Tackling college weight gain
By Nicole Paseka | Posted: Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Activity enables Briar Cliff University junior Wes Zach to eat just about what he wants. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
Do you always eat your fourth meal of the day?
You know, the one that occurs between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. and usually includes Ramen Noodles or take-out from Taco Bell?
If you answered "yes," you are probably in college.
"I always feel guilty eating after 12 o'clock at night," said Wes Zach, 21, a junior at Briar Cliff University. "You're bored, so you eat. You make a bag or popcorn or something."
Zach's current dorm-room snacks are beef jerky, M&M's, popcorn, Ramen Noodles and Kraft Easy Mac.
Zach dined on fried mozzarella sticks, chicken strips and Cool Blue Gatorade on Jan. 8 at the Stark Student Center. Despite the junk food, Zach does not gain weight. He plays soccer for Briar Cliff. During the off-season, he runs and lifts weights.
"Working out three or four times a week is going to help you out more than holding back for a few mozzarella sticks," said Zach, who is majoring in sports science/pre-physical therapy.
Most college students are not able to maintain a healthy weight while eating fatty, sugary foods.
Unhealthy eating habits, combined with a dramatic drop in cardiovascular exercise, can cause college students to gain weight - often called the "freshman 15" (or sophomore 15, junior 15, senior 15, fifth-year-senior 15).
"I think it is typical that you start thinking about it with the New Year's resolutions," said Jill Akland, food service director for Briar Cliff and a registered dietician. "So you come back and you really want to try to lose the weight. It is a time when (students) do start thinking more about it. We try to provide hand-outs and nutritional information on a monthly basis."
The Briar Cliff cafeteria contains many healthy options, such as grilled or baked food, along with a salad bar.
"It's just up to the students to be able to stick with that, just like anyone," Akland said.
Daphne Oz of Cliffside Park, N.J., had always been overweight. When she wanted to use baby pictures instead of high school photos on her yearbook page, Oz realized something had to change. Immediately.
Instead of gaining the "freshman 15" her first year at Princeton University, she lost 10 pounds without relying on fad diets or extreme restrictions.
Oz began a healthy lifestyle plan she wrote about in her book, "The Dorm Room Diet" (Newmarket Press). The book is available at most book stores, on Amazon.com or http://www.dormroomdiet.com.
The first step for students is to recognize they have gained weight and are missing out, she said.
"The first thing is to acknowledge the fact that this is not the best they can be," Oz said. "College is supposed to be the best time of your life. You're becoming an adult. What better time to develop healthy eating habits?"
"The Dorm Room Diet" is not a self-help book, but rather offers practical advice on becoming (and staying) healthy while in college. From avoiding simple carbohydrates to always eating breakfast to climbing stairs, Oz's book offers every sort of advice imaginable.
She created a work-out that can be done within the confines of a dorm room. Her book contains illustrated examples of the exercises.
College students need to keep striving toward a healthy lifestyle, even though it might be slow-going at first, Oz said.
"You didn't put this weight on in five minutes. It's not going to take you five minutes to take it off," she said. "Keep plugging away. It will be a wonderful result that you'll see, and you'll really feel so accomplished."
You know, the one that occurs between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. and usually includes Ramen Noodles or take-out from Taco Bell?
If you answered "yes," you are probably in college.
"I always feel guilty eating after 12 o'clock at night," said Wes Zach, 21, a junior at Briar Cliff University. "You're bored, so you eat. You make a bag or popcorn or something."
Zach's current dorm-room snacks are beef jerky, M&M's, popcorn, Ramen Noodles and Kraft Easy Mac.
Zach dined on fried mozzarella sticks, chicken strips and Cool Blue Gatorade on Jan. 8 at the Stark Student Center. Despite the junk food, Zach does not gain weight. He plays soccer for Briar Cliff. During the off-season, he runs and lifts weights.
"Working out three or four times a week is going to help you out more than holding back for a few mozzarella sticks," said Zach, who is majoring in sports science/pre-physical therapy.
Most college students are not able to maintain a healthy weight while eating fatty, sugary foods.
Unhealthy eating habits, combined with a dramatic drop in cardiovascular exercise, can cause college students to gain weight - often called the "freshman 15" (or sophomore 15, junior 15, senior 15, fifth-year-senior 15).
"I think it is typical that you start thinking about it with the New Year's resolutions," said Jill Akland, food service director for Briar Cliff and a registered dietician. "So you come back and you really want to try to lose the weight. It is a time when (students) do start thinking more about it. We try to provide hand-outs and nutritional information on a monthly basis."
The Briar Cliff cafeteria contains many healthy options, such as grilled or baked food, along with a salad bar.
"It's just up to the students to be able to stick with that, just like anyone," Akland said.
Daphne Oz of Cliffside Park, N.J., had always been overweight. When she wanted to use baby pictures instead of high school photos on her yearbook page, Oz realized something had to change. Immediately.
Instead of gaining the "freshman 15" her first year at Princeton University, she lost 10 pounds without relying on fad diets or extreme restrictions.
Oz began a healthy lifestyle plan she wrote about in her book, "The Dorm Room Diet" (Newmarket Press). The book is available at most book stores, on Amazon.com or http://www.dormroomdiet.com.
The first step for students is to recognize they have gained weight and are missing out, she said.
"The first thing is to acknowledge the fact that this is not the best they can be," Oz said. "College is supposed to be the best time of your life. You're becoming an adult. What better time to develop healthy eating habits?"
"The Dorm Room Diet" is not a self-help book, but rather offers practical advice on becoming (and staying) healthy while in college. From avoiding simple carbohydrates to always eating breakfast to climbing stairs, Oz's book offers every sort of advice imaginable.
She created a work-out that can be done within the confines of a dorm room. Her book contains illustrated examples of the exercises.
College students need to keep striving toward a healthy lifestyle, even though it might be slow-going at first, Oz said.
"You didn't put this weight on in five minutes. It's not going to take you five minutes to take it off," she said. "Keep plugging away. It will be a wonderful result that you'll see, and you'll really feel so accomplished."
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