Don’t Let Your Kids Fall Prey To The Freshman 15!

For the past few years I have seen way too many of my friends’ children return from their first year in college a lot heavier than when they left.

And though they joke about it’s clear there is absolutely nothing funny about it to them. In fact,  most of them feel embarrassed, even depressed about it because they left home confident it would never happen to them.

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[Copyright: halfpoint / 123RF Stock Photo]

The statistic suggest that 1 in 4 college freshmen will gain 5% of their body weight in their first semester. That’s an average of 10 pounds! Girls and boys are equally vulnerable.

For some students this is seen as a “right of passage”, something that you just can’t avoid. Even more disturbing to me, as I have witnessed in researching my book, some freshmen make it a game… They brag about how much junk they are eating, the weight they are gaining and how frequently they get drunk out of their minds.

As a mom this breaks my heart. For about 18 years we nurture our children, providing then with every opportunity we can to set them on the path to success in school, in business and in life. Then we set them free in the wild and crazy world of college. This their “ground zero”, their time to figure out for themselves who they really are.  And we pray that all the values and habits we’ve instilled in them will serve them well. That when tested the foundation will remain solid and they will graduate stronger and more successful than we could have imagined.

And when we witness their struggles we cringe …

About a year ago I was invited to speak on a radio show and asked if I could create a “survival kit” as a give-away for our listeners. I was all too happy to oblige. If I could make even a small difference and help just a handful of students not fall into that trap I would be elated.

I began speaking with college students of all ages to get a better sense of what their greatest challenges were and whether they would find such a guide useful. I received a resounding “YES!”

And so “The Freshman 15 Survival Guide” was born and the initial response confirmed there was value in this little book.

WishIHadThisBefore!

“The Freshman 15 Survival Guide” is now officially published and available on Amazon in the Kindle store.

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I have been deeply humbled by the positive feedback and amazing reviews we are getting.

Here is what people are saying about “The Freshman 15 Survival Guide”:

This book is a must have for every kid on their way to college. Filled with helpful tips and insights, the Freshman 15 Survival Guide provides an easy to follow road map that can help kids avoid excess weight gain while setting themselves up for academic success through proper nutrition and rest. Great recipes too! Don’t send your child off to school without this easy to follow advice!”  ~ Valley Girl

[It’]s easy to read, full of truly practical tips, culminating in easy, fun recipes. I love the way it never preaches, while pragmatically addressing the very real challenges of staying healthy. and the truth is the wisdom is valuable for anyone who needs a little reminder on how simple it really is to stay on the healthy side of things. I would absolutely recommend this!”  ~ T.K.

This book should be a tool in this nation’s arsenal to get us back on track, starting in our colleges where young minds need “fuel” as much as they need “fire” from their academic studies. The tips and recipes within provide ammunition for healthy lifestyle maintenance and equip students to achieve their best during such a critical period of adjustment and adventure. We, the ones who are always searching for ways to help our children achieve balance and health, should start a campaign to get this book in the hands of every college freshman in the nation. Why not send them in care packages, like we do for our troops? The effect would be phenomenal!”  ~ Chiquita Battle

This last review touched me deeply, because in the end, that is my goal. To get this book in to the hands of every graduating senior and every incoming freshman… To give them the tools to resist the pull of the Freshman 15 and change the statistic for the better.

Will you help me achieve this?

You can find the book here and is FREE through Monday July 21st, so why not grab a copy for yourself and an additional 10 to gift to your friends…!

 

Comments

  1. Hi Valerie,
    I applaud you for writing the survival guide. Obviously, children at this age are quite vulnerable, susceptible as they are to peer pressure (a rite of passage, as you’ve described it.)

    As a parent, I think we are always torn between giving children their space and providing the wise counsel life has taught us. Your post is a great call to healthy choices.

    Kind Regards,
    Bill

    • Thank you William! It is important to remember how vulnerable are children are when they leave the safety of our arms. Equally important to trust that they will make wise choices and when they do fall, because it happens to all of us, that they will get back up on their feet, stronger than before. I do hope this little book empowers those who want to make healthy choices and encourages them to reach out to other like-minded students on their campus and beyond.

  2. What a great resource for young adults as they enter a new phase in life.

  3. I have a few years away until I have to think of this but I’m so glad there are people out there that have this kind of information. Hopefully I’ll be able to read this when my boys are off to college. 🙂

    • Enjoy your boys while they are still young Alison. My oldest will be a senior this coming year so college is much too close for me. I know she
      ll make good use of this and other resources when she is off to wherever she decides to go.

  4. I totally could have used this book my first year of college. I was so busy with everything I didn’t think I’d gain the 15, but I think I got over half of it anyways.

  5. What a great resource for parents and teens! Great job!

  6. sounds like a great book to have on hand when you are going into college. I however, in college, NEEDED to gain weight, lol. I was a skinny minnie. Now I long for those days back! Ha!

  7. I keep telling this to my daughter, she starts college in a month.

    • Congratulations Melinda and if you need a shoulder to cry on when she leaves feel free to reach out! She’ll love the book. It’s empowering as it gives young adults the tools to make smart decisions and come to that decision because it’s what they want 🙂

  8. I had never heard of this phenomenon until recently but good for you for trying to stem the tide. It cannot be a good feeling to go off to college and within a year be 15 lbs heavier.

    • Thanks Tim. All of the kids that I’ve seen come home with extra weight have been so annoyed about it. They spend all summer working it off.. and then they put it back on when they return in the fall. Not all, but most.

  9. It’s incredible that it’s such a wide-spread problem. This is a great resource for young adults. My niece hates the weight she’s gained in college, mostly because none of her clothes fit.

    • I hear that from college students all the time Crystal! They get frustrated, self conscious, embarrassed…and those feelings taint the whole experience. I am hoping that by addressing these issues publicly and creating a support system for college students fewer and fewer of them will be faced with those torments 🙂

  10. What a great resource for kids. I think that so many kids just eat whatever, well because it’s easy!

    • Thanks Mel. Yes kids eat whatever in part because it’s easy, also because it’s readily available and for many it’s “comfort food”. And it’s easy to have a pizza delivered at midnight straight to your dorm room when you’re studying into the wee hours of the morning. But food is just component and the weight gain really a symptom of a bigger problem.

  11. Sounds like a great resource to have on hand for college moms. Such an unfortunate phenomenon…would be wonderful if people were proactive and took steps to help their children make healthier choices once they were on their own at college.

    Michele

    • Amen Michele! Let’s make it happen! That is my goal. When we launch our website next month we will have a “Mommy Corner” or “Parent Corner” with resources for parents of college kids. The real goal is to empower the students themselves. When they leave home they are ready to set their own rules and often rebel against all the healthy choices their moms made just because they can… We’re hoping to empower the students and provide moms the resources to support them in their choices while giving the space to be young adults.

  12. Wow! I knew about the Freshman 15, but didn’t realize it was THAT bad!

    • I didn’t either Sarah, until my research was confirmed by all the kids I know personally. All but one of them in the last 4 years, has come home much heavier than they left and pretty annoyed about the whole thing.

  13. Thankfully neither of my girls had to deal with that. Both girls even had ovens and mini fridges in their dorm rooms. My son will go off in a couple of years, but I’m too worried about him. It’s a great resource for families because we know those 15 can show up with anyone!

    • Yay Mimi! So happy for your girls! And yes, having tools at your disposal to prepare your own meals even just a handful of times a week makes a huge difference. Thankfully more and more colleges are making these options available and if kids are motivated to stay healthy and they connect with other like minded students they are much more likely to succeed. You are right it can happen to anyone, no matter what habits they had at home, and what I’ve noticed is that some of the healthier kids before college are the ones who struggle the most once they are solely responsible for their life choices.

  14. I’m not sure why the Freshman 15 would be a bragworthy game. That makes no sense to me. My kids were lucky because neither of them gained it.

    • I don’t get it either Liz, but I think it’s a way of masking the embarrassment more than a real accomplishment. A lot of kids just assume it’s going to happen so they turn it into a game… I’ve been shocked to see kids brag “I’ve just had Chipotle and Dominoes… and that’s AFTER eating a full meal”. Thase kind of statements are horrifying to be because they point to greater underlying issues. I’m so happy your girls survived college without the weight gain! I’d love to have them share their “secrets” to staying healthy 🙂

  15. I never knew that statistic about college freshmen. I always assumed that most probably lost weight because they weren’t eating home cooked meals regularly.

    • Some lose weight KAren, but most gain. In part because food is available 24/7 and the kind of food that is available is not exactly your most nutritious food either. Think pizza, pasta, candy bars, nachos, fries, chips… and because college kids are on crazy schedule they eat at irregular times, often late at night… but that’s just one of the many reasons the weight piles on.. and ultimately the weight is just a symptom of other things… lack of energy, focus, mental clarity.. those have a greater impact on their overall performance and the real reason I feel it needs to be addressed.

  16. Hi Valerie – How wonderful that you not only identified the problem but actually did something about it. This book does sound like something every college-bound student needs. I don’t have any that age anymore but if I did, this book would be a sure thing. Good luck – hope it sells thousands and helps many.
    Lenie

  17. This sounds like a great book! I got it to share with my HS Junior, so she can prepare!

    • I can’t wait to hear her thoughts Wendy! My oldest daughter will be a HS senior next year. She knows the principles of the book well but will be keeping it handy as a resource to share with her friends. Best of luck to your daughter!!!

  18. Sending this to my daughter, she’s a junior in high school but she is reading everything she can get her hands on to prepare her for college.

  19. First of all congratulations on the publication of The Freshman 15 Survival Guide. What a great topic…I am forwarding the link to so many people! I had no idea that the stats were so dramatic! Kudos for having the courage to tackle the problem…I hope you can make a real difference:)

    • Thank you from the bottom of my heart Jacqueline! Believe it or not,the stats were actually the hardest part of the book to research! There are plenty of sources that say 15 lbs. is an arbitrary number and that most students don’t actually put on that much weight. But that is not what I found with the students around me… Every single one of them came home the Christmas of their freshman year much heavier than they had left and put on even more weight by summer. Many blamed the drinking for it as much as the copious amounts of junk food they consume… And time and again they confirmed that most of their classmates were in the same boat.

      I am so grateful to you for passing this on to as many as you can. I would love nothing more than to get this into the hands of every incoming college freshman… We have some impressive young men and lady all around.. Imagine how much more they could achieve if they were in optimum health!!!

      Have a fabulous day and thank you for spreading the word 🙂

  20. Hi Valerie; It is amazing that you created something that will help so many young people. I’m not surprised by the reviews. I’m surprised some colleges haven’t contacted you about including it in the college orientation programs. You did something really great here. best of luck with it, Max

  21. I gained that 15…but I also lost it. I think its hard balancing that being away, eating, going to class, etc the first time!

    • You are so right Trisha. There is so much to juggle that first year between class schedules, homework assignments, friends, parties.. and the freedom to make all of your own decisions. Plus you suddenly find yourself without boundaries except for the ones you self impose… I’m hoping that the simple guidelines we provide in the book help those who need it put their own boundaries in place and create an environment for themselves that is empowering rather than overwhelming.

  22. I definitely think kids fall prey to the whole “this is what is expected” mentality when it comes to the freshman 15. It’s similar to when people get complacent in relationships and gain weight. When we hear these stereotypical messages about the freshman 15 and people “letting themselves go” after they get married, they get engrained and we sort of end up fulfilling said prophecy. Your survival guide is a great idea because it shows kids that if they are mindful then they can beat the freshman 15 prophecy that is laid out before them.

    • Beautifully said Heidi! It does become somewhat of a self fulfilling prophesy and I believe that’s why some students make it into somewhat of a game.. It’s a way to give a semblance of control.

  23. What a great book for Freshmen! I’m sure it will make a great difference!

  24. Your book looks like the perfect gift for kids graduating from college, assuming they are going to college.

    • Thank you Beth! Actually I would venture to say it’s the perfect book even if they aren’t going to college as it provides a blueprint for establishing sound healthy habits and a foundation for success in life!

  25. I am a two time college drop out. As of now, my oldest has no intentions of going to college.

    • I applaud you for trying but I also believe college is not for everyone. And I know plenty of extremely successful people who never went to college. I wish you and your oldest much success, college or not 🙂

  26. Although my oldest has years before we discuss college, I remember my own Freshman year and all the lovely food involved. This looks like a great resource for teens around this age group whether they college bound or not.

    • Thanks Marcie. It is indeed a great resource for tweens and teens and basically anyone who is looking for simple guideline to make healthy lifestyle choices. Let me know your thoughts after you read it 🙂

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