How to lose your Freshman 15
It’s not as hard as you think
Time flies. It seems like yesterday that we first set foot on this campus, and now we’re almost a month away from the end of freshman year.
Sadly, this also means that after a month or so, the most commonly used excuse for the extra cheek fat on our fellow freshmen’s faces will no longer be valid.
This first year without moms shoving greens on our plates has been quite a blast. With the freedom to eat however many meals a day and however many slices of pizza and scoops of ice cream, and especially when Dominos accepts Dooley dollars and make late night deliveries, it is not uncommon to find that the summer clothes that used to be snug start hugging our curves at the wrong places.
While enjoying the final month with the wonders of a limitless meal plan, it might be time to pull the brakes and start coming up with a game plan. Here are some of the tips and suggestions I’ve collected to get rid of your freshman 15.
Plan out a workout routine
Everybody knows a good amount of exercise complements a good diet. Try to maintain a regular workout schedule by going to the gym at least three times a week.
A combination of cardio and weights is recommended. If indoor exercise is not your thing, take advantage of the beautiful Atlanta weather and take a jog in Lullwater or Piedmont park. Trust me, time goes by more quickly this way.
Hit workouts, from what I’ve learned from my hallmate, Kara Ye, is a quick way to burn off the calories from the pizza in your last meal. In hit workouts, you do as many squats or burpees in 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat the routine for 3 rounds. Hit workouts burn visceral fat quickly because of the intensity of the workout.
Kara Ye with her healthy breakfast. Freshman. Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Major.
Eat more veggies and fruit. Wait, no. Just more veggies
While fruits may seem healthy, and they certainly are, excess fruit intake can contribute to some of the fat under your forearms because fruits contain large amounts of fructose and glucose.
A giant bowl of salad (without the dressing) however, brings you less than 20 calories, and the fiber speeds up your metabolism.
Fruits instead of juice
If you are a fruitie like me, choose fruits instead of juice. While this sounds contradictory since juice is simply a liquid form of fruits, the fiber in fruits can slow down the uptake of glucose in your bloodstream, so less carbs will go into your “carb bank” that is stored in the form of glycogen. J
ust so you know, if your “carb bank” is full, unlike monetary banks that encourage more deposits, the excess carbs will start to accumulate as fat. Also, a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice contains just as much sugar as two cupcakes or five oreo cookies. While it’s easier to suck from a straw than to get your hands dirty with an orange, I would pick the latter.
Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl. Georgetown Cupcake.
Having Sleep for dinner or a late night snack
Me: “ What are you going to have for dinner?”
Roommate: “Sleep.”
Make detox water your new best friend
Friend with a box of sweet tea under her bed: “Tap water is bland.” Very true.
Make your water colorful by giving it a citrus or berry swirl. Strawberries, lime, organge, cantaloupes would all work. And once again, it’s cheaper than ice tea.
Take the longer route
No one wants to be late for class, so you have two options: leave your room early and take the longer route to your classes (also adds to the steps in your fitbit goal that you hardly ever ahieve) or leave your room 5 minutes later class so you’ll have to speed walk, which burns more calories.
I’ll worry about it next year
“Freshman 15 will go away when sophomore year comes.”