Weighing in on the ‘Freshman 15'
Fast food, lack of physical activity, and changing lifestyles are to blame for the increased ballooning-effect on college students across Canada.
Although the fact that college and university students gain fifteen pounds in their first year of studies is actually an over-exaggerated myth, according to two Guelph University professors, freshman students increased weight is still a concern.
Alison Duncan of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, and Janis Randall Simpson of the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition studied more than 100 first-year students from the University of Guelph.
They found that females gained only five pounds — not fifteen — from the time they left high school, to the end of the first year of university. They also increased their body mass index, overall body fat and waist circumference.
“Although five pounds is not as bad as the mythical 15-pound gain, it is still cause for concern because it represents a significant increase in body weight,” Duncan said.
Amidst an exciting time, students face many challenges and obstacles to good eating in their first year of university, Duncan said.
For many young adults, according to Duncan, the first-year of university is their first opportunity to live alone and make independent choices, so maintaining a healthy diet can be difficult considering students are busy with classes, homework and socializing.
“We didn't find any increase in the female participants' caloric intake, so the weight gain was likely due to their changes in lifestyle,” Duncan said.
Diana Keuilian, certified personal trainer and author of Avoid The Freshman Fifteen, has a wealth of knowledge on why individuals gain weight during their post-secondary years, and offers advice on how to control this unhealthy issue.
Keuilian said that the changing lifestyles of college students play a major role in their decrease in activity and their subsequent weight gain.
“When students enter college most of them leave organized sports behind them. These students that were used to practicing five or more times a week for hours at a time are now left with no accountability to be active,” Keuilian said. “Couple this with the hectic schedule that most college students deal with, and it begins to make sense why most incoming freshman don't even make time to find the campus gym, let alone visit it regularly.”
Keuilian said that college life encourages an increase in the caloric intake for students as many social events include the consumption of food laden with calories.
“Fast food is cheap so it appeals to the budget of a college student,” Keuilian said. “Studying for long hours often leads to snacking for hours. Blended coffee drinks and smoothies are often staples in a college student's diet even though these items often pack more calories than a regular meal.”
Skipping breakfast and eating late at night are two reasons why Keuilian said college student's metabolism is being killed, once again contributing to the weight increase.
“College students are notorious for crashing their metabolism by poorly managing their diets,” said Keuilian. “This occurs when a student eats too few meals, and ends up eating extra large meals once or twice a day instead of proportional meals throughout the day.”
Keuilian said the first step in avoiding weight gain is to be aware of the things that cause it.
“My advice to any college student with the desire to maintain their weight is to take the time to create a plan of action,” Keuilian said. “It is important to understand the causes of college weight gain along with the simple things you can do to combat these causes.”
Coinciding with the findings by Duncan and Randall Simpson, Keuilian said she believes the weight gain by college freshmen is an obvious concern.
“The ‘freshman fifteen' is a huge concern to college students,” Keuilian said.
“College students know they are walking into a weight gain trap when they step onto campus, and I believe that these students deserve to know how they can avoid this dreaded weight gain,” she added. “Being overweight is not just about vanity anymore. Many college-aged students are facing health risks as serious as heart disease and diabetes. Maintaining a healthy body weight is the best medicine available for warding off disease.”
Although the fact that college and university students gain fifteen pounds in their first year of studies is actually an over-exaggerated myth, according to two Guelph University professors, freshman students increased weight is still a concern.
Alison Duncan of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, and Janis Randall Simpson of the Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition studied more than 100 first-year students from the University of Guelph.
They found that females gained only five pounds — not fifteen — from the time they left high school, to the end of the first year of university. They also increased their body mass index, overall body fat and waist circumference.
“Although five pounds is not as bad as the mythical 15-pound gain, it is still cause for concern because it represents a significant increase in body weight,” Duncan said.
Amidst an exciting time, students face many challenges and obstacles to good eating in their first year of university, Duncan said.
For many young adults, according to Duncan, the first-year of university is their first opportunity to live alone and make independent choices, so maintaining a healthy diet can be difficult considering students are busy with classes, homework and socializing.
“We didn't find any increase in the female participants' caloric intake, so the weight gain was likely due to their changes in lifestyle,” Duncan said.
Diana Keuilian, certified personal trainer and author of Avoid The Freshman Fifteen, has a wealth of knowledge on why individuals gain weight during their post-secondary years, and offers advice on how to control this unhealthy issue.
Keuilian said that the changing lifestyles of college students play a major role in their decrease in activity and their subsequent weight gain.
“When students enter college most of them leave organized sports behind them. These students that were used to practicing five or more times a week for hours at a time are now left with no accountability to be active,” Keuilian said. “Couple this with the hectic schedule that most college students deal with, and it begins to make sense why most incoming freshman don't even make time to find the campus gym, let alone visit it regularly.”
Keuilian said that college life encourages an increase in the caloric intake for students as many social events include the consumption of food laden with calories.
“Fast food is cheap so it appeals to the budget of a college student,” Keuilian said. “Studying for long hours often leads to snacking for hours. Blended coffee drinks and smoothies are often staples in a college student's diet even though these items often pack more calories than a regular meal.”
Skipping breakfast and eating late at night are two reasons why Keuilian said college student's metabolism is being killed, once again contributing to the weight increase.
“College students are notorious for crashing their metabolism by poorly managing their diets,” said Keuilian. “This occurs when a student eats too few meals, and ends up eating extra large meals once or twice a day instead of proportional meals throughout the day.”
Keuilian said the first step in avoiding weight gain is to be aware of the things that cause it.
“My advice to any college student with the desire to maintain their weight is to take the time to create a plan of action,” Keuilian said. “It is important to understand the causes of college weight gain along with the simple things you can do to combat these causes.”
Coinciding with the findings by Duncan and Randall Simpson, Keuilian said she believes the weight gain by college freshmen is an obvious concern.
“The ‘freshman fifteen' is a huge concern to college students,” Keuilian said.
“College students know they are walking into a weight gain trap when they step onto campus, and I believe that these students deserve to know how they can avoid this dreaded weight gain,” she added. “Being overweight is not just about vanity anymore. Many college-aged students are facing health risks as serious as heart disease and diabetes. Maintaining a healthy body weight is the best medicine available for warding off disease.”
