Fighting the Freshman 15: How to Keep the Weight Off

 

There’s nothing like your first year in college. You gain freedom, friends and fun but unfortunately, you may also gain weight, which many affectionately call the “Freshman 15.” A 2009 study conducted by Utah State University found that–on average–freshmen gain about 10 pounds their first semester in college. The study concluded that sleeping late, eating unhealthy foods, drinking and lack of exercise all contribute to the weight gain. With little time, money and food choices limited to what you can forage in the dining hall, it’s tough to consistently make good health choices. With Back to School season already in full swing, BlackEnterprise.com provides some help for students to stop the Freshman 15 before it starts. Here are nutrition and fitness experts Taheerah Barney, Wendy Ida and Tracye McQuirter sharing their sage advice.

 

Taheerah Barney
Holistic Health Coach and Wellness Counselor
360nourishment.com

Barney was raised in a household where natural food and physical activity was the norm and things like soda were considered rare and exotic treats. “My mother, she used to chase us around the house, making my brother and I take cod liver oil,” recalls Barney.

Barney says she and her brother were also encouraged to play sports to stay fit. But those healthy habits quickly changed when she got to college and began smoking and drinking. “I was curious and it was part of the whole experience of being in college,” says Barney, who didn’t like the impact the bad habits had on her body. “I felt out of sorts not that long afterwards.”

Frequent colds and chronic fatigue pushed Barney to get back to her healthy roots after graduating. She eventually launched her own wellness business, 360 Nourishment.

For the class of 2015, Barney recommends creating good health habits now. Here are some of her tips.

LESS SUGAR:
Instead of having things like juice, soda and sweet tea, drink water. For water with a twist, add lemon or limes. If you do choose to drink juice, Barney says you should dilute the juice with half water. “Sugar is a huge culprit for health problems especially within the minority community,” she says. Barney also cautions against white carbohydrate like pizza, white bread and pasta, which break down to sugar.

SNACK SMART:
As a freshman you will spend many late nights chatting with your roommates, crashing frat parties or cramming until the sun comes up. In all these instances you’ll also be stuffing your face. For late night snacks Barney suggests things like eggs (which are cheap and high in protein), natural jerky and healthy fats like avocados. She also suggests eating raw fruits and veggies with nut butters.

STAY ACTIVE:
Barney recommends getting about 30 minutes of cardio each day. This doesn’t have to involve a gym, though many colleges include a membership with tuition. She suggests taking the stairs instead of the elevator, finding a free yoga class or even going out dancing with friends if it’s more fun.

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Tracye McQuirter
Public Health Nutrition Expert
Author of By Any Greens Necessary

McQuirter wasn’t always the vigilant vegan that she is today. “I was introduced to vegetarianism in the seventh grade,” she says. “I thought it was a crazy idea and never gave it a second thought.” But after hearing comedian and activist Dick Gregory speak about the state of health in the African-American community her sophomore year in college, McQuirter changed her lifestyle.

“He graphically traced the path of a hamburger from a cow on a factory farm, through the slaughterhouse process, to a fast food restaurant, to a clogged artery, to a heart attack” recalls McQuirter, of Gregory’s words. “I’d never heard anything like that before in my life and that stopped me cold.”

She also knows from personal

experience what it’s like to pack on the weight in college. “My freshman year I gained 25 pounds instead of the 15 pounds,” she jokes. Now McQuirter has made it her life’s goal to educate others about the benefits of eating right. Here are a few tips for first-years from a first-rate nutritionista:

EAT BREAKFAST:
McQuirter says breakfast should be your largest meal of the day. “Every freshman should be eating breakfast everyday, it makes you eat less throughout the day,” she says. This doesn’t mean, however, that you should have a short-stack of pancakes every morning. McQuirter says a fruit and veggie smoothie is very filling. Her recipe consists of fresh dark greens, like kale or spinach, frozen or fresh fruit, and a little almond, rice or coconut milk with water and dates.

GO GREEN:
McQuirter isn’t talking about being eco-friendly. She says you should have veggies twice a day and they should make up one-half to one-third of your plate. “Whatever vegetable it is that they’re serving, put that on your plate twice a day,” McQuirter says. She also advises that you should have a raw salad five days a week, substituting dairy based creamy dressings with oil and vinegar.

GRAIN IS GOOD:
McQuirter says whole grains like brown rice, bread and oats twice a day are a must. “Usually these days you can get brown rice in your cafeteria, they’re not just serving white rice,” she says.

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Wendy Ida
Nationally Certified Master Trainer, Nutritionist
Author of Take Back Your Life

Ida, a former corporate accountant, wore sizes 12 or 14 her entire life. In her early forties, she dropped down to a size four. Now, in her fifties, she’s healthier than many college students.

“I find, just as I found in myself, [people] feel like they should be following in the path of their parents–[people] feel that this is life–you get old, you get tired and you get sickly and your muscle joints ache–and that’s simply not true,” she says.

Ida, who worked in the corporate world for 20 years, knows better than anyone how easy it is to opt for fast instead of fresh food and sleeping in instead of working out. But she cautions against neglecting your health and urges college students to make the time for fitness and health despite busy schedules and limited food options. Here are her recommendations for the cub college kid:

TAILOR YOUR TASTE BUDS:
Ida suggests adding to your diet instead denying yourself things. Most important to add, she says, are green foods. She stresses how imperative it is to get used to the different tastes and textures that sometimes come with changing your diet. “You can eventually change your palette and what you want,” she says. So, instead of craving soda and pizza, you’ll want water and spinach salad.

COMPACT CONDITIONING:
Like Barney, Ida says you don’t have to be a gym rat to stay fit. While a lot of schools have gyms and include membership fees in tuition, working out can often be intimidating. So if you’re a little gym-shy, Ida recommends a low-maintenance, dorm friendly, workout regiment. “You don’t really need one piece of equipment,” she says. She suggests exercises that use your body weight like squats, dips and push ups. If you want to up the ante, you can invest in compact equipment that can be used in the privacy of your own room like dumbbells, jump ropes or a door gym.

MAINTAIN MOTIVATION:
As a fitness professional, Ida knows better than anyone that it’s easy to get bored with a workout routine so she says you must enjoy what you’re doing. “If you love dancing and someone tells you there’s a hip-hop class or a salsa class–you’re going to have a good time there, so you’re going to be motivated to go,” she says. Ida suggests consistently shaking things

up as a way to help you stay motivated. She advises setting realistic goals for yourself and achieving them to stay pumped. “Measure your progress–that’s probably one of the biggest motivational things is when you see that things are happening to your body, and you’re moving forward in some fashion,” she explains.

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But fighting the freshman 15 isn’t just a matter of vanity. All three women emphasized the professional, economic and personal benefits of eating healthy and staying in shape. “When I was still in the corporate accounting arena,” says Ida, “I would go and I’d workout early in the morning, and I would go into the office so refreshed, so lucid in the mind.”

Ida says as her health improved so did her performance at work. She says for some this can translate into promotions and increased pay. She also points out the potential to save money. “You will save on health care,” she says. “You won’t have to go to the doctor as often.”

Barney says being healthy makes people better prepared to manage the stress of the professional world. “The healthier you are mentally, nutritionally and physically, the more capable you’re going to be of handling the stress that’s ultimately going to come from being in the professional world,” she asserts.

She also believes that, on a personal level, a healthy body helps you have a healthy mind. “If you take care of your body, your body will take care of you for as long as it can.”

McQuirter agrees. “Really, it’s all about love,” she says. “Eating healthy foods–fruits, and vegetables and whole grains–doing this for ourselves so that we can be physically and mentally and spiritually in our bodies is an act of self love.”