Did You Gain the Freshman 15?

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Did You Gain the Freshman 15?

August 17, 2009

College dorms and dining halls all around the country are opening their doors to incoming freshmen. But all the excitement, stress, and lack of home-cooked meals can result in the freshman 15. I am wondering if your first year of college life affected your weight.

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38 Comments

iheartkerning 3 years 38 weeks

I was heavy going into college, and my campus (Michigan State) is huge, so between walking everywhere and the stress of adjusting, I lost over 40 pounds. there's been a little yo-yoing between now and then (five years) but I'm still doing great and overall have kept the weight off.

amandaaa 3 years 39 weeks

i went to community college for the first two years and when i transferred in, i actually lost some weight.

cg130 3 years 39 weeks

I was unhappy with my weight in high school, so about half-way through my freshman year, I went on a diet and started exercising consistently (I hadn't gained any weight that year, but was already unhappy with my current weight), and I lost 10 pounds! Some of my friends gained weight though.

3 years 39 weeks

As an athlete in high school, I never understood why people went to the gym. I thought people only went there if they needed to lose weight. I ate whatever I wanted and stayed the same size, even in the off season. Fast forward to college...no more 3 hour practices every day after class. In addition, I managed to eat pretty healthily (salads, whole grains, lean protein, not overdoing the alcohol or desserts) but greater quantities. After I had gained about 10 lbs, I finally understood the gym concept and it took me a long time to adjust to having to schedule workouts throughout the week. I gained and lost 10 lbs alternating each year in college and still can't seem to find the right balance yet. Working out just isn't as fun when I'm just running instead of playing a sport.

jamiejane 3 years 39 weeks

it was more or less the stress that made me lose weight.

equestriennechic 3 years 39 weeks

I guess I did, but I started college at 17 and was still developing at that point!!

Montauk7 3 years 39 weeks

I lost 40 pounds my freshman year. Holla.

laellavita 3 years 39 weeks

I actually lost weight whereas many of my friends and roommates gained it. They were constantly drinking, eating meals of pizza with a side of fries dipped in barbecue sauce, and just lying around and hanging out, whereas I made a conscious effort to choose the salad bar and went to the gym every single day. I was by no means a gym rat, and actually entered college rather overweight, so it was like going in opposite directions. I hated going to the gym but now I love it, and the day somebody said I was "really skinny" halfway through sophomore year, I was shocked before I realized that I actually came really far.

gumdrops334 3 years 39 weeks

I gained about 15 pounds from living in a private dorm with an unlimited meal plan. In other words, all you can eat, all day, everyday. Plus, 2-3 parties a week will also get you. I'm starting my senior year now, and I've lost those 15 pounds.

filmgirl81 3 years 39 weeks

Yes, definitely gained 15 due to lack of exercise and eating a ton of junk in the cafeteria. But I eventually lost a ton of weight in law school thanks to making most of my own meals and hitting the gym regularly

Spectra 3 years 39 weeks

The first semester of my freshman year, I gained 35 lbs. By the time finals were coming up, I couldn't fit in any of my clothes at all. I gained it by living on cheeseburgers, fries, and ice cream all semester and I realized that if I kept it up, I'd probably weigh close to 300 lbs by the time I graduated (I didn't go into college being thin, either). So at the beginning of second semester, I started eating healthy foods and biking to classes and by the time I finished freshman year, I was about 10 lbs lighter than I was when I started...I continued to lose weight until I got down to a weight that was right for me at about halfway through my sophomore year. And I've kept it off ever since!

Alithyra 3 years 39 weeks

I lost a bunch of weight my second quarter because I got very sick. My doc put me on a steroid to clear up the ulcers and I gained it all back, plus some. No matter what I've done it's still all here 5/6 years later. I'd love to go back to my first quarter weight .....

bonchicbongenre 3 years 39 weeks

I was actually at my thinnest my freshman year of college. I gained a little bit of weight my junior and senior year, but it was needed since I was slightly underweight. I did gain about eight pounds my first year out of college since I was sitting in a cubicle forty hours a week. Sigh. But for the most part, I am happy with my current weight.

Soniabonya 3 years 39 weeks

more like the junior and senior 40. I was a swimmer and water polo player at my community college for fresh and sophmore years, and then gained the weight when I moved to university. I wasn't on any sports teams, so all the food and drinking and not working out built up. I am now down 30 lbs. I want to get rid of the last 10, and I did, briefly, but it came back :\ Grrrrr.

3 years 39 weeks

I actually lost - without having to sit down to dinner every night with my parents and having them know how often I'd eat/work out, a previously semi-controlled eating disorder flourished without their watchful eye. After getting help my weight normalized junior year and has been steady ever since.

zabrow 3 years 39 weeks

i gained 35 lbs my freshman year of college. it was all beer & late night (& early morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, etc.) trips to the cafeteria. lost it all my sophomore year when i lived off campus & cut back on the drinking.

Subie 3 years 39 weeks

I stayed pretty fit until I studied abroad in eastern Europe. My host family kept me really well-fed and everything there is starch-based!

DivaDivine 3 years 39 weeks

and the sophomore 15, and the junior 15....

tlsgirl 3 years 39 weeks

I lost weight. I walked a lot to my classes, and there was a free gym in the ground floor of my dorm, so I had no excuse not to work out, and anyone who says that you can't eat healthy in college wasn't looking hard enough.

totygoliguez 3 years 39 weeks

I lost a few pounds my first year of college. It helped that I didn't move out of my mom's house, I maintained my eating habits, and when I get stress I usually loss weight. Lets see how my junior year goes. I transfer to a new college, which is bigger. I let you know next week when I start, which me luck!

Alyssa9986 3 years 39 weeks

Ugh. I honestly *cringe* with utter embarrassment when I reflect on how much weight I put on by the end of my freshman year. I think a variety of factors including the end of my first major relationship, being so far away from my parents, and feeling "lost" for the very first time in my life DEFINITELY took a toll on my drinking/eating habits. All I remember is the look of horror on my mother's face when she came to pick me up the day before summer vacation. Let's just say I spent that summer on diet overload and managed to shed 20 pounds and then some. I'd rather be forced to live in a vat of bugs than to EVER relive that awful experience again. It was, I must say, quite humbling.

imLissy 3 years 39 weeks

I lost almost 40 pounds my freshman year and I've gained a little weight since, but, but I think it's all muscle since my clothes fit the same.

2muchtv 3 years 39 weeks

My weight remained steady because I lived in the dorm farthest from campus and that dorm was on top of a hill. Second year I lost weight because I began going to the gym (and gave up eggs = pretty much all junk food)

Yogaforlife 3 years 39 weeks

I did not gain weight in college until I entered grad school. Undergraduate was very hilly (PennState)and I lived off campus and had to walk probably 3/4 of mile just to reach the edge of campus from the student parking, and then it could be another 20 minutes to get to the other side of campus. Grad School was another story - I was in my grad office for probably 16 hours a day, it was stocked with a fridge and when I wasn't doing lab work, I was eating to make up for lack of sleep and such long days. I only gained about 5 pounds, but still, my diet and exercise went out the window for those two years!

EcoGirl 3 years 39 weeks

i had no id there was a rule, but yeah i gained n more!

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38 Comments

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