Study proves that the freshman 15 stretches the truth
Kristina Vlcek
Contributor
The freshman 15 is known (and feared) among post-secondary students all across North America. Its name comes from students in their freshmen year who typically drink heavily, eat poor quality cafeteria style food, and exercise less. As a result, they experience some weight gain, which normally equals about 15 pounds.
A study published in the December 2011 issue of the Social Science Quarterly found that the common belief is far from factual. According to this study, performed at Ohio State University, a freshman gains an average of 2.5 to 3.5 pounds, and the weight gain has little to do with college attendance. Researchers at the university reviewed data from 7,418 interviews with subjects ages 17 to 20 and found that both male and female first-year students gained about three pounds during the first year.
The study showed that heavy drinkers gained more and those who had a job gained less than those who did not. Income,
poverty, and living in a dorm had no significant effect according to the statistics. The lead author in the study, Jay L. Zagorsky, affirmed that the freshman 15 is a myth.
“There are lots of things to worry about when you go to college, but gaining weight is not one of them,” says Zagorsky. “Worry about flunking your courses and whether you’re going to like your roommates. Don’t worry about a myth.”
If a student chooses to live in a residence, they will purchase a meal plan to eat at York Lanes and the Student Centre all year long. Jonathan Turalinski, a student who did his undergraduate degree at York and is now doing his graduate degree, agrees with the study.
“People are still young and so many 17-19 year olds may begin to naturally fill out their body at that time, regardless of college,” says Turalinski. “It’s strange though, because when you enter an environment that forces your diet towards almost entirely fast food (first-year residence at York, unless you don’t care about variation), then the freshman 15 should actually be more likely to happen.”
Ramsey Aburaneh, a fourth-year York student also protests the common conception of the freshman 15.
“In my experience, most freshman 15 stories come from those students (both men and women) living on campus,” says Aburaneh. “If you look deeper into that, as to why is it those students living on campus, I think the true underlying issue to the freshman 15 is the change in eating habits! In our case at York, especially for those living on campus, our meal plans and all that bad food we eat is where the extra ‘15’ pounds comes from.”
A common thought among students is that the weight gain comes with age. As we get older, especially for men, we put on weight because that is simply what out bodies do. Heavy drinking is a common contributor to weight gain, although that is not exclusive to university students. If students do gain weight in university, it is not because they are a freshman.
If they do gain weight, it is all muscle mass from the weight training. If a student eats well, sleeps well, and exercises regularly, their body will respond in a
positive way.
So if you are in your first year and are worried that this will happen to you—don’t be! The freshman 15 may very well be a myth. Just take care of yourself and do what is right for your body. If you don’t, then you are the one paying the price of a few extra pounds on that scale.
