How to Fight the Freshman 15

By EricSchiabel

First year university brings a lot of changes andhuge adjustments that often result in the dreaded “Freshman 15”. Although it iscommon to gain weight during the first year, studies show that 15 pounds is anexaggeration. Before you celebrate with an extra large pizza, a largepercentage of students do gain that much.

So why do students put on weight? It’s a combination of generous meal plans,large portions, drinking, heavy snacking, more stress (adjusting to academicexpectations that may be more challenging than anticipated), and less physicalactivity. Gaining weight with this unhealthy lifestyle is almost inevitable.University years are a crucial time to practice healthy eating habits as wellas stress management techniques, which we can carry forward into adulthood. Thefollowing five guidelines will help you to stay focused, healthy, and decreasethe struggle you may feel in this very new environment.

1. Stick To A Schedule

The sudden change of schedule from high school years when you ate three meals aday can affect your body size. Not eating proper meals at regular intervals canslow down metabolism and lead to an increase in your pant size.

Schedule meals during your day, as this will help curb cravings of less healthyfillers. Even if your day is inconsistent (for example, you sleep throughbreakfast, and go straight to class, and then work very late into the night),you can still plan healthy meals every five or six hours with nutritious snacksin between!

2. Choose Healthy Snacks

Instead of munching on processed foods like chips or candy bars betweenclasses, be prepared with fruit, nuts, veggies, yogurt, hummus packs or trailmix instead. Invest in a fridge for your dorm to keep these fresh foods onhand. Studies show that when you are trying to stay awake and focused, chewing (sugar-free)gum can help. When you just need to have some chips or cookies to get throughall-nighters or stress, buy single-serving packs and miniature chocolate.

3. Make Better Meal Choices

Having a meal plan can make things easier because you don’t have to cook, butthings can quickly get out of control if you choose burgers, fries, and pizzamore often than healthier alternatives like veggie stir-fry. Remember to fillhalf your plate with veggies, a quarter with grains (preferably whole grains),and the rest with protein (fish, chicken, eggs, legumes). If dinner is pizza,add a salad on the side, or better yet, eat the salad first so you fill up withthe healthy stuff before you grab another slice!

4. Watch Your Alcohol Consumption

With access to alcohol and more opportunity to drink it, university studentsare often consuming more calories than they think. One beer has 150 caloriesbut if you have five, that’s 750 calories! That is the equivalent of an extraBurger King Whopper with cheese!

Drinkingat night can be a catalyst to throwing you off your schedule. You eat late,sleep in, skip breakfast, and your regular meal pattern and structure is throwninto havoc. It is possible to even mistake hangovers or fatigue for hunger andthen overeat as a result.

Alcohol consumption in moderation is one drink a day for women, and two formen. Make sure you alternate with plenty of water while drinking alcohol,choose low calorie beer/pop/juice, and limit the sugar/cream filled coffeedrinks (yes, pumpkin spice lattes have a lot of calories – 591 calories for aVenti).

5.Stay Active

Thetransition you are making and the added stress of adjusting to some of thechallenges all at once can be better managed with a good workout. Check out thecampus fitness centre, Tait Mackenzie ($15/year to use the workout room, orotherwise free access to the pool and other courts/facilities!), use fitness tomeet new friends, and socialize without eating. Join a recreational sportsteam, a running club, do yoga or even rock climbing. These activities will helpde-stress, lose weight, and help you develop healthy lifelong habits.

It won’t be easy to incorporate these tips into your schedule but the payoffsof prioritizing your health and structuring your day will pay off in your stateof being, your experience in university, and your academics in the long run!