Do You Gain Or Lose Weight At Uni

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Living away from home for the first time can be tough. Especially when it comes to food. Here’s how to avoid uni weight gain and make better choices when it comes to your diet.

Whatever the reason, if you find that you’ve gained a little more weight than you’d like, don’t worry. This is something that a lot of people experience, and it’s nothing to panic about. This phenomenon is so widespread that in the US, it’s nicknamed the ‘Freshman 15’, after the 15 pounds, or 6.8kg, that first-year students typically put on.

If you want to take action, you’ll discover that staying at a weight that’s healthy for you can generally be achieved through getting active and eating a balanced diet. Of course, when you’re studying, there are a few extra challenges to managing your weight because you’re often short on money and time.

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When you’re studying, it’s really important to be able to keep your costs down. Staying healthy on a budget requires just a little planning and forethought. There are two things you need to keep in mind- how you’re getting active and what you’re eating.

If you like to exercise in a gym, find out whether there is one on your campus. You may be able to join at a reduced rate for students. If you haven’t used a gym before, or it’s been awhile since you last worked out, ask whether a trainer can get you started with a program. When you join you may be able to get a session or two for free, otherwise, trainers who are just starting out, or even still studying, will often charge a reduced rate.

Joining a sport or activity club is another great way to get active. There will probably be teams or clubs that you can join on your campus. If not, look for a local club. As well as helping you to keep fit, this is a great way to meet new people outside of your course or accommodation. Also, because fees or season subscriptions will probably be cheaper than the gym, this is likely to be kinder to your wallet.

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If you don’t already play a sport or have a hobby that keeps you active, this is a great time to pick up something new. You might like to try something that will also get you out and exploring Australia. Consider tramping or hiking, kayaking, rock climbing or running.

When you’re on a budget, it’s really important to plan ahead. This means buying less food when you’re out, and preparing more food at home. Try keeping a food diary for a week and noting what you’re eating and the cost. Then look at ways to combat this. If you find yourself grabbing snacks on the go, head to the supermarket once a week and stock up. Don’t forget that fresh fruit and vegetables are great for snacking on!

Planning your meals is a very budget-friendly option. There are lots of resources online to help get you started with meal planning, and give you ideas for different types of food that you can prepare in a batch to eat during the week.

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Fitting in that gym session or taking the time to eat properly can seem impossible when you’re studying but they’re both especially important when you’re busy and stressed. Try booking these sessions into your diary or schedule, and treating them with the same importance as your classes. While it can be a juggle to get everything done, when you’re fit and getting the nutrients that you need, you’ll be better equipped for all of your other tasks.

If you’re still having a tough time with your weight, or really not feeling happy in your body, it’s a great time to talk to a GP. The place you’re studying should have a clinic onsite, so make an appointment and have a chat. They may be able to work through any potential medical causes for what’s going on, give you some additional advice on nutrition, or help you find a counsellor to speak to.

Subscribe to receive the best from Live Better every week. Healthy recipes, exercise tips and activities, offers and promotions – everything to help you eat, move and feel better.Everyone’s heard about the so-called freshman 15. However, new research from the University of Georgia suggests that not gaining weight in college might be more complicated than just taking a walk around the quad

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The freshman 15 is actually a bit of a misnomer, with students typically only putting on around 8 pounds over their first year. But that’s a substantial amount of weight to gain, particularly for students who are already overweight. In the study, UGA researchers found that first-years do pack on pounds, about 3 on average over the course of the semester. But implementing healthy patterns early can help stave off that weight gain.

Published in the Journal of American College Health, the study found that vigorous physical activity, the kind of exercise that gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat, was almost nonexistent among the first-year students at a public university in the South. The American Heart Association recommends all adults participate in 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of intense exercise (or a combination of the two). At the start of the study, only two out of five students met the recommended level of activity.

That’s not to say none of the students were exercising. In fact, their moderate physical activity, such as walking across campus or biking at a casual pace, didn’t actually change much from when they were in high school. Some freshmen even upped their moderate activity.

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Graduate student and recreational sports yoga instructor Kelsey Wishik leads a stand-up paddleboard yoga class on Lake Herrick. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)

But by the end of the study – which followed students during their first semester at school – almost 70% of the students reported no vigorous physical activity at all. At the beginning of the study, students reported higher levels of activity, with only 40% saying they weren’t exercising hard enough to start panting.

“You have to be really motivated to engage in that level of activity, ” said Yangyang Deng, lead author of the study and a graduate student in the Mary Frances Early College of Education. “In high school, there are many opportunities to be involved in sports, but those disappear for many students in college.”

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As a result, the students in the study saw modest but significant increases in body mass index. BMI is a screening tool that divides a person’s weight by their height to determine whether they’re a healthy size. (A normal or healthy BMI value should fall between 18.5 and 24.9.) The students also added an average of a little over 3 pounds by the end of the semester, which sounds small but adds up as the college years go by.

Despite meal plans and 24/7 access to some campus dining options, the study showed that neither meal plan status nor whether the student lived on campus or off significantly predicted weight gain. But lack of vigorous activity did.

“The life transition from high school is a big one, and we know from research that life transitions are a big factor in changing our health behaviors, ” said Sami Yli-Piipari, author of the study, associate professor in the College of Education and director of the Children’s Physical Activity and Fitness Lab. “And other studies have previously reported that the more academically challenging the university is, the more weight students gain.”

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The students who were highly active in their lives before college, though, remained so at university. This attests to the importance of teaching children that exercising and eating a healthy diet is important for your future

“The message of this study is that we have to do a better job of helping young people be active because that affects how active they are later in life as well, ” Yli-Piipari said.

The study tracked over 100 students, measuring things like physical activity, BMI, motivation (or lack thereof) to exercise and how friends and family viewed their exercise habits. The researchers also examined the role university services played in students’ activity levels.

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For example, university health centers often have programming to teach students how to cook healthier meals and fit more activity into their lives, but the researchers found that most of the students in the study weren’t aware these services were available. And that awareness didn’t improve over the course of the semester.

The students’ increased BMI is obviously a concern, but we should really focus on a more holistic view of health, especially increasing moderate and vigorous activity for students. Establishing these good exercise habits now can have lifelong benefits.” — Yangyang Deng, lead author of the study

They were, however, aware of recreational activities at the student fitness center. Intramural sports and fitness classes also had a positive effect on students’ physical activity levels.Having friends who exercised and supported their classmates’ efforts to work out also boosted vigorous activity levels.

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“Vigorous physical activity most often occurs because of