Battle begins to fend off dreaded freshman 15

College is expensive, but it can make you smart.

It also can make you fat; just ask Amanda San Gill, 19, a sophomore at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Though she's nowhere near pudgy -- skinny's more like it -- San Gill, during her freshman year, did battle with the bane of college students everywhere: the freshman 15.

The catchy phrase refers to the weight some new college students gain during their first year away from home.

"I struggled with it a little when I first started college. It wasn't 15 pounds, though, it was more like three or four pounds," says San Gill, who recently transferred to UNLV from the University of Guam. "I lived at home but my schedule was so erratic, with work and class, I picked up some bad habits. I always had to go for the quick bite to eat."

There isn't a lot of research dealing with the freshman 15, says Mary Wilson, dietitian with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. What little there is shows that college students do indeed gain weight. But it's not necessarily 15 pounds; the amount is pegged at anywhere between four and six pounds. One study from the University of Guelph in Canada found that women gained an average of five pounds while men gained six.

And it isn't limited to freshmen.

Weight gain can occur anytime people change their eating or exercise habits, two things that are usually affected when students go away to college, Wilson says. If they live in a dormitory, they have access to a dining hall, which operates much like a buffet. Kids can eat what they want and as much as they want.

Overeating, late-night studying, skipping meals, drinking alcohol and making poor dietary choices can contribute to weight gain, Wilson adds.

"Students come to a facility like this, it's all they care to eat and they will heap food on their plates," says Susan Fukushima, resident district manager of UNLV's dining commons. "It's a lifestyle change for them, and they have trouble narrowing their food choices."

A dietitian works with the dining commons on a freshman 15 program, Fukushima says, and offers her services to any students who want it.

There are some ways to battle weight gain, Wilson says.

"Be picky when you're making your selections in the dining hall," she advises.

UNLV's dining hall offers such items as cheeseburgers, pizzas, sandwiches, cereals, salad, hot foods, desserts and vegan dishes. Learn to navigate the dining hall, Fukushima says, selecting a range of foods. Avoid piling too much food on a plate, too. Go easy on fattening types of foods. Eat a salad but go easy on salad dressing.

"I think snacking while studying can be a problem," Wilson says. "Kids will start munching to keep themselves awake."

Choose healthy snack items such as fruits, pretzels and raw vegetables instead of candy bars and potato chips.

Exercise. About 30 minutes a day on most days is a good start, Wilson says.

Also, keep a food journal by writing down everything you eat. Research has shown that keeping a food journal prevents overeating. If you're more of a computer person, use the food tracking tool on mypyramidtracker.gov. It analyzes your meals, Wilson says.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.