Tuesday Tips: Avoiding Weight Gain in a S.N.A.P.

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Screen Shot 2015-05-06 at 4.44.59 AMDuring college. After college.

Freshman fifteen.

Chances are you need no further definition to know precisely what I’m referring to.

Most people fall into one of two categories with regards to these additional pounds:

Those who gain the weight and become frustrated/depressed OR those who don’t gain, but spend far too many hours exercising/food-obsessing in effort not to and miss out on fun freshman experiences.

I’m here to offer you a middle ground.

To make the suggestion you may, in fact, gain a few pounds this first year away, but that it needn’t be the horrifying (tongue firmly planted in cheek here, People) experience you imagine.

I gained my freshwoman fifteen and a few other people’s as well.

35+ pounds heavier I found I merely registered surprised at my new fluffy midsection.

Why wasn’t I depressed?  The bulk (pun intended) of my gain happened while enjoying college life.

The constantly available food, late night pizza & gossip sessions, and new-to-me beer drinking all quickly padded my frame.

While I did decide (eventually) to shed the extra weight, it’s worth noting, again, how it was gained.

I was having fun.

Sure, I subsequently learned the tips I share below which may save you bulking as I did, but I believed then *and* now embracing the fun of my college years was more than worth a few additional curves.

I still tell the first year college students who will listen they have the rest of their lives to fret about weight should they choose, but only one college experience.

In my opinion those four years are too precious a time to waste focusing on exercise and calories to the exclusion of living.

Go out, have fun, meet people, stay up too late, miss class & loll in bed, try new things.

And yes.

Should some of these aforementioned things be off the beer & greasy ‘za variety—that’s just fine.

What do I wish someone had told me prior to my freshman year?

S.N.A.P.

This acronym is the key to preventing the freshman fifteen yet not being relegated to plain salads, water, & interminable treadmill time.

S. Six small meals a day. This will increase energy, boost metabolism, and lessen cravings.  The meals don’t need to be fancy (a few slices of low fat cheese & some fruit.  a cup of Cheerios & milk) or large (300 or so calories per meal) but they’ll keep your blood sugar levels even so you won’t become crazy-hungry and grab the nearest available food-option.

N. No mindless eating. Easier said than done, but a good habit to try and avoid starting.  Campus dining halls are social places and it’s easy to consume extra calories when chatting there with friends.  Try to be aware of what you put in your mouth (notice I did not say calorie count) when you’re hanging out & not enjoying the bites.

A. Assess your options. Whether making food in an apartment or a communal setting, assess options before making a selection.  Mix & match offerings and get creative with your meal. Is dinner chicken, corn and mashed potatoes?  Is there a salad bar available?  Think outside the box: slice the chicken, plop it on some lettuce & veggies and make that your meal.  There are healthy options everywhere if you look for them!

P. Plan ahead. As with all things, fitness and healthy living planning will set you up for future success.  On the go for hours? Bring a healthy snack along  (look here for some ideas).  Planning a festive dinner out with friends?  Perhaps eat lightly (but eat!) during the day.   Plan activity into your day, too.  Anything from joining an athletic team to walking with a study partner burns extra calories and keeps your metabolism elevated.  As with your eating, get creative with finding your exercise time.

tricep dips

stop, drop and tricep dip!

 

Most important: Have fun.

Get out and LIVE.

Life is too, too short not to.

It’s amazing how, when you’re enjoying yourself & LIVING fully, things really will fall into place in a S.N.A.P.

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Comments

  1. Exactly like you I gained mine and someone elses! I think alcohol and food had a lot to do with mine. I think the best way to avoid it, in retrospect would be to eat more meals at the apt than out at fast food hangouts.

    But most importantly I think students should get involved in some campus activity. Whether you get involved in a sport or the debate team, it will still mean more walking, being busier and less time vegging around eating.

    So yeah-get involved!

  3. I gained some weight in college, but probably not as much as I should have (considering all the alcohol and Doritos consumed) since I walked all over campus…and it was a hilly campus to boot! So my advice would be to sneak your exercise in whenever you can (hence the walking) and watch your snack intake…otherwise, have fun and enjoy the ride!

  4. great tips. I have no advice as I gained the Freshman 65 and have yet to lose it. The only thing that I could say is that most schools have a gym for students to use either very low cost or even free as part of your student service fees….use it. It is a great place to meet people and people watch.

  5. I have seen you mention this before and have always loved it.

    The notion that HOW one gains the weight is crucial. As Oprah says it isn’t about the FOOD.
    I gained lots of weight at university but I was depressed and lonely.

    Big difference and the way to shed the pounds was quite different as well as something was eating at me. It was not that I was having fun.

    Great article.

  6. I didn’t have a car in college, so I biked and walked everywhere. I think that alone kept me fit. Also, I was required to take some PE classes my first year, so I took aerobics (shiny tight blue pants!). It was AFTER college, when I bought a car and sat behind my high-powered desk (well, OK, I started out answering phones) that I became fat.

  7. I think the ASSESS part is the most important.

    When I was in school I know I would eat crap (can I say that here? :)) and then whine about the fact we had no good choices.

    It can be hard to NOT see things as a whole and realize you can find and eat only the good parts of what is offered and leave the rest on the plate.

  8. I gained 30 pounds, and kept gaining after college and into married life. I ended up morbidly obese, after starting college at a completely normal, HEALTHY weight.

    These are great tips, and ones I wished I had followed before things got out of control and I had to work so hard to get my life back!

  9. I gained (wait for it) almost 60 lbs between the end of high school and the beginning of my sophomore year. I had a boyfriend back home (another regret, seriously) so I didn’t feel the need to go out, or look good, or anything. I gained the “first year of teaching 40” and am still trying to lose all that.
    Thanks for the hints, as usual, they’re simpler than I try to make them!

  10. I thought I was chubby in high school but looking at old pictures, I was fine. If I could go back and do it all again, I would eat less french fries, take less trips up to the food line, and not eat so much 3 am pizza in college. I drank a lot, slept a lot and gained A LOT. My sophmore year I ended up losing weight because I got into going to the gym and only eating two large meals a day. Junior year I got more heavily involved with my rugby team, which meant a kick ass workout and then tons of free beer to follow. Senior year I lost 25 pounds on WW and had my own kitchen. I smoked a lot of cannabis because I was miserable, so that helped me not to drink liquor and eat 3 AM pizza. But gained it back when I graduated.

    Up and down and all around, now I am a few pounds up from my high school weight, and I’m still struggling. But this is the healthiest I’ve ever been as far as eating and exercise are concerned.

  11. I’m with Mara. It was way more than 15. I had been an athlete and fitness instructor while in junior college. After two years I went off to a university and the focus was on heavy course loads. No one was paying me to work out anymore, there was no mandatory track practice. Yet, I continued to eat whatever I wanted at the very conveniently located dining commons across the walkway from my dorm. And when I moved off campus. As a result, I just ballooned up. If I could go back and change something, I would’ve found more time for exercise and slowed down in the chow line. Next year it will be (ahem) 20 years since I graduated college. I hope the information here helps someone experiencing it for the first time.

  12. TOTALLY! Even though I’m not currently looking to lose weight, I moved from the lower end of the weight scale for my height to the mid-high range my senior year of college and I blame it on the al-al-al-al-al-alcohol (Hi, Jamie Foxx). It definitely filled me out in a good way, but that was thanks to the fact that I also was working out and making relatively smart food choices on a daily basis. It’s amazing to me that you can do both of those things and alcohol will still make you gain. But like you, I had the time of my life and it was worth every minute 🙂

    I think all of your tips are fabulous! For me, mindless eating is the most important one. Especially if you are going to consume alcohol, because it definitely impacts 1) what you eat and 2) how much of it you eat. If you know you’re going to be drinking, “plan ahead” and bring healthy food with you that you can turn to when your other friends decide they are going to order pizza! And, as always in life, don’t give in to peer pressure!

  13. I think I’m young in comparison to many of your readers as I’m in college right now 😉

    Thanks for the awesome video reminder about how little things add up.

    I tend to view my exercise as black & white: if I can’t do 30 min.I don’t do anything.

    Love your acronyms 😉

  14. I wish I could have gained them while having as much fun as possible. It’s a shame that some of us feel better about ourselves and able to step out only after this time in our lives. I spent too much time feeling self conscious and not good enough instead of enjoying myself. I wouldn’t have worried about the extra poundage if I could.

  15. I am well beyond my college days but now in the midst of another life change, I have added a lb or two. The culprit: MINDLESS EATING. Since losing my job, I am home way to much and I seem to eat out of stress, or guilt, or convenience, or proximity, or sleeplessness.

    I love the notion of S.N.A.P. …I just need to gain focus on the “N”….no mindless eating!!!

    Thanks, MizFit

  16. I was a smoker, not an eater, in college so no weight gain then. My method is not recommended.

    I park far away from the grocery store door, and I tend to fidget. That’s about it for me.

  18. Isn’t college one big mindless eating session??

    🙂 yes in a way. and YES FOR SURE if you let it be.

    I just wish Id thought more about hanging out with my friends and laughing and eating when I realized it!

    too often it was aforementioned hanging and laughing and BeforeIEvenKnewIt Id inhaled 6 slices of pizza without enjoying a chew…

  19. I didn’t gain. I spent 45 minutes a day at the gym, and walked all over to get to my classes, and limited myself to one dessert at dinner.

  20. I was an obsesser in college. Although when I got engaged, I was so happy with my new love that I gained a ton of weight then! You should see my wedding pics: full of round-cheeked grins. Love your SNAP acronym – so wonderfully sensible.

  21. I think the biggest thing is to stay active — it’s all too easy to fall into the class/study/sleep routine with no time for anything else.

    If you were active in sports in high school (or wanted to be!) then join a club and participate! If you ran during high school but aren’t exactly collegiate material, then start running 5 or 10 ks to stay motivated.

    Join a hiking club, or a biking club, or a walking club — you get the idea 🙂

  22. I gained 20 lbs. in spite of having a lousy dorm cook. Problem was, I took matters into my own hands and was downing grilled cheese and peanut butter sandwiches by the truckload. And alcohol? Don’t get me started. The only kind that proved a zero net effect was grain alcohol but that’s because after drinking it for the first part of the night, I spent the second part throwing up. And who says kids never learn anything in college?

  23. In college, I was the smallest I have ever been in my adult life because even though I was eating pizza everyday, and making midnight runs to the convenience store for Slim Jim’s and Ding Dongs (and let’s not forget the amount of beer the normal college student ingests), I was also extremely active. My college town was small so I walked nearly everywhere, plus I worked as a waitress 30 hours a week, plus every weekend was spent at a club dancing for hours on end. My evil roommate (who is my very best friend btw) made me walk with her for 45 minutes every damn day of my college life, so I was super thin and toned. But we had so much FUN. I wasn’t worried about what I ate or gaining weight – I was too busy having a blast!

    Hmmm…I think I may have just re-discovered my new fitness routine! (minus the beer and club scene)

  24. I really love it when you talk about this issue.

    I didn’t get interested in health until first year university, with the result that I lost the extra weight I’d been carrying around in high school.

    The good thing about university/college is that students are so busy and on the go constantly that it’s easy to incorporate exercise into lifestyle activity (walking around campus, taking the stairs, using your feet/bike for any kind of transportation). Also, it means that you don’t have a lot of free time to sit around and mindlessly eat. So if you plan ahead what your meals will be, it’s easier to eat well than during the holidays when you have lots of free time for boredom eating.

    The most important thing for me is to study where there isn’t any food. If I’m studying at home, I could eat a day’s worth of calories within half an hour without even noticing. So I study at school where there’s no food to snack on. Bonus: less distractions (such as blogging, hehe) to interrupt study sessions.

  25. The Freshman 15 comes back at menopause as the Mighty Midlife Menopause Middle so whatever you do to work off the 15lbs as a youngin, keep it in your head for midlife. Better not to gain as a freshmen and just keep the middle chub free as possible.
    Gotta go, my belly is hitting some keys on the keyboard.

  26. I actually lost weight my first 2 years in college, thanks to living with my grandmother who taught me about healthy eating and getting in exercise everyday even if it was just walking in the morning. Before her, I had adopted terrible eating habits (sorry Mom) and I was a bit of a Chubby McChubbster my Junior & Senior year of highschool. Unfortunately, when I did go away on my own to a different city, I gained a good 50 lbs (eek) the last 2 years of college on my own. Too much fun with my new found freedom…I lived for & on fast food and in my final year of school I realized something had to change. Seriously…it’s crazy what 50 lbs. will do to a body even a 20 something body. I had constant indigestion, reflux, breathing problems, blood sugar problems, back problems…that extra weight was literally killing me. Thus I started eating breakfast (KEY) and getting active. It’s been a long fight and I will forever struggle with my weight, but I now have the years of experience and tools to lose the weight and get in shape. I wish I knew then what I know now…but don’t we all. Wow, this has been a really long comment…sorry Miz. I guess my point is, yes college was fun, but I think it would have been even more so had I taken better care of myself.

  27. LOL @POD but so true.

    I gained a lot when I went from an office job to freelancing.

    The Freelance Few?
    That would work if it had been only a few.

    Great post and reminder that this is college and beyond.

  28. I just saw some pictures on Facebook from college and I didn’t realize I was fat when I started and fat when I finished! I thought the constant diet of coffee, Nicotine and beer somehow made me thinner during that time.

    My school was small and very strict on attendance so 4 hours sleep a night didn’t help I’m sure!

  29. Did you gain the freshperson many along with me? Any tips/insights for how NOT to get a MizFit Fluffy Freshwoman Midsection?

    I gained mine and I think about 3 of my friends. I just let myself go with all the food and fun. I love your tips for enjoying but not going overboard. You can go get pizza but eat 2 instead of 4 slices. Just be aware that fun doesn’t mean eating everything in sight. Also have good options available for those late night munchies after the beer.

    Successfully navigate the sugared & grease-laden waters of college gaining nary a pound? Please to divulge your secrets.

    Use the many options. You don’t have to have it just because its there. Mix and match. I’d often put some lunch meat from the sandwich bar on my salad or have A slice of pizza with a salad. And cereal is a great crunchy snack. Look ahead at the menus so you can have a plan instead of just going hungry and eating everything in sight.

    Got any other tips for avoiding weight gain as we make our way through this pitfall laden obstacle course of life?

    HAVE SNACKS!!! I know as a college student you don’t have lots of money…but its cheaper to go buy some healthy stuff that won’t go bad than it is to have to go buy stuff at the snack shop or pizza place. It will keep your hunger at bay so that you don’t overdo it in the dining hall.

    And get involved in things like intermural sports with friends. I did intertube water polo and boy was that a hilarious workout. Fun with friends and exercise…great combo.

  30. Heh..I was already fluffy when I got to the dorm life…but I found it was actually no change for me, altho my friends did fluff up to match me over the time there. Living in the dorm there was less freeely available food than at home so I sort of plateaued, but friends who’d never had the chance of a giant cafeteria full of food and eternal iced cream lappe dit up and fluffed up.
    I just kept what I had…
    I agree about the just doing things and trying to eat better. I found it wasn’t until I lived on my own in an apartment that I was able to get at my eating habits and lose weight…for me it was not enough exercise. I think doing more intramural stuff would have helped me a lot.

  31. more when Im not rolling on the handheld but comment #3 has stuck in my mind since this morning.

    And in kind of a sad way.

    Life is too short to obsessfret about the gaining of weight.

    Be aware.
    Be an informed consumer.
    Move consistently every day.
    No for hours. Perhaps not even officially exercise. Just MOVE.
    Be happy.
    Explore new experiences.
    Be social.
    Push your comfort zones & do something which challenges you every day.

  32. My kid is only a junior in high school, but I’ll continue to remind her of this post for the next two years. Me thinks it will take that long for the SNAP to absorb into her noggin.

  33. I am just learning (after working on this for 4 1/2 years) that small meals are okay. Like one-item meals! I used to have to have the traditional 3 or 4 items on a plate meal. But I really like eating frequently and only having one thing at a time. I don’t worry so much about getting hungry because I know I will eat again in 2 1/2 or 3 hours.

  34. Interesting perspective – I agree, it is important to enjoy your college experience without obsessing about exercise and calories. Personally, I had a lot of trouble striking a balance. For me, it was a little too much all-or-nothing. I actually lost the freshman-fifteen (actually 25) rather than gaining (I was already overweight before beginning college). It was mostly because I was so busy, I was away from my Mom’s wonderful but high calorie home cooking, and I just got in the habit of buying healthy foods right from the beginning. In a weird way, instead of feeling the freedom to go eat junk food, I felt the FREEDOM to stock my own kitchen with my own healthy foods. And it really did feel like freedom. Well, my sophomore/junior years, I completely went in the opposite direction. I think I was tired of missing out on fun because I was so intently focused on my academic goals, that I just lost it. I gained about 60 pounds in the next couple years. I really had a hard time with finding a middle ground, and still do, to be honest, although I’m working on it.

  35. I didn’t do the freshman 15. Saved my weight gain for the fat & happy of marriage and kids. Eventually, I was just fat. At some point, I realized that fat & happy should be a state of mind, not 40 lbs that leave me breathless when playing in yard with the kids.

    Lost my weight over time, with small changes that added up. Some of the changes were conscious decisions, and some were things that fell into place as the original changes became natural parts of my daily routines.

  37. This is such good advice!!! I definitely gained the freshman 15 but I still maintain this was the most fun I had of all four years! I never once thought I looked “fat”, I just though my boobs were getting bigger (score!).

    Once I decided to try Weight Watchers with my sophomore roomate that carefree girl was gone forever. For the next 3 years (and some time after) I obsessed over what went into my mouth and the number on the scale. I wish I would have just enjoyed all four years and naturally that weight would have come back off once the partying calmed down after college.

    The one positive that came out of it all is I developed my love for working out and fitness. I was never obsessive with the working out part which is good. Just the counting points/calories….

  38. I so gained the freshman 15. And kept them on for a few years. Eek! I tried all sorts of drastic (stupid) ways to lose the weight and that was NOT good. It stayed on or came back because I wasn’t smart about it. My advice is everything in moderation. Trying to deny yourself leads to pigging out (at least it did for me).

  39. Our dining hall food was so nasty I think we’d have all lost weight if we ate there exclusively. I think the thing many college student don’t realize (I know I didn’t) is how easy it is to make a healthy meal. Turkey with lettuce and tomato on some good whole wheat bread is 1 million times better than most standard college fare and you can’t say it’s harder to make that than to make a pizza and beer run.

  40. Fill your plate up 2/3rds with vegetables at meals and your protein and carbs should only fill in the rest of the plate. That way you fill up faster on healthy, lower calorie foods, but you’re still eating plenty. Still hungry? Go back for seconds but fill your plate 2/3rds up with vegetables again.

    Yogurt and fruit make terrific snacks between meals too.

  41. Freshman 30. That was me as well and it took me years to get rid of it.
    I played soccer in college, worked out fairly regularly, and still gained the weight. Why? I’ll be honest: Beer, smoking the wacky tobacky, and eating tons of crap. Period.
    I thought if I still played soccer and ran I’d be OK. But I carried that extra weight with me for the rest of my college soccer career and thensome, so what gives?
    I stopped smoking for one. Then I stopped the crazy drinking. I still drink but one or two beers or glasses of wine a week, if that. And I started caring about my eats. Cutting out the crap made a huge difference in my life physically and mentally.
    Did I enjoy my college years? Hell yeah! But would I have enjoyed them any less if I had been more cautious about the crap I was putting in my body? No. I would still have drank, I just didn’t have to smoke, eat crap, and drink AS MUCH … because those 30 pounds really effected me for about 8 long years after college ended, and that’s something that I could have done without!

  42. I love your 6 mini meals suggestion.
    I’ve been doing this since your “MIZFIT” acroym.

    I don’t even call it breakfast or lunch anymore…it’s #1 or #5….

    I am also getting in regular, consistant exercise in and I have gotten off the scale and decided to be FIT and LIVE life and not worry so much about the rest!

    LOVING IT!

  43. At the risk of sounding like an old fogy, when I was a freshman in 1985, it was the “freshman ten.” It’s a sign of how our expectations and waistlines have expanded that people now think of it as “freshman fifteen” or even “freshman twenty.”

    I only gained five pounds as a freshman, but it was a struggle to keep it that low. A lot of the problem was the learning curve. I had no idea how many calories were in the foods being dished out by the cafeteria, and in those days they didn’t have as many food choices, nor did they allow one to opt out of a meal plan. My parents wouldn’t let me move to an apartment where I could do my own cooking, so I was pretty well stuck trying to guess at the overall healthiness of the foods I could choose from on the serving line.

    One thing that helped me big-time, though, was signing up for phys ed classes. I made sure that I was in a dance or exercise class every day, and that it was for credit, not something I could opt out of if I felt lazy.

    I’m a big believer in having fun in college and in one’s twenties in general. It’s the perfect time to do crazy things because you’ll look darn ridiculous trying to do those same things later on. Just party smart. Don’t eat and drink things you don’t really like, just because everyone else is. Eat as clean a diet as you can manage under your particular circumstances–many colleges have a terrific selection of healthy meal choices these days. Be active in some way, every day. And control stress with either some dedicated alone time (for introverts) or dedicated friend time (extroverts).

    Take care of yourself, but don’t overthink it, either. Learning to find that optimal balance is part of journey.

  45. I didn’t gain much my freshman year and actually lost my sophomore year due to a bad relationship/breakup, but the end of junior and senior years after turning 21 in a city where everything is 24 hours…huge gain. Then rolling right into a desk job after graduation, removing the little exercise I was getting running around campus…devastating.

    My advice – moderation. It’s what I practice now. Go to the kegger and have fun and partake, but get your exercise in and eat as healthy as you can beforehand. Get pizza with your friends at the 3am study session but limit it to one slice and make sure to watch it the next day.

  46. I worked full-time-plus and went to school at night, so my eating was on the go. Unfortunately, there were no chick-fil-a or subway options back then, and life was far too chaotic to shop & prepare my meals. (Don’t ask me how that’s any different from now.:)). For anyone doing the dawn-to-midnight work/school days, I’d suggest making a list of “allowable” foods and places to eat and sticking with it. A Luna Bar in the book bag is also a lifesaver.

  47. i don’t really remember freshman year, but I was also recovering from mono (great way to spend the summer after you graduate from hs) so i probably did gain some. i had a tough time with the transition from grad school to post-doc, but that was all emotional eating… oops!

    ps- recap is up 🙂

  48. Joy, this resonated with me:

    I didn’t do the freshman 15. Saved my weight gain for the fat & happy of marriage and kids. Eventually, I was just fat.

    I think that THAT happened in a way for me as well.

    I gained the freshwoman many and was totally happy didnt care.
    When I decided to lose it—Id started to care. It started to weigh me down.
    this was waaaay after college.
    good point.

  49. I put on 15 pounds at the beginning of college, but that was it. (Looking back, I was still within normal weight range for my height.) Freedom! Friends! Frozen yogurt and Cowboy Cookies! And our college was hilly, so lots of walking. Some PE classes. And I had to work to pay my staggering phone bills to long distance boyfriend, so that helped with the exercise. (And when you’ve spent time working in the dishroom, it kind of takes away your appetite for mindless dorm eating.)

    No, what really got me struggling was Life After College, when (for so long) graduating college had been my goal. I got a great job, but it was also a very sedentary job with a commute, and too many poor food choices. And no interest in exercise. Bad combination, that.

  50. Thanks so much for the “SNAP” analogy! I’ve written it down and stuck it in my wallet, hopefully that will help me to stay closer to on plan while I’m on vacation!

    As for fitting in exercise? I do squats when I’m loading the washing machine! Seriously!! I lay my laundry basket on the floor and then I squat and pick up one item at a time, lift and toss it into the washer. (My husband likes to laugh at me while I’m doing it!)

  51. Hi, MizFit. I think I gained a “freshperson,” too! But I also had to laugh with bunnygirl’s comment, because I think we called it the “Freshman 10,” also. (Hmmm … I’m the same age as you, bunnygirl!)

    Anyway, yes, I think just having no limits for the first time ever can make freshman kind of indulge and lose sight of things — whether it’s beer or parties or Captain Crunch cereal. I remember watching the football players in my dorm walk by with trays of food LOADED to the top with ice cream bars! They must have had 20 ice cream bars on there at every meal, like they’d never had an ice cream bar before! I think having so much available to you with no limits is such a temptation, but your advice of “SNAP” is excellent.

    And raising our little ones to make choices all their lives is a good strategy, too, as I’ve heard you say about your little Tornado. Those football players may have been denied ice cream as kids! Who knows? But if we help our kids grow up making healthy choices all the time (not keeping treats completely away, but showing our kids how to enjoy them in moderation and in good health), I think it helps them make healthy choices when they’re on their own, too.

  52. I’ve lost over 150 pounds after discovering I had a gluten intolerance! I weighed almost 400 pounds and was told I’d never get it off without the help of lap band surgery. Searching alternatives, I discovered the gluten issue. I gave up wheat, oats and barley and lost almost 80 pounds right away. I was told that 1 in 3 women develop a gluten sensitivity in peri-menopause. This success led to more progress and I am currently chipping away at the remaining weight. My new book, Fat Boxing, A Guide to Weight Loss explains the simple process and philosophy I used. If you want to learn more, I write a weight loss article for Examiner.com where you can view my “report card”.

  53. Wow, great timing Miz! I start college in two weeks and was wondering how I would deal. I tend to obsess over calories and workouts so yeah… I will definitely remember the SNAP method and remember to ENJOY, not worry about how my stomach looks. After all, college only comes once.

    Besides, I am cooking myself and I tend to eat healthy anyway… also, I’ll be walking everywhere (it’s a city! =D) it’s just the alcohol I’m worrying about ahaha

  54. I was one of the fortunate people who didn’t gain the freshmen 15 – but it wasn’t because I was careful about it. I definitely lived it up my first year. I gorged on the buffet-style food at the campus dining halls, indulged in games of beer pong, and stuffed myself with cheese fries late at night.

    My secret? Living in the dorm at the top of the hill. UCLA is a huge campus and it took 15 minutes of walking just to get to my classes, and going back to my room required walking up 3-4 flights of stairs.

    I did, however, gain the first-year-at-work-15. When I started working, I sat a a desk for 10 hours a day. I’m STILL trying to work off the extra poundage!

  55. I did not gain the freshman 15 lbs. When I started college I was a size 4 and weighed 105 lbs. It wasn’t until after I graduated college and started working that I began gaining some extra weight. I think it’s being stuck behind a computer daily and not moving as much as Idid back in college that gets ya!

  56. I wholly agree with the ‘have fun’. I had a blast. I had no weight issues at that age though. I was thin and still looked good in my painted on Jordache jeans. I was always on the go in college though, lots of big hills and no car. I couldn’t afford to eat all of the time and food was not allowed in our rooms. So, I pretty much stuck to lunch and dinner. I never got up early enough for breakfast. Guess third meal was beer.

    Now, I’m embarking on a new once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m going to have fun. I’m going to enjoy it, not kill it by obsessing. If I eat something I normally wouldn’t now and then because no better choice is available, so be it. If I miss a few workouts, so be it. When I’m less busy, I will be at my usual routine. If I don’t allow myself that flexibility, I’ll go bonkers. And I’d rather not. I’d rather just enjoy where I’m at. I earned it. I deserve it.

  57. Fantastic post–and not just for college students. Lots of great wisdom there. My favorite quote: “It’s amazing how, when you’re enjoying yourself & LIVING fully, things really will fall into place in a S.N.A.P.” SO TRUE and yet so hard to believe when you are caught up in that diet/weight/obsessing mentality. As someone who spent way too much time in college worrying about this stuff when I should have been just..being in college..I really appreciate your post. And by the way, just have to underline: worrying and obsessing doesn’t solve anything…it just leaves you worried and obsessed.

  58. looking back at college (FIVE!?!?! years in may), it’s a wonder i didn’t gain more weight … but then again …

    i played club hockey (games/practice in season took up 5 days a week), almost always walked or biked to class (.5-1mi each way), played intramural sports, reffed as my job and joined a hockey class as well by senior year. i also made sure to eat breakfast every day. rarely ever drinking probably also helped …

    however, i ate like crap for the most part. dinner at the dining hall (usually gross anyway) was always done by the time i got out of practice, so my options were fast food crap at the student union, the late nite cafe (greasy appetizers, basically) or the local restaurants (none of which were all THAT healthy). freshman year, i basically ate chicken parm and a coffee frappe every night. the mid years, dinner was a strawberry/banana smoothie, cheese sticks, chicken fingers and, when they had them, mac and cheese bites.

    yeah. luckily, i ended up shaping up a bit more senior year by taking a weight training course, but still.

    oh, i ended up gaining about 20 pounds over the course of college, but i think part of that was a SUPER late puberty spurt sophomore year as stuff that fit in january weirdly didn’t fit in may … by not changing ANYTHING. yeah.

  60. Practically speaking? There are always a few healthy options at the dining halls; you just have to know how to look.

    Salad bar with beans and dried fruit instead of dressing; maybe a little bit of olive oil and vinegar to hold it all together.

    Open-faced sandwich (that means only one piece of bread!) on something all-natural and whole grain with lots of lettuce and sprouts.

    Peanut butter and banana for dessert.

    Those were things I could always count on in the dining hall, even if all the other options sucked.

    I lost weight at college, more each year. Having a set eating schedule helped. And always heading to the dining hall with friends helped (you can’t eat as much or as fast when you’re chatting). And I walked or roller-bladed EVERYWHERE. But what really helped me keep the weight off (and get in the best shape of my life) was finding something I truly loved, i.e. the triathlon team. And even though we occasionally ate ridiculous nachos and drank lots and lots and lots (you metabolize alcohol quickly after running and biking for 3-4 hours in a day) of beer, I got down to the lowest weight of my post-pubescent life.

    The key is to find something you love. It also helps to have a liberal arts major (more free time).

  61. Your tips are pretty dead on. I did gain the freshwoman 15, almost exactly, and was one of those people who got obsessed and depressed. I’m still in college, though now my 3rd year and I am fitting into the clothes I fit into in my slimmest and strongest stage. I have essentially come to follow the guidlines you mentioned and still have plenty of fun. I go out, I drink with friends, but I am more aware of what I want from myself and life: including happiness and no unnecessary stress associated with food. I’ve finished with tracking meals and calories. I feel, I eat, I live, and it is so liberating! I see some girls here who are really stressed about it and they get crazy about food, one way or the other, and I’m now working with the school counsoler to help any of the ones who have questions. I also am the new Nutrition’s teaching assistant and I run the Women’s Fitness Classes here. I just remember not knowing how I gained the weight and HOW to deal with the negativety associated with it, so I want these girls to have something more that they can turn to. I loved your post, and it is good to write about!

  62. While living on campus, my friends and I noticed that when we consciously filled our plate only ONCE at the cafeteria it made a significant difference with portion control, rather than taking several trips mindlessly and piling on uneccesary food each trip.

    Having a GYM BUDDY helped as well to stick to exercise, especially for group fitness classes.

    Lastly, consciously keeping my room SNACK-FREE helped curbed a stress-induced appetite.

    Thanks for this post!

  63. Even though I did gain I did have some strategies-

    I demolished the salad bars- salad bars are exciting (to me) and with lots of options I didn’t get bored. Then for everything else I only ate “worth it” things- Custom Omelets on Friday nights (light meal before the parties) YES, homemade waffles on Sundays (to soak up the drinks) YES… they same old pizza that’s there every day or the sketchy meatloaf- pass!

    Breakfast- there was always oatmeal and cereal options to get something healthy.

    If only I had avoided the dessert line… 🙂

  64. MIZ where was this post 5 years ago when CB was ordering pizza from the 24 campus delivery??? Totally agree with SNAP though, I had a blast freshman year- then spent the next 2 secluding myself and worrying way too much about my version of “health” and fitness…a big roller coaster that makes life in college a lot harder than it already is!

  65. It’s probably already been mentioned, but back when I was in school, it was the Freshman Five. We just keep getting bigger, don’t we?

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