If you’re in college, chances are you’ve heard of it. In fact, you may have been dreading it: the “Freshman 15”, a legendary fifteen-pound weight gain among first year college students. But, you may question, looking around at your fellow students, is it really fifteen pounds? Scientists have wondered the same thing. In a recent study published in The Journal of American College Health, the weight changes among college students at Auburn University were recorded over the course of freshman year—and, despite the popular myth, only about 5% of the students gained fifteen or more pounds.
So, if not fifteen pounds, what is the weight gain that can be expected freshman year? The study found results ranging from a loss of 18.2 lbs to a gain of 29 lbs, which is a pretty large range. And, honestly, a range that doesn’t say much—most freshmen would agree that they expect their weight change to be somewhere within that range. On average (using the mean of the results), however, the weight gain came to 2.6 lbs for the academic year. But, that average includes those who lost weight. Among only those that gained, the average came to 6.0 lbs for the year.
The gainers among the group made up the majority, at 66% for the year, and 69% for the first semester, where weight gain seemed to be more common. In fact, the average weight gain for spring semester came to only 0.5 lbs, a statistically insignificant change. So it seems that the fall semester is the one we need to worry about, if we are worried about being among the 2/3 of freshman that gain.
While the article doesn’t mention the potential causes for gain, it’s easy to take a few guesses after over a year of college life. It could be the fact that most of us were part of some sport, or at the very least a P.E. class, in high school while now we find that walking to and from class is the most convenient form of exercise. Or, maybe it’s those deliciously greasy burgers in the convenient all-you-can-eat dining halls, the midnight snacks to keep us going when we’re up all night writing a paper, and the high-fat lattes or mochas or other caffeine-of-choice. And, if it isn’t those two, there’s always the potential for gaining a few pounds from stress, birth control pills and other medication, or lack of sleep.
But, what about those that dropped a few pounds instead of gaining them? When it comes to weight loss for the entire year, the average was found to be -4.4. lb for 31.2% of the group. And, for fall semester—the significant semester in weight gain—28.5% of students lost weight, averaging at -2.5 lbs each. The troubling issue here is that while almost a third of students did lose weight rather than gain it, overall they lost mainly lean muscle rather than body fat, raising the body fat percentage and indicating unhealthy weight loss efforts.
While the study doesn’t give reasons for weight loss, either, the reasons for it aren’t too mysterious—a lot of the time, life takes over and we forget to eat. When it’s midterm season, it comes as no surprise if by the time you look up at the clock from studying, you see that all the dining halls are closed. Or when you only have so many minutes between classes and the line for food is just too long. Or, there’s deliberately cutting down on food just to avoid that college weight gain we’ve all heard about.
So what can we do? First of all, relax—according to this study, the average weight change is pretty small, so there’s no need for crash diets and skipping meals, which only hurt in the long run and can lead to slower metabolisms and future weight gain. But, still keep in mind that it is a problem. Even if the weight gain is generally far from that dreaded fifteen, more students than not will gain weight freshman year. And, most students in the study, among those that gained weight and among those that lost it, saw an increase in their body fat percentage, and a loss or little gain in their lean muscle. So, as hectic as it gets, we should try to remember to eat healthy meals, stay active when possible, and get some sleep (at night, not just during those boring lecture classes). The freshman fifteen may be a myth, but staying healthy should still remain on our minds. It’s not those couple extra pounds that we need to worry about, it’s the decline in health and the development of habits that could lead to future weight gain and obesity.
Gropper, Sareen S., et al. "The Freshman 15—A Closer Look." Journal of American College Health 58.3 (2009): 223-231. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
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