Freshman Fifteen: College Cranium explains

The freshman fifteen is the 'phenomenon' where as a freshman, due to an unhealthy diet, fifteen pounds is gained. The unhealthy diet stems from the fact that parents are not cooking (usually healthy) for their children and also the students guardian isn't watching over their shoulder to make sure they eat right. Another reason this can happen is because unhealthy foods are so much more expensive than unhealthy foods. Isn't that ironic? The financially rich eat exponetially healthier than the poor and are in better health and shape simply because they can afford what they ingest. A McDonald's cheeseburger is only a dollar, that includes onions, cheese, and two 'patties' while a head of fresh lettuce is 5x as expensive.

The Freshman Fifteen is outdated

In present day, CollegeCranium argues that the idea that freshman gain fifteen pounds their first year is too old of a phrase to be used. For starters, college students often have a cornucopia of excess costs and expenses that they need to cover and food is often not one of them. Mom and dad are not cooking for them anymore and their pantries are stocked full of nutrients like they were able to enjoy back home. Ask any student nowadays and they will tell you one of the benefits of going home is that they get to eat more!

A common cause of the freshman fifteen would be a sedimentary lifestyle brought on by hours spent sitting down instead of exercising. However, being a freshman once I found that I was walking more than I had ever done in my life. I actually lost weight as a freshman and had to readjust how I was spending my money so that I could actually focus more on my diet and remaining healthy enough to function in class.

Another aspect that contributes to the freshman fifteen is stress. Especially in females, stress lowers the body's metabolism rate and can cause unwanted weight gain. However, with proper excersise (Yes this includes walking to class!) stress can easily be dealt with. Living on a medium sixed campus with parking allowed only for the early birds and teachers, walking or riding a bike was the perfect way to get to class on time.

Since the freshman fifteen has even made ABC News more students are aware of this more than ever. The easiest way to solve the freshman fifteen is to purchase a cheap scale. Once you see you weight rising, [five pounds or more] it's time to change your lifestyle and diet. Simple changes such as walking to class or eating healthier are all that is needed to make dramatic changes to the impending freshman fifteen.

The reason most students don't find themselves affected by the freshman fifteen is because with money being so tight they aren't able to eat as much. Whether the food is healthy or not, eating less is not going to cause any weight gain.

CollegeCranium is outraged that students have to give up healthy foods and sacrifice a beneficial diet full of vitamins to simply pay bills. This is often offset by having on-campus cafeterias and dining services who offer healthy alternatives. On-campus dinning is often included in the tuition to many universities such as Louisiana Tech and this is a great start to combat unhealthy diets.