Maybe freshmen don't quite gain 15 pounds their first year in college. In fact, studies are saying it's more like 5-8 (Journal of the American Dietetic Association).
That's good news. Apparently people are learning what and what not to do in college. But at the same time, if you do gain even that amount of weight in your freshman year, it's not good, and if you keep up your bad habits, you'll find that you'll keep gaining weight.
So the number isn't as scary as 15, but you have to think about long term. I didn't gain 15 pounds my freshman year, but I didn't stop gaining weight afterward either.
No matter what the scale says or what the national average says, it's important to look at yourself and think about the habits you're forming. I've been trying to do that since spring has rolled around and I've been thinking about wearing shorts and dresses and realizing that I'd like to lose a few pounds for the summer. But I wish I would have earlier this year and known that I was gaining some weight.
That's another point--sometimes you just don't realize it when you're so busy with everything else on your plate. I think college stress is just a big thing for people experiencing college weight gain. It's difficult to think about what you're eating and when to make time to exercise.
I'm hoping to be strong my last semester of college and work to develop healthier habits. It's really important to me to live a healthy lifestyle as an adult, so I have to make these habits into priorities now.
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