The phenomenon of freshman-year weight gain is called the Freshman 15 for a reason.
“I honestly feel like it’s the stress of school and work and not having time to eat a healthy meal so you just grab whatever is fast which is usually chips, soda, or a candy bar,” said freshman LaTaugeray Marshall. “We don’t have time for a home-cooked healthy meal.”
A college student’s life is busy. Between classes, social events, work and sleep, many college freshmen do not get a homecooked meal very often (unless they live close to home). With fast food, cafeteria cuisines and midnight snacks, it is easier to pack on a pound, which leads to serious weight gain.
Marshall works as a supervisor at the Subway on campus from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mon- day-Friday, and is a part-time student who has a hard time maintaining her weight while dealing with the stress of school and work.
“It’s too much to worry about with school alone,” said Marshall. “You have to make sure this project is done, do this homework, write this paper, and sometimes you don’t think about eating; and when you do, I feel like you over-eat, and that’s where my weight gain came from.”
There are many different reasons why freshmen gain weight, but sometimes the rea- son could just simply be bore-
dom.
“I eat when I’m bored or when I do homework,” said freshman Bryanna Pryor. “There’s really nothing to do here so I just sit in my dorm and eat.”
Little involves more stress, change or work than freshman year of college. Food becomes a way for many to deal with those stresses.
Fast food isn’t always good food, but many students find it more convenient.
“I’ve gained weight because I eat a lot of fast foods,” said freshman Kyler Roy. “I stay in an apartment, and I don’t like to wash dishes, so I feel it’s more convenient to just go get fast food. Especially since I live in an apartment right off of a street that has a variety of restaurants.”
According to sheknows. com, people attribute most of the weight gain to the stress of living away from home for the first time, combined with the difficulty many students have in choosing healthy foods when presented with so many inexpensive fast food options around campus.
“School puts it on you, “ Marshall said. “School really puts in on you.”
Students struggling with weight gain can go to the OHPE and work out for free.
Non-students can pay $25 a month to use the facilities.
OHPE hours are 6 a.m.- 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Fridays and 10
a.m. – 4 p.m. on weekends.
