Going away to school for the first time can be a stressful and overwhelming experience. Many students eat for comfort and in social settings, and the food isn’t always made up of healthy choices. There are many ways to avoid gaining weight during the freshman year of college, or any other year for that matter.
Make Healthy Food Choices
Dorm room pizza is a common occurrence every night of the week. It’s cheap, delivered right to the door, and easy to eat while studying. It's also filled with more saturated fat than anyone needs in his diet.
Healthier options for dorm room pizza include:
- Reduce the amount of cheese on the delivery pizza.
- Choose all veggie toppings; greasy meats like sausage and pepperoni add large amounts of fat.
- If someone else ordered the pizza and it’s covered in pepperoni, sausage and loaded with cheese, sponge the grease off of the top with a napkin, and eat just one slice, or remove the pepperoni and sausage.
- Whip up a custom dorm room pizza with items that can be kept in a small dorm fridge: whole wheat English muffins, squeezable pizza sauce, low fat mozzarella sticks (these are great to take to class too). Warm it up in the dorm kitchen’s microwave or toaster oven to have a snack that’s low in fat, high in fiber and healthy.
- Stay away from the Ramen noodles. Yes they’re cheap but loaded with simple carbohydrates and tons of salt, both of which will leave the body feeling bloated and heavy.
- Boxed macaroni and cheese can be found in a somewhat healthy version these days. Choose one with whole wheat pasta, use nonfat milk or water to make the cheese sauce and don’t add butter.
- If there is a dorm fridge available, buy baby carrots to munch on between meals. They will last longer than most other veggies.
Regular Exercise
Exercise and being active is also a major factor in avoiding weight gain. College students interested in weight loss and not gaining the “freshman 15” during any year will want to remain physically active on a regular basis.
- Walk or bike to any classes that are close enough. Saving money on bus fare is an added bonus.
- Search for any necessary college textbooks or needed lectures that can be downloaded to an mp3 or put on cd to listen to while walking or running around campus.
- Resistance bands can be easily used in the confined space of a dorm room and don’t require any storage space.
- Most colleges have a gym for students. If not, there is usually one located on or near the campus.
Making healthy food choices and getting regular exercise will help college students stay healthy and not gain the dreaded “freshman 15” that often accompanies that first year of school. Eat well and stay active to be healthy throughout the entire college experience.
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