What is this freshman 15 everyone talks about..?

WifeNMama

All of the above, and between 18-20, metabolism usually slows down a bit, too.

Loulady

I lost weight my freshman year. Walking around campus, part time job working on my feet, participating in intramural sports...

virichi08

Wheew *wipes sweat off my forehead*
I was beginnig to thnk i walk into college, start going to class and BAM the weight comes on. lol (joking) but i feel better now reading you guy's comments.

beansprouts

OKay, i know it is 15 lbs that "every" college freshman gains, but why IS that? Is it due to studying or the partying. Im starting college this year and i dnt party but i do study... so what causes this mysterious 15 and how to i manage to not gain it? What did you all do to avoid the freshman 15?

I honestly think that it happens because for the first time most of these "young adults" no longer have someone (usually a parent) nagging them 24/7 about "eating properly"....If you can enter college with your own set of self motivating/ good eating habits...you will be waaaaay ahead of the curve!

Carolyn_79

I gained the freshman 22. As others mentioned it was a combination of buffet style meal plans, partying and alcohol, and lack of exercise. We also had a Pizza Pizza that was open until 3am in our building so that was trouble for me. I lost it all that summer. My second year I lived on campus again and I ate healthy and didn't gain any weight.

Wenchilada

Cafeteria food, beer, usually no regular PE classes, new stressors, free pizza somewhere seemingly every night... and if it's a bigger campus, buses or cars are the norm for getting around. I lost 15 pounds by the end of my freshman year, but it was mostly because I came down with mononucleosis right after spring break. Before that, I was maintaining my high school weight and had maybe lost a pound or two. Then came the Sophomore 15, the Junior 20, and the Senior 10... yeah... I gained most of my weight once I got my own car during my junior year. Hello, drive-through.

CannibalisticVegetarian

I gained about 15-20 pounds my freshman year and I can tell you exactly why it happened, I was on campus and while I walked everywhere and then some, I also fell in love with the food in the school cafeteria. It was an all-you-can-eat type of thing and I had a meal plan that gave me access to this almost every singe morning, noon, and night. Our dorm didn't come with a kitchen or stove so there wasn't any cooking..unless you ate only microwavable foods and.. blech.. just no. Also, we had another type of cafeteria that used what was called 'bonus bucks'. With these, I could grab a bite from Taco Bell or Chick Fil A (And I adore both of these places) ... or even have a pizza delivered to my room from Dominos. The pizzas were usually something reserved for the weekends though, seeing as the cafe' closed earlier during those times.

Before coming to college, I was used to eating outrageously because it's something I'd been doing my entire life, but now I had twice as many foods to dig into and still noting to yell, 'Enough is enough!'

AShawneeF

I actually LOST weight when I was in college.
I couldn't afford gas money so I walked everywhere, and the cost of food on campus was stupid so I always carried my home-cooked foods with me...

I assume the GAIN is from the kids that are lucky enough to have their parents support them by buying meal cards, bus passes and chipping in towards their tuition.

i have a meal plan, walk everywhere, live on campus. bus passes are free for students but other than that i am paying everything by myself and with whatever aid i can get my hands on. yet i still gained.
moral of the story: don't assume.

lorierin22

I didn't gain any weight freshman year and I think I lost about 10 lbs sophomore year. Freshman year I lived on campus and even though I had a car, I walked to most of my classes....that probably balanced out the dining hall. Sophomore year I moved off campus but I was broke and no longer had the "free" food at the dining hall (that I just got done paying for last year, gotta love student loans...lol). I also didn't drink alcohol freshman or sophomore year. jr/senior years I had more money, ate more fast food, started drinking and partying more and picked up those 10lbs I lost plus another 5. So college was pretty even overall for me. I started gaining weight after marriage, but that's another story all together...

ahmommy

I lost a few pounds my freshman year, and I was skinny enough that I couldn't really afford to lose them. For me, it was a combination of a nervous stomach, walking EVERYWHERE, and gross food at the dining hall. I did, however, get a couple of cavities that year because my roommate always had candy around and I grew up mostly without candy except on holidays, so my teeth paid the price.

beckyinma

in high school they brought lunch or bought lunch. buying lunch gives you specific portion sizes in high school. in college it's a free for all. you want a second chickwich, you can have one. you want another stack of pancakes you can have it... there is no control.

Wabbit05

For me, it was the combination of drinking ALOT and the fact that the cafeteria in the dorms was always a buffet style. They also had a snack store with not so many healthy choices (not that I was really thinking about being healthy at the time). Not much exercise involved in my day to day routine either. In comparison to before college, I had a set schedule, a cooked meal from home with not as much junk in it, and worked out from sports almost every day.

Grlnxtdr0721

My suggestion is this- watch your diet, and exercise. Be mindful enough to keep doing the things you should be and are now, and know what you shouldn't. Everyone has different reasons why they did or didn't gain weight in college. If you want something to keep you accountable, take a fitness class every semester, or at least until it has become routine enough for you. Take a nutrition class if you want, even if it doesn't pertain to your major. Take advantage of the resources you have at your fingertips now, and they will remain with you for the rest of your life. Someone told me something I wished I had listened to more when I was starting college--Get into the habit of developing your life the way you want it NOW. if you do this, you will carry it with you. :flowerforyou:
I wish you the best of luck on your journey, and hope you enjoy it

virichi08

My suggestion is this- watch your diet, and exercise. Be mindful enough to keep doing the things you should be and are now, and know what you shouldn't. Everyone has different reasons why they did or didn't gain weight in college. If you want something to keep you accountable, take a fitness class every semester, or at least until it has become routine enough for you. Take a nutrition class if you want, even if it doesn't pertain to your major. Take advantage of the resources you have at your fingertips now, and they will remain with you for the rest of your life. Someone told me something I wished I had listened to more when I was starting college--Get into the habit of developing your life the way you want it NOW. if you do this, you will carry it with you. :flowerforyou:
I wish you the best of luck on your journey, and hope you enjoy it

Well said. thnk u :drinker: <--- water that is

rabbit__food

beer, liquor, late night drunk eating, & buffet style meals.