We all hear about it senior year of high school. We all notice who’s seemed to gain it by fall break. We all want to avoid it. What is it? The Freshman Fifteen.
Take it from someone who managed to not gain it – it isn’t impossible! I am in the exact same five-pound weight range I was before coming to college.
We all know Tech has some of the greatest food in the country, and it’s only going to get better (hello, Japanese Steakhouse coming Fall 2012!). Here are a few simple tips to stay away from the dreaded weight gain your first (or second, or third) year of college.
Step One: Portion control. Realize that every meal you get on campus is most likely twice the size it should be. This is great for ever-hungry guys, but for girls like me, this is a serious problem. I don’t like wasting food or money, so I have a serious issue with throwing half my meal out. Luckily, the dining halls offer to-go boxes, which I highly suggest making use of. Not only will you save the calories this way, but you get two meals instead of one, helping those dining dollars last! For example, General Tso chicken and rice, an egg roll and a fortune cookie from Bowl Dynasty brings in a total of 847 calories – almost half of your suggested daily intake! Keep in mind that this doesn’t even include a drink. A University of North Carolina study found that college kids drink an average of 450 calories a day. That’s more than an order of mozzarella sticks from Flips!
Step Two: Hit the gym. The gym is the one part of my day I always seem to skip out on if I’m stressed or too busy, but there’s no excuse. Going to the gym is vital to maintaining your weight, which I’m sure we all know. One thing that really helped me my freshman year was buying a fitness pass. Like I mentioned earlier, I hate wasting money, so the fact that I spent like $15 (yeah, I’m that cheap) on a Mind and Body pass forced me to go to yoga as often as possible. Writing it down in my calendar helps me a lot too – if I plan my day thinking that I’m going to be hitting yoga at 8:15, I can make it work no matter how many things I have to do that day. If you’re not into yoga, the full fitness pass offers dozens of other classes to get your heart pumping and help you keep that weight off.
Step Three: Avoid DX and D2 at all costs. I vividly remember running from the bus outside Burruss (why didn’t I just get off at Cassell?… I have no idea) at 1:55 in the morning to try and make it to DX before it closed after a night of drinking my 450 calories (and then some). Don’t do it! Going to DX drunk is a disaster waiting to happen, and your impaired mind won’t stop you from eating that whole cheese pizza (769 calories), and I highly doubt you’re going to grab a 108 calorie banana when you’re getting your drunk munchies on. As far as D2 goes, anywhere where it’s the norm to polish off 5 or 6 plates each meal is not a place you want to visit more than once a week. I fully understand D2 brunch on Sunday morning is a must, but keep it at that! When you have the option to grab more food, you will, and you’ll regret it later on.
There you have it! Follow these simple steps and you’ll be hearing “you look great!” all winter break long.
Sources:
http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/content/truth-about-diet-soda
http://foodpro.studentprograms.vt.edu/FoodPro_2.3/location.asp