Ah, yes The "Freshman 15" we all know it well. As a chubby senior in high school, I feared it. Fifteen more pounds would have put me in an unhealthy place, and that is not how I wanted my college career to begin. The summer before freshman year, I decided to take action. As a result, I lost ten pounds and have kept it off to this day.

Now as a senior in college, I am here with some tips to help you win the battle against the freshman 15: it can be done, I promise!

If you are currently satisfied with your weight, then there is no need to lose weight before you get to school, but if you are truly unhappy about the way you look or feel (as I was) then why not bite the bullet and start living a healthier lifestyle right now? I did this by joining Weight Watchers Online. I didn't want to go to the meetings; I just wanted a program I could follow. That specific program worked for me because it taught me portion control and how to make healthier choices.

Find a program that works for you! Another great resource is www.sparkpeople.com. There's a nutrition tracker, and a fitness tracker, and best of all: it's FREE!

Most people probably think that the freshman 15 is, in large part, due to beer consumption, and while this probably does have something to do with it, the blame doesn't completely rest there. The typical college student's schedule goes something like this:

- Get up an hour before class, shower, skip breakfast, and get some coffee.
- Eat lunch at 11:00am because you're starving from not eating breakfast.
- Class.
- Grab a soda and a bag of chips.
- Class.
- Go to the dining hall around 5:00pm and load up on pasta, soda, and ice cream.
- Do homework, and have some Easy Mac or Ramen Noodles around 10:00pm.
- Split a bag of popcorn with your roommate while watching Family Guy.
- Go to bed around 1:00am.

Now, because you're a busy, sleep-deprived college student you're probably thinking, "That's how my schedule HAS to go because I'm too busy! How is it even possible to get the sleep I need, go to all my classes, eat healthily, and get enough exercise?" Well, it is. Let's start by adjusting the above schedule:

1) Get up an hour before class.

I know this sounds painful, but if you follow ALL these steps, you'll definitely be able to manage this. Make yourself some breakfast; it really is the most important meal of the day because it's what fuels your mind and body through the morning. You don't have to make yourself a big gourmet

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