The first thing they always tell you when you enter college is to beware the Freshmen Fifteen.

It’s one of those things that you think would never happen to you; but before you know it your fist deep into a Ben & Jerry’s carton and can’t fit into your favorite jeans. It’s a slow process but you’ll be surprised how easy it is to get sucked into the great world of junk food when living on your own. Never fear though, there are ways to avoid it, and ways to return to your normal weight if you did gain the fifteen. I’m here to help you.

Learn from my mistakes so you can still fit into your favorite pair of pants by the end of the year.

1. Take the stairs.

It seems like an easy alternative to taking the elevator but when the choice comes to it, it’s hard to take the stairs. Therefore you must do it. Even a little bit of leg work will give you a good workout and help burn a little bit of fat. If you live on the first through fourth floor you have no excuse to take the elevator (unless you have heavy things then you get a pass). Floors five and six, you can skip stairs sometimes, but try to avoid the elevator at all costs still.

2. Walk to class.

Some schools have transportation carts to take students to class and those can be convenient when you are running late to a lab, but if you have the time to kill, just walk to class. Walking is a great exercise and if you plug in those headphones and turn on your favorite podcast or song, it can give you a little skip in your step.

3. Workout

Take advantage of the free gym membership on campus! At night it’s usually quiet while everyone is studying so you can go weight lift, run, and work your abs in peace. It’s a great anxiety reliever and a great way to stay in shape. If the gym isn’t your thing, as if they offer classes! My college has cycling, yoga, pilates, and other classes that get me up and out of the dorm.

4. Skip the fast food

I know now you're on your own you can go and eat whatever your little hearts desire. But those Chick-Fil-A fries add up and you won’t feel too great either. Use the first week of school to have fun with the junk food and then get back on track with healthy eating. One tip is to only eat out when you’re with your friends. The rest of the time eat greens, fruits and veggies, and meats.

5. Invest in a slow cooker and blender

If you are living in a dorm and don’t have access to a kitchen, these slow cookers can save your life. It’s fun to cook with and you can find the best recipes on pinterest! I once made a delicious chicken dish and even scones in my crock pot once!

Blenders are also great for smoothies. You could buy one on campus, but you truly don’t have an idea on how much sugar or fat is going into your body. With a blender, you control what you put into it and can produce healthier smoothies. Check out some great healthy recipes here!

6. Take out the soda.

Soda kills you when trying to lose weight or be healthier. It can be hard, but stop drinking it for 21 days and see how you feel. By then, you won’t even think twice about soda and instead crave water. Healthy alternatives to drinking soda is chocolate milk (my personal favorite, have you ever tried it in the shower?), iced or hot tea, water, and lemon water or fruit water. Just taking out even soda from your diet can make a huge impact on your life.

7. Take out the fancy coffees.

As a barista, I can assure you that it's quite disgusting on how fattening all your favorite drinks are. It’s made me order my coffee drinks different now. It’s okay to have a fun coffee every once in awhile, but every day? It adds up. With all the different flavoring pumps and extra sauce, your drink can come out up to round a thousand calories. Here are some of my favorite alternatives:

Nonfat Honey Latte

Latte

Sugar Free (whatever flavor you like) latte

Black coffee (the most healthiest coffee)

Americano (add a little cream if it’s too strong for your likes)
Tea

8. Keep Busy

We tend to eat when we are bored (so guilt of this), so it’s important to stay busy to avoid that. I don’t mean fill up your calendar so much that it stresses you out though. Just little things such as:

-Read the Bible (it is the food of our soul)

- Bible Journaling

- Read

- Listen to a podcast

- Nap

-Hang out with friends

- Work on that essay you keep putting off

And those are just a few ways you can avoid the Freshman Fifteen. Remember: it’s okay to screw up and eat a cookie or a dozen some days. We are human. But our body is a temple and we want to strive to take good care of it and sometimes that means taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Do you have any suggestions for avoiding the scary college weight gain? Comment some below!