The Skinny on the Weight Gain
Fall is an exciting time of year for incoming college freshman; new friends, no parents, freedom, but there is one thing that can deter the young adults’ excitement: the freshman fifteen. The freshman fifteen is defined as an expression commonly used in the United States and Canada that refers to an amount (somewhat arbitrarily set at 15 pounds) of weight often gained during a student's first year at college. This infamous, unwanted weight gain is a real problem. In fact, a new study shows that nearly one in four freshmen gain at least five percent of their body weight, an average of about ten pounds, during their first semester. The freshman fifteen has many causes, some of the main ones are alcohol, overeating, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise; although these causes seem unavoidable to a busy college student, they do have solutions.
If You Ask Me...
I believe that the freshman fifteen is a widespread issue in our nation and many others like it. My position on the college weight-gain problem is that it is a problem, however it can be stopped if the correct solutions are implemented.
C.G.'s Story
"The August before my Freshman Year, I was a slim 147 lbs. at 6'0". This was the best shape of my life and I intended on maintaining it in college. Freshman 15? Ha! Indeed, 15 was a joke. I gained that by Thanksgiving. You can chalk that up to pints of Ben & Jerry every other night, pizza, other fast food, and maybe a little bit of drinking, maybe…By the end of Freshman Year, I was bout 170. Over the summer I went back and forth with weight, ending at about 167."
C.G. is not alone in his struggle, and neither are you. Click the button below to visit freshman15.com to read more stories like C.G.'s.
Study's Show...
In an article published in Nutrition Journal, written by Heidi J. Wengreen and Cara Moncur of the department of nutrition and food sciences at Utah State University in Logan, it is reported almost one quarter of students gained a significant amount of weight during their first semester of college. The study behind this research followed 159 students enrolled at a mid-sized university in the fall of 2005. Each participant’s weight was measured at the beginning and end of their first semester; the students also took a survey about their diet, physical activity, and other health-related habits during the last six months of high school and during the first semester at college. Researchers found that twenty-three percent of college freshmen gained an average of five percent of their body weight, but none lost that much.
Beer Bellies and More
One of the major causes of the freshman fifteen is alcohol. Binge drinking is becoming a growing issue on college campuses, in fact, about half of college students who drink consume alcohol through binge drinking Binge drinking 1,000 calories is just like scarfing down two Big Macs. A very common alcoholic beverage associated with binge drinking in college is beer. Beer is everywhere from bars to parties, including keg parties; these keg parties offer vast amounts of beer to college students, especially freshman testing out their new-found freedom. Beer is usually a major contributor to weight gain because of its empty calories, and typically has less alcohol by volume. The average can of beer has 153 calories. According to Elisabetta Politi, nutrition director at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center, alcohol has a lot of calories. When you drink alcohol, your resistance to everything goes down, including your resistance to temptation of fatty foods. You tend to eat more when you drink.
Dining Dilemma
Many colleges offer all-you-can-eat meal plans easily available to students; these meal plans include many calorie-ridden foods such as french-fries and ice cream. In addition to this unlimited food supply, many schools also have dining halls that are open all day, every day, meaning students have access to all-you-can-eat food at all times. This is a large temptation for drunk or hung-over students. "Even though most students say they want healthy food options, the greasy, unhealthy food is the first to sell,” says Jane Jakubczak, a registered dietician at the University of Maryland in College Park. Not only do campuses have tempting dining halls, the city the campus is centered in may have various restaurants and bars.
No Sweet Dreams Here
Young adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep per night. However, due to an overload of activities students are only getting an average of about seven hours per night. ‘When you have sleep deprivation and are running on low energy, you automatically go for a bag of potato chips or other comfort foods,’ says Susan Zafarlotfi, PhD, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep and Wake Disorders at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. A lack of sleep affects the hormones Ghrelin and Leptin, which in turn have a negative impact on the control of appetite, and weight gain and loss. Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat and when you are sleep-deprived, you have an excess amount of ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have a lack of leptin. Michelle May MD, author of Why Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don’t Work says, when you don't get enough sleep, your body experiences physiological stress and, biochemically, you store fat more efficiently. According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, several studies have linked insufficient sleep and weight gain.
Exercise vs. Growing Thighs
Exercise is a great way to tone the body and remove unwanted weight, but it is not always as easy to do as it may seem. College students, especially freshmen, are bogged-down with newfound freedom and loaded class schedules, which leave students with little time to take themselves to the gym or student rec centers on campus. In “Physical Activity and Public Health: Updated Recommendations for Adults,” the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommended that adults do moderate-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise for at least thirty minutes on five or more days a week, or vigorous-intensity cardio or aerobic for at least twenty minutes on three or more days a week. According to these recommendations, the majority of college students are not getting the exercise they need to stay healthy. In the 2009 fall National College Health Assessment, the American College Health Association reported that 43.6 percent of students met the recommendations for moderate or vigorous exercise, or a combination of both.
Eat Smart
Unhealthy eating habits are detrimental to anyone’s health, especially that of a busy college student; and, although dining halls offer fatty temptations, students can make wise choices about what they put in their mouths. One of the biggest tips offered to college freshman to avoid the freshman fifteen is eating breakfast. Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism for the day. When you go for long periods of time without eating, your metabolism slows down and you’re more likely to overeat at your next meal. A good diet for the busy college freshman is a protein-packed one. Protein digests more slowly which gives students more energy throughout their day and keeps them fuller longer. Another way to beat the freshman fifteen is to snack smart; going hungry will only leave you less energized and more prone to overeating later. Students should keep their dorms stocked with healthy snack options in order to avoid late night vending machine runs or fast food stops.
Sleep the Day Away
Lack of sleep may seem impossible to avoid in a student’s first year of college, but it is not. Freshmen can make a class schedule that starts later in the day so they can sleep in longer each morning. Students can also avoid partying to excess; this will get them more sleep and help them avoid empty calories that come with their favorite alcoholic party beverages.
Get a Move On!
Exercise not only helps people maintain a healthy weight but also provides an excellent counter to stress and anxiety. Both can wreak havoc on a person’s diet, causing them to binge on donuts or skip meals altogether. Exercising may even be easier than going to the gym. Katherine Grubiak, RD, dietitian at UCLA's Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center says going to the gym is a good idea, but never underestimate the good that walking will do for you. Give yourself time to take the long way to class. Walking actually burns more calories than biking. Biking at a normal pace on level ground only burns about twenty to twenty-five calories per mile, whereas walking burns up to eighty or more.