On a warm August morning, I trekked back and forth between my front porch and the trunk of the car, moving luggage I planned on bringing with me to college.
I brought every item for every possible scenario: acoustic guitar to impress the ladies, a frisbee to toss around with the guys in my hall, an extra frisbee in case the first one got lost, etc.
Younger friends in the neighborhood woke up early to help me carry my unnecessary items to the car and then say their goodbyes. Once we dropped the last bulging duffle bag into the trunk, will never forget what one friend said to me.
He leaned in towards me, his face inching closer and closer towards my cheek. As confused and flattered as I was that he was going to give me a goodbye kiss, he stopped at my ear and whispered the most ominous warning I have ever received:
“Beware the Freshman 15”
Like a campfire story, the Freshman 15 haunted my mind during the five-hour drive. Better men than me had fallen victim to the notorious 15-pound weight gain during their first year at college.
There are multiple factors that contribute to the dreaded Freshman 15. Perhaps you were on a sports team in high school, and once you got to college physical activity was no longer on your schedule. Maybe it is the dining halls that are in close proximity to your dorm. Or, maybe it is the stress eating from the newfound difficulty of college courses. No matter what it is, the Freshman 15 is real, and nobody is safe from its clutches.
I watched as friends from other colleges got tagged in new pictures. Their bulging stomachs and protruding faces scared me enough to try and prevent my fate from becoming the same as theirs.
I lived on the fifth floor of my dorm and used the stairs whenever I went up or down. My friends and I walked at least a mile or two on the weekends in search for a party. Although we didn't use my two frisbees, my friends and I made time to play football every week
By the time I got back home the next summer, I weighed myself and was surprised to find that I actually lost 15 pounds.
I was ecstatic. I was more than ecstatic: I was victorious. The beast that was Freshman 15 had been conquered, and once my sophomore year started, I would do it all over again.
Except the Freshman 15 was not conquered after all. Like Terminator’s Judgment Day, it had only been delayed.
Back home I did not have five levels of stairs to go up and down every single day. I was not out searching for parties, and my friends at home did not play football. This was different territory, and Freshman 15 had just flanked me.
At college, I scrapped what little money I had to buy ramen. At home, food is free and in plentiful amounts. At college, I was so busy with class and club activities I would even forget to eat. At home, I was doing one of two things: going on my laptop while eating, or watching TV while eating.
By the time Summer ended, I gained those 15 pounds back and then some. A lot of “some,” actually. I thought I won against the enemy. In fact, home was the enemy in disguise.
So what was the point of this story? Was I simply bragging about how I was able to lose weight? Was I trying to provide justification for why I gained it all back? Maybe. Overall, this is a warning. A better warning than the one my friend had given me:
Do not beware the Freshman 15. Beware unhealthy eating habits in general. They can happen anywhere and at any time.
