The Freshman 20

First-year students need help
fighting the battle of the bulge

By KELSEY BLACKWELL
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

It’s the farthest thing from a student’s mind during his or her first year of college, but like parties and dating, weight gain is part of the college experience, too.
The number of students who gain weight in their first year of college has increased steadily across the nation, experts say.
Annie Frederick, a registered dietitian and nutrition manager for Life Care Solutions Inc., told the Easterner at Eastern Washington University, that students are no longer gaining the dreaded “Freshman 15” — an extra 15 pounds during the first year of school. Today, she said, it’s more like 20 pounds.
Frederick also said students who struggle with weight gain often are ashamed to come forward with their problem.
The increase in weight is not only affecting college students but also the nation as a whole.
An article in the Aug. 19 edition of U.S. News and World Report said that more than 61 percent of adults are overweight and 27 percent are obese.
At SUU, students said they are gaining weight because of a combination of stress, the freedom of choice they have when deciding what to eat, and lack of exercise.
Jodee Heit, a freshman history major from Cedar City, said she gained 20 pounds after she moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah. Heit attributed her weight gain to lack of exercise and increased eating habits.
“I got busy going to school,” Heit said. “You don’t have time. You know Mom’s not cooking for you, and I just started eating more. I ate more because of stress.”
Heit is not the only student whose habits changed when she moved away from home.
Kay Messerly, director of health services at the Wellness Center, said students are eating later in the day or eating more junk food because they don’t have time to prepare three meals a day.
Without parents to advise or prepare meals, many students end up overeating. Messerly suggests students bring snacks with them to classes so they don’t get as hungry throughout the day.
Although most students eat in the cafeteria their first semester, Messerly said there are plenty of healthy options available for students.
“In the cafeteria, you can get caught up in carbs, pastas and rices, but I know there are all kinds of healthy choices,” she said. “I eat there myself so I know it’s possible. But lay off the desserts.”
Natsumi Fukutsuji, a junior computer science major from Wakayma, Japan, said during her freshman year, she gained weight from eating in the cafeteria.
Fukutsuji maintains the variety of options and limitless amount of food encouraged her to overeat.
“It was very bad,” she said.
“I wanted to try American everything, and it was a buffet so I could eat as much as I wanted. I gained 20 pounds.”
Maurice “Moe” Hinton, Food Services director, said there are plenty of options available to students in the cafeteria that won’t “put on the pounds.” Hinton encourages students to ask

 

servers for only small helpings and to limit the amount of desserts and greasy foods they intake.
“Students can always find a nice healthy meal but the fatteningstuff you can also find,” Hinton said.“Occasionally, we do have vegetarian chili and lasagna and we usually advertise when we have those,” he said.
Hinton said the goal of the cafeteria is to accommodate students. If students are interested in the amount of calories or fat grams in a dish, Hinton said the information can be found outside the lunchroom on a bulletin board. Hinton also said he welcomes students’ suggestions.“I have taken some recipes from some students that they suggested we try,” Hinton said. “We certainly like to do that as long as the budget will allow.”
Lack of exercise also can help students loose their “battle against the bulge.” Fukutsuji said that while at SUU she has been less active than she was in Japan.
“Here I do less,” Fukutsuji said. “In Japan I worked a part time job as a waitress and in a Buddhist shrine. I just go to school here.”
Messerly suggests there are several activities available to students that encourage weight loss. She also said that students should increase activity in the winter months because naturally students are less active.
“Students need to have an exercise program,” Messerly said. “Join a fitness center or aerobics class, try intramural sports. The options are so many.”
The U.S. News and World Report story said a major component in America’s weight gain has been inactivity.
“Obesity has been linked to everything from the decline of the family dinner to the popularity of computers and video games to supersize portions of fast food,” the story said. “But it all comes down to a simple calculation. The primary reason America is fat is that we eat too much compared to our activity level.”
Kristie Blanch, a junior accounting major from Farmington, said she lost weight from participating in college activities.
“I’m a dance minor and I’m on the ballroom dance team,” Blanch said. “I also ride my bike everywhere mostly because everything is so centralized in Cedar.”