Just about everyone has heard of the “freshman 15”, the notion where you gain fifteen pounds your first year of college. This is proven to be a myth according to a study from Ohio State University. The first mention of the phenomenon in the popular press appeared in 1989 in an article in Seventeen Magazine. So that means almost everyone has believed that myth for twenty-two years. Well if you think about it, in college there is a lot of late night snacking, unlimited dining hall food, and excessive drinking which can encourage weight gain. According to the study, students gained about two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half pounds, which is nowhere near fifteen pounds. Even over their entire college careers, students didn't gain fifteen pounds. The study found that in four years, women gained a median 6.5 pounds and men gained 12.1 pounds. "The typical student is not going to get fat," says Jay Zagorsky. This is quite true, although a lot of food maybe consumed a lot of it will be burned off from walking to classes that are spread far apart from one another.
The freshman fifteen is a myth that most freshman including myself believed to be true at one point and time. Fifteen pounds is a lot of weight to put on in one year and is almost nearly impossible to happen. If the right foods are eaten and exercising is being done then there shouldn’t be a thought of gaining fifteen pounds. Some people actually lose weight their first year of college. With all the back and forth to classes and studying sometimes I forget or just don’t have the time to eat. The freshman fifteen should be left at just a myth because gaining fifteen pounds in one year is just unlikely.
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