by Brenna Mae

Created on: June 26, 2008

Always having a thin physique, I was disappointed with myself when I gained a whopping 20lbs when going to college. Of course, I didn't realize how bad I was eating, and how lazy I was getting until after my first year of college was over.I've come to share my experience-and share with you some of the small things you can do to stay in shape, and not gain the famous freshman fifteen.

All You Can Eat
All around the campus there is going to be temptation. When I went to school, the dining halls had an all-you-can-eat buffet, with fattening foods. Also, living in a small dorm room, we were limited to what we could cook for ourselves. On my campus, and I'm assuming on many others, there were also little cafes, convenience stores, and vending machines filled with snacks and candy. Dining plans also come with the convenience of living on campus and/or being a student. In some situations this can be helpful, but in others, it might just be smarter to buy groceries on your own.

Here are some tips to avoid over-indulging at college.
1) Whether in a dorm room or apartment, keep your own fridge full of healthy snacks and foods. Buy some quick foods too! Too many times have I used the excuse, 'We're out of so-and-so...lets just go downstairs to eat.' (By downstairs I meant the buffet-styled dining hall). By living in a dorm room, and constantly thinking about grades and your social life, your not going to want to spend a lot of time preparing a meal. Sometimes just making easy-mac was too much time to spare! Some good ideas are things like snack crackers, peanut butter & jelly, and still some of the more difficult meals for college students-easy-mac and ramen noodles. I found that quick serve meals like Lean Cuisine and Jenny Craig were healthy, quick options to eat.

Oh...and keep the late night pizzas and Chinese takeout to a minimum. It will happen, whether your out with your friends or finishing up a huge project, you're going to eat an entire pizza by yourself and 3am. It's just apart of the college life. Just don't do it too much!

Along with gaining weight by snacking all the time, I also found I had three cavities when returning home the next summer. Luckily my dentist understood, sharing that she too loved to snack while studying, back when she was in school. Be careful with what foods you eat, they will come back to haunt you, in more than one way!

Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol.
Ok, so it's college...you're going to have fun. However, it is one of the leading factors in weight

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