Most college students are all too familiar with the freshman fifteen. If you haven’t personally experienced gaining these unwanted pounds while in college, surely you can relate to someone that has had to deal with such unexpected weight gain.
Let’s face it. On campus dining halls and convenient fast food restaurants definitely help to escalate the unwanted weight gain.
The emotional stress that many experience while going to college can equally be a culprit. College students are often stressed, anxious and sleep deprived.
It is easy to turn to food for comfort- not just during your freshman year, but throughout the entire college experience. Food is definitely a crutch for many during this time period.
The Freshman 15 Top Five Contributing Factors
1. Being away from home- Who does not want comfort when they are home sick. Of course you can’t escape the empty feelings completely but comfort food helps you to forget about how much you miss your family and those home cooked meals if even for a short time.
2. Lack of Healthy Options- The average college student I s not rolling in the money. Healthy foods can be pricy leaving fast food as the next best option
3. Birds of a feather- This kind of goes along with number one, but socialization is important. When you are not with your family you are usually with friends. To connect socially, you usually do so in a social gathering that involves food in some way shape or form.
4. Tests, tests and more tests, Ahhh!!- Snacking while studying is very common. For the most part, these calories are being consumed unconsciously.
5.Late night snacks- Staying up late is pretty much a given. Eating late is common as well.
Combat The Freshman Fifteen
Prepare Healthy Meals Healthy options can be expensive, but healthier food options can be affordable if you share the responsibility. Get a group of friends together and prepare at least two healthy meals a week.
The Advantage: The price can be split at least three or four ways and you will learn how to make your own tasty home cooked meals:)
Avoid Liquid Calories Liquid calories add up quickly. Stay away from beverages such as sodas, juice andcoffee as much as possible.
The Advantage: You can lower your caloric intake tremendously by monitoring the amount of liquid calories that you consume. Understanding the effect that liquid calories has on weight gain can make all of the difference. Click here for more info.
Exercise Grab a friend and hit the gym. This can be a little tricky with demands of tests, research papers and partying but it is definitely a way to keep the pounds off or shed the pounds if need be.
The Advantage: Exercising can really help to alleviate the stress that college life can bring.
These are some great pointers and will help you to stay on track. If you are interested in getting more great tips Sign up. It’s free!.
