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Tip
Sheet: Culture & Living Tip sheets highlight timely news and events at Washington University in St. Louis. For more information on any of the stories below or for assistance in arranging interviews, please see the contact information listed with each story. For comments on the Culture & Living news tips service, please contact the editor, Sue Killenberg McGinn at (314) 935-5254 or susan_killenberg_mcginn@aismail.wustl.edu. Time management is key to avoiding the dreaded weight gain college brings Media assistance: Neil Schoenherr - (314) 935-5235 Source: Connie Diekman - (314) 935-4439 Related: Student nutrition at Washington University Related: Brief biography of Diekman Related: WUSTL Nutrition Web site [St. Louis, Mo., September 2002] - For many college freshmen, the first few weeks on campus are an exciting yet scary time. There are new friends to meet, classes to attend and extracurricular activities to join. And for many, it's also their first time away from home -- their first time making decisions completely on their own. When those decisions involve what to eat for lunch from the student center food court, the consequences can have a far-reaching effect.
While it may not be clear how 15 came to be the magic number, it is clear that freshman weight gain is a reality. "When you look at what these kids are faced with, you can understand how they are going to gain some weight," says Diekman. "On campus, food is available pretty much wherever they go and they no longer have a parent telling them when to eat or if they've eaten too much. It's totally up to them to eat whatever they want, whenever they want, and however much they want." And exercise -- a key component to maintaining a healthy weight -- can be difficult to squeeze in amidst studying, classes and campus involvement. "When students get to college they are on their own for the first time," says Diekman. "They are busy with a lot more activities. It can be easy for good eating habits and exercise to kind of get lost."
What Diekman suggests is that freshmen formulate a plan of eating meals every three to four hours. "Eating every three to four hours helps keep blood sugar from taking massive drops between meals," she says. "Also, by eating that often, students aren't as hungry and can concentrate on making better food choices." Eating a good balance of carbohydrates and protein at each meal is another good way to keep blood sugar levels stable and hunger under control. Snacking can be enemy Number One of any good eating plan, especially for the average college student. Diekman suggests that to help keep weight gain at a minimum, "always snack from a plate instead of out of a bag or a box. Doing that will force you to look at the food and determine how much you are actually eating." Diekman also advises students not to study and eat at the same time. "Try to focus on eating and then focus on studying, one at a time. Don't do them together. If you do, it becomes kind of a mindless process and it's easy to lose track of how much you've eaten. You don't want snacking to be absent-minded because then the snacks are controlling you, not the other way around." The key to a good exercise program for freshmen? Make it a part of the everyday routine, says Diekman, who is also a member of Parents magazine's board of advisers.
For students, says Diekman, taking control of the "freshman 15" comes from taking control of their life. "Even though they may not have realized it, their parents made a lot of choices before they came to school. But now mealtimes, meal choices and making time to exercise are all up to them. If they just take it one step at a time, they can get where they want to go with a good plan." |
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