Fighting off the "Freshman 15"

Hey guys, here is a blog post that I wrote for one of my classes, and I thought some of you might find it helpful. Sorry it's a little more formal than the others, but I hope you enjoy it. Until next time, bon voyage!

                What happens when that “Freshman 15” lingers beyond your freshman year and turns into an unstoppable nightmare?

 Fifth-year senior Jennifer Leeman faced this same problem. “Since my freshman year, I have put on probably 35-40 pounds…and I was tired of it, so I wanted to lose it.”

Jillita Horton, a freelance fitness and health writer, gives four main reasons why the “Freshman 50” syndrome is making a rise in our nation’s campuses.

1.       The food comes with the tuition, which is sky-high expensive, so their reasoning is to eat up and get all they can out of the tuition.

2.       Staying up through the night to cram for exams may cause college students to feel they earned the reward of stuffing themselves at breakfast.

3.       Eating at a table full of other kids can make it pretty enticing to eat as a result of visual cues, rather than hunger cues.

4.       Absent is their mother’s monitoring of eating habits, and now, the college student is compelled to exercise his or her new-found freedom.

While packing on a few pounds may not seem like a big deal, they add up. Although poor diet habits certainly contribute to an unhealthy weight, the leading cause of obesity is inactivity. It is important to exercise aerobically for 20-30 minutes at least 3 days a week. But it is important not to focus solely on cardio exercise, but also to participate in muscle strength and endurance exercises.

Stress can also lead to unhealthy and excessive eating habits. Especially in college, it is hard to balance leisure time with school and work, along with extracurricular activities. This is why it is important to practice stress management techniques, such as meditation or relaxation videos. It is often easier to just grab what is closest and most people don’t often think about the nutritional value of what they’re eating. Also, when watching TV, people tend pay less attention to the amount of food they are eating because they’re more focused on the programming.

So now you’re thinking, ‘okay, say I start my own weight loss program. How do I stick with it?’ The key to maintaining a weight loss program is good goal-setting. Start of by making a behavior contract, listing a specific weight loss goal within a certain time frame. Next, write the pros and cons of this goal. You mostly likely will find that the pros will help to motivate you into taking action. This also serves as a good reminder when things get rough. Also, don’t forget to reward yourself for reaching your goal, although food is not a good option. Instead choose something like buying a new wardrobe, or going on a trip.

Some of the things that Leeman uses to help her throughout the program are keeping a food log to track the foods she eats. This keeps Leeman from eating unhealthy foods because she feels guilty later when she writes them in her food log. She also has a body diagram of her body measurements posted on her door. This also serves as a constant visual reminder of her goal and progress so far.

Finally, here are some recommendations from the World Health Organization to help boost the nutrition in your diet:

1.       Limit energy intake from fats, especially saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Shift fat intake to unsaturated fats instead.

2.       Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables (5-9 daily servings), as well as whole grains and nuts (good sources of fiber).

3.       Limit the intake of free sugars

4.       Limit sodium intake from all sources and ensure that salt is iodized.

Also, pay attention to portioning and the way foods are prepared. Don’t focus so much on what foods to cut out, but try to prepare your favorite foods in healthier ways with smaller portions.

Following these recommendations and advice, you may not become the next Jared. But you will see an improvement in the way you look and feel.

 “Before the program I would be like ‘I’m taking the elevator everywhere or I’m parking as close as I can. But now it just gives me that extra incentive to take the stairs or park further away; and overall it’s helped by feelings self-esteem wise,” says Leeman. Weight loss is a tremendous undertaking, but the rewards are endless and not only do you lose weight in the process, but you learn valuable skills and mentalities that will lead to success throughout your life. Welcome to college.