Preventing college weight gain doesn’t have to be tough. There are many factors that contribute to the Freshman 10, the most harmful is rushing through your day and not paying attention to what you are eating, by grabbing food on the fly and eating out more. Another major cause of weight gain on college campuses has to do with alcohol consumption. Many people aren’t aware of the high calories that are in alcoholic drinks. If your going out and having a couple drinks and you’re not altering your diet or exercising more than your going to gain weight.
Here are some tips to help avert the Freshman 10.
Drink plenty of water – Drinking water hydrates, flushes, stimulates and improves the function of the digestive system, helping speed digestion and the removal of waste before your body can convert it into fat. Its also been proven to make your metabolism burn calories faster. For more on the health benefits of drinking water check out romow.com.
Get enough sleep – Sleep is important, especially for college students who need to retain the information they are given daily in their classes. Fatigue can often times lead to feelings of hunger, so a good nights sleep will keep you from overeating late at night.
Make Physical Activity a Priority – If you are in sports this wont be difficult but for those that aren’t, check out your colleges active extracurricular activities, go dancing, or start your own exercise routine. It may be difficult at the start but once you get in a routine you will look forward to it. Its also a great way to relieve stress from your daily life.
Eat well-balanced meals – Eat breakfast. Eating breakfast helps with concentration in your classes and keeps you from overeating later in the day. Eating out helps you gain weight so try not to eat out so much. If you are eating in the cafeteria, try to choose foods like veggies and fruit to fill up on and limit the amount of sweets and junk food you eat. Check out nutritiondata.com for all your nutrition facts, calories in food, labels and more.