10 Ways to Avoid the Freshman 15
If you are entering your freshman year of college, chances are you’ve heard about the “freshman fifteen”. Beating it can be easy. Here are ten steps to avoid the “freshmen fifteen” WITHOUT counting calories.
1.Avoid eating too much sugar.
Your body uses sugar to operate, but it can only use so much. When your body gets too much sugar it takes the sugar that it can’t use and turns it into fat tissue.
2. Eat 3 meals a day.
Some people think that skipping meals or adding meals and just decreasing the size of the meals can help you maintain/lose weight. They are wrong. Changing the amount of meals you eat per day messes with your metabolism. Ultimately this could lead to weight gain, or diabetes.
3. Just eat healthy.
Eating healthy is always a good choice, it helps your metabolism, body, energy, and even mindset. If you struggle with this, try making meal plans. Money doesn’t have to be an issue, you can find cheap recipes to make at home or the dorms. Here is a link to get you started: http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy/photos/10-healthy-dinners-for-about-10
4. Avoid snacking throughout the day.
Snacking to hold yourself over until your next meal is good. However, often times when people snack it is out of boredom. Snacking out of boredom or any reason other than hunger can result in weight gain.
5. If you aren’t hungry, don’t eat anything.
Before you go to eat something, think to yourself, “Am I really hungry or just bored/emotional?” This helps because often times you find that the answer to that question is that you aren’t really hungry.
6. Avoid drinking alcohol.
Alcohol slows fat burning. Essentially alcohol makes it harder for your body to burn fat, so after drinking you need to add another workout day to your already busy schedule, in order for it to even out.
7. Drink lots of water.
Drinking a good amount of water not only helps to flush toxins from your system but it also helps you feel full so that you don’t feel the need to overeat or eat when you’re not hungry. Water has plenty more benefits too, including fighting sickness!
8. Exercise regularly.
You will burn calories and you can have fun while doing it! Playing a sport, going for a walk or even a short ab workout, helps you stay fit, healthy and away from the “freshman fifteen”.
9. Develop good sleep patterns.
Lack of sleep causes the metabolism to not function correctly. It can also cause you to make poor health decisions, such as drinking coffee, skipping a workout or sleeping in the middle of the day, causing the next night’s sleep to be off schedule as well, beginning an unhealthy cycle.
10. Hangout with people who maintain a healthy lifestyle.
You will have days when you don’t want to go to the gym or eat healthy or maybe you want to stay out all night at the local bar, developing friendships with people who also have an interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle will make it easier to resist temptation.
Written by Makenzie Sides
