Beating the freshman 15

abbycat900

Well... I'm new here! And I'm totally, completely, utterly, undoubtedly, nervous. But I'm excited too! And really, really hopeful.

My name's Abby, and I'm just about to start my first year of college. This is the first year I've ever really been worried or tried to do anything about my weight... But that doesn't mean it's the first year I've noticed it. I started gaining weight very quickly at the onset of puberty, but it never went away- despite me being active in several sports, and spending most summer days outside. To me, at the time, it seemed illogical... But, in retrospect, it makes sense. My family didn't eat very well. Well, okay, that's not entirely true- we had an elderly member of the family living with us, and she liked to cook. They were healthy things, but they weren't in the slightest enjoyable. And so... I snacked.

Since my first chance at being an adult was fast coming up, after Halloween of last year, I started working out and counting my calories- here! Within the first few weeks, I was shocked- I had lost seven whole pounds. But then... Thanksgiving. Everything went down the drain, and I didn't really mind it. But it's the summer before my freshman year, and I've noticed the toll of being inactive has had on my body. I'm five foot two, and one hundred and sixty five pounds. I want to be around one twenty, to one thirty. I started exercising again about six weeks ago, but I wasn't counting calories. I lost the first seven pounds in a pinch, but for the past two weeks, I've been stuck. I really want to be good about this. I want to be fit, and healthy, and enjoy being young.

Anyway, that's my spiel... I'm hoping that the forums here can help me with my goals!

nikki91950

hey there! welcome to the site, it's really nice to have you with us!

this post was right up my ally. i am 19 and will be going into my second year of college in august. i am also on the shorter side, more than you actually, and started off a little bit heavier than you are right now. your topic title caught my eye because even with being on a diet when entering college, i managed to gain about 10 pounds while i was away. i've been able to take off about six of them so far since i've come home for summer, but i'm hoping to lose even more once i get those other 4 pounds taken off. some people will tell you it's easy to keep off those extra college pounds--but honestly, it's not. my university required freshman to get a full meal plan. that meant i was able to eat twice a day, every day in the on-campus dining halls (one being open 24 hours) and was even given a prepaid amount of money to use in the on-campus restaurants. the food was mediocre and selections weren't always the best. i ended up relying heavily on rice and pizza which turned out to be a very big mistake. i did go to the gym sometimes and went on really long walks for quite a while, but still managed to gain! it's TOUGH. i don't have any secret advice to give you. trust me--i wish i did. all i can say is to stick with this site, make some friends on here who will keep you accountable, watch your portions and how often you're eating, and make smart choices in the dining halls and when eating out, and make sure to stay active as much as possible. i wish you the best of luck in the world!

abbycat900

Nice to meet you Nikki! Thanks for the warm welcome (:

I hear you with the meal plan. I'm lucky with my college, because it's the community college closest to my mother's house, and I'll be living with her for my first year as a part time student... Until I transfer. All of the schools that I want to go to have a requirement that all freshman and sophomores live on campus, and if you live on campus, you get three meals with the meal plan... And that sounds like something that'll kick my butt. That's why I'm really hopeful I can get into shape this year, so when I transfer, I'm more prepared! But I'm dreading it already. Even without a meal plan, the community college is near a bunch of fast food restaurants, plus a trendy little coffee house that has tons of decadent little cheese cake type things. Just thinking about all the stuff makes me feel like I've gained a couple of pounds!

But I'm going to try my hardest... And hopefully the site will be able to help keep me active. (:

jaci232

hey!
I'm about to start my freshman year of college as well. I started using MFP in January at 181 lbs, and am down to about 159 now..i'm also short so i'm working towards a goal weight between 130-140. i'm actually looking forward to college dining--my school posts the nutritional information of everything that's served in the dining hall. i also see college dining as much more of a choice--there will definitely be healthy options amongst the unhealthy, and i figure it will be more of a test of our judgement!
good luck this fall!

SayRah

Hey!
I'm Sarah and I just got done with my first year at college. To be honest, it's WAY easier to lose weight at college than at home. I have friends who gained the Freshman Fifteen (actually, some of them gained noticeably more) but I dropped 5 - 10 lbs. I did it because I walked every day, either to class, or downtown, or to social events. I'll be bringing up a car but I still plan to walk unless it's unsafe to (bad weather, night time, highways, etc.)

Also, dining halls have WAY more of a choice of what you can eat. My college's dining halls had WAY more choices of fruits/veggies than I could probably ever get at home....on the other hand it also had lots of cake, cookies, and other sweets and a huge variety of soda. Use this for your advantage!

College also offers a variety of clubs and sports and classes for physical activity. I ride horses so I joined the equestrian team. I also took a nutrition class and it REALLY helped me a lot. Most colleges also have gyms where students can go workout, and membership is typically included in the tuition.

You can definitely beat the Freshman 15. It's not all that hard -- just don't have pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner....go to class, go to the gym, play frisbee with friends....join a sports team if you want to....also remember alcohol has a lot of cals too :laugh:

mollymoo89

Oh the dreaded freshman fifteen. Let's just say that I gained the freshman fifteen and then some my sophomore year. I'm currently a senior in college and am on the shorter side as well. So all that weight I gained was noticable. I've lost seventeen pounds so far this year and I'm about 4 pounds from my goal. I've found that walking to class has helped a ton. I also do a lot of the spin and sculpting group fitness classes at the school gym. I just completed an 8 week spin and weight loss group there and it was free!! I love it so much that I am going to be trying out to be a group fitness instructor. I'm also currently training for a half marathon. I weighed about 110-115 before my freshman year. I don't want to go past 115 because I don't want to look like a stick lol. I had a lot of trouble when I gained the weight. I was a double zero in highschool and only weighed 1 pound 7 ounces when I was born, so I've been really thin my whole life. Now I'm comfortable with my body! Sure there's things I want to change but I know that I will get there and it's more important to be healthy. Best of luck to all of you!

abbycat900

Jaci- Wow, congrats! You've really gone a long way! I'm glad your college posts the nutritional information, that's really helpful- if only all of them would, lol! Thank you, and good luck yourself! You've already done so well, I'm sure you'll make it to your goal easy. :]

Sarah- Wow, really? That's great! I can't believe you lost weight, awesome. You've made some good points, and I'm already planning to do a couple- one of the main reasons I'm so psyched to start college is the sports opportunities! I can't find public groups for my age, for any of the sports that I play. It'll be nice to have a place to actually exercise in a way that's fun, instead of just walking, jogging, running... Which are all fine and dandy, but, you know, not when that's all you get to do! (Good tip about the booze, btw ;])

Molly- WOOT! Way to go girl! Seventeen pounds is wonderful. It always inspires me whenever I hear girls near my age not getting caught up in looking a double zero, like you said you were in HS, but instead being healthy and comfortable in their own skin... So kudos to you! I wish you luck with the group fitness instructor gig, and it's nice meeting you.

Sorry for the late reply everyone! I caught some sort of stomach bug and was thrown off my game... But now I'm better and ready to dedicate myself to fitness! (Did that sound as cheesy as it did in my head?)