Partial Truth: The Freshman 15

The GOOD NEWS: According to a host of scientific studies completed since 2000, the average freshman student will not gain 15 pounds.

The BAD NEWS: The average freshman student will gain 6-8 pounds.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, the myth of the freshman 15 began around 1985 in a Chicago Tribune article. The story quickly gained status as gospel. One's common sense said that all-you-can-eat dining halls, prepaid meal plans, unlimited desserts, late-night snacking, and sedentary lifestyles would mean at least 15 pounds of trouble.

Not so. Most recently, a study at Rutgers University found that female students gained an average of 6 pounds, while males added an average 8 pounds.

"Unfortunately, most people fail to gain control of their weight gain from early adulthood," said Stacy Trukowski, assistant director for fitness at Rutgers. "Although gaining an average of 7 pounds is not as alarming as 15, the pounds will surely add up over time."

What to do? Fitness directors at Rutgers suggest the following:

• Begin a fitness program.
• Get a workout partner.
• Improve your eating habits.

More specific eating advice comes from Daphne Oz, a junior at Princeton, who has written The Dorm Room Diet:

Her tips include avoiding sugar cereals and fried food; stocking dorm refrigerators with bite-size goodies like strawberries and baby carrots instead of Diet Coke and ice cream; filling up on fruit and water before attending parties; and preparing for study sessions by brown-bagging snacks like pears and soy crisps so that the midnight munchies won'’t propel you to a vending machine.

The blog Slashfood offers eight more eating tips:

1. Keep low fat yogurt in the mini fridge.
2. Trail mix is a good snack to keep on hand instead of candy bars.
3. Eat breakfast.
4. Visit the salad bar in the dining hall.
5. Avoid desserts.
6. Remember that calories come from drinks, too, like juice, smoothies, and coffee drinks.
7. Instead of chips, choose low fat popcorn.
8. Keep some long-lasting fruit on hand, like apples and oranges.