From Diet Blog Share: The weight gain that plagues many college students their first year on campus can be prevented by monitoring a few habits that tend to get out of hand once dorm life begins. Pay attention to these common blunders and avoid coming home at the end of the semester with your seams bulging! 1) Skipping breakfast: It would seem to the casual observer that skipping breakfast saves calories and might lead to weight loss. However, the opposite effect is what results. The human body detects a lack of energy being fed and compensates by slowing the metabolism in an effort to conserve calories. Be sure to have something worthwhile in your stomach by say, 10 am. Even a glass of instant breakfast drink will help rev up your calorie-burning system for the day. 2) Eating fast food on a daily basis: While it might not be fun to make your own lunch–or maybe even uncool to be spotted in the school cafeteria–eating out for every meal can pile on as many as a thousand extra calories in just a single day. Think about easy options for your lunch–like making your own sandwich–or joining with a small group from your dorm to cook dinner together. Fast food consumers often believe they are choosing healthy options, but unless you examine the nutritional information (which is available from any fast food establishment or online) you won’t know that healthy sandwich has 800 calories, the baked potato lunch over 500, and even a salad more than 400 calories–before you even add the dressing. 3) Mindless snacking: With everpresent vending machines, snack bars, and all night pizza delivery, it’s easy to pick up on a new eating habit without realizing it. Students come home complaining of a 10 pound weight gain the first semester frustrated that they “didn’t change any eating habits” and can’t figure out how it happened. When pizzas

are ordered to get through a midnight study session, or a candy bar is grabbed three days a week after that stressful chemistry class, the mind does not always register that extra calories are being consumed. Food can be a source of comfort and distraction that is welcomed during the frazzling first year. Take note of these habits and try limiting “junk food” intake to no more than once a day. 4) Limited activity: While in high school, it may be taken for granted that playing in the yard with little siblings, walking the family dog, or a quick outside game with friends and neighbors contributes to daily calorie-burning. When these opportunities are missing at college, walking to class is often the best way to keep up the usual metabolic rate. All too often campuses provide a bus to tote students no more than two blocks to their next class. Unless there’s a down pour, or you feel you’re in danger of heat stroke, make the decision to walk or bike to all your classes and activities. (Of course, ladies should take advantage of the safety escort services provided, especially when walking after dark). The weight gain that commonly occurs during freshman year on campus can easily be traced to eating more high-calorie foods and expending less energy. Before going off to college, give some thought to how healthy meals will be planned, what strategies can be used when stress sets in and candy is tempting, and how to continue to expend energy through physical activity to keep a calorie balance that will maintain your ideal weight. Learning to manage these habits on your own this early in life will give you the advantage of a lifestyle that will keep you at a healthy and comfortable weight for years to come!

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[Forum] 4 Ways to Avoid the Freshman 15 Syndrome