How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen - Weebly · 2018. 10. 13. · How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen v Introduction This is an easy to read manual that targets the UNT college

How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen Instructional Manual

How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen i

How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen

Paige Keenan

Suzette Harriman

Mashaal Atif

December 4, 2012

How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen iii

Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. v

What is the “Freshman 15?” ..................................................................................................................... v

So why does this Phenomenon Occur? .................................................................................................... v

Step 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 1

Eat Healthy ................................................................................................................................................ 1

Step 2 ............................................................................................................................................................ 4

Take The Stairs .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Step 3 ............................................................................................................................................................ 6

Visit the Gym ............................................................................................................................................. 6

Gym Location ............................................................................................................................................ 6

Contact Information .................................................................................................................................. 6

Gym Class Schedule .................................................................................................................................. 7

Step 4 ............................................................................................................................................................ 9

Pack Healthy Snacks .................................................................................................................................. 9

Only Buy Healthy Food at Stores .............................................................................................................. 9

Step 5 .......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Don’t drink too Much Alcohol ................................................................................................................. 11

Step 6 .......................................................................................................................................................... 13

Remember to Treat Yourself Self ............................................................................................................ 13

Motivation for Diet ................................................................................................................................. 13

Helps Prevent Decreases in Metabolic Rate ........................................................................................... 13

Helps Prevent Binges .............................................................................................................................. 13

Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................................... 15

Index............................................................................................................................................................ 17

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How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen v

Introduction This is an easy to read manual that targets the UNT college freshmen who are living on their

own for the first time. It serves to help these first year college students avoid gaining the

infamous freshman fifteen. Following these 6 step by step instructions, you can be assured that

you will avoid this looming, fattening threat

What is the “Freshman 15?” It is a term coined for the average weight gain a college freshman gains their first year of college. There

is a reason it is mostly freshmen who are the only class with such a substantial weight gain. This manual

will pinpoint these reasons and help you avoid them.

So why does this Phenomenon Occur? Freshmen are living away from home for first time and in the comfort of a college campus. And, on this

campus, are dining halls. And, at these dining halls are all you can eat buffets, 24 hour ice cream bars,

and the freedom to choose whatever you want to eat. The words “Eat all your vegetables,” “Drink all

your milk,” and “No, you cannot have dessert, again” that dictated a freshman’s previous meals while

living at home, have never even been whispered in the corridors of the dining halls on campus. It’s such

a grand shock of getting to choose whatever you want to eat, and those items being mostly pizza and ice

cream, that it causes some freshmen to gain weight when they move onto campus.

Freshman who just

moved on campus

Freshman at the end

of the school year

How to Not Gain the Freshman Fifteen 1

Step 1

Eat Healthy The freshman 15 is a common phenomenon that is experienced by many college students.

Eating unhealthy is one of the main reasons why students gain weight. College dormitories,

quick bites at fast food restaurants and lack of sleep all contribute to the weight gain that

freshman usually experience.

In a study conducted at Indiana University in Bloomington and Tufts University in Boston, it

showed that 76% of students said that they eat under stress. This is one of the most common

problems that students face. The stress from finals, assignments and even social life sometimes

can take a toll on students and one of the things that they turn to is food. It is proven that when

somebody is stressed, they tend to eat junk food rather than healthier food

Step 1 2

The figure above shows what an ideal plate should look like. Nutritionists have debunked the

old food pyramid and are now using the My Plate method since we can relate to it easily and

understand it more.

The easiest way to not gain as much weight is to eat healthier in the cafeteria. Instead of going

straight to the pizza and the hamburgers, you should always go to the salad bar first. Eating a

healthy salad before your meal will decrease your appetite and keep you full for a longer period

of time. You should also always drink plenty of water before you start the me


Step 2

Take the Stairs This may seem like a silly thing but if you think about it, it’s actually very helpful. Many people in college

are always in a hurry and they are always in a rush to get to places so they take the elevator. However,

they don’t realize that taking the stairs is the easiest way to stop gaining weight.

It might not seem like a lot of effort and most people might even think that it really doesn’t make a big

difference but it does.

Taking the stairs gives a good workout that you would not necessarily get otherwise. A lot of people

don’t have time to actually go to the gym and workout so at least taking the stairs makes a little

difference.

Step 3 6

Step 3

Visit the Gym This one seems pretty obvious to avoid weight gain. Upon enrolling in school, the price of tuition

includes free access to the gym. The gym is a great tool to avoid weight gain. Often the gym also

includes workout classes that keep you motivated by working out in a group setting. It is important to

find a workout that works best for you. For some it might be those group classes, other weight lifting,

and others playing basketball. Whatever it may be, make sure you do it. Follow these additional tips:

Ensure that you eat a healthy meal (discussed in step 1) before hitting the gym.

o This will actually speed up your metabolism.

Bring water!

Make sure you work out for at least for an hour 3 times a week.

Bring a friend to keep each other motivated.

Create goals that you can meet at the end of each week and you can actually measure. This

helps you notice your progress.

o Ex: I want to not gain any weight by the end of this week.

o Ex: I would like to lose a pound by the end of this week.

o Ex: I’d like to run a mile each day of my work out.

Change up your workout routine.

o This ensures different parts your body get worked out, speeds up your metabolism, and

keeps you from getting bored during your work out.

Gym Location 1900 Chestnut Dr., Denton, TX 76203

Contact Information (940)565-2275


Gym Class Schedule


Step 4

Pack Healthy Snacks Being the smart freshman I know you are, you’re probably punching in more hours at the library than

you are at the gym. Studying, and long nights writing papers tend to lead to snacking, and snacking is

rarely done in a healthy fashion. Did you know that the brain actually needs the most calories out of any

other part of your body? Therefore, what you feed yourself, you are essentially feeding you brain. The

following are a list of brain foods, proven to assist in memory, concentration, mood, and clarity. Instead

of grabbing a bag of chips to snack on, have some of these:

Blueberries

Walnuts

Coffee

Avocadoes

Eggs

Broccoli

Whole grains

Dark chocolate

Only Buy Healthy Food at Stores

It’s that simple. When you go shopping, only purchase foods that are healthy, that way unhealthy

options won’t even be an option when you want a snack. Also, make sure you go shopping with an

already full stomach. You buy so much more when you’re hungry, and usually unhealthy choices

based on you current cravings.


Step 5

Don’t drink too Much Alcohol Most college freshman are under the legal age to consume alcohol but studies have shown that

at least 12.7 percent of students begin drinking beer over the course of their first year in

college.1 Therefore, it is important for us to discuss the effects alcohol on weight gain. Most

alcoholic drinks are high in calories and when you eat more calories per day then needed you

will begin to gain weight. My suggestion would be if you are underage you should stop drinking

alcohol and if you are of age I suggest you become more aware of the amount of calories you

are consuming to avoid weight gain. As a suggestion the bar graph below compares the calorie

amount in common alcoholic drinks. According to this graph we suggest having only one glass

of wine to minimize gaining any weight if you insist on having a drink.

*Glass = 2.2 oz. – 6 oz.

Can = 112 oz.

Shot = 1.5 oz.

1 Sax, L.J., Keup, J.R., Gilmartin, S.K., Stolzenberg, E.B. & Harper, C. (2002). Findings from the 2002 administration of Your First College Year (YFCY): National aggregates. Higher Education Research Institute. University of California Los Angeles. December

2002.

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Beer (1 can)

Light Beer (1 can)

Red or White Wine (1 glass)

Gin, Rum, Vodka or Whiskey (1shot)

Cosmopolitan (1 glass)

Pina Colada (1 glass)

Martini (1 glass)

Calories per Glass, Can, or Shot

Calories per Glass, Can, or Shot


Step 6

Remember to Treat Yourself Self Treating yourself may be the easiest rule to keep up with. Sometimes we get so caught up in

preventing weight gain that we forget to relax and treat ourselves. You might be wondering, how

would treating myself help me keep extra weight off? Well, I must say doing this creates

motivation for your diet, prevents decreases in metabolic rate and also prevents binges.

Motivation for Diet If you set small goals for yourself, such as if you eat healthy for a whole month you could treat

yourself after you reach that goal and this creates motivation and something to work towards.

The reward doesn’t have to be big. It can be as small as a manicure, a cup of ice cream, or

simply a trip to the movie theatre.

Helps Prevent Decreases in Metabolic Rate Your metabolism is the part of your body that digests foods and aids in their storage and

excretion.2 So when you metabolic rate is low that you gain weight faster and it takes longer to

lose it. So when you start to eat the same foods over and over your metabolism starts to

recognize what foods you are eating. This decreases the amount of work that your metabolism

has to do, and can result in major weight gain. So when you treat yourself it gives your

metabolism some diversity and forces it to work more. Another way to increase your metabolism

is to eat small amounts of food throughout the day, as opposed to large meals 2 or 3 times a

day. So bring some healthy snacks to classes that allow you to eat in and enjoy!

Helps Prevent Binges Sometimes we crave un-healthy food because of its intense satisfaction in flavor, but it is best to

avoid these foods because they cause weight gain. However, when an individual is craving a

certain unhealthy food, such as ice cream or donuts, then they tend to binge, or eat a lot of

healthy foods to make up for their craving. However, that may cause you to eat more calories

than you would have consumed from the food you were craving. That is why it is important to

treat yourself on occasion and it brings you one step closer to avoiding the “freshman 15” weight

gain.

2 http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/3-reasons-its-important-to-treat-yourself-when-dieting.html#b


Troubleshooting There are many different things that could affect your weight such as certain medications,

stress, and much more. So, if you still happen to be gaining weight, even after following this

guide, we suggest you see a nutritionist or a doctor to discuss other reasons why you are still

gaining weight. You could also check out other diet plans, such as Weight Watchers or Jenny

Craig, and see if those diet plans work better for you.


Index

Alcohol, 11 Binges, 13 brain foods, 9 calories, 11 Diet, 13 Food pyramid, 2 Freshman fifteen v, i Gaining weight, 15 Gym, 6 Gym Class Schedule, 7

Gym Location, 6 Gym tips, 6 Healthy, 9 Healthy Snacks, 9 Metabolic Rate, 9 stress, v Treat Yourself Self, 13 Troubleshooting, 15 Weight gain, 15