What are some tips to avoid freshman 15?

Just don’t eat crap. The “Freshman 15” will never happen if you actually eat decently and make sure you’re walking around campus a lot. Skip out on all of the junk food. If you have a gym on campus (I have one, it’s AWESOME), just go there and study while walking on a treadmill. Try to incorporate physical activity with your academics.

Don’t pig out on late night pizza. Avoid drinking too much alcohol. Maintain your activity level. There is no mystery to it, if you consume more calories and move around less, you gain weight.

I only gained about 7 pounds. A few of those pounds I think are natural. Around the age of 18 girls still get a little broader. There is a big difference between how a young teenager looks and a college student. Your body is likely still growing a little.

Are you going to be eating at a dining commons? Avoid the potatoes at every meal, and the desserts. The Commons will have some healthy or vegetarian alternatives; go for those rather than dishes with lots of gravy or pasta.

They’ll have fresh fruit, go for fresh fruit instead of something high in carbs and or fats. Grab an extra apple at lunch for an afternoon snack, so you don’t end up at a vending machine.

And if you are a drinker, don’t go to crazy with the beer. I went to U.C. Santa Barbara, one of the top party schools in the country. It was a bit disappointing to see a beautiful freshman girl that was in great shape the previous fall walking around with a beer gut six months later.

@JLeslie is right. When either tutoring sessions or finals come along, do not partake in the ritual eating of the pizza. If you’re going to drink alcohol, drink vodka. It has less calories.

If you do drink, make sure you dance it off. Avoid eating late at night.

Watch the comfort food, the carbs, resist those with every fiber of your being. The pizza, potatoes, mac and cheese, the carbs, damn them. Watch those.

@KatetheGreat yeah that’s what I’m planning on doing, thanks!
@JLeslie ok that makes sense, thanks
@zenvelo yep I’m gonna be eating at the dining hall but I’m planning on putting some fruit in my fridge
@lillycoyote yeah ugh carbs are my weakness :/

It’s not just the carbs, it is the fat content. The total calories. Pizza, mac and cheese, have a tremendous amount of fat and calories. A plain potato would not freak me out personally. Food made in mass quanities usually have a lot of fat so they do not dry out while it sits on large trays waiting to be served.

Also, if it is all you can eat once inside the cafeteria, which is how my school was, some people have no control at buffets, they eat and eat and eat. Be sure to watch your portion size.

Watch what you eat and exercise.

The above advice is all good, but keep in mind the underlying cause: you are now more in control of your own behavior than ever before and in a new environment that does not have the same cues and limitations. High school seniors can be quite independent, of course, and may even fend for themselves with regard to food most of the time. Still, they are often kept from going out of control by the nearness of parents and the routine of past years.

Going off to college, however, means not seeing your parents regularly and building a whole new routine—which is why people who don’t leave home are less likely to gain a lot of weight freshman year. Bear in mind that you have lost some of your old psychological cues and must build new ones into your new routine. This will make it easier to follow the advice given above.

By the way, college is awesome! So much fun. I loved living in the dorms.

Don’t give into emotional eating which I know is easier said than done when you are stressed about exams. Make time to fit in exercise. Maybe you can join a sport that has practices so that your not just all studying?