My greatest fear of becoming a college student is gaining the Freshman 15. How terrible would it be, to not be able to fit into my old jeans and have to buy new ones, or to be told by my old friends that “your face is more chubby now (not in a cute way though).” So, it is extremely important to identify the culprits behind the Freshman 15 and to avoid them.
First and foremost, the all-you-can-eat dining halls are the source of all (evil) calories. Although the two dining halls do serve really good desserts every meal—yes, by “every meal,” I mean you can have chocolate chip or sugar cookies, ice cream, brownies, devil’s food cake, and much more, for lunch and dinner. One night, my friends and I sat and chatted in the dining hall after we finished our meals, and in the meantime I munched away more than four cookies. That was no good. Desserts don’t always give you the sensation of being full, and thus it is extremely easy to take in way more calories than you actually need.
Secondly, in college, no one tells you when or what to eat anymore. When I was back in Hong Kong, my mother would “force” me to eat vegetables at every meal, and she would remind me if I was eating too much. However, now that I am far away from my family, no one reminds me to eat healthy anymore. Sometimes I will indulge myself and eat whatever I want to eat—pizza, fries, burgers, grilled cheese, etc., and I just forget to take in vegetables and fruits as well. When I get tired of studying, or when I am just too bored, I will also eat a lot of snacks such as cookies and sweets, even when it is late at night. This is how I gained (insert a positive number here) pounds in the past six months.
The lack of exercise also contributes to the Freshman 15. We all know the importance of getting sufficient exercise, but sometimes you just have too much work to do that you don’t want to hit the gym. Also, it is natural for people to prefer staying indoors to walking to the gym when it is freezing cold outside (we don’t have tunnels connecting to the gym), let alone jogging outdoors. As a result, a lot of people end up sitting in front of the desk working or lying in bed all day.
So, how should one beat this dreaded Freshman 15? The most important thing is of course, to be careful of what you eat.
1. Avoid eating when you are working, because you won’t be paying attention to the quantity you are eating. By the time you finish your paper or lab report, the whole pack of goldfish/cookies/chocolate will be gone.
2. Don’t eat too much when you are stressed, because you will always end up eating more than you planned to.
3. Eat more vegetables and fruits, and try to steer clear of soft drinks and desserts as much as possible.
4. Get an exercise mat in your dorm room. That way, you can do Pilates, yoga, or other exercises like crunches and push-ups in your own room, regardless of how cold it is outside.