While new friendships, knowledge and experiences are welcomed by freshman college students, there’s something most hope not to gain: The freshman 15.
Those extra pounds accumulated from late-night study breaks and/or one’s newfound dining independence are an example of the many unhealthy habits students acquire during this transitional life stage, as 20-year-old Kristina Sharrott found out.
Yet, as she begins what’s sure to be a busy junior year at Adelphi University, she’ll have a lot less weight on her shoulders—and elsewhere. At 5 feet 4 inches, the graphic design major and business minor from Huntington, N.Y., was 20 pounds heavier during her freshman year.
“I didn’t have healthy eating habits,” says Sharrott. “I ate a lot of take-out and junk food.”
Absent parental restrictions means, “it’s easier to pick up bad habits,” says Dr. Steven Lamm, a practicing internist, New York University School of Medicine faculty member and director ofmen’s health for NYU Medical Center. “College is a chaotic period. There are a lot of potential issues and students are at risk for different problems, including weight gain or loss.”
For Sharrott, meeting her boyfriend at the campus gym during freshman year was a big help.
“He taught me how to cook. We [make] stir-fry, rice, a lot of poultry and veggies. he’s into healthy eating and working out,” she says.
Sharrott’s freshman-year roommate, a dancer, was another motivator.
“I became more conscious of my eating and [was] further motivated by a fellow sorority sister to accompany her to Zumba, kickboxing and cycling classes at least three times a week,” she says. “I figured, college offers a new start to eating right.”
On her university’s meal plan, breakfasts typically consist of oatmeal, fruit, and egg-white or veggie omelets, while lunch choices include sushi. At dinnertime, “I cook for myself,” says Sharrott, who often prepares chicken with a vegetable side dish and tries to avoid carbohydrates.
Sharrott’s stick-to-it attitude has persevered — she has dropped from a size 10 to a 7 and now weighs 120 pounds. Although college students may lack the support structure they were used to at home, “There is a great opportunity for them to turn their college years into an amazingly positive experience,” says Dr. Lamm. “As you’re growing intellectually, you should also be more aware of your body, focusing on your nutrients, exercise routine, restorative sleep and overall preservation of your wellness.”
To this end, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fiber really can make a difference, as can probiotics, vitamin D and Omega 3, according to the NYU administrator.
Maintaining a diary, weighing yourself weekly, and using apps for sleeping, exercise, fitness and weight management are also techniques Dr. Lamm endorses. Jacqueline Cartabuke, director of health services, and chair of the health and wellness committee for Adelphi University, advises that protein, or the lack of it, isamajor culprit when it comes to gaining unwanted weight as a residential student. Other pitfalls are junk food, lying round the dorm and not taking the stairs.
First-time college students can also fall prey to emotional eating, according to Carol Cottrill, CNC, a New York City-based nutritionist and author of “The French Twist”
“Mindless eating, or eating for reasons other than hunger, can be prompted by the stress of leaving home for a new school,” she says. Downtime or study breaks are often prime occasions for such compulsions to take over.
With the pressures of college life, Sharrott empathizes with fellow collegiates who have a hard time staying on a healthy track.
“One of my roommates used to binge-eat while studying,” says Sharrott. “I’ve seen a lot of stress eating.” To guard against this quick-fix habit, “Stop, drop and roll,” advises Cottrill. “Stop and recognize the behavior, drop the food and roll with your uneasy feelings. When we try to resist a feeling, it makes it worse. By interrupting the behavior, you start to break the pattern. [instead,] find pastimes that are relate to your interests and goals.”