When entering college everyone has their own fears. "Will I fit in, will anyone like me, am I going to like it ...?" No one ever thinks about me. That is why I hit everyone so hard, sometimes they do not even see me coming. Before I tell you what my name is, let me tell you a little about myself. A can be a response to fatty foods, or stress. I love when you late night snack, and when you eat Lakeside's great hamburgers, french fries, and chicken fingers. I can't wait to see those weekends when you go home and eat mom's great home cokked meals. Some of you even goes to grandparent's house and eat more and more. I really love when you tell your friends that they can go on to the RAC without you. You never want to exercise, and my self-esteem rise when yours get lower. My main goal is to watch how your perfect figure turns to not so perfect. My name is The Freshman Fifteen.

        The Freshman 15 is a nickname given by college students. It is where you gain weight, commonly 15 lbs., from the change in atmosphere and food. many other factors can cause this weight gain of new college students. For one, if you do not exercise regularly or do not watch what you eat. Another major factor is stress. College students sometimes do not realize how stressful college can be. If you are not mentally prepared for it, it can hit you harder than you think. This is why this situation apply to males, females, and even new teachers. Because everyone is different, we all respond to changes differently. While some are gaining weight, others may be losing weight. No matter what, we all respond to stress and new environment.

        The response of the Freshman 15 can be very damaging. If you are not prepared for it, you can more than 20 lbs. It can be very stressful if you are already a little overweight. This can be another stressful situation that can cause your mind to wander off of school work. This can lead to many different eating disorders. They may include beliuma and/or anorexia. There are many different solutions that can help prevent a college student from being affected. First, you must decide if your weight gain is a problem. If it is, you must then decide if it is a response to stress of the change in eating habits. If it is a response to bad eating habits, set up a plan that decides what you should and should not eat. Avoid fatty foods and late night snacking. Get some motivating friends and set up an exercising program and stick to it. Also learn to say no! If you are gaining weight because of stress find out what is stressful in your life. This can lead to very serious problems, that may result to suicide or dropping out. Is being away from home for the first time, the schoolwork, the transition from highschool to college, or being away from your boy or girlfriend, or even your family that you left back at home. There may be other problems that you might not recognize. That is why there are counselors on campus to help you with problems that you may be having. Stop, think, do not let the Freshman 15 control your life.