The Freshman 15

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Almost every incoming college freshman is aware of “The Freshman 15.” If you haven’t heard of it by the time you arrive on campus, you most likely will have heard about it on your very first day of class. Many college freshmen girls, are deeply concerned with gaining “The Freshman 15.” I remember moving into my dorm, meeting some girls that lived in the neighboring rooms and hitting it off with them. As we got to know each other, discussed likes and dislikes, we started making dinner plans and immediately one of the girls said, “Well I don’t eat carbs or fat. I’m trying to avoid the Freshman 15 at all costs. So if we could go somewhere with lighter options that’d be great.” As a lover of all things made up of carbohydrates, I remember just staring at her thinking, “you don’t eat carbs?! No bread? No pasta? Nothing???”  After this encounter early on in my first week of college, I quickly realized that gaining those 15 pounds was something that seemed to be very important to the girls I was surrounded by. When indulging in late-night snacks or fast food, it was not without a comment or two such as, “so much for not gaining the Freshman 15!” usually followed by “ugh I’ll need to go to the gym tomorrow if I eat this.” Many college students, specifically females, go into their freshman year with fear and/or hyper-awareness of their weight and body image due to fear of gaining the Freshman 15. Studies show that incoming freshmen on college campuses tend to make more unhealthy choices when choosing foods to eat due to their newfound freedom and independence. This contributes to their negative choices of food (fast food, high fat/high sugar, etc.) This leads to unwanted weight gain and body dissatisfaction (Brewis, 2016). Even though these individuals are experiencing a stigma surrounding their weight, and being extremely self-conscious, studies show that “experiencing this stigma does not seem to encourage successful weight loss. Rather, a range of studies show that feeling stigmatized (i.e., feeling judged, mistreated, or excluded) because of body weight tends to exert negative effects on successful weight loss behaviors, discouraging exercise, and encouraging disordered eating (Vartanian and Smyth, 2013, Wott and Carels, 2010).” (Brewis, 2016).     Sources: Brewis, Alexandra et al. “Weight stigma and eating behaviors on a college campus: Are students immune to stigma’s effects?.” Preventive medicine reports vol. 4 578-584. 29 Oct. 2016, doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.10.005 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5099270/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] Entering college can be both exciting and overwhelming for students as they navigate a new environment and academic challenges. To ease this transition, college preparation tips for new students can be invaluable in helping them establish effective study habits and manage their time wisely. Additionally, connecting with campus resources can provide essential support during this critical period.

The pressures go well beyond weight gain — see eating disorders among college students.

Breaking the Diet-Talk Cycle on Campus

The pattern described above is a familiar one: a new environment, constant comparison, and food framed as something to earn or apologize for. That kind of talk can quietly slide into a restrict-then-binge pattern long before anyone would call it a “problem,” especially when it’s normalized by an entire dorm floor. Learning to make peace with food early in college, rather than treating every meal as something to defend, can make the difference between a stressful first semester and a disordered relationship with eating that follows a student well past freshman year.

Related Reading

• Eating Disorders
• Eating Disorder Counseling & Resources for Texas Colleges

References

NEDA — Rethinking the “Freshman 15”: Talking About Our Bodies with Kindness (https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/rethinking-freshman-15-talking-about-our-bodies-kindness/)
NEDA — Body Image (https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-and-eating-disorders/)