(no subject)
Would You Like Fries With That?
"Do these make me look fat?" my roommate asked me as she walked into our living room with her favorite jeans hugging her waist and rear. They were the same jeans I had seen her wear all through our senior year of high school, and they certainly never seemed to fit her too tightly before. I noticed the way her stomach bulged over the edges of her waistband. She turned from side to side in a modest, upset kind of way, hoping for a reaction better than the one she had already realized. I wanted to tell her that they were too tight. I wanted to tell her that all the cheeseburgers and pizza she had eaten in the past six weeks were pleading for their lives, or at least pants two sizes larger. I wanted to tell her that all I wanted to do was pinch her love handles until they came off in a way my grandmother almost does to my cheeks every Christmas.
I could not tell her that, though; I could not tell the girl that won the Best Physique category as a senior favorite that her figure had gone to flab. I would rather let her break her seams than to be the one to break her heart. She is not exactly the smartest girl, nor does she have much talent at anything else. Her coke bottle shaped body has always been her pride. "Why don't you wear those new jeans you got the other day? They're so cute," I replied with a huge smile, only to avoid the original question and the undeniable truth. Besides, those few extra pounds are not that big of a deal to worry about, or are they?
Being a freshman in college can be quite a traumatic experience. The huge, new campus, the different classroom settings, the tests - they can all be very stressful and intimidating to incoming fresh meat. I know that I was scared to death to come to college. Interestingly enough, though, I was not scared for any of those reasons or anything similar to them either. What I did fear, though, was the ultimate college test - the infamous "Freshman Fifteen."
For the last two years of my high school career, college was drilled into my brain. It was not half as much in the academic aspect as it was in the social scene, though. "Oh, my gosh! Did you see Mary Sue over winter break? She's huge," or, "We are so going to work out every day next year," were two of the most commonly held conversations. As much as I wanted to further my education, the fear of fifteen extra pounds seemed more threatening than anything I could bare. Nevertheless, I had to pursue my life.
So here I am, a college freshman, embracing the life of late night partying, a pantry full of junk food, and not quite as much exercise as we had originally planned. Almost six weeks into the semester, though, it is time to step it up. A random online survey I conducted of twenty female LSU freshmen reported an average of 1.55 pounds of weight gain since the beginning of the semester, just about five and a half weeks ago (Keegan). That seems harmless, right? Wrong. A study by Cornell University nutritionists in the 2003 fall semester showed that in the first twelve weeks of the school year, students observed had an average weight gain of 4.2 pounds (Lang). That is about 0.3 pounds gained per week. If you multiply that amount by the five and a half weeks we have been enrolled in school, it comes out to be a stunning 1.65 pounds, only a tenth of a pound more than the average found in my survey. This goes to prove that we, the female freshmen of LSU, are directly in danger of the "Freshman Fifteen."
Not everyone agrees that this awful weight gain legend actually exists, though. Tufts scientists in Boston found in their research that the fifteen pounds of weight gain are actually just a myth ("Study: "Freshman 15" A Myth"). They spread the news in hopes of helping young women feel better about their appearance and not worry so much about their weight. The truth about their study was that even though the average weight gain among first-year, female college students was not fifteen pounds, it still turned out to be a gain of four and a half pounds. Although this may not be as extreme as fifteen pounds, it will still tighten our pants.
Many college freshmen also debate the issue because they have not seen any signs of weight gain. They claim that they eat what they want and never exercise, yet they have not gained a pound. Weight gain happens to people in different ways and at different times, though. Even if they have been reluctant to gain weight so far, it does not mean that it could not catch up with them later down the line. Just because they have not yet begun to gain weight yet does not exclude them from needing to practice the same habits as others to keep off the pounds.
What we all need to realize, as female freshmen in college, is that if we are not careful about what we eat and what we do or do not do, we are going to be in harm's path of those dreadful extra pounds. We all want to have nice bodies, and we all want to be skinnier than the next girl that comes along. Who wants to be known as the fat girl in the third row that does not know when to put down her milkshake? Who wants to be the one to overhear people behind you saying, "I hope I don't get that big," on your way to class? Who wants to have to face herself in the mirror every day and not have the self-confidence to feel good in her clothes? I know I sure do not, and I am almost positive that no one else wants to either.
The answer to everyone's worries is not that hard to find, though. The same causes of your weight gain are actually going to be the solutions to your problems. Think about how much fast food you consume per week and how that could affect your weight. Think about the sodas you consume that could have been replaced with a water or two. Have you exercised at all lately? Neither walking to and from class nor dancing in the clubs counts, either. I bet most of you drink alcoholic beverages, too, possibly to extremes quite often. They do not just get you drunk; they get you fat too.
It is sad to say, but we are both the victim and the guilty causes of our own weight gain. There are ways to overcome ourselves, though. My godfather has always told me, "If you know what's wrong, then you know what's right." I never knew how many situations it could apply to until I grew up. All of the previously mentioned causes of our weight gain can be fixed by learning to control them.
Fast food is high in fat and calories, so I suggest refraining from eating it as much as possible. That does not necessarily mean that the food at home is healthy, though. So be careful what you eat in general, and mostly, how much you eat of it. For those who live in dorms, I know the dining hall allows you to munch down on as much as your stomach can expand to fit, but watch what you put on your plate. Having the option of how much food you can be served often results in overeating. Also, try not to let yourself be tempted by all the junk food snacks in your pantry or closet waiting to store themselves along your waistline. A small, healthy snack about twenty minutes before your meal will let your stomach know its limits once it comes time to eat.
Exercising is a must for most of us that cannot just eat whatever we want. So make yourself an exercise schedule and stick to it. See if your roommates or friends want to accompany you at least some of the time. If they opt not to, do not be scared to jump on that treadmill and jog by yourself for twenty minutes. For more entertaining or interesting ways to work out, check out what the recreational center has to offer. Print out the group exercise schedule off of the Internet and mark boxes around the ones you want to attend. Do not just look at your schedule, either; push yourself to exercise.
What can I possibly say about drinking and partying to change those habits? Chances are that the temptation to drink will be much more convincing than anything I can tell you. If I were you, I would just make sure to watch the amount of beer, which is high in carbohydrates and calories, you consume. Drinking alcoholic beverages is one of the most harmful causes of weight gain that most are not willing to give up. I am not telling you to give up having a good time with your friends, because that is what the college social life is all about. Instead, find the drinks that possibly will not be as harmful to your weight if you are going to drink. You will be surprised to find that hard liquors such as Bacardi® Superior Rum has zero fat, zero carbohydrates, and only 65 calories per ounce.
It is plain to see that you do not have to give up anything you cherish just to maintain your weight. The power to stay fit and in shape is within you. There is no need to stress yourself out about it, nor do you need to devote your life to it. All you need to do is make eating healthy, drinking healthy, and exercising regularly part of your normal schedule. Whatever you do, do not let yourself become the epitome of the avoidable "Freshman Fifteen."