SAY GOODBYE to home-cooked meals and get ready to do your own laundry (or not?) every week. That's right, for first-year students, getting acclimated to the lifestyle of a University student can be a shock. From learning how to manage the course workload to figuring out which classes you can and cannot afford to sleep through, you'll quickly realize that your new life is a lot different from the one you had in high school.
And with this new lifestyle comes a lot of changes in our daily habits -- perhaps the biggest change being our dietary habits. Living in a first-year dorm takes some getting used to: While you may have a mini refrigerator and a microwave, you certainly won't have access to the fully-stocked pantry and decked-out kitchen that you may be used to. And because you won't be cooking for yourself or eating meals prepared for you by your parents, you might feel a little out of your comfort zone. Sure, eating French fries and pizza every day for every meal might sound like a good idea right now, but you'll realize quickly that it cannot last forever.
By now, you probably know what I've been alluding to: the much-fabled "Freshman 15." But the good news is, it can remain a myth for you if you're careful from the very beginning. I don't mean avoiding the dining halls or starving yourself, but instead thinking about what you're consuming as you do it. It might help you avoid the Freshman 15 altogether, or at least counteract its effects later on.
The temptations are definitely there: suddenly, you have a completely different daily schedule. You might not have class until 1:00 p.m., which means that many of us will sleep until 12:45 p.m. and sprint to class without even thinking about eating breakfast. Later, you'll want even more food to satisfy the hunger that you've built up.
If you're like most first years, you'll be eating most of your lunches in the dining hall. The scariest part of this scenario -- believe it or not -- is not the dining hall food. While there is a pretty significant selection of fried and otherwise fatty food, dining services also provides a good selection of healthy foods for your consumption. The problem is not the food itself, but the amount of food that is available for you to eat. Imagine eating at a buffet for each meal, every day -- because that is essentially what you'll be doing. Be forewarned that making it out of the dining hall having eaten only a salad for each meal is a lot more difficult than it sounds.
The problem is compounded when alcohol is figured into the equation. According to "The ABs Diet: The Six Week Plan to Flatten your Stomach and Keep you Lean for Life," written by David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine, "alcohol makes you eat more and encourages your body to burn less fat." It also provides your body with extra, empty calories and makes you store more fat than you would normally.
There are definitely steps that you can take to avoid developing the unhealthy eating habits which plague a lot of first years. First off, be careful in the dining halls. Try to balance your meals and consume a good variety of foods: eat fried food and pasta less frequently, and load up on food that is high in protein which will give you more energy. It is also important to attempt to maintain a regular eating schedule. Eating breakfast each morning will help you not to stuff yourself at lunch and dinner, and will also reduce the temptation to snack in between meals and late at night, which can hurt your metabolism in the long run. When you do snack, try to avoid pre-packaged foods with a lot of calories from sugar and fat, and instead opt for fruits, vegetables, low-fat yogurt and other healthier options. Ditch soda in favor of water, which helps your metabolism and doesn't contain excessive amounts or sodium or empty calories. Finally, limit your alcohol intake as much as possible to avoid packing on the extra pounds.
Above all, peace of mind is most important. Many unhealthy eating habits can be attributed to stress, so managing your stress level should take priority. Always make sure you're getting enough sleep, but avoid unnatural sleep patterns, including lots of napping, which can damage your daily routine. Also, it's been proven that exercising just three days a week is enough to improve your mood and help to minimize stress, thereby reducing the tendency to eat unhealthily. You'll find that it is easier to maintain these healthy habits if you establish them at the beginning of your first year -- and keeping these things in mind is the first step.
Todd Rosenbaum is a Cavalier Daily columnist. He can be reached at trosenbaum@cavalierdaily.com.
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