet for 3 days, and lose 20 pounds!”
Yeah, DO NOT DO THOSE.
Those diets just scream failure. Yes, you can lose weight off those diets at first, but eventually when you start eating like a normal person again, all the weight you lost will come back. In fact, most people gain more weight than they lost after coming back from an unsuccessful diet.
The best thing to do is just maintain a healthy lifestyle. One way to lose weight the healthy way is to use a calorie tracking app on your phone. This way, you can still have fun foods, but you can monitor more closely what is going into your body. Another way is to cut out soda, alcohol, those coffee milkshakes from Starbucks (you know, Frappucinos?), and other highly caloric drinks from your diet. Stick to water. Water is your friend. Just make sure to eat more foods that fuel your body rather than work against it. Just like my mom says: “Eat to live, not live to eat.”
JUST REMEMBER, your family and friends will still love you for who you are, regardless if you gain weight or not. So make sure to focus on your relationships and work hard in school to get that degree. Gaining and losing weight is just a part of life, so don’t focus all of your energy worrying about it. There’s more to life than just what the number on the scale says.
