We have all heard about the dread Freshmen 15 and I’m sure those of you that are just starting out college would think that you would never gain 15 pounds in one year. But pride comes before a fall my friend!

Gaining 15 lbs during your first year of college is so easy with the all you can eat cafeteria, vending machines around every corner, late night donut runs with all your friends, and pizza nights… the list could go one. Between the newness of being off on your own and the stress of a new environment and classes, it’s so easy to gorge yourself with food, especially when all your friends are doing it too.

Whiles gaining the freshmen 15 at college or on a university campus can be easy, it is not inevitable. Here are some great tips to prevent weight gain during your college life:

Hit up the gym. Most universities / colleges have free gyms available to students around the clock. Check out your class schedule and plan at least 30 minutes of daily workout into your schedule. This will also give you a little bit of leeway in your diet as well.

All-You-Can-Eat College Cafeteria. Get rid of the “All-You-Can-Eat” mentality and go for only one plate full. For me this was hard because I know that I was not getting my money’s worth, but I also wasn’t paying for my waistline to expand as well. Your plate should consist of 50% greens, a choice of meat, and the other 25% whole grains. Watch your portion sizes as well. Don’t be fooled either, most foods are full of lard and fat. I was shocked when I asked what our cafeteria put in the eggs and the cook said mainly cream, butter, and lard. Dont be afraid to ask what is in the food! Stay clear of un-identifiable meats too! GROSS!

Avoid Late Night Eating. When everyone is hanging out till 3 in the morning, the best thing to do is go for late night pizza or donut run. Don’t deny yourself food if you are craving it, but also don’t over indulge. Healthy eating is about moderation so go have fun with your friends but only have a few bites. Or better yet, fill up on water.

Vending Machine Snacks. Sometimes vending machines is the only option while on campus. Go for something wholesome and nutritious. Skip out on the candy and go for pretzels, reduced-fat popcorn, or granola bars. When it comes to drinks, avoid those full of sugar such as gatorade, soda, and go for water, milk, or unsweetened iced tea.

Keep Your Dorm Free of Junk Food and Unhealthy Snacks. Loading up on healthy snacks will cut out unwanted temptations that call out your name when you studying and is great to have on hand when everyone is heading for ice cream late at night. The freshman 15 increases with every unhealthy snack you eat. Load up on fruits, veggies, oatmeal, low sodium soups, yogurt, string cheese, and fat-free popcorn.

Don’t Skip Meals. Ironically those that skip meals are more likely to gain weight. This increases your changes of overeating later when you are starving and want to grab anything in sight. Make sure to wake up early enough to grab something on the go for breakfast and plan ahead for healthy meals if you have a class during lunch or dinner.

Avoid Stressing Eating. With all the stress of a new environment and college class, food can become your best friend… especially those powdered donuts. Make sure that you become aware of when you are stressed and then decipher if you are really hungry or not. If you are stressed and want to turn to food, chew on some gum to relieve the stress.

College life is some of the best years of your life, so make sure that you are not taking away from that by stressing yourself out over your weight and appearance. Just stick to these tips and you will be be sure to avoid the Freshmen 15!

You hit the gym every day. Avoid the donuts your boss brought in on Monday. You deny the birthday cake on Saturday. Here comes weight-in day. You step onto the scale… -1lb

The disappointment of it all comes raining down on you. Looking back on the week you know you did so well, but you start to think about how you could have stayed an extra hour at the gym. Denied that one cookie at night. Drank more water throughout the week… etc.

Can anyone relate to this story?

Why is it that this 1lb is never enough?

Instead of looking at it as success for that one week, we see it as failure. We beat ourselves up inside and as if it is all worth it in the end.

Hello! You lost weight. Haven’t you been gaining weight this whole time and now you have finally lost weight and you aren’t happy with it.

Ok, I know… I am being hypocritical because I have beat myself up as well. I guess it comes from our world of instant gratification.

But we need to start looking at weight loss in a different perspective. Did you know that research has proven that those who lose about 1-2 lbs a week are more opt to keep it off permanently? I don’t know about you, but I would hate to go through a year of hard core dieting to only gain everything back and more!

Yes, we can always do more each week to lose weight, but we need to start celebrating the small successes throughout the journey!

It’s crazy how a piece of metal can have so much control over our lives, isn’t it ? ! ? !

A scale doesn’t talk but it sure can say a million things at once. Some days the scale is uplifting and motivating while other days it’s our worst enemy that stabs us in the back and puts a damper on the rest of our day.

I just wonder why a piece of mental has that much power over our lives that we can become so consumed with a number that it takes up our everyday thoughts and moods. If you don’t watch it, the scale can determine our self-worth and our confidence.

Weighing in can be a very helpful tool in weight loss, but like all things, it is only good in moderation. So how to we prevent the scale from becoming an obsession over our lives that sucks the energy out of us?

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Self-worth should never be found in a piece of metal and or number. May times our primary goal of weight loss is lost in the hype of numbers. You need to get back to the basis of why you are losing weight… to live a healthy lifestyle, to be able to have kids one day, to prevent a heart attack, to fit into your favorite pair of jeans. Whatever it may be, your reasoning for losing weight should not be focused on a number.

You also should never weight yourself several times a day. Our weight fluctuates on a daily bases, so why put your emotions through that rollercoaster? I suggest only weighting in once a week.

For those of you that can relate to this article, I want to challenge you to put away the scale for whole month of August and focus in on how you feel as well as how your clothing fits.

“I want it now!”

Have you noticed how America has become a country of instant gratification?
It’s probably for the fact that people don’t have time for anything these days… it’s go, go, go! Everything from fast food, credit cards, drive-thru, communication, and diets fall in this realm.