Beginning college can be scary. Moving to a new place, with new people and having to truly be on your own for the first time. Nobody there to tell you what you can and can’t do, which is exciting but super scary at the same time! One thing that everybody is scared of going into college is if they gain the freshman fifteen. Some think it could never happen to them so they don’t worry about it. But others are terrified. But, going in knowing how to avoid the freshman fifteen can take off the stress. So, here’s the three easy steps on how not to gain the freshman fifteen.

1. Know what you’re putting in your body

Before I changed my major, I was originally a Dietetic major so I had two dietetic and nutrition classes in my first semester and they taught me so much. I believe the best class somebody can take in college is a nutrition class because you learn about something everyone deals with everyday, food. Nutrition classes can teach you exactly what you are putting in your body which can help you decide what you should and shouldn’t be eating. And what you are learning is something extremely valuable to your health. On top of that, nutrition classes will usually count toward a science general education class so you can also get that out of the way. If you don’t want to take a class, then doing your research can help too. Find a dietitian with a blog or follow them on Twitter. This may also help because you can try to communicate with them and see what advice they would give you on foods that are great for your body and foods to stay away from.

2. Go to the gym

Generally, most colleges and universities have some kind of a gym or recreation center that students can use for free. This isn’t high school anymore where you can play sports and stay in shape, if you want to stay in shape you actually have to work for it. And if the gym is free why not use it anyway? After college, gym memberships can be really expensive so having this luxury is something that is really nice and should be used. If you don’t like going alone, find a gym buddy to go with you at the same time each day. This will get it into your daily routine so you will never want to miss a day. Also, it’s much easier to get it into your routine now then after you graduate so if you start doing it now then it will be easier to continue!

3. Eat in moderation

I get it, it’s overwhelming the first time you walk in the dining hall and see all that food. It’s like a Golden Corral and you want to eat as much as you can. But, you can’t do that to your body. Stick to eating a normal sized meal like you’re at home. Don’t buy the biggest meal plan if you don’t want to overindulge yourself, stick to a meal plan in the middle or even one of the smaller ones. Because you don’t want to have so many meal swipes that you feel as though you have to go there five times a day, that’s just way too much. Stick to going one to three times a day and only eat until your hunger goes away. Eating until you feel like you’re about to explode is not good for your body.

Hopefully, going into college and knowing these three easy steps will help you stress less and keep your figure!