If you were one of those parents who needed to give that last hug goodbye to your son or daughter going away to school, there is a phenomena called the Freshman 15 which you should know about if you do not already.

Unfortunately, it’s easy for young women and men to gain weight their first year away from home. The combination of a change in eating habits, increase in caloric intake and decrease in physical activity lead to this weight gain. Remember all those sporting events that happened in high school? Now they are replaced with long walks to class and back to the dorm room.

It takes only an excess of 3500 calories to add one pound to the scale. On the other side, you can burn anywhere from 400 to 600 calories in one hour of jogging 5 mph if you weigh approximately 140-160 pounds.

Unfortunately, if your son or daughter had a two hour practice after high school and now have stopped that amount of physical activity, then they are already starting with a deficit of 500 to 600 calories per day if they do not adjust their food choices and portion sizes.

Below are some tips for college students to prevent weight gain. These tips can also be adapted for anyone who is trying to maintain their weight.

First, when eating in the cafeteria, limit yourself to one plate of food per meal, including dessert. While you’re at it, make choices that make your plate colorful. Vegetables’ color often indicates what nutrients they contain (for example, orange vegetables almost always indicate beta carotene). The darker the color, the more nutrients, so fresh spinach is a better choice for a salad than iceberg lettuce.

Second don’t snack between meals. Or if you do, make it nutritious, and count it as a meal. Sip on water or diet drinks in between meals to prevent extra calories from creeping into your diet.

Third, be choosy about the food you keep in your dorm room. Limit the high-sugar sodas and high-fat snacks.

Jumbo Breakfast Cookie

Makes 36 servings, 1 each

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup water

1 Tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats

1 cup raisins

4 cups oat circles

1. Heat oven to 375�F. Stir together sugar, margarine, peanut butter, water vanilla and egg in a large bowl.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except oat circles. Then gently add oat circles.

3. Drop dough by rounded 1/3 cupfuls, 2 inches apart onto ungreased large cookie sheet. Flatten dough to about one inch thick.

4. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Let stand five minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Store loosely covered.

About the Author

Mary R. Ehret, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., is with Penn State Cooperative Extension, Luzerne County, 16 Luzerne Ave., West Pittston, Pa., 18643. (570) 825-1701/602-0600. Fax (570) 825-1709. mre2@psu.edu.

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