Stop rolling your eyes and telling yourself that will never be you. "Freshman 15" gets the best of all of us, so ready or not here it comes. To all the new students at University of Alabama, here’s a word of advice from someone who experienced every food temptation this school and Tuscaloosa has to offer. Learn to stay away from some foods and of course some drinks, and learn to get into a new routine at school. Without your parents cooking for you and buying your groceries, there's a whole new world of treats and sweets that your mother would have never approved of waiting for you at the supermarket.
The first issue at hand is one of the worst: dining dollars. It's “free” money that your parents have paid for, allowing you to eat almost anything imaginable on campus. When first semester rolls around, you are rich in free food money; however, with late night snacking and Chick-fil-A breakfast before class, these dining dollars disappear faster than you think. So hold onto it!
Dining dollars are your best friend and your worst enemy. Food paid by your parents is always nice, but the temptations it brings won’t help you fit into game day outfits. When your choices are Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, or Panda Express, healthy just doesn’t happen. College turns into a world of eating quick and easy, definitely far from healthy.
Drinking is also a huge contribution to weight gain and most students don’t even realize that your dad-bod beer belly can occur sooner than you think. Not only does drinking contribute to your "Freshman 15," but it also leads to late night drunk eats. Not to mention, Dominoes takes dining dollars; therefore, after late nights on fraternity row you can order yourself a large pizza and cheesy bread, all at your parents’ cost. Also, make sure to notice the strategic placement of bars to places like Quick Grill and Moe’s, which are open late. Drinking, which is already not helping your college body, can lead to eating and sleeping -- a very bad combination.
Most students come to college after playing sports their whole life at home. When the transition to college begins, many of us forget to hit the gym or stay in the routine of working out. Just doing something besides laying in bed and sitting in class becomes so much physical effort. College makes you become extremely lazy. Classes drain you, and after walking around campus, all you want to do is lay in bed.
Don’t join a sorority if you’re trying to stay skinny. Most sorority girls eat, despite the common idea that we don’t. With every house hosting a "Fried Friday," says it all. Every house deep fries everything each week, from chicken nuggets, Oreos, corn, and anything and everything in between. We also have access to snack kitchens, sodas, desserts, and three meals a day, four-and-a-half days a week. We always have food around us, and truth is, if you put food in front of anyone, they'll eat it.
Stress eating is also a huge factor. With tests and projects, and piles of homework, numerous girls begin to stress eat and divulge into a gallon of Ben and Jerry’s, or 3 bowls of mac n' cheese. Make sure when you go to the grocery store you choose healthier snacks, this way you only have healthy options to choose from, and most of the time, you learn that you aren’t even hungry, but instead you’re bored and filling your body with empty calories.
While all of us are guilty of buying too many packages of Kraft Easy Mac and ramen noodles, there are ways to stay clear of the Freshman 15. Be conscience of what you’re eating and when. Obviously, if you’re hungry make sure to eat, but don’t go overboard at the grocery store the first time you go.
Always remember that you deserve a cookie after a hard test or a good time out once in a while, but also don’t forget you can eat fruits and vegetables in college too. With so many temptations, remember that your high school body won’t last forever, and you have to work hard to keep it. You’ll be surprised with how many of your friends would actually love to have a gym buddy. Ask around and you may even find someone to keep you accountable for going to the gym. You can also make a friend who will lovingly tell you that three bags of candy a day is not going to help in any way.
With places like Crimson2Go offering you food at your door step, the Fer being steps away from most dorms, and dining dollars at the swipe of an act card, it's hard to stay away from the food temptations around you. By all means make sure to test them all out and find your favorite niches and places to eat and late night snacking places like Waffle House or Quick Grill on the strip, but remember that everyone has warned you about this daunting "Freshman 15." So with that, good luck out there freshman, and may your food choices be in your favor.
