As this week is the French Fry Free Week challenge and their salty, cholesterol clogging forms, I’ve been thinking about the Freshman 15 a lot.  I have unlimited meal swipes, so gaining  any amount of pounds this year sounds almost inevitable; the only problem is that I refuse to.  A girl on my floor told us during our first meeting that her brother came home with a Freshman 45.  To me, that’s terrifying!

In actuality, “students on average gain 3 to 10 pounds during their first 2 years of college,” and most of that happens during the FIRST semester of freshman year.  So even though the Freshman 15 is somewhat a myth, the weight gain is still realistic.  The key is to be really mindful of what you are doing to your body.  It’s something that I always remind myself about, even when I caved in to cheeseburgers at 10pm.

Studies have shown that a large contributor is the stress of being in a new setting; whether it being homesickness or new late night study habits, both can be extremely harmful on your body, especially when they are newly developed at a high rate.  And when it comes to homesickness, kids are usually not as used to eating on their own schedules with this much freedom when they are home (as seen in the photo below from my friends’ Walmart run last weekend).

Partying is also a considerable topic when it comes to weight gain amongst college students.  There are around 154 calories in one beer and 100 calories in a shot of vodka.  Taking my height (5-foot-11) and weight (none of your business) into calculations from calorieking.com, I’m supposed to have 1,250 to 1,450 calories per day.  The average daily intake for people is about 2,000.  After eating all day, how many calories are students going over to get a fun night in?

Through Leafy Greens and Happy Things, I want students to be able to realize that they have access to amazing on-campus facilities to stay happy and healthy.  Every post that I make will follow the journey in trying to stay as fit as possible through a time that is difficult for most.  Stay strong freshman: We’re going to make it through.