Freshman 15 (or More Likely 5): The Causes

Yesterday I looked at whether or not there is any statistical backing for weight gain during the freshman year. What did I find? Yes, freshmen usually gain weight...but not 15 pounds (in reality the average is more like 5-7 pounds). 

I don't know about most of you, but I'm not interested in putting on any extra weight...even if it's "only" 5 pounds. So while the "Freshman 15" may not be something you're worried about, you might be interested in what causes the "Freshman 5." That's what we'll be looking into today.

This guy may be on his way to a few extra pounds. Or he could just be marathon training.

Irregular Eating Habits - Note that I didn't say "overeating." I will say that for many freshmen overeating occurs as a result of irregular eating habits, but the root issue is still the lack of a firm eating schedule. Consider the following scenario...


You've hit snooze seven times after setting your alarm clock too late to begin with...no time for breakfast. Then your eleven o'clock class runs late and you don't have time to stop by the Ferg on your way to a 12:30 meeting...lunch will have to be replaced by a bag of two-year-old M&M's that you found in the bottom of your backpack. When you finally get done with class at 4:30, you're starving...and decide to stop by Lakeside to grab some pizza. At about 10:00 that night, you get hungry again because you had such an early dinner...and you order pizza for the second time that day because Pizza Hut is the only place in town still open.

Sound familiar at all? I know that stuff like this doesn't happen every day, but I remember something similar to this happening at least once a week during my freshman year. It's incredibly important to set a meal schedule for yourself that you know you can keep...even if it means packing a sandwich to eat between classes. Irregular eating habits lead to bad eating habits.

Stress - I know that freshman year can be a very stressful time. When you're under constant stress, your body increases the production of the hormone cortisol. In small doses, cortisol brings your body to a more active and ready state. Long term stress, though, can cause prolonged production of cortisol...and this can lead to bigger appetites and weight gain.

A little stress is expected...long term stress can lead to extreme results.

Lack of Phsyical Activity - For many of the same reasons that it can be hard to establish an eating routine in college, it can also be hard to establish an exercise routine in college. As hard as exercising is, though, it is vital to keeping off those unwanted pounds. Exercise not only burns calories, but it also lowers stress levels (and we've already discussed why high stress levels are bad). For those of you who haven't visited the Rec Center, you should definitely check it out (it's free, of course). It's a great facility with free weights, weight machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, basketball courts, a pool, a climbing wall, and probably several other things that I've forgotten. Here are their hours:

Monday-Thurday: 5:30am-12 midnight
Friday: 5:30am-9:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-6:00pm (note that hours vary for football gamedays)
Sunday: 12 noon - 12 midnight

While these three things aren't the only causes of freshman year weight gain, they are three of the biggest causes. Getting these three things under control will set you well on your way to a healthy (and probably happy) college lifestyle.