Taylor’s Talk: The Freshman 15

– Taylor Haydinger (Defiance, OH)

The Freshman 15, something that creeps up on us, unnoticed, that is until we put on our favorite pair of jeans  (Our favorite jeans, the jeans that fit us just right and make us feel invincible)!Look in the mirror though and you feel like the sidekick, might as well be wearing underwear overtop your jeans, right?

Before you finish accepting the fact that you will forever be the sidekick, take a step back and look at the picture; what exactly is the Freshman 15?  

In simple terms it is how much weight you will gain in college.  Does this stand true for everyone?  No!

You can gain 10 pounds, 5 pounds, 23 pounds in college.  You can even lose weight or stay the same in college (though the Freshman 15 refers to gaining weight rather than losing weight).  So what causes these fluctuating weights?  It really depends on you!  There are many different factors that can attribute to gaining weight from stress to an improper diet.

No matter the cause of weight gain, just remember one thing, don’t stress over it!  You don’t need another thing to stress you out, especially weight.  I’ll include you in on a tip that I learned, just like you can gain weight, you can lose it too!  You heard me right!  You can lose the weight you gained!  Will it be easy? No.  Will it be fun?  Probably not.  Will it involve dedication? Yes.  

This all may seem like too much, but it’s easier than Bio Chem!  Here are some tips you can follow and adjust for helping you lose weight.

Get friendly with nutritional information.  Research terms such as carbs, calories, fat, fiber, etc.  Make sure you know how each terms affects your body.

Take a step back and look at your daily food intake.  Are you eating too much?  Are you eating tons of carbs with little nutritional value?  Are you intaking too many calories?  These don’t have to be exact, just be familiar with the foods you are eating (hint: if you eat at the cafe, most of the time you will find nutritional facts posted).

Change the way you eat in whatever manner you choose!  Eat more salads, only have pop on the weekends, drink tons of water, only eat desserts on Fridays… the list goes on and on!  Just keep in mind that if you’re trying to lose weight you may want to ease yourself into it, not too slow but not too fast.  Keep it at a comfortable pace for you.

Getting some exercise in can only benefit in your attempt to lose weight!  You can hit the gym and lift weights, use the stair climber, elliptical, bikes, or the run on the track.  You can even walk around campus!  Better yet, grab your friends and walk to Walmart and just wander around!

With all of this mind it may be hard to stay motivated.  That pizza may look delicious or it may be chicken patty day and you just want to garble down five of those!  Just know that there will always be pizza, and chicken patty day will come back around.  Savor the food you have, for it’s better to be satisfied than have an upset stomach from all those chicken patties!  Just know that there are many students on campus trying to lose weight (myself included!), so if you’re ever feeling lonely and upset, just remember you’re not alone!  Stay strong when the times are tough and just try your best!