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Some important notes to consider...
1. It is Not uncommon to gain weight with freshman year in dorm due to:
- Unlimited quantity of food
- Regulated meal times which may:
- increase eating at meal times beyond fullness to prevent later hunger
- increase eating with late night studying (fast food, ordered-in, vending)
- increase snacking on more processed foods
- Increased social eating (hanging out in the dining hall with friends)
- Eventual boredom: start eating just to taste something different
- Different type of meal preparation: maybe more fat and/or sugar in foods?
- Keeping foods in your room (which are more commonly "snack" foods because they are not perishable)
2. Activity level may change:(despite training for sport)
- More sitting in classrooms and studying vs. summer freedom and work sch.
- Change in training programs
- Fall may not be your training season (so even less activity)
3. Other impacts:
- Increased stress with academic and athletic expectations
- Change in sleep patterns
- Possible alcohol consumption
- Being rushed (little time)for breakfast and lunch (so these are smaller meals)
4. Fundamentals:
- Know serving sizes
- Try to the calories you eat over the whole day instead of taking in the largest amount in the evening (eat more for breakfast to help afternoon workouts). Eating too little in the morning sets you up for more eating in the evening/night.
- Ask for what you want (different prep style, different brands, etc... asking is voting)
- Drink lots of water, but not necessarily too much with meals
- Increase intake of whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains to make sure you get enough fiber
- Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed
- Avoid a lot of caffeine, especially in diet products
5. Strategy for Prevention
- Take responsibility for your overall health (weight, training, performance, attitude)
- Pay attention to how you feel after different foods, activities, social events
- Take a multi-vitamin 3+ times per week (general, not mega-dose)
- Watch out for excessive: fat, soda pop (diet and reg.), and refined carbohydrates
6. A few important nutrients to remember
- Calcium: dairy foods, broccoli, sesame seeds, calcium citrate supplements, canned fish (salmon, sardines, tofu, chard, legumes
- Iron: red meats, iron fortified/enriched grain products, legumes, chicken
- Zinc: meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, whole grains
- Vitamin C: fruits and vegetables, some 100% fruit juices
- Vitamin B-Complex: variety of whole foods,
enriched grain products, meats, legumes
* These nutrients are best supplied and absorbed by eating a wide variety of foods at each meal
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