If you asked me to write this article during the first two months of school, I'd say that you had the wrong girl. I asked my parents for $500 on my account, assuming that budget would last me the whole semester.

I barely lasted two months.

From ordering pizza, Chinese food, spontaneously satisfying my mozzarella stick craze, 1 a.m. insomnia cookies for a mid-study snack, and taking advantage of the buy-one-get-one deals for garlic bread on Thursday's, I found myself right on track for the Freshman 15.

On top of that, the dining halls have french fries, pasta bar, hamburgers, chicken tenders, pizza, ice cream, daily. Unless you're a vegan or vegetarian, you can't say those don't sound tempting.

With college being stigmatized to be a beer-frenzy, you could also imagine the weight gain (especially for you dudes) from going out drinking most weekends and late-night-eats. I finally understood why the Freshman 15 was so hard to avoid in the beginning: college is a whole new world.

It's so exciting to be here, and freedom means not having to eat your vegetables, or being told to eat at a specific time. But this is how I ended up beating the Freshman 15.

I lost ninepounds since coming to school, and at the peak of my journey to the Freshman 15. This all started from deciding to go dairy-free from a revelation I had: "Why do humans drink another animal's milk? We are not babies anymore."

Well, the doctor always told me I had to load up on my calcium because I was not a milk-drinker. But I loved buttery-goods, milkshakes, ice-cream, cheese (Hello?! Remember my mozzarella stick obsession?!), and caramel macchiatos or hot chocolate. I realized that there were so many indulgences that included dairy, and resisting those products helped me lose a lot of weight and stop snacking.

I did not go out much (or at all, really) on the weekends and did not see my social life being the root of the problem for my weight gain. I just really love food. Give me a meal plan with a surplus of meal swipes, and you will always find me in the dining hall or near food.

But I started going to the gym after realizing how much better I was able to fall asleep at night. If you're a night owl like me, it's not always beneficial to be sleep deprived for your 8 a.m class. Not only did I sleep better, but I felt more energized during the day without caffeine or needing to eat to constantly fuel myself. The weight-loss is just the icing on the cake. I started to look and feel great inside and out.

I always told myself that I was way too busy for the gym. But in the midst of finals week coming up, I have been able to fit even an hour in six days a week. I would wear or pack my workout clothes to class and go in-between my classes, or after my day is over. Needless to say, I've been less stressed overall, and it feels great.

Eating and snacking on fruits (and stuffing some for later in my Tupperware container under the table), having balanced meals full of protein and vegetables, I no longer feel the need to indulge in "heavy" foods. It doesn't hurt to have a cheat day once in a while, but you start to develop a taste that isn't the Freshman 15.

The year isn't over yet, so maybe I haven't completely beat out the Freshman 15, but I'm definitely off to a great start. If you are concerned, don't worry about it. As long as you are having fun, that's all that matters. Just make sure you are healthy and taking care of your body, too. It's doing a lot for you in college.