In high school I was one of those skinny girls that everyone
hated. You know, the kind that could eat and eat but never
gain a pound. My typical lunch was a candy bar. I had ice
cream for dessert almost every night, and get this —
I never exercised! At 5'3", I weighed 100 pounds.
When I went to college I scoffed at the idea of the "Freshman
15." I thought it could never happen to someone like
me. So I continued with my normal eating habits. I don't cook,
and that posed a slight problem. I thought, "Well, if
I buy fast food, which I abhor anyway, I'll gain that Freshman
15. So I'll buy Lean Cuisine TV dinners instead and I'll be
just fine."
Wrong. By sophomore year I had gone up an entire dress size
and was now 119 pounds. In fact, I was in total denial. It
wasn't until my junior year, when I started a rigorous workout
program and healthy diet, and lost 15 pounds, that I realized
what had happened. It wasn't pizza really, or beer or fast
food. It was out-of-control snacking.
The Freshman 15 just snuck up on me. ME! The skinny girl who
was supposed to be able to eat anything and not gain an ounce.
Even when trying to squeeze into my old size 3 jeans, I still
didn't recall those times I came home from class and chowed
down on some Oreos or chocolate chip cookies with my roommate.
Most of us don't want to admit that in college our metabolism
can slow down and the eating habits we had as kids won't cut
it anymore. If you're going to college anytime soon, heed
my advice: It can happen to you. The best way to avoid the
Freshman 15 is to exercise regularly and to count
those calories. Keep a food journal. It really
helps to keep track of your caloric intake.
But whatever you do, don't crash diet or completely
deny yourself any favorite foods. You'll go crazy that way.
Have a dessert night every once in a while. The key is to
limit excessive amounts of fat. By keeping this in
mind, you can be the one to creep up on the Freshman 15 with
your personal fat combat system.
