Is the 'freshman 15' just a myth?

With national obesity rates expanding, what used to be labeled the “freshman 10” has evolved into the modern-day legend of the “freshman 15.”\nAccording to several recent studies, however, that myth doesn’t necessarily reflect true trends on college campuses.\nVarious research shows that freshmen tend to gain between four and nine pounds from high school graduation to the end of their first spring semester. Cornell University researchers estimated freshmen put on 4.2 pounds in their first 12 weeks on campus, according to a 2004 study published in the International Journal of Obesity.\nResearchers at Rutgers University, in a similar study, recorded the weight of 217 freshmen entering college. Of the 67 who agreed to be weighed at the end of spring semester, those who put on weight averaged an increase of seven pounds. However, several freshmen lost weight, leading the study to report only a three pound average weight increase.\nIU’s Residential Programs and Services dietitian Heidi Boruff said the average freshman’s weight gain is far less than 15 pounds. She said some weight gain might even be natural. \nBoruff said that while freshmen like to consider themselves full-grown adults, many are still growing. A small weight gain should be expected, she said. \nFor some, though, pizza and hamburgers at all-you-can-eat cafeterias can be too enticing. Boruff’s advice is simple: Follow the food guide pyramid.\n“Everything’s OK in moderation, but you need to remember that ‘in moderation,’” Boruff said. She also recommended limiting alcohol consumption.\nAt the other extreme, the “freshman negative 15” might be as worrisome for students as excessive weight gain, Boruff said. Anorexia and bulimia are growing concerns on campuses as students become overwhelmed by their studies and obsessed with their appearances.\n“We have a lot of students who come here and feel the pressure to be thin – women students mostly – so a lot of them will become (purgers) or they just won’t eat,” Boruff said.