Photo by National Human Genome Research Institute, via Wikimedia Commons
Ashley Valentin/Contributing Writer
The day I tried to button up my favorite pair of shorts and couldn’t is the day the world almost exploded. Dogs started howling, babies began to cry and a select few trees spontaneously caught fire. Angrily, I vowed never to have Chick-fil-A for lunch again. In fact, not even mid-study break Frappuccinos would be safe from the wrath of the diet I vowed to undertake. Nope. It was low calorie juices and whole wheat crackers for me! This declaration of weight loss lasted for a grand total of one week before the thought of Moe’s Queso seduced me into making the long walk to PG5. The 15 pounds I have gained since starting college has yet to melt off me (and yes, it actually has been exactly 15 pounds), but I love my Frappuccinos too much to mind.
Cartoon by Giovanni Garcia/FIUSM
However, according to the Huffington Post, I’m an exception. Most students don’t gain 15 pounds (otherwise known as the “freshman 15”) at college at all. Typically the weight gain is around 5 pounds, and it doesn’t happen in one semester, but rather over the span of their college years. The weight gain is usually only a result of your body growing to its adult size in height and weight, and should be viewed as a normal part of getting older, not because you’re overeating.
“A recent Ohio State University study that included data from 7,418 young people over the course of their college years found that women and men, on average, gained three pounds during their freshmen year. Less than 10 percent of the freshmen gained 15 pounds (or more), and a full quarter of the students actually lost weight in their first year,” writes the Huffington Post.
So the freshman 15 is a big ol’ myth. Then why has the term reached the ear of every new student craving snacks on campus? The transition to college is sometimes overwhelming. There’s the stress of financial aid, clubs, living on your own and paying bills. It’s often assumed that this stress, combined with larger amounts of alcohol, staying up late and easy access to all kinds of unhealthy foods on campus will drive any unsuspecting college student into a binging, weight gaining frenzy, but this is simply not the case.
Freshmen, take a step back. There’s no need to add on more unnecessary stress over gaining weight. It really is no big deal. If you’re concerned about maintaining a healthy weight, there are plenty of healthy food and snack options on campus, as well as a pretty sweet gym accessible to all FIU students. There are more important things to worry about than gaining weight during your freshman year. Go ahead and enjoy that Frappuccino! You look great as is!
opinion@fiusm.com
Sources:
1. “Why The ‘Freshman 15’ Is A Lie,” via Huffington Post
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