Students have more to worry about than just school when they start college for the first time. There is also the part of college folklore that incoming freshmen gain anywhere from five to 15, or more, pounds by the end of their first year. Considering that close to 1,500 students entered Nicholls this fall, which translates into over 10,000 pounds of additional weight added.
The “Freshman 15,” as it is referred to, is the weight gain associated with the traditional college diet and change of lifestyle. According to Susan S. Lang in a Cornell New article, unfortunately, the “Freshman 15” is real. Also, it does not stop after one’s freshman year. It can easily continue into the sophomore, junior and senior years if not controlled.
On average, the weight gain is lower than fifteen pounds. One study, completed by Tufts E-news, shows that in one year college men gained an average of six pounds while college women gained closer to four and a half pounds.
Not that gaining a few pounds here and there are bad, but when the number of pounds starts adding up to an unhealthy amount later in life, there is a need for readjustment. However, most students do not realize that the eating habits they form in college will carry over into the rest of their lives and could have significant long-term effects. According to WebMD.com, some of the problems that can form later in life are high blood pressure, obesity, certain forms of cancers, low self esteem, alcoholism, eating disorders and many other health complications.
After interviewing both current and past freshmen and seniors, the general consensus was that most people did gain some weight, and others felt that they were going to gain weight due to the limited time that the students have, leading to fast food or take out meals.
Nancy Hunt, freshman from Chalmette, said, “All freshmen gain weight; I personally gained ten pounds.”
“Because of my choice of culinary as my major, I have had my own weight gain in my freshman, sophomore, and junior years,” said Rhonda Hammond, a non-traditional senior from Fort Worth, Texas.
The weight increase can be attributed to both psychological and social influences. As teenagers move out of their parents’ houses and live on their own, they meet a whole new set of friends and encounter many new types of stress. The social ramifications are the late night vending machine raids, the pizza parties, the drinking, the lack of time to eat a balanced meal and the fact that most people who live on campus eat the all-you-can-eat buffet style meals from the student cafeteria, including dessert. Plus, over 70 percent of students would get an “F” if they were graded on the amount of fruit and vegetable servings they consumed daily.
Some recommendations for helping stop the “Freshman 15” are exercise regularly, avoid snacking on fatty foods, monitor food consumption, limit alcohol intake and get enough sleep.