How I Have Avoided the Freshman 15!

Hey Everyone!

Today I thought I would talk to you about how I avoided gaining the freshman fifteen. I am currently wrapping up my first year of college, and have actually lost a little bit of weight since I have been on campus. But, enough rambling, let's get into how to avoid the freshman fifteen.

*Disclaimer: These tips will not work for everyone, and I am not a doctor. I did not come into college worried about gaining weight or wanting to lose weight, these are more just things I have done to try to keep myself physically healthy, which may have also helped me not gain weight. You should never do anything that could hurt yourself (like skipping meals or not eating as much as you need to in order to feel full) just to lose weight.*

Walk... ALOT

I live on campus and for my university and I think most universities that means I walk, or ride my bike pretty much EVERYWHERE. No joke, I walk over eight miles at least two days a week, and that is just going to my different classes and work. I think that walking (and I walk pretty briskly) is a pretty good workout, especially for those days (aka most days) that I do not go to the gym. When I get time and it is nice out, I also try to get out of the dorms and walk around campus, or go hiking with friends. Pretty much, I try to stay as active as I can.

Skipping on the Soda

So I have a rule for myself that I can only get soda at the dining halls on the weekends. It is weird, I know, but I found that before I did that I was starting to drink a lot of dark soda which is not good for me at all. Am I saying that I do not ever drink soda throughout the week? No, because if I said that, I would be lying. However, during a normal week it would only be one or two days, unless it has been stressful, in which case I do treat myself with soda or the occasional Starbucks drink. 

Drinking More H2O

Kind of going hand in hand with the last one, I try to drink more water, especially throughout the week. I always have a bottle of water in my backpack, and typically drink water at the dining halls. I find that if I carry water all the time, I am more likely to drink it, and I drink a lot more water now than I did when I first came to college. On hot days, I put my water in an Ozark Trail insulated cup with some ice and it is a cold, refreshing drink all day. However in the winter, I get lazy and just grab a bottle of water and throw it in my backpack. I mean it's the thought that matters, right? I swear I recycle the bottles.

Don't Eat After 10

This one is a hard one for me, and I do not always follow it. However, if you eat and go to bed not long after, it is hard for your body to digest everything, and not healthy. Like I said, this is one I do not always follow, because sometimes I bribe myself to study with snacks. However, in most cases, I try to avoid eating after 10 so that my body has plenty of time to digest whatever I eat before I go to bed.

Meal Prepping

If you do not live on campus, or have a meal plan, one way that you can make it easier to eat healthy and avoid the freshman 15 is by meal prepping. I recommend picking one day a week- personally, I would prefer Sundays. On Sunday, I recommend prepping whatever you can, whether it is precooking something, pre-chopping things and stacking the stuff for the meal together, or prepacking lunches for the week. Or maybe for you it just means planning what you are eating for lunch and dinner every night, and making sure that you have all of the ingredients you need to make those things for the week and the snacks that you want. For me, I would also pre-portion my snacks (like bags of grapes or crackers) so that I can grab them on the run and they are a good portion size, and quick and easy to reach for.

Stress

So with college and freshman year comes new experiences, new situations, new things to adjust to, and new stressors. One way that a lot of people cope with stress is by reaching for comfort food or just eating more. One way to try to eliminate this is to try to reach for healthy snacks like fruit, cheese and crackers, or vegetables instead of something like pizza. Also, try to find a stress reliever that works for you, whether it is exercise, or watching a show on Netflix, because a lot of built up stress is not good for your health.

Party Smarter

Let's face it- most college students party, or drink sometime during their college career. However, in order to avoid the freshman fifteen, you need to party smarter. By partying smarter, I mean try to avoid binge drinking (4 drinks for women, 5 for men), these drinks can add up to be over 750 calories which is equal to another meal. These calories can add up and cause weight gain or that "beer belly" people talk about. Also, hangovers are caused by dehydration and can keep you from doing everyday activities the next day, like exercising. To try to avoid hangovers, try drinking more water when you finish drinking before you go to bed.

* I also got sick from my Nexplanon implant during my freshman year, and ended up not eating as much as normal for a while because of this, which could have also contributed to why I did not gain the freshman 15. However, keep in mind that everyone's stories and experiences are going to be different. You have to find what works for you and is healthy and do what is best for you, your well being, and your health.*

These are not all of the ways to prevent the freshman 15, and like I said, everyone's bodies are different and these will not work for everyone. However these are what has worked for me. However, keep in mind that at the end of the day, your body is perfect and you are perfect just the way you are! As always, thanks for reading, and I'll catch you in my next post.