One morning, the summer between my freshman and sophomore years, I stepped on my mom’s tauntingly shiny scale and looked down at the number: 130. My mouth dropped open in disbelief. A year before I had fluctuated between 110-115 pounds. I stepped off the scale and weighed myself again. That same number flashed at me mockingly. Without even realizing it, I packed on 15 pounds over the course of my freshman year.
I was such an idiot my freshman year that I didn’t even realize when I gained weight. When my jeans started to get tighter, I just thought that I was getting older and curvier. I thought the same thing when my bras started not fitting. I didn’t stop to think about the dreaded “freshman 15.”
My mom warned me about the weight gain that all college freshmen experience, deemed the freshman 15. I had always been skinny and never had a problem with my weight, so naturally, I didn’t listen to her. Besides, with all the walking to and from class, I thought that there was no way I could be gaining that much weight. Maybe five pounds, but definitely not 15, especially since I went to the gym every day.
At the time, I blamed the dorm food. It was the pasta night and “Fried Friday” at Carson Hall. It was the burritos and nachos from Big Mouth Burrito. It was the damn milkshakes and cheesy grillers at Common Grounds. It couldn’t be my fault it. It had to be the food.
But it was my fault. I tried to work out every day, but it wasn’t enough. I was still eating foods that were bad for my body. All that gym time couldn’t reverse the effects of the food I was ingesting. When I went home for winter break, my mom noticed that I had gained some weight. She didn’t directly tell me, though. I wish that she had bluntly told me that I was gaining weight. Maybe I would have listened to her for once.
I felt that extra weight. It weighed me down with every step I took. I looked in the mirror and finally saw all that extra poundage. I saw the muffin top that had formed over my jeans. That was all I needed to decide that I needed to lose weight. I signed up at my local gym and started dieting.
Dieting sucks. I always felt hungry and desperately wanted to eat ice cream. But I felt terrible about myself. My self-esteem was at an all time low. I looked at all the pictures taken of me during the last year, and I couldn’t even recognize myself. That was my motivation, so I slowly worked on losing weight. That’s how I spent my entire summer. But eventually, I lost the extra poundage. I felt lighter and better about myself. I felt more free.
Now, I try to maintain my weight and not allow it to get out of hand. It gets difficult dieting sometimes (especially since I live annoyingly close to Dairy Queen), but I strive to try and eat foods that are good for me. For me, it’s all about self-control. I’ve always had a sweet tooth. It’s just that it was never a problem before.
Tons of people gain weight during their freshman year of college. It’s hard not to with all the fattening food in the dorms. And it’s hard to stay healthy being away from home for the first time. I tended to eat more fattening foods than my mom ever kept in the house, like Poptarts and Lucky Charms. I just didn’t take care of my body. Even though I worked out almost every day, I wasn’t eating like I normally did.
To all the freshmen out there, don’t be upset if you gain some weight because it happens to everyone. It’s hard to eat healthy. It’s especially hard for young college students. I know the struggle of the freshman 15. It’s a curse we can’t avoid.
Bonnie: Putting on the poundage
Hannah Bonnie
October 11, 2015
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