Taylor Tate

There are many different causes for sudden weight gain you may experience your first year into college. It tends to happen to a lot of us, and we don’t focus on why, we just focus on how to get rid of it. Today I want to inform you on the causes of the “freshman 15,” and how common this universal experience is.

In the article titled The Freshman 15:, Alissa Palladino, MS,RDN,LD,CPT, focuses on the many different reasons freshman are familiar with the term, “Freshman 15.” As she says,”The term ‘freshman 15’ is commonly used in America to describe the weight students tend to gain during their freshman year in college, which is believed to be around 15 pounds (7 kg).”

Studies have shown significant weight gain in students transitioning from high school to college. “Most college students gain some weight during their first year. For example, in a review of 32 studies, researchers found that more than 60% of college students gained an average of 7.5 pounds (3.5 kg) during their freshman year.” This study alone is a clear indicator that it is common for college students to gain weight their first year.

Palladino explores the reasons why weight gain is so prevalent today in college students. The article lists eating in dorm and social events, lack of healthier options, and more enticing but unhealthier options as significant contributors. The article includes research that found, “One study of 756 first-year college students found that after starting college, students who lived on campus generally ate fewer healthy food options such as fruits, veggies, and dairy products.”

More reasons that college students are subject to weight gain in their first year include eating late at night, as students tend to consume more calories when eating at night than those who eat during the day, as well as a dearth of options once the university’s cafeteria closes, which encourages the consumption of junk food. Lack of sleep also tends to be a factor in weight gain as a study used from The Freshman 15: titled Sleep Problems in University Students-An Intervention, found that “up to 60% of college students find themselves sleep-deprived for various reasons, such as studying late. “People who are sleep-deprived tend to consume more calories and crave foods that are convenient and less healthy and contain more calories.”

In an article published by the New York Times, titled, “‘Freshman 15′, Is A Myth, a Study Suggests,” Dr. Christen Cooper, the founding chair of the nutrition and dietetics program in New York asserts, “Different factors can lead to changes in weight during college, many of which are a result of new habits or lifestyle shifts.” She then lists the various ways in which students weight can fluctuate during their college experience, these include

• Eating unhealthy dining hall food 
• Eating late at night 
• Snacking while studying 
• Skipping meals 
• Lack of exercise 
• Poor sleep habits 
• Consuming too much alcohol.” 

Cooper also addresses possible reasons students are gaining weight, she says, “If students are used to eating certain foods on a fairly regular schedule and this changes, their senses of hunger and fullness may be thrown off,” said Cooper. “They may eat more than usual or eat out of stress or boredom. College students not only have to quickly adapt to their new college lifestyle without their parents cooking, a new home setting, but students have to revolve their lives around their class times and studying. When these times change that tends to mess up their eating habits. 

Copper also touches on first year students not having their parents cook for them anymore and therefor the student is now primarily responsible for what they take into their body; in college it can be hard to have a balanced diet incorporated with college. Dr.Cooper states, “first-year students have never shopped or cooked food for themselves before, and have little understanding of what their bodies need nutritionally to be healthy.” She then adds, “Many students also begin snacking more frequently and eating at night or while studying, adding in yet more calories.”