University Health Services
The average college freshman gains 15 pounds in his or her first year of college. The freedom to eat whatever you want (and whenever you want), compounded with too much studying and not enough exercise, can become a curse rather than a blessing. So how can you ward off the averages and beat the common freshman experience?
Don’t diet and don’t panic.
Panicking pushes you to short-term extreme diets and restrictions. Water for breakfast, fruit for lunch and salad for dinner, sets you up for a late-night run for fast food. Instead, take a more logical approach. Feed yourself three solid meals during the day to keep your energy up. This will help you to avoid late night binges, a common reason for unwanted pounds. When the urge to snack hits you, choose baby carrots with a low-fat dip or top strawberries with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt. Eat lots of fruits and veggies – women need at least five servings a day, and men need seven or more.
Alcohol has calories?
Yes it does. Lots of them-in fact, drinking is the major source of extra calories on campus. How to cope? After each alcoholic drink, have a glass of water. You’ll rehydrate and slow down your drinking. If you routinely drink more than 2-3 drinks a week, examine why. If you want to cut down, ask a mental health professional for some assistance.
Forget the scale numbers.
Don’t weigh yourself. Focus on a healthy lifestyle instead. In addition to good nutrition, move your body regularly. That walk across campus is a good start. Add in some higher intensity cardiovascular activities 3-5 times a week. Don’t forget the weight training 2-3 times a week. Make exercise fun and practical-bike or roller blade to campus. Join an intramural team or an activity-based student club. Make sure you’re enjoying the activities, or you won’t stick with them. Note the benefits you get, other than the weight control. Are you less stressed? Do you feel better about yourself? Are you more energetic? However you choose to move, do it as regularly as you can.
Rest your machine.
Your body needs rest just as much as it needs good food and exercise. Many students believe they do not have time to sleep. But lack of sleep lowers the body’s resistance to sickness. There have been several studies that look at depriving sleep over time, and that it increases appetite and for some body weight. Insufficient quantity and quality of sleep was the most consistent factor with weight gain and is supported by the recognition that it is a larger problem for those living in residence halls, and not those living at home or in an apartment.