For many stu­dents, the dras­tic change of mov­ing from home into the dorms can cause dev­as­tat­ing changes on the scale.

Adjusting to cafe­te­rias at col­lege, which offer dozens of food choices at nearly all hours of the day, is not an easy thing for most col­lege stu­dents. It is easy to drop in and grab an ice cream cone on the way to class or go for a late-night snack. Keeping the weight off requires hav­ing some knowl­edge about what you’re get­ting into.

One impor­tant tip is being pre­pared. Be informed that you can eat as much as you want, but that you shouldn’t. Take one tray of food and limit your­self. Avoid going back for sec­onds just because they’re there.

Cafeterias offer many desserts, but instead of unhealthy snack­ing, sub­sti­tute sug­ary junk food for a piece of fruit or a gra­nola bar. Taking an extra cookie or two after a meal is okay once in a while, but should not become a daily habit. Extra sweets every­day add up to unnec­es­sary calo­ries and fat.

Between jug­gling classes and study­ing, many stu­dents find it dif­fi­cult to squeeze in time to exer­cise. Working out three to five times a week is ideal, but if you are too short on time then walk extra dur­ing the day. During the warmer months, find longer routes for walk­ing to class. Walking up and down hills will add a lit­tle extra tone to the legs. Also, increas­ing your walk­ing pace burns more calories.

Incorporate an ab rou­tine into your daily sched­ule. This can be done right in your own dorm room. Yoga is another exer­cise that builds core mus­cles and bal­ance and can be done in a small space.

Lack of sleep is not com­monly asso­ci­ated with weight gain, but accord­ing to usato​day​.com research shows that “sleep depri­va­tion increases lev­els of a hunger hor­mone and decreases lev­els of a hor­mone that makes you feel full. The effects may lead to overeat­ing and weight gain.” Therefore, it is impor­tant to main­tain a healthy sleep­ing sched­ule mean­ing avoid­ing the imprac­ti­cal “all-nighters” and striv­ing to get eight hours of sleep per night.

Stress is another thing that stu­dents should try to keep under con­trol. Extra stress can release hor­mones that encour­age the body to store fat. While adjust­ing to col­lege life can be hard and the home­work load intense, try to take some time aside each day to unwind and relax.

Acclimating to the new envi­ron­ment and busy sched­ule causes some stu­dents to gain the noto­ri­ous “fresh­man 15.” By pay­ing atten­tion to eat­ing and exer­cise habits, the unwanted weight gain can be avoided. n