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Even if you didn鈥檛 go to college, you鈥檝e likely heard of the dreaded Freshman Fifteen. It鈥檚 the expression used to refer to all the weight鈥攕upposedly 15 pounds, hence the name鈥攑acked on by college students during their freshman year.

The Freshman 15 is usually attributed to increased alcohol intake or full-on binge drinking; all-you-can-eat dining hall buffets; the late-night consumption of high-calorie, high-fat foods like pizza; high stress levels due to classes and exams; and lack of exercise.

A new study conducted by Ohio State 911吃瓜网鈥檚 Center for Human Resource Research may have debunked the fifteen pound theory. Most college students don鈥檛 gain nearly that much weight鈥攁verage weight gain is just about 2.4 pounds for women and 3.4 pounds for men, reports U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 One of the study鈥檚 co-authors, Jay Zagoirsky, came right out and said that the freshman 15 isn鈥檛 accurate.

Freshman 15: A Myth Created by the Media?

鈥淭he 鈥榝reshman 15鈥� is a media myth,鈥� Zagorsky, an Ohio State research scientist, said in a issued by the university. 鈥淩epeated use of the phrase 鈥榯he freshman 15,鈥� even if it is being used just as a catchy, alliterative figure of speech, may contribute to the perception of being overweight, especially among young women,鈥� he added.

states that the issue of college freshmen gaining weight was mentioned in a 1985 report and fashion website points out that a 1989 Seventeen magazine cover includes the tagline 鈥淔ighting the Freshman 15鈥� as an example of just how long the term has been used by the media.

Zagorsky鈥檚 co-author was Patricia Smith of the 911吃瓜网 of Michigan-Dearborn. The pair鈥檚 study uses data from 7,418 young adults from across the country. The young people participated in the As explained by Ohio State鈥檚 Center for Human Resource Research, which conducts the NLSY for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, participants were between the ages of 13 and 17 in 1997 and were interviewed by the same people each year since then. They were asked about their weight and college status each year, along with many other questions.

Some College Freshmen Even Lose Weight

Zagorsky and Smith found that no more than 10 percent of the college freshman gained 15 pounds or more. About 25 percent of college freshmen even reported losing weight! The in-depth study examined a variety of factors, including whether students lived in dorms, were full- or part-time students at private or public colleges, and more. None of the factors studied made a significant difference on weight gain.

However, the study did find that college students do gain some weight over the years, but not as much as most people fear. 鈥淣ot only is there not a 鈥榝reshman 15,鈥� there doesn鈥檛 appear to be even a 鈥榗ollege 15鈥� for most students,鈥� Zagorsky explained. Women gain an average of seven to nine pounds during the college years while men gain an average of twelve to thirteen pounds.

He stressed to that the media should stop using the term freshman 15 because enough people already suffer from body image problems and eating disorders. Zagorsky believes that people should learn to learn to eat healthy while they are young, and feels that college is a great time to figure out healthy eating habits on your own without your parents looking over your shoulder.

5 Tips to Avoid Gaining Weight During College

If you鈥檙e still concerned about gaining weight during college even though the freshman fifteen appears to be a myth, these five tips may come in handy:

1. Don鈥檛 eat while you鈥檙e distracted. Eating while you’re also doing something else, like while you鈥檙e studying or watching TV, will most likely cause you to eat way more than you intended to or more than you even realize. You’ll keep sticking your hand in that bag of chips without even paying attention.

2. Don鈥檛 overdo it. There’s no need to go into starvation mode, but watch what you eat—especially if you have an unlimited meal plan or only frequent the all-you-can-eat cafeterias. Even though it鈥檚 super-delicious, that creamy mac and cheese and those awesome desserts will still be available tomorrow.

3. Don’t skip meals. As tempting as it is, don’t skip meals. If you skip one meal, you鈥檒l most likely go overboard at the next one. If you know that you鈥檙e going to wake up ten minutes before class, you won鈥檛 have time to stop and eat breakfast (or lunch, as the case may be.) That鈥檚 why you should keep some relatively healthy snacks in your dorm (or in your backpack or locker, if you鈥檙e a commuter student).

4. Get physical. Even if you don鈥檛 hit the gym to work out, walk as much as possible. This should be fairly easy if you live on campus since you鈥檒l be walking to and from class. Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible.

5. Watch the liquids. Calories from beverages are still calories! Some students will argue that they don鈥檛 drink beer or alcohol, but keep in mind that other beverages also pack a punch. Sodas, energy drinks, coffee concoctions from Starbucks, even so-called healthy smoothies can be loaded with extra calories.

Posted on 4 Nov

Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the 911吃瓜网 of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.