According to the University of Illinois Admissions Center, our campus has the largest Greek system in the country, by numbers. There are over 100 social fraternities/sororities on campus, comprised of about 6,400 students. This means that a large percentage of our campus will spend at least part, if not the majority, of their undergraduate time here at U of I living in a sorority or fraternity house.
For female students in sororities, this time “living in” can be one of the best experiences of their college years. Living is a unique experience, most definitely unlike any living situation to precede it.
That’s not to say that living in does not come without problems. Because living in a sorority house is such a big change, it can be a very stressful adjustment process for some girls. This newfound stress can definitely affect their health and eating habits.
Living in can almost mirror the standard “Freshman 15” scenario, like freshman in college experiencing dorm life for the first time: new unfamiliar setting, social eating, snacking, constantly, etc.
“Food becomes a way to exert control for many Freshmen when they feel little control in many areas of their lives,” Molly Kimball, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist at the Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, told WebMD in an interview discussing college weight gain.
This newfound stress can definitely be a trigger for weight gain. Living in a sorority means you are constantly surrounded by situations in which it seems near impossible not to gain weight: dessert after every meal, delicious meals, sharing a midnight pizza with your friends.
Imagine having 50 girls in your home. Chances are one of them wants to grab some fast food on any given night of the week. It can be hard to say no.
Rachel Musnicki is a Chi Omega at Illinois, who has lived in her sorority house for three semesters.
“It can definitely be difficult staying healthy in a sorority house,” Musnicki said. There’s always someone going out to dinner or Cocomero, and it can be pretty hard to say no.”
For many sorority women, the meals themselves are not the source of weight gain. Snacking and unhealthy late night food runs are the culprit. The best way to combat this is to keep your own snacks in your room, so that you have your own healthy snacks to turn to.
“Get in a regular pattern of eating” Kimball suggested. “Keep a healthy, satisfying snack on hand such as peanut butter, cheese, or fruit to help with cravings.
The best advice is to enjoy the delicious foods that you love, but in healthy portions. Don’t restrict yourself from enjoying your favorite meal, but cut back on the things you know you don’t need to stay full.
“Eat things you enjoy, but start to exert some choice,” Kimball later said. “Don’t let situations force you to eat when you’re not hungry, and be particularly wary of the kind of late-night pizza and junk food binges that are so common to college life.”
Musnicki agrees that all things are good in moderation.
“It took me a few months to figure it out, but I finally realized I don’t have to have dessert after every meal, and in fact, I probably shouldn’t.” Musnicki later said.
It can be especially hard for vegetarians that choose to live in their sorority. Mika Jain is a U of I student who had difficulty staying healthy while living in her house.
“It’s hard to eat healthy when it seems like the only option is salad,” Jain said. “However, there are ways to get around an all-meat dinner.”
Don’t be afraid to talk to your house chef or your house director if you feel like you are having trouble finding things to eat. Most of them are very understanding and will help you find meals that suit your needs.
Jain also agreed with Musnicki on the fact that dessert is not the food to look to when you are hungry.
“Eating dessert is NOT the answer to filling yourself up,” Jain said. “I struggled with this at times because there were only meat options.”
Of course, the best way to combat any self-noticed weight gain is not by starving yourself or cutting yourself off from the foods you love: turn to exercise.
Daphne Oz, author of “The Dorm Room Diet”, reminds us that exercise can be easier to fit into our schedule than we think.
“The most important thing to remember is that exercise does not need to take place in a gym,” Oz said. “Even if it’s just a ten-minute break while you’re studying to run stairs, or going to a bathroom on a different floor, or walking your errands, getting more activity in your day will keep your metabolism running high.”
Beth Jump is an Illinois student that has lived in her sorority for several semesters. Jump agreed that the best way to stay fit is to implement exercise into your life in the simplest ways.
“When possible, I walk instead of taking a bus,” Jump said. “Walking makes me feel healthier and I get to see more people walking to class that way anyway.”
If weight gain becomes a big concern for several girls in the house, it can quickly affect other girls in the house as well. When one person on the house is on a “diet”, it can be easy to convince yourself that you should be dieting too. This problem is more prevalent on our campus then we think.
“For young women, especially those who end up in a living situation with other women who have similar concerns, such as sorority houses, eating disorders can quickly snowball,” Kimball said.
It is important to remember that fifty girls living in the same house are going to have different eating habits, different bodies, etc. It is even more important not to get caught up in any crazy diets or meal plans that your sisters may be trying out. Restricting your body from the nutrition it needs is one of the worst things you can do.
We all know that living in can cause some serious health problems; but only if you let it! There are so many ways to go about implementing a healthy meal plan for yourself. In summary, follow these tips and you will find it much easier to stay healthy.
- Eat when you are HUNGRY. Try to avoid emotional eating or mindless snacking, even if your friends are doing it. If it’s too tempting, you can even remove yourself from the situation.
- Don’t be afraid to say no. There will always be another fast food run and you don’t need to feel bad for wanting to stay healthy.
- That being said, don’t restrict yourself from everything you love. Snacks and dessert are fine every once in a while. If you cut yourself off from yummy found completely, you will just end up craving it at a later time.
- Dessert is not the answer to filling yourself up when you’re very hungry; healthy foods, high in fiber and nutrients are going to make you feel better long term.
- Find a friend in the house to go work out with! Stick to a schedule you know is realistic and that you both can do together.
- If you’re a vegetarian or you have special food needs, tell someone. No one can help you if they don’t know you need it!
- Watch your portions. All you can eat buffets are very conducive to overeating.
- Don’t forget to exercise! It doesn’t have to be long or strenuous.
- Stop paying attention to everyone else’s eating habits and start focusing on how you can better your own. Don’t get caught up in what your friends are eating/doing; only you can control what you eat.
- Keep your own snacks in your room! Try to avoid candy and sugary snacks; you’ll end up eating them much faster than you think.
*If you or any of your sisters needs help, don’t forget there is a FREE Counseling Center on campus! Call them at 217 333 3704 and you can meet with a personal counselor to discuss any problems you might have. They are very friendly and here to help.
Sources:
http://admissions.illinois.edu/admitted/guide/housing/sororities_frats.html
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/freshman-15-means-more-than-weight-gain
http://www.usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/fit-healthy-college-lifestyle-daphne-oz