Have you’ve heard of the Freshman 15 before?  If you’ve gone to the college in the past, I’m sure you have but if you’re not really sure what the term means, here’s your answer.  Freshman 15 stands for the weight that most freshmen put on when they attend for their first year of college. 

Why does this happen you might ask?  When college students go away from home for the first time in their lives, they find themselves eating unhealthier, sitting around not being productive, etc.  Now the question is “How can I avoid the Freshman 15?”

You gain weight as you get older:  If you’re gaining a little weight, don’t worry about it because as a freshman, you’re still technically young and you’re probably still growing.  I did a lot of my growing throughout my college years.  If you’re seeing a few pounds here and there, I wouldn’t worry about it but if it’s ten pounds a month, you may have something to worry about!

Simply watch what you eat:  If you’re gaining weight and you don’t like, start to diet and watch what you eat.  If you’re eating pizza and subs every night, there’s your problem.  You need to have a well balanced meal every day in order to remain healthy and feel good about yourself.

Drink water instead of soda:  Many students find themselves sipping on soda while studying or something sugary.  Instead of the soda, cut back on them and drink water instead.  Even adding those little propel packets made by Gatorade work to make your water taste a little better.

Cut back on the snacks:  Just like the soda, students may find themselves eating a lot while studying.  Of course, this is what many of us do when we are bored.  If you can get in the habit of not eating while studying or when you find yourself being bored, you may find a decrease in your weight gain.

Don’t buy food for the dorm room:  If you don’t have the food in your room, it’s going to be harder not to eat things.  Now, I’m not saying have nothing in your room but instead, make it healthy.  Supply your room with snacks like fruit and other healthy side snacks.

Exercise daily:  Instead of sitting around doing nothing when you’re bored, get up and exercise when you’re contemplating what you should do next.  Run around the campus, join a gym or do something that burn some calories.  This is a great habit to get into.

There’s only so much you can do when you want to avoid the weight gain.  As long as you have self control and you can watch what you eat, you can take yourself a far way.  Eat healthy, exercise and the freshman 15 shouldn’t even come near you!