“Freshman 15” – two words that capture the fear of almost all college students. The “freshman 15” is considered to be the excess weight many students gain when they enter college. The expression claims to only affect freshmen, but it can actually affect a person at any year, or even at any age.

College life is a brand new experience. You have dining halls with what seems like unlimited food and delicious restaurants all around campus that, let’s face it, may not always have the healthiest options. Plus, even if they do, who would really choose the grilled chicken with steamed vegetables rather than the deluxe bacon cheeseburger and curly fries? I sure wouldn’t.

Most college students are living on a pretty tight budget. We are also fighting the battle of time – not having enough time to finish all your homework, to study, to do any extracurricular activities and to maintain a social life. It is pretty safe to say that exercise is not always on the mind of a college student. Then to top it off, a campus transit system is offered to drive you to your classes. College life is not always conducive to a healthy lifestyle/weight management.

If you feel you may be a casualty of the dreaded “freshman 15,” you are not alone. I gained weight my freshman year, mostly due to the buffet-style dining halls and the lack of exercise. However, I fought the freshman 15 and won. It’s not impossible. In fact, all it took was a slight lifestyle change.

Keeping off extra weight is really not as hard as you may think. The first thing you can do is stop taking the easy way. What I mean by this is do not always take the bus to your class. Walk. If you live close enough, walk to campus and walk to your classes. When going to the grocery store, park farther away from the doors. Take the stairs rather than the elevator, and when you have time, go to the gym. Grab your friends and make it a regular part of your weekly routine. Now you may think that exercise and physical activity is the only way to prevent/eliminate the “freshman 15,” but it is not.

Any time weight loss is concerned, it is actually 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. So you will have to consider your eating habits as well. This does not mean you have to exclude carbohydrates (carbs) and fat from your diet. In fact, I encourage you not to do this, because your body needs a certain amount of carbs, fats and sugars to function at its optimal level. The key to any diet is moderation. Enjoy the things you love but in small amounts and not every day. Make healthy decisions. Fill your diet with fruits and vegetables, choose grilled foods over fried, try side salads rather than french fries and get light/fat-free products (i.e. light butter or fat-free cream cheese). Also, reward yourself. If you have made healthy food choices all week and have exercised at least three days, treat yourself to a delicious dinner or to your favorite dessert.

These are only a few tips, but by just making these small changes to your lifestyle, you will see a world of difference.

If I can fight the “freshman 15” and win, so can you. So my challenge to you is to make the change and fight.