When it turns to the end of August and you’re ready for your first semester of school, people will constantly remind you “don’t gain the freshman 15” or "Don't end up looking like they did." Ignore these ignorant comments. In college, you have to adjust and transform your whole world for your education. Gaining weight is inevitable during these critical four years of your life. You are pushed to the limit and may stress eat.
You need quick and easy food, you begin to drink more on the weekends, and you may not always have time to go to the gym. Everyone is so used to relying on their parents to make meals and now we have to make our own health choices. It is important to remember that gaining a few pounds isn’t all that bad.
Sure, gaining weight and noticing it when you zip up your jeans is not the best feeling, but you’re becoming an adult and growing into your body. You will not always be as small as you were in high school, but who would want that? You’re not in high school, you are a young adult in college. Gaining weight is normal in fact it may be abnormal not to gain a few pounds. My tip to all girls and guys is to embrace it.
Everyone has their own insecurities, and sure, I'm jealous of people who have fast metabolisms. But I’m sure when people look at me, they are jealous of how I can walk into a room and make friends with everyone there. 15 pounds is not the end of the world. I have gained more than the “freshman 15;" I have gained 15 life lessons my freshman year. I have had a glimpse of what life will be like as an adult, and experienced freedom, new friendships, hard work, dedication,and laughter.
Some of the best memories you will make at college are having late night dinners or swiping your university card at 1 a.m. for wings or onion rings. Take advantage of the food your school has to offer. To me, the freshman 15 is a sign you are having a good time, enjoying the food and everything your school has to offer.
So embrace the freshman 15, one day you will look back and think of how proud you are of yourself that everything you did up until that day made you who you are, you will look back at your college experience in joy, not thinking “Ugh I should’ve lost weight I looked awful.”
From one college student to another: the weight can always come off, but you can never get back your years at college. Weight is just a number, and we are all embracing our bodies and ourselves. Focus on your strengths and work on who you want to become.
