It is very common for students to enter college only to find that they rapidly start feeling their pants get tighter. This can often be referred to as the “Freshman Fifteen” referring to an average of fifteen pounds weight gain the first year of college.
Some people are able to shed this weight off fairly easily and dismiss this as simply a short chapter of their lives, however, some people are never able to get the weight back off and have an extra 15-20 pounds to carry around for the rest of their lives.
If you are hoping to avoid this common weight gain, here are some of the best tips to make sure that it doesn’t happen to you.
Be Active
One of the best things that you can do to avoid any sort of weight gain is to make sure that you are staying active. This means not sitting around on your phone when you have free time, but instead, using it to do something which gets your body moving.
Being active doesn’t necessarily have to mean going for a jog or joining a gym. Sometimes being active is as simple as going for a walk, or doing an activity which involves some sort of movement, like going bowling, or even going dancing with friends. By keeping an active lifestyle rather than a stagnant one, you will ensure that you are much less likely to gain weight.
Avoid Processed Foods
One of the biggest reasons that people are prone to weight gain during this period of their lives is because of their limited budgets. With the time restraints of school as well as still being in the process of learning a skill which will earn them a living, students are often limited to a very small amount of money to be able to do their shopping.
Therefore, sometimes the cheapest options happen to be things which are processed and have very little nutritional content. Try to look for some options which are still affordable yet fewer calories and don’t come out of a plastic container. Many vegetables are very affordable and have a high amount of nutrition which will not only avoid weight gain but also serve as brain food in order to be a better student overall.
Limit Beer Consumption
The college years are known for wild parties and drinking beer. Although this is part of the territory, it’s important to remember that not only can beer lead to a big belly and poor nutritional choices, but it can distract you from your studies and potentially put you in dangerous situations.
Try to limit beer consumption and opt for something lighter if you must drink. And as always, remember to drink responsibly without getting behind a wheel.
